2006 Suzuki VStrom 650
I bought this 2006 Suzuki VStrom off of eBay in April of 2007 from a guy in Tucson, and rode it home from there. I had never ridden one before then, but had read enough about them to conclude that it would be a decent replacement for my dear, departed BMW R1100 GS. Boy, was I in for a pleasant surprise! It's a versatile and powerful little beastie, has a range of about 220 miles, and will carry all the crap I could desire. There's nowhere I used to go with the GS that I'd be afraid to take this bike.
1998 BMW R1100GS
I rode the GS for almost eight years, and it took me from the Pacific to the Atlantic, down into the Copper Canyon in Mexico and up to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska among many, many other long and wonderful rides. I took Jimmy Lewis' off-road riding course on it in 2002, where I pushed the heavy beast to its (and my) limits. And though I got myself into many situations where other bikes would have left me stranded, it always managed to get me home. It was a great bike for most of those eight years. But after about 60,000 miles it was beginning to show a lot of wear and tear, the final (shaft) drive was starting to go, and when the transmission died at 72,000 miles, I sold it.
