[alanmcorcoran]

Thanks for your time and thoughts softie. It's unbelievable to me how many bikes there are out there to choose from. Although I am a recovering impulse buyer, I am making a big effort to take my time before I dive into another bike. The GZ has worked out perfectly for me for what I bought it for, even though I bought it essentially by default. I had said previously I would probably keep the GZ (like Sarris has) if I buy something larger, but, the more I think about it, the more I think that's not going to happen. I can afford two bikes, but I'm having trouble seeing me making effective use of both of them. Plus I barely maintain one. If I have two, and one is sitting a lot, I can see more overhead and trouble. I need more room in the garage, etc. Patrick and Sarris have done it, but I think they are both more serious riders than I will ever be. Haven't decided for sure yet, but this is making me think I need something practical for everyday around town and that I can take on a multiday trip. So I'm kind of letting go of the 1800cc idea and thinking more of the 600-800cc range. I still plan to rent the big Strat and take a ride up to Monterey. Maybe I will totally love it and then I'll feel better about dropping 15K on a big tourer. I know what you mean about the Goldwing, if i sit on one I'm gonna instantly age 10 years and bye-bye girlies. But, if I really like it, I don't care what I look like. (Besides, the girls only love me for my money anyway.) It's the weight and all that goes with it that bothers me.

It's a shame the GZ isn't just a tad more beefy (say a 350) or I would keep it indefinitely. I'm starting to understand the obsession with squeezing an extra ten mph out of one. I know the big bikes bring on a whole new set of problems, but I was thrilled with the easy power of the Strat after flogging my poor GZ to death to stay alive on the 55. Maybe I'll keep the GZ and just rent the big ones when I want to go somewhere far.

I've seen a lot of potential bikes on Craigslist (in fact, a 2005 Yamaha 1100 Custom(?) caught my eye), but my lack of mechanical smarts is going to make me susceptible to being scammed by someone with a problem bike that runs well enough to sell but reveals serious problems once bought. The dealers are not much better with all of their garbage add-on fees that you will never recover.

Keep the ideas coming. It's a great help to have the collective wisdom of so many riders to exploit while I am sifting through the myriad of choices.