Need some suggestions from the group [View all]

I'm getting back into riding after an almost 18 year hiatus with the exception of taking friend's bikes around the block from time to time. From the day after I turned 16 and had my license in hand, I rode everywhere. We lived in the Sacramento Valley of California, and the weather was almost perfect for riding all year.

I started out on an old '79 Honda CB250 in that wonderful electric blue that they had. It was a great starter bike. My only complaint was that she shook like crazy.

I traded up for a 74 BMW R90. This was a great bike. Nice amount of power, and she ran smooth. I wish, wish, wish, I still had this bike. I see them traded today up wards of $6,000. I bought her for $850 back in the early '90's.

So, my current course of action is to take all the MSF classes over again (it has been almost 18 years). The beauty of PA is the class costs are covered by motor vehicle. The $10 I pay for the provisional, the $5 for the license and the $5 for the renewals goes to pay for the classes. There is no fee paid directly to the foundation. They charge out of stater's a hefty fee for the classes.

I am a huge fan of the BMW bikes, I enjoy their smoothness, riding position, and best of all the MPG they can squeeze out of their bikes. I'm looking at the F 800 GT as a daily commuter and weekend touring bike. But my concern is that it may be too much bike to jump right back into. Should I consider a smaller, used bike before jumping back into riding? Or should I just go all out, get the bike and have the dealer install the power reducer (cuts the HP down to 45 from 90) until I get my experience and comfort levels back up.