Combating mid-winter doldrums on Craigslist

[IDemo]

The icy roads and morning lows in the teens have had my Vulcan 900 umbilicalled to the battery tender and likely will for another month and a half at least. So to get my MC fix, I have taken to looking at the listings in my area, not really intending to engage in a bike change. But this one definitely got my interest up: http://boise.craigslist.org/mcy/4260186320.html

Gorgeous bike, I've always wanted a sport tourer and a BMW in particular. Questions for those a bit more familiar: Does a bit of aggressive cornering risk grinding the valve covers (I've seen this on more than one of these bikes)? Have you experienced any trouble with the final drive as I've heard can happen? Are these comfortable on an all day ride? Would you recommend one to someone coming straight from a cruiser? I've owned an older Concours so I'm not completely unfamiliar with the genre.

And is $9500 a good asking price for this unit? NADA seems to think it may be somewhat high.

[IDemo]

2. I haven't ridden over 100 in many years

I've had a lifelong desire to ride north to Alberta through the Idaho panhandle and this looks like an excellent candidate for such a trip. The handlebar risers are probably a plus for me comfort-wise. My current bike requires a somewhat grandfatherly pace through corners or risking a grind of the floorboards. I'm not after ZX14 performance but do enjoy being able to maintain a decent pace in the twisties. The heated grips would very definitely be a plus on those 28 degree morning commutes.

[Glassunion]

3. That price is somewhat high

In my region (NY metro), you could pick up one 2 years newer with the same mileage from a dealer for the same price.