Well, it's a terrible problem to have, but I'm facing the prospect of buying a new motorbike. It is truly an exquisite dilemma. I'm not sure about a lot of people, or most people, but for my case, it's not something that happens everyday. Or ever ever... I have been riding motorbikes on the road for just shy of 20 years now. For the first 4 years of this, I didn't have a car, or even a car license, so motorbikes are like a first language for me. Still, even though this is the case, there hasn't been a high turn over of flash new bikes. Or even old shite ones…..
My first bike was a little chook chaser, a Yamaha DT175 that cost all of $350 dollars. About $100 worth of repairs saw it on the road in the good old days of taking it to the department of transport, them looking it over, making sure bits weren't falling off and that the muffler still worked, and handing you the rego. Funny though, she was transport and independence and I loved her as everyone loves their first bike. Given my size at the time, she definitely struggled, but she got me around and would do 80km/hr down hill with a tail wind.
Next in line was an '81 GSX400. If I loved my first bike, I was ready to move in with, and get married to this one. Sporty, quick (compared to a 175 Dirt Bike) and able to actually reach 100km/hr, this one was classic, and at $900, a bargain. First real road trip (see previous comment about 100km/hr) and the ability to finally beat the cars at the lights. Also discovered the fun of riding up Mount Archer, THE bike road around Rockhampton.
Third off the line was the '72 Honda CB750 K2. Old, not so quick and spritely, she cost me $500 and came with a spare bike in parts. She had previously won best 'rat' bike at a rally, the nice way of giving out the 'worst bike and good luck getting home' award. She was unique and infamous around town being gun-metal grey with a King and Queen seat and ape-hanger handlebars. She also introduced me to lovely sound of an inline 4. Now I cannot deny that the sound of a twin, be it Ducati, Moto-Guzzi, Harley or even of (shock horror) Japanese heritage, is a beautiful thing to behold, but there is something to be said about the sound of the 4 as well. If you doubt this, see if you can get ahold of a clip of a classic old MV Augusta on a race track. Pure music.
My most recent purchase 12 years ago was an '84 Yamaha XV1000 Virago. Even though she was no spring chicken at about 10 years old when I bought her, she was the magic litre and so was the most expensive bike at about $4000. All that money!! No wonder I've made her last 12 years, and she is still going strong. When I say going strong, I have to admit she was out of commission for 3 years, and painful for 4 more before that with starter problems. This is, of course, the bane of the early viragos and it had made me give up on her. However, after increasing nights of dreaming of riding bikes (I'm serious, it go to the point where I would dream about riding 2-3 times a week), I made the decision to go balls out and fix the problem or die trying. This was helped by an article I read on early virago's that said once you got the starter sorted out (and got rid of the wrist destroying handlebars) they are great bikes. After reflecting on this, I realized it was true and other than those two aspects (and old seat foam that killed but could easily be replaced), she had been great. I ordered a replacement heavy duty starter motor from the states and went to work. Of course, it wasn't all fun and games as the motor from the states had the wrong teeth on end of the starter shaft, so I had to cannibalize the reduction gears off the start of the old motor and mate these onto the body of the new one, but surprisingly, it went together and the starter has not missed once in the last 3 years. Add to this a new pair of reasonably straight handlebars, and she is a new woman... Err.. Bike....
So with a new lease on life, and handling better than ever before (thanks to the new bars), why is it time to replace this bike with a new one? Well, with a daily commute through silly city traffic, and a desire to do more touring, I've been thinking a while about reliability and safety. Sure, she has been reliable, and I've not had an off despite many fools trying to collect me, so safe and reliable aren't critical issues at present. However, at 25 years old, I'm not sure how long this will be the case. I've been told by two different mechanics that the carbies are beyond balancing, and that I just have to get used to her running more and more rough. And with a new baby on the way, I'm thinking about that safety more and more. I certainly want to be around for her and not necessarily face questions like 'daddy, why is there part of your leg missing' or 'why do you limp when it's cold?' or 'why does your head set off airport metal detectors?'. Not completely avoidable, but I'd like to do my best.
Added to these very good reasons are two other factors. Firstly, I've always wanted to have a nice new bike, and have spent all of the last 20 riding years staring at Two Wheels, Australian Road Rider and Australian Motorcycle News dreaming about the new flash toys they have in every single issue. Secondly, we have managed our finances such that, at the moment, the money is there to do it. So, it's off we go, staring at the magazines with a purpose, and bugging sales people in the motorcycle shops with a valid reason now. I seriously can't wait!!!!
