Don't worry Beddhist, you're safe - I do try to make it clear that I'm not "married" to airheads - the one I have I rode because
at the time there was nothing BETTER for the job - but that was 1986. I would NOT buy an R80G/S today and take it around the world two-up.
I MIGHT take the one I HAVE around again, but I wouldn't start from scratch now. There's much better out there NOW.
I DO like the airheads - I'm very familiar with them, they've worked well for me since I started riding them in 1981, and I like being able to fix anything on them myself at the side of the road. The background that matters is that I was a mechanic in my early years, so fully understand the flaws and how to deal with them - in other words, for ME they are a 100% known quantity, therefore a solid choice.
However, for someone else, I don't normally
recommend them unless other factors say they're the best for that person.
Newer bikes - ANY of them - are far more reliable and will definitely cause less grief. BUT if they break they can be harder to fix - what matters is that
the really hard stuff to fix - electronics and fuel injection - VERY rarely fails. The stuff that does fail is the same as on an airhead - frames, saddlebag mounts, shocks etc.
hope that clarifies my personal thinking a little...
------------------
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com