So how do you go about buying a new bike? I think there are quite a few ways, but you can probably sum then up into a few categories.
Love at First Sight
Don't need a lot of explaining on this one. The first time you see this bike, you just cannot leave without it, be it at a dealer or for sale elsewhere. It doesn't matter if you can afford it or not, you just have to have it and you do whatever it takes. This one is great if you are single, and if you aren't, it could actually fix that for you. A lot of times, it's not possible and you have to walk away, but for some people, this seems to work. Sometimes, this fuels a long term decision, and will drive you to what it takes so that 6 months or a year down the track, you can still have it.
Premeditated
This method is the complete opposite of the Love at First Site. You need/want a bike, you look at your money, work out what you want, how much you can spend, what is important, then set about finding and buying it. If your parameters are tight, you end up with transport. If you have a bit of flexibility in time/budget, you can still end up with a bike you love, but it's quite a bit more restrained.
Out of the Blue
This could also be called the Let It Be method. You either have no intention of buying a bike, or if you do, you are happy to wait and see what comes up, but either way you aren't really actively looking. Then out of the blue, a bike you love comes up, or a bargain you just can't walk by comes up and WHAM! You just bought a bike.
So these three categories are by no means complete, and sometimes, a purchase can be classed as a combination of more than one. My first bike (Yamaha DT125) was premeditated. I had to have transport, I had a budget, so I started looking, found a bike I could afford and that was ok and bought it. I grew to love it, but it wasn't pretty. My second bike (Suzuki GSX 400) I loved from the start, but belonged to someone else, so I didn't think much about it. Then, they told me they were selling it and offered it too me, so I begged and scraped and got the money togeather. Still love that bike. My third bike (Honda CB 750), I wasn't really looking, but my Cousin offered me the his old bike at a great price so of course I had to say yes and I grew to love it. The fourth bike I owned (Yamaha Virago XV1000) was like the second. I loved it, but someone else owned it, so I just used it as something to aim for in the future. Then they told me they were selling and offered it to me, so off to the bank I went and she was mine.
This process is probably different for people with a lot of money, and different again for people with little, but it's really how I've seen it happen. Buying cars can sometimes be like this, but I think a lot more often, the love and passion are missing and it really becomes a premeditated thing. With Bikes, it's personal.
Brett.
