Hey everyone,
Last week I had a car pull out in front of me on my commute and I lost my 28-year streak of no broken bones. After t-boning them going about 35-40mph, my 2025 ATAS DCT is totaled, and I am stuck at home and can't stop thinking about getting back out and getting my next bike.
My dilemma here is what to get next. I spend a lot of time and put plenty of miles on my bikes, About 70 miles a day for my commute, and regularly another 2-300 a week. I really liked my AT, but I wanted other opinions on alternative bikes that you've considered or have experience with.
With the bad wrist, a long commute with a hybrid of traffic & highways, and the desire to stick within adventure bikes, I find myself looking at bikes with automatic or quick shift options. I am really interested in the new Transalp with the E-clutch, but also considering a BMW r1300 adventure. I also wouldn't mind just getting the same AT, but the opportunity to try something new is always tempting.
I guess here's my pros and cons of the AT to help convey where my head's at.
Pros
- DCT
- Tall & comfortable for me at 6'
- Fun to ride/great at touring
- Sounds great
- More bike than I could ever need
Cons
- Cost (compared to the value of a mid-size. Yes, I know the BMW is a lot more)
- The Android Auto experience sucks and never worked consistently for me.
- Availability in my area isn't great
- Heavy
- More bike than I could ever need (sometimes it felt like a waste on me)
I find myself going back and forth between "If I am going to spend $20k, spend $25-30k and just get the BMW and lean into it" and "Why spend more when the Transalp or other mid-size bikes are so much cheaper than the AT and would still suit my purpose".
Does anyone have experience with both the Honda E-clutch and the DCT? Or even the new BMW r1300 w/ ASA vs the ATAS w/ DCT? The KTM 1390 also caught my eye, but I have no experience or opinions on KTM so it kind of get's pushed to the bottom of the big bike list.
Thanks in advance!
EDIT: The NT1100 is getting recommended a lot and wile I am sure it's a great bike, I definitely want something a little more dirt capable. The hybrid ability of the AT is why I ended up here in the first place. I am not doing any single track but some light offroad and forest service roads are where I plan on spending a lot of time.