Would it make me a poser if I bought an ADV bike and used it primarily for commuting?
The vintage bikes are getting to be not fun again. Too many projects, too many niggling bugs to chase down, etc. The ZRX 1100 is trouble free (but will need fork seals and a front tire soon).
I work a 12 hour shift rotation. I have safety PPE that I have to take back and forth to work, including a hard hat. Sometimes I bring lunch. There's no way I'm putting that hard hat in my back pack. The thought of going down and falling on that hard hat.....ugh...no way.
I can slip a sub or a sandwich in the backpack, but a plate lunch of leftovers doesn't travel too well like that.
I have a cargo net that works sometimes. I have some soft luggage for the ZRX. My actual commute is short and I find myself taking nearly as much time securing all this stuff and gearing up as I do riding to work.
I want something with luggage, but not a huge bike like a Goldwing, Concours, etc. There are plenty of cheap dual sport type bikes out there, but the straight, skinny dirt bike seat slays me.
The thought of the ADV bikes with real luggage, wind protection, auxiliary power outlets, etc., gets more and more appealing to me.
BMW obviously makes something that would fit the bill. The V-Strom is out there. For some reason, I keep going back to the Kawasaki Versys. Funky but not objectionable styling. Aftermarket support. Hard bags that I could just flip open a lid and drop my stuff in. Standard riding position and a wider, more comfortable saddle than the DR 650 or KLR 650.
I feel like I'd regret not having at least one vintage bike in the stable, but the thought of selling one, two or even three bikes and paying cash for a Versys and having thousands left over to put in the bank is very, very tempting.
I don't ride off road. Ever. I do think that, if I had one do-it-all bike like that, I would be more inclined to take longer road trips. More touring instead of pleasure rides or rides to and from events.
Am I just getting to be an old fart? Am I a poser for having a tall, rugged-luggage looking bike and using it to commute and take an occasional overnight out of town?
