Adventure Bike Rider

anagallis_arvensis wrote:




So true!

Can't believe Mr Toad has missed this post. The only reason he hasn't managed to acquire the 5 bikes he thinks are essential is that I want my fair share too

Sprockette wrote:


I like your logic Sprockette! Good to see you back

pan st1300, varadero XL1000, Africa twin 750, these 3 bikes are as good as sold, also have tiger 900 in showroom condition with only 11,200 miles on the clock, but it has electrical problems that no one it seems can solve, in the last few weeks it has cost me more money than all the other bikes put together and i must say it has to be the greatest balls of a bike ever built. Also suzuki gsx1400 this is my every day bike and it was a lovely looking bike until i crashed it 2 months ago coming home from an auction in the middle of the night in the rain at engine busting speed, i lost control when i hit a fat dead badger in the road coming out of a bend and now it looks like a beat up tin can, but it goes well. I Must buy a camera and post some pictures.

I NEED four, sorry five;
Light weight adventure bike - KTM Rally Raid 690
Medium weight adventure bike - Yamaha XT660Z
Heavy weight adventure bike / tourer - KTM 990 Adventure
FAST adventure bike / tourer - Ducati MTS 1200
Classic adventure bike - Triumph TR6C

All used and abused (except the Triumph) on a regular basis.

For me the answer is two bikes

I have recently become the owner of a second bike So I now have two Honda XRV750s

Having the second bike will enable me still to ride whilst I strip down and restore my bike that I have had for 15 years of faithful service

This could take time as I have the mechanical ability of a bull with a gun

Three for me....

1200GSA
Tenere 1VJ
ZX7R

Love em all, but the ZX7R's kinda for sale if anyone's interested....(i'm too old for it now)


Steve

I have never owned more than one , if you have the right bike that is all you need , the funny thing is that i dont have one now but if the funds allow it would have more than one : 1- super light ofroader / motocross bike
2- medium weight (600+ cc )offroad enduro ( KTM 640 adventure to be precise )
3- supersport bike 900cc +
4- big heavy cruiser to do long distances in comfort
5- veteran bike to cherish and polish / never ride

that will do me

I always need one more than I have.

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2

Buying the bikes isn't the real hard part, it's where do you keep them, find the time to ride them, clean, maintain them, pay for the fuel and the ever increasing cost of insurance.

Arguably you don't need a motorcycle at all, but what would be really nice is just to have the ability to be content with on, but like a chocolate Hob Nob one is never enough.

But I have a dream list
GSA 1200 (For road touring)
RC8 (Track days)
Triumph scrambler (Warm dry sundays)
KTM Enduro 690 R (Touring the world when fully spec't)
KTM 450 (Off road any where)

And someone to wash, clean, maintain, service them all in large heated workshop.

It's nice to have dreams.

I used to think I was greedy having four bikes but now I know I'm not alone I don't feel so bad.

My collection is a Kawasaki ZX10R for trackdays and bad behaviour, a BMWK1100RS for European tours, a Tenere for winter trips and a KTM 250EXC for green laning. I keep saying I'll sell the ZX10R and the BMW then buy something to try and cover both roles but there isn't anything I really want.

I'm helped by the fact the my wife has a Triumph Sprint, a Yamaha FZ1 and an RD350LC which I can have a go on if I feel like a change.

Storing them is an issue but we've got them all in a single garage and just have to mess about if we want one of the ones at the far end out for a day.

I like to know what you lot do for a living.

I'm a builder on a reasonable wage but feel lucky to own and run just the one bike.

Jelly wrote:


I work away from home all the time because it pays for toys

The part I hate most is that the person I really owe it all to is Maggie Thatcher because if she hadn't decimated UK engineering a couple of decades ago there'd be more competition for jobs in my line of work and the opportunities probably wouldn't be there for me.

Jelly wrote:

With the exception of my KX/KDX hybrid which I bought, the 640 and 400 were bought with company bonus (thankyou Mark and Sebastian)
No children, low mortgage, good income and a non expensive(ish) car

Low mortgage (small house), we both work in good long term jobs, daughter now living away from home, we live cheaply, other than bikes and trips away, we've been together 23 years, don't waste money on things that don't matter or don't enhance our lives, took a long time to learn some of these things.
Being married to the right person for me was the key and a lot of luck and then hard work involved in that.
Living in the north is certainly cheaper than living in the south as well, so my/our wages go further.

Mr Toad wrote:


+1 on where to keep them. I have 5 bikes in the UK and 1 in the USA - two Triumph Rocket 3s (one is a custom single seater and the other is a custom two seater for when the mrs wants to join me on a ride), a 2006 Honda 1000 Varadero, a 1977 GL1000 Golding (project bike being turned in to a cafe racer) and a 1984 GSX1100 which is also a project bike being turned in to a hardtail chopper. I live in a 4 bed house with an integrated single garage and its packed to the gills.

On the insurance and fuel front I dont find it a problem. I have a multi bike policy for all of the bikes which costs me the same as a single bike policy. On the fuel front - since I can only ride 1 bike at a time then I can only burn fuel one bike at a time.

Service, MOTs and road tax obviously are more due to the numbers of bikes (well 2 of the bikes are road tax exempt due to age) so that isnt so nice. I used to drink a fair bit but now I dont so the money spent on that goes to the bikes.

In the USA I have a '98 Honda 1520cc Valkyrie (think Goldwing without the plastic) and that was a logical buy. I go to the states every year - usually a couple of times and to rent a bike it costs a fair bit of wedge. With the economic crisis over there, bikes (non-Harleys) are cheap as chips and the cost of the Valk was less than a week bike rental. Ive had it for 3 years now so it was a prudent financial investment.

Here in the UK I am seriously thniking of moving in order to get at least a double garage if not buy a farm with a few barns in order to have the space to keep the bikes and perhaps expand the hareem