Different Bikes or Do it All with One?
My three bikes: Suzuki V-Strom, Honda CB750 Custom, Kawasaki Concours.
There’s an interesting thread on a forum I belong to and I’ll pass some of the comments along here. The question raised at the start was this: How many bikes do you own? Different bikes for different types of riding or just one bike to do it all?
Now, anyone who knows me and/or reads this blog knows I have three myself: a 1980 Honda CB750 Custom, a really fun street bike; a 1999 Kawasaki Concours, a terrific highway bike; and a 2006 Suzuki V-Strom 650, which is the only one that’s really good off the pavement. So my answer is different bikes for different types of riding.
Here are some other folks’ comments.
Jeff: I want to believe “one bike can do it all”, but I love too many of them so I rationalize owning more than one. Currently that is a 2012 Honda NC700X and recently sold a BMW 1150RT and a Moto Guzzi V11 EV. I’ve owned over 20 bikes in the past 9 years and can say I have enjoyed all of them. Yes dear, I promise to listen to you and become more practical in the future
Barry: 1. Piaggio MP3 500 for my inner city commute. 2. Triumph Sprint ST for long distance touring. 3. Had an Aprilia Mana GT for commuting/touring and it was totalled in an accident.
Anthony: 1500 Nomad for touring, commuting (I live in a small town, so no heavy traffic), and general purpose riding. I have owned cars with less capacity for carrying groceries etc. GS550 for classic and vintage events, or just when I feel like riding something a bit more nimble. My Dad’s 1927 BSA and sidecar for spannering and wiping up pools of oil. One day it will actually work again (engine is being rebuilt by a specialist), so it will be used for vintage rallies and weekend jaunts for lunch at local wineries, that sort of thing. If I had to have only one bike, I think I would struggle! If I was able to have more, well, where would it end?
David: When you look at riding from MX to Track (Sport) to Touring there really is no one bike that can do it all. I love the hard fast tight woods single track as much as I love riding 500 to 1,000 miles in a day or hitting the race track for a day. I have to have different bikes to handle the riding I do.
Randy: I used to have a “wego” goldwing and a “mego” Valkyrie but now I do it all with a Weestrom.
Axe: If you have the room, once you own them, it doesn’t cost much to keep besides a little insurance. Space became my issue, plus time to ride them all every now and then. I have about a 1.5 mile drive to work, and machines work best when they’re used often. (From Ken: I’ve said much the same thing many times, minus the 1.5 mile drive to work. I just don’t get rid of the old one when I get a new one. This next guy kind of sums that up.)
Hiram: I have several bikes. I have accumulated them more because I liked them more than I could sell them for and I just decided to keep them because of the value I placed in them myself.
1998 VFR 800 Simply an awesome bike for all types of road riding. Great in the twisties and comfortable enough on longer rides. It now sits more than it should and acts a loaner to other friends on longer trips.
2005 KTM 525 MXC, what more can be said, simply the best machine for the off road job.
2000 KX 500 two stroke, if it had the magic button, I wouldn’t have the KTM. Awesome bike, usually a dirt bike or dune loaner to my buddies.
2008 Kawasawki Concours, wasn’t the bike of the year for nothing, simply as much fun as a sport tour can be. There may be better bikes, but not better.
2012 Aprilia 1200 Dorsoduro, admittedly a moment of weakness. Poor gas mileage, no real storage even for short rides BUT!!!, get on it and go for a spin and the smile factor is off the charts. Simply fun, fun. Power wheelies through four gears and I only know htat because I haven’t tried it in 5th or 6th.
Kurt: The Gold Wing is for distance touring and winter riding. The BMW S1000RR is for huge fun and the race track. The Ninja 300 is for a whole different kind of fun than the S1000RR on the street and track. And my wife rides a Can Am Spyder RS-S.
Dominick: Have a Hayabusa next to a 05 harley deuce. It’s my Jekyll and Hyde.
This may be a self-selecting group but there were at least a few who said they ride only one.
Paul: I had ten bikes but slowly sold them off but just kept my favorite one my 1980 Honda CB900 Custom.
Peter: I have one; a W650. It’s what I love and what I ride. I would hate to have more than I need and have to decide.
Stefan sums it up for me: You need at least 3 bikes to enjoy all of it.
I have to agree. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a wonderful time on just one or just two before I got the third. Now it’s just even better.
Biker Quote for Today
Every bike I ever had was the best bike I ever had, when I had it.
