Hey superteam. I'm looking at a new BMW R1200GS Adventure as my next bike.
Reasons being:
1. I'm 6'6" (at least) so need the bike to be as physically large and tall as possible.
2. I plan on doing some touring around Italy + Europe every long weekend I get. The adventure has better wind protection than the standard GS and a larger tank.
3. Strong suspension and wheels are a MUST because of how atrocious Roman roads are (I live in Rome). I'm not exaggerating, especially regarding the cobbled roads in the centre. My XJR1300 developed permanent fork leaks!
4. For reasons in 3, plus the worst driving standards I've ever been exposed to, chances of an accident or a wheel slipping out (cobbled roads have zero grip when wet) are very high. The GS Adventure comes with engine guards standard, and I imagine the pannier racks would do some protecting too. The bike also looks pretty sturdy anyway.
Cons:
5.Don't plan on going offroad so that's something the bike is equipped for which is wasted on me.
6. The weather protection means that the bike is very wide. Considering how hectic and unbelievably tight filtering is in Rome, that is one huge issue (and you have to filter).
7. Bike sounds lame. That's a pretty big deal breaker for me.
8. Comes in boring colours.
9. Old fogies will come up to me and talk to me about the bike and any relationship they've ever had with one.
Can anybody think of other options? Africa Twin looks cool but way more off-road-prepped than I will even need it to be, at the expense of being less comfy on motorway. Multistrada is a short person's tall bike but seems great in every other respect, except I'd feel like a bit of a pontz driving one and I don't want anything delicate. How about the Super Tenere? Anybody tried it? The forks look too slim.
No sports-tourers please. Not appropriate for Rome in any way and I'm not at *that* age yet.
Price not an issue, but I don't want to buy bike "X" and do any modifications beyond accessorising.