Santa Came Early... Finally got my Bike..

adventureduo

Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
Well, wasn't really the right timing.. but it never will be most likely. I've been scowering Craigslist for KLR's, KTM's and BMW's for the last year or so. Never super serious, but more day dreaming than anything. Been wanting a dual sport/adventure bike for almost 2 years, been riding dirt bikes since i was a kid. Just have been busy and financially wasn't the proper thing to do until now. I still feel guilty actually.

So, I've always wanted a BMW F650 GS Dakar because they always seemed nice and the perfect size for someone just starting out.. also, never really thought i'd find one in my price range. Yesterday that all changed, and fast it did. Shoot, i don't even have my street license yet! (no extra time!)

I stumbled upon a freshly listed 2002 with 17,000 miles on it on CL yesterday morning that had been posted late the night before. Fresh tires, Remus exhaust, soft panniers, trunk box and a Wolfman tank bag. Well treated and garage heated. Came with tubes, heated grip parts, some misc stuff/old exhaust and all the paperwork/books.

I jumped on it since the last one i saw listed go in 2 days. After talking with Yoshi and she realizing it was a somewhat rare bike... she approved it and I just about told him i'll take it straight over the phone. I had a good friend stop what he was doing on a Saturday and meet me with his riding license, his insurance, his pickup and my denero in hand. I checked it out before his arrival and he test rode it for me once on the scene. Yeah, i trust friends and value their opinions. If this person told me, it's a POS or it's the best bike he's ever ridden.. i wouldn't have doubted him. Whatever he said went, regardless of how "cool" the bike looked standing there. I was prepared to walk away.

After all was said and done.... $3700 got me this. Im very stoked and many others aren't. Apparently the seller took my call for some weird reason and now he has to call 5-6 other folks back and tell them it's gone. Im a lucky guy.

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Now it's time to get Yosh a bike so we can ride Death Valley together. We'll trailer them out, as i promised the misses and the mom that i wouldn't ride streets too often in Southern California. We're thinking a TW200 for Yoshi :D

Anyhow.. Merry Christmas to me.
 

gabepari

Explorer
Man, that thing is sexy!! I can't wait to putt around DV with you. It's like a whole new place on a scooter :)

Gabe
 

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
Dave chose wisely. That's the primo model of a well regarded bike and he got a sweet deal on it. Let's see: Land Cruiser, TJ , cool trailer, killer dual sport . . . hmmm, the AdventureDuo seems pretty well set for all contingencies.

Congratulations, Dave.
 
Once the debt and my KLX250s is paid off I hope the Dakar will be my next ride. Awesome find and I'm very jealous man.
 
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adventureduo

Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
Right on Clay, we're looking at all the options for her. But with no real sense of urgency since we depart in 2 days for our CalZona Expedition trip.

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

The hardest part is to buy what you've wanted to for so long.. then drop it off at someone elses shop and not see it for a month :( I already miss it.
 

gabepari

Explorer
The hardest part is to buy what you've wanted to for so long.. then drop it off at someone elses shop and not see it for a month :( I already miss it.

Don't worry, It's got a nice warm bed at night... I'll pat it's front fender and rub the seat everyday for you :)
 

Willman

Active member
Nice Dave!

I had the bug.....Came very close in buying a new KLR......I decided to bag it.....

My wife is happier now.....Utah streets are crazy!

That is one sweet bike!

Be safe!

:bike_rider:
 

adventureduo

Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
So this week i finally got a free minute to tinker on the bike and get it dialed in for what i want to use it for. First thing i did was ditch the low hanging license plate bracket and move the plate up. Problem with the stock one and running a nobby in the rear is that when you jump the bike or hit a hard dip the tire hits the license plate and then in turn gets sucked into the wheel well, shearing your rear tail light off. So off that went. Next was to ditch the Euro mud guard that gets clogged up with mud and rocks and ends up ripping off later anyhow. I also mounted a new Dunlop D606 in the rear, checked chain slap and lubed it. I also started in on mounting the pannier kit that came with the bike. They're soft bags and made by a company in the UK from what i can gather. Great quality and they seem like they'll work great. Just one small problem was the pannier brackets wouldn't bolt around the after market Remus exhaust. So off that came and i installed the stock twin pipes. Never a huge fan of loud pipes in the back country i actually like it better, being quieter. Another thing i worked on was the shift lever position. With my new boots i couldn't exactly shift as easily as i preferred. So i notched that up 2 index points. Much better now. Lastly i fitted the Givi trunk that came with the bike as well. Works perfect and i think will be used on large multi day trips only. Even the soft panniers will stay off until i actually need them. Don't need to carry extra weight for day rides.

Anyhow, after that.. here she sits... first ride with it on dirt will be tomorrow....

dakarmod.jpg
 

adventureduo

Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
Well, today it was sprinkling off and on here in So-Cal... so we decided to pass on the ride... since there was pavement between us and the trailhead. I don't need to dump the new bike with a fresh nobby outback. So we'll reschedule for next weekend. No biggie.

In the meant time, Dixie got to putt around our business complex in 1st gear. She actually liked it! She fit perfect in the wolfman bag. Pretty funny.

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I took the time to stop by Cycle Gear near the house and grab a pair of pants and jacket they had on sale. Went for a 20 mile spin for a bit and i was just about sweating without the inner liner :D

Bilt Storm Jacket.. http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product/storm_waterproof_motorcycle_jacket/web1008403

Bilt Storm Waterproof over pants ... http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product/storm_waterproof_motorcycle_overpants/web1008634
 

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