How (and why) I ride a BMW GS at 22 years old
/The following is a guest post by new GS owner and CITY GS contributor Jack Mosseri.
Let’s do a mental exercise. I want you to picture a BMW R1200GS. Then I want you to picture a GS rider. Chances are you thought about an older man, graying hair and beard with a family and some, if not considerable, disposable income. Some (or many) of you may even be picturing said bike and rider in the parking lot of their local Starbucks sipping an $8 latte. And I don’t blame you, either. If I had to bet money, my safest bet would be the exact character we just settled on. It’s no secret that most GS riders fall into that stereotype.
Why is that?
The simple answer is that the GS is expensive. I’m not just talking about financial expense, although that is considerable as well. Adventure/touring riders must be able to afford not only the costs of the bike, the gear, and the travel but be able to afford the time to go away on such vacations. A younger rider cannot afford, in any sense of the word, to ride a GS.
Where am I going with this?
Well, I’m a 22-year-old “kid” who recently bought a 2017 R1200GS Rallye . I’ll preemptively answer your questions. No my parents did not buy it for me. No I’m not a trust fund baby with heaps of expendable income. I work. I go to college. I’m your average 22-year-old. Nothing special about my finances or my leisure time; but I ride a GS.
Now to address the two questions in the title:
How?
The short of it is that I love motorcycling. I don’t make a ton of money, I’m not well established in a long term career, and I have no outside significant financial support. What I do have is passion. Some people drink, some do drugs; everyone has a vice. Mine is motorcycling. I dream of it, I think about it day and night, and I spend as much time and money as I can to maximize it. I don’t club, I don’t go out to fancy dinners, or take fancy vacations. I save my money and use it towards doing what I love the most: Riding.
Why?
I’m sure the “why” part is more along the lines of what you’re wondering. Why isn’t a 22-year-old punk like me riding a sport bike, a hyper-naked bike, or a supermoto or something? I’ve actually owned all three of those in the past, but that’s a story for another time…
Many people love traveling. For some people that means road trips, others flights. Some people like to go to the mountains, some to tropical beaches. I’m very simple—I don’t care where I’m going or what I’m doing, I just want to experience it by motorbike. Anyone who rides will tell you that traveling by motorcycle is a surreal experience. You’re so exposed to your surroundings, you’re essentially one with the nature around you. Compare that to a car which is more like viewing your surroundings through a looking glass. I bought a GS to travel by motorcycle, and meet some great friends along the way (I just wish some were my age!) In the short time I’ve had my GS, I’ve had more memorable experiences, and made more friends than I have riding any other bike or doing any other activity.
That’s why I ride a GS.
