I've had the pleasure of many motorcycles driven by curiosity, and an ever evolving interest in different types of motorcycle riding. The habit is tolerated by an understanding spouse who agrees/tolerates with my favorite defensive line "I'm gonna be dead a long time", when I bring home a new machine. I think most of us, who rampage through the motorcycle industry's inventory, eventually sell a bike we later wished we had not. At least I have a couple of times.

The Dakar pictured below wasn't one of those. It did fine actually as I used it and I know of more than one person who has travelled round the world on a Dakar and one who is still on such a trip after 4 years with his Dakar. It just didn't work all that well for me and perhaps I expected more from it than I should have. Simply, I didn't fall in love with it. The two trips up the haul road that I did on it, to get to Deadhorse, AK beat it up pretty bad and I wished on more than one occasion that it had a bit more horsepower.

One of those bikes I deeply regret selling was an R1150GS Adventure - mine was the 2004 seen below. A colleague of mine dubbed it "The War Pig", I guess because it was big as a tank, about as durable, and nearly as pretty to look at. And that's sort of why I bought it - durability

I kind of went from one extreme to the other; Dakar to GS Adventure. The Adventure, compared to the Dakar, was a huge motorcycle and quite pleasant as a road bike. It was likewise fun on gravel...until one day I dropped it on a solo dirt ride. It took me a long time to get the War Pig back on two wheels and I had a revelation...I am not 30 years old any more....and, as I mainly ride solo, it occurred to me that dropping this monster on the haul road or some similar road would be a problem. I shelved some planned rides accordingly.

That led me to use the bike mainly for iron Butt rides given the 8 gallon fuel cell. I could do 300 miles on a tank so I didn't really need an auxiliary fuel cell to have good range. That was fine, but a big GS is essentially an unfaired bike and 1000 to 1500 mile days in the wind were more tiring than on a machine with a fairing. So I parted with the bike.....deep inside knowing I was eliminating an ability to ride on marginal roads like the haul road if/when I chose to do so again, even though conflicted about my real ability to manage the bike if I dropped it.

In 2005 BMW introduced the R1200GS which was almost 80 lbs lighter than the Adventure and at 100 hp more powerful. I didn't like it. Though comfortable and nimble to ride, the gearing in the transmission was weird, and as the result, seemed to lack power where I want it in the mid range. BMW introduced an Adventure model of the bike in 2007 which was even bigger than my War Pig and that wouldn't do. Neither did any of the other brands I examined. So I wrote off the notion of off piste riding until I read ride reports of the Trans America Trail (TAT) and the Great Divide Ride (GDR). Several had done it on modified 400cc or 450cc bikes and on big GS or GS pretender bikes. There really was a hole in me needing to be filled.

A buddy of mine said let's do the GDR and I figured a Suzuki DRZ 400S with an IMS tank would do as many seem to find the model acceptable. I acquired one. It was not as good as the Dakar - embarrassed to say - and my buddy got married. So no companion and a Suzuki that didn't measure up. Time to rethink with logic this time.

BMW introduced the F800GS in 2008. Nice bike, just 20 lbs more than my Dakar but with an 86 hp twin for an engine. Hmm. BMW had a hell of a time getting them into the hands of those early adopters and the first to hit the U.S. arrived in 2009. I test rode our first F800GS after it was assembled in the shop and frankly didn't like it for a number of reasons, and promptly dismissed it.

2009 brings the F800GS into the motorcycling limelight - everybody loves the bike - the magazines, our customers, even the Internet wailers had little to bitch about. What did I miss on my exploratory ride? Must be a case of the world is wrong and Marty is right regarding the F800GS. I set the thing aside in my mind.

I acquired a K1300S. I like big engine sport bikes and I REALLY liked the K1300S. Unfortunately it had problems shortly after I bought it. The remedies and fixes could not make it run right and I gave up on it and I swore of K bikes. I had issues with a K1200S and now this so no more of them for me - I get the message! Divesting myself of that bike meant I'm down one bike in my collection, and sick man that I am, I began to consider a GS as a replacement.

The 2008 R1200GS had some significant changes made that carried over to the 2009 models. 5 more hp and a fundamental change to the gearing resolved the concerns I had with the first model. The GS is a superb road bike but I own two of those. The R1200GS is great off road too but still heavy and even though lighter than my old War Pig I just had visions of me trying to manhandle the thing when I dropped it on a solo ride down some gravel road in the middle of nowhere. I was tempted though - really tempted - and there just seemed to be no alternatives except the F800GS that I had dismissed.

I rode the 1200GS and our newest F800GS demos for two weeks trying to decide which way to go. My second ride on the F800GS was as if I had never been on one. It was so much different than I recalled my first experience. The bigger GS was awesome on the road and a bit less able off piste than the F800GS. The F800GS ran well off road and as well on road. I slept on it, talked to riders who own the F800GS and who I respect, read all I could on the Internet, and in the end acquired a 2010 version which has been dubbed "The War Piglet"

It needs hand guards, a bash plate, and some crash bars to protect the radiator and plastics. There is much to choose from, and I need to adjust my tool kit as the bike does not have tubeless tires. I think it will work out best for me given the alternatives and I can move on with some long delayed rides. The fun begins.