Any real motorcycle adventure is still at least several weeks away. But mentally travel can start at any time.
I had a major service done on my Triumph late in 2016. It was expensive and was also a major pain since the dealership took longer than anticipated and is sort of far away. There is another dealership in Cincinnati, but every single interaction with that dealership has been negative so I just can't bring myself to go there for anything. That recent service has got me questioning my Triumph ownership long term - even if a new bike is largely an academic exercise since I really do like the Trophy and a new truck late in 2016 makes another vehicle purchase improbable.
Does the perfect motorcycle exist? No... But it is fun to think about. My Goldwing is an exceptionally capable bike for long distance 2-up touring. However, it is a very heavy bike and riding it daily is a little like driving a small motorhome for commuting and grocery shopping. I have no plans to get rid of the Goldwing, but what about for my daily rider and for solo trips?
1. The perfect bike needs to have a comprehensive dealer network, preferably with a good dealership close enough to home to get there easily on a work day. The Motus looks like an absolutely amazing motorcycle, but the nearest dealership is well over 100 miles away and if an issue would come up while I'm traveling through Rapid City, SD it would be an eight hour drive to get dealership help. The BMW Dealership network is adequate, but the nearest dealership to where I live is also well over 100 miles; I'm convinced a franchise opportunity exists here.
2. The perfect bike needs to be shaft drive. Chain drive has been used forever and is well-proven. Belt drive is in a similar state. I'm a chronic worrier though, and when I did have a bike with chain drive, I found myself constantly checking/lubing/adjusting/etc. As much as I know this concern is partially misplaced, I also know that my personality isn't going to change on this one. I suppose I could argue that I'm going to worry about something, so worrying about a chain and sprockets is probably as good as anything. I will gladly pay a little more and live with a few horsepower lost to a shaft drive.
3. The perfect bike needs to have cruise control. My motorcycle adventures sometimes take on a life of their own and on a few occasions, I've found myself a day and a half from home with less than a day to actually get home. This usually means a slog on the superslab, and cruise control becomes a near imperative. If my ST1300 had cruise control, I can't imagine I would have gotten rid of it. As bikes move from throttle cables to drive-by-wire, cruise control becomes more an issue of software vs. hardware so manufacturers not including it starts to get harder to understand.
4. The perfect bikes need to have simple maintenance. I don't really care about fuel economy in a motorcycle. All the bikes I've owned have gotten at least 40mpg over the long haul, so fuel costs are not an issue. Maintenance cost (and pain) is a much bigger deal. Most of my recent bikes have been fully faired bikes which adds to the time and/or cost. Removing tupperware isn't hard, but the plastic can be fragile and removal and reinstallation takes a lot of time on top of routine maintenance.
5. The perfect bike needs to have simple valve adjustment. As a subgroup to maintenance, valve adjusting shim under bucket valves has a lot of collateral costs. Harley Davidson is a near lone holdout in the hydraulic lifter world and there are some bikes which still use rocker arms, but too many manufacturers default to shim under bucket designs. This makes sense in a hyper-performance bike, but on daily riders it is unnecessary. I miss bikes like the Honda Pacific Coast 800 which were designed with maintenance in mind. I was appalled recently when I saw that the Honda NC700 requires valve inspection checks every oil change - unless that was a misprint?
6. The perfect bike needs to be comfortable. I loved my VFR800. The symphony of those screaming gear-driven cams will live with me forever. It was not a comfortable bike, even after I added Helibars. I was good for a couple hours at a shot, and an all-day ride, even with a few stops, made me question my sanity. My wrists ached if I overindulged in miles on the VFR. I should be able to burn an entire tank of fuel before lunch and two or three more in the afternoon without complaining.
7. The perfect bike needs to have heated grips as an option. I used to think heated grips were a gimmick. Then I bought electrically heated gloves and got a little more curious. Then I got heated grips on my Triumph. I ride a lot in cool to cold weather - having heated grips as a factory option is not an imperative, but it is approaching one.
8. The perfect bike needs to have adequate, but not excessive weight. My last four bikes have all been what can probably be considered heavyweights. Despite what the scooter crowd might say, weight has benefits for touring as well as in bucking wind, etc. Still, I'm missing the simplicity, handling, and tire life that inherently comes from lighter weight bikes.
So the unicorn I am after seems be a light-weight, low-maintenance, comfortable bike with yesterday's simplicity. I'll throw in that I want tomorrow's performance. Can it be inexpensive too?
This doesn't exist and it probably won't.
Life is a series of trade offs, so maybe my next bike will be a lightweight bike like the previously mentioned Honda NC700 - at least the valves are rocker actuated and inspection/adjustment looks quite simple.
Or maybe it will be another sport tourer. It seems like at some point I'll need to own a Yamaha FJR1300.
Possibly I could trade off on dealer network and finally buy a BMW? Probably not, I'm just not ready to stand proudly and commit to being a BMW-guy.
Or maybe I'll go with something super simple like a Zero electric bike, and further my Goldwing riding for anything beyond the range of batteries.
What is odd is that my current Triumph Trophy checks most of the right boxes. There are quite a few Triumph dealers, even if I've had some negative interactions with the closest. It has shaft drive. It has cruise control and is very comfortable with well-integrated heated grips. Maintenance is all pretty easy, and valve inspection interval is a tolerable 20,000 miles. While heavy, it is on par with other sport tourers and loses weight very quickly once in motion.
So why am I thinking about other bikes? Oh yeah, warm weather ... and travel.
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