Good Morning All,

I am brand new here, in fact so new I haven't actually arrived yet  

I am returning to motorcycling after a brief experience with a Bridgestone 100 about 30-something years ago, and a bit of bush bashing on a Yamaha Ag 200.

This is my bit of middle-aged self-indulgence.

The decision has almost been made. I live in the country, need something with enough grunt for touring, small and light enough for someone with limited experience to handle with safety, and so on.

It will be a 500 twin.  The ER5 has been rejected. I looked at the Royal Enfield (I know, it's a single) - too many negatives to balance the romance of the Enfield name. Almost certainly it will be a GS500, either new or new-ish depending on what I can find in the next 6 months or so.

Tell me, experienced ones, what do I need to know before committing my hard-earned?

Is it a comfortable long-distance riding proposition (it's 500km to Sydney, my most common destination). Will I arrive with buggered neck and wrists (I am 180cm tall)?

There are lots of lovely twisting-road high country roads to explore around this part of the world. They were fun in the Alfa. Is this bike up to it?

What mechanical foibles is the nice man at Bikes & Bits not telling me about?

What made you decide it was the right bike for you?


Cheers
Peter (The Oily Rag)

A 500Km trip shouldn't be too bad on the GS. Jack has gone much much further. Unless a previous owner has upgraded it already any GS is going to need new front springs. The rear shock is optional but might be nice if you are going to go corner carving with any regularity.

If you get new you'll have to expect the tires to suck. Other issues that can crop up are the lean jetting causing some character in the throttle response. This is realatively easily and cheaply corrected if you are at all mechanicly inclined and it's not the "new" style with the new carbs.

Check the main GSTwin.com site for maintance schedule to see what's expected of you. I'd say the most difficult of the routine maintainence is checking the valve clearance.

The bikes are easy to work on and quite rugged. Non-racing duty puts a life expectancy of around 50000 Km or more between major overhauls.

That's all I can think of to bring up right now. Good luck on your bike hunting

I got to see a brand new Royal Enfield in a nearby parking lot last week, and it was so handsome... too bad all the reviews of it have been so bad.  The military green one with a side car is in my dreams of going cross country (*any* country).

There are a bunch of folks on this board from your side of the planet who can probably give good advice on AU$ prices and stuff.   The GS seems to be alone in it's class as far as size and practicallity go for the price.  The only thing I could think might serve you as well would be a dual-purpose bike... there are some cool ones out there... depending on how far out in the country you are and what the weather extremes are.

It feels good to have a bike that any experienced rider (no matter what they ride), gives you a    on and says "good choice!"

man i want a royal enfield... so badly.. either military green or maybe delux red /chrome.

I dont care what the reviews say, its a classic no matter how new it is.. i will still buy one to ride it.