I'm in a similar position to you, especially after riding through Europe the last 2 Septembers on 1200cc adventure bikes.
The issue for me, is that I can't fully give up my GSXR1000, that bike just puts a smile on me in a way that no other class of bike could. My 2004 (which I've owned since new) has 70,000kms. I still love the bike like I did when I bought it in 2004, but now a married man and having a wife that wants to tour with me, the GSXR won't cut it... alone that is.
I've opted for the new GS 1200 Adventure, which I'll be buying in December. I'd narrowed it down between the Tiger Explorer XC and the BMW GSA 1200.
The way I look at it is that instead of trying to find the perfect all rounder for living in the GTA and travelling far from the GTA, I'll get both. I'm getting the full blown GSA for the long haul trips we want to go on, but in my opinion, neither of the big 1200 adventure bikes were a great option for the only bike to have in the GTA. They're overkill really, too big and cumbersome to get around in.
I work downtown, and love zipping through traffic so effortlessly on my GSXR. The BMW GSA with its massive tank and fully loaded panniers, would make any type of commuting a choir to say the least. While on the other hand, those features make any 2-up longer trips outside of the city a pleasure.
In terms of your situation I understand what you're saying, but just be sure you're making the right decision. In my opinion living in the GTA for day to day riding (which will likely be the vast majority of your yearly riding) may be better suited to the bike you've already got. Be sure your don't opt for an adventure bike you can load up just because you had such a great time riding one in Europe... those roads are VERY different. You may find you miss your GSXR if you do a straight trade.
The issue for me, is that I can't fully give up my GSXR1000, that bike just puts a smile on me in a way that no other class of bike could. My 2004 (which I've owned since new) has 70,000kms. I still love the bike like I did when I bought it in 2004, but now a married man and having a wife that wants to tour with me, the GSXR won't cut it... alone that is.
I've opted for the new GS 1200 Adventure, which I'll be buying in December. I'd narrowed it down between the Tiger Explorer XC and the BMW GSA 1200.
The way I look at it is that instead of trying to find the perfect all rounder for living in the GTA and travelling far from the GTA, I'll get both. I'm getting the full blown GSA for the long haul trips we want to go on, but in my opinion, neither of the big 1200 adventure bikes were a great option for the only bike to have in the GTA. They're overkill really, too big and cumbersome to get around in.
I work downtown, and love zipping through traffic so effortlessly on my GSXR. The BMW GSA with its massive tank and fully loaded panniers, would make any type of commuting a choir to say the least. While on the other hand, those features make any 2-up longer trips outside of the city a pleasure.
In terms of your situation I understand what you're saying, but just be sure you're making the right decision. In my opinion living in the GTA for day to day riding (which will likely be the vast majority of your yearly riding) may be better suited to the bike you've already got. Be sure your don't opt for an adventure bike you can load up just because you had such a great time riding one in Europe... those roads are VERY different. You may find you miss your GSXR if you do a straight trade.
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The bike barely changed in 20 years and I saw some floating on kijiji for about $2500. It already comes kitted with spoke wheels, I know the power output of the engine, it's cheap to maintain and very little can go wrong with it. If an F650 can pull 60 000km before a rebuild, I figure any KLR650 will last about that much. If I can score one for closer to $2000 I might buy it this season. Otherwise sometime during the winter of at the beginning of the next season I will buy one.