Much to my chagrin, the Bandit has been sold. This journey to find “my bike” has not been as easy as I had thought. Each one I’ve had has taught me something, but none have proved to be one that I’d really like to hold onto for a while. The small cruiser style (my 1987 Suzuki Savage) was easy to ride, but not too well suited for long touring and two-up riding. The larger cruiser (my 2002 Suzuki Volusia) and it’s slouched, forward control position proved uncomfortable. The Sport-tourer category is workable for me (my 2005 Kawasaki Concours, at least as far as the bike that fit into the more touring end of that spectrum rather than the sportbikes that lend themselves well to decking out for long riding, but ease of maintenance and styling (read: the old Concours vs. the new Concours14) became very important to me. The more upright standards or naked bikes (my 2001 Bandit) are hit and miss for comfort. Extremely easy to maintain and work on and satisfying when one wants a sporty mount, but with the wrong frame geometry and seat surface like the Bandit, too uncomfortable to the point of being painful over long hauls for both rider and passenger in our case. So, the Bandit was sold. What next? The timing is perfect - my aunt and uncle found the Goldwing trike they were dreaming of, and their 1988 Goldwing became available! In beautiful condition, aesthetically and mechanically, and at an excellent price, it’ll come to live with us as of Labor Day weekend. More to come on our life with a big touring bike!
Aug 21