Following bradders quote regarding a splendid SPS in 'Dodgy Dealer Dilema': Wont matter if you're not going to ride it :Banghead: I fail to see any point whatsoever in buying any bike which will not be used fairly regularly, even if that just means every weekend in the summer when its dry. Even Sammy Miller gets loads of those bikes out and rides them occasionally. Seems an absolute waste of what sounds like a beast of a bike But hey its your money and your life
Q. When is a motorbike not a motorbike? A. When it's a trinket. We may all want different things from our bikes. I reckon that's fine.
Your money, your bike, your choice, your life. Not something I would do. Theres a great many things you lot do of which i do not approve. Like breathing, earning more money than me, having more fun than me. But its absolutely none of my business. The Free Lifestyle Police are everywhere demanding he commute on it.
Exactly: I have 3 bikes that I run, build and play with and a few nice ones in a so called ' collection' which I don't. I feel lucky to be in a position to own them, but do have a large mortgage too so not all easy. I chose to invest in bikes - I used to have a second property on a mortgage and rented it, but changed my 'portfolio' of renting a house to invest in motorbikes. Seems wrong to be ridiculed not to ride every one - I couldn't afford to tax, service and insure them all, if I alternated one a week over the summer the would get one weekend out each. I'm sure Sammy doesn't ride all his, he simply has too many to do so! I just smile when I see them every day, a better investment than property or money in the bank is my opinion. You could say: I don't understand people who have little toy models of bikes in there house and not the real thing. You could say: I don't understand people who have carbon on their bikes who are fat. Not sure if you have carbon and are fat bradders, just another example. I am happy with my 'investment' decision even if it is passion driven and you are simply wrong.
Thank you, I feel humbled for stealing your hare bootsam. ..........sorry, air, don't go checking, I'm sure he's still there! going to hide from bradders now, bye.....
I think I dod say your money, you life But seriously whats the point? Be like having Kelly Brook naked behind a screen but the glass being opaque and you cant actually grab a feel. Disappointing
This is one of the questions that will run and run. Where do you draw the line between collector and rider. Lets look at the extremes. Somebody like Jay Leno pretty much has more money than the Church and has and continues to use it for one thing (apart from food and sky subscription obviously) and thats his cars and bikes. Not only does he treat them like trinkets, but he also uses them and works on them too. Best of both worlds. On the other side of the spectrum are the people who buy a bike just for sunny days, an hour at a time. In the middle there are people like me. I have two bikes, a blade and a 1098s. I love them both and I use them both. Would I love my 1098 to be minty fresh, of course I would. If I had the money, maybe I'd hunt down a 0 miles 1098 and have it as an ornament, knowing I have one to use already, but thats a dilemma Im unlikely to have Im firmly in the its your bike, do what the bloody hell you want to do camp. Is it sad to know that a lovely much loved 1098r is sat almost unused in a garage? Nope. These are the bikes that are more likely to still be around in 20-30 years time when the rest of ours are possibly bent and written off
I am mixed on this. Lucky enough to own a RC30 since 2002 i admit i use it often and use it hard when i know perhaps i shouldn't Its too good a road bike not to ride and i feel annoyed at these collectors that buy them with deep pockets to just lock them away in some air tight dungeon in case they fade in sunlight. I struggle to compete with these boys that buy up all the spare parts they can at what ever price money no object. The flip side i guess is - i gave £6700 for it which back then was alot of money for a RC30 and should i either blow it up or fire it into a hedge i will simply break it for parts (or turn into a track bike) and still make more money on it than i paid for it. The other side of this - i also own a YSR80 which has not moved in 10 years, a UK NC30 not used in over 2 years and a 1969 350 desmo as some know and i admit i will never ride that again after struggling with the whole gear change / brake setup and a few others i have hardly used and possibly wont either. Yet i see myself as an enthusiast, i don't follow the trends, i dont give a rats ass about the pub top trumps brigade and "mine has 1 more bhp than yours" collective, i buy bikes i like because i like them. i have been lucky enough to buy before prices go daft though so unless i decide to sell them all the prices are a bit academic to me.
But did you buy the, to ride or to just own and look at? Many have circumstance changes which make riding as much as they did/want to tough, and as its owned, its owned. And thats my point. Why but something with very little intention of using it? Its not a painting, its a mechanical object designed to be used, abused and fricken enjoyed with every sense, not just sight
No, you've got to use them, even if it's just once a year. I recently had the opportunity to buy a factory 999, but I know the motor will need work and I won't buy something I can't ride.
I bought my SS (ok, so it's old) because I had not been on a solo bike on the road for several years.........and I am / was getting old, heath suffering and wanted to make sure I had a bike that I could fiddle around with and ride as and when I was able....... But there was no way I was going to spend a load of dosh on a new bike in the circumstances even though I regularly bought new in the past....... ..........I wasn't specifically looking for anything in particular as long as it was at least a 500 (although a Guzzi LeMans was preferable) but the SS cropped up at a sensible price and a lot less than a Guzzi...... .........so the SS has done what it said on the tin..........I've fiddled, cleaned, repaired, ridden and enjoyed it; although maybe I could have done more miles than I have...........however, I cannot afford to have an 'off' these days, so I refuse to ride it on wet roads or in the rain etc etc, unlike in the past when the weather didn't bother me. So, really I'm not too bothered whether I ride it or not..........if I can't ride it, I can still clean and fiddle with it, so in my mind I'm still a biker.
Fair comments Al, if you buy to convert or do up why not. But if its running perfectly well and has all the kit already...but I say the same to a mate who has 3 mobiles, at least 4 computers n god knows how many tv's: why?!
