Passes & Canyons Blog

I love this old bike but I’m really glad it’s not my only motorcycle.

I have three motorcycles and I was just reflecting on the numerous times that as worked to my benefit. Sure, I have to spend a bunch more money on maintenance and insurance–not to mention purchase–but it’s worth it in my opinion.

Right now offers a perfect example. After getting my 1999 Kawasaki Concours back from the shop following my misadventure getting home from the latest OFMC trip I now had a throttle issue. I took it back to the shop to have that addressed and it has now been 50 days since I dropped it off and I am still waiting to get it back. If I only had one bike that would have been 50 days of no riding. Not acceptable.

There have also been several instances when I was leaving on a trip, planning on riding a particular bike, and had issues with that bike at the point when I was leaving. One time the bike just wasn’t running right and I made a detour to the shop, where they worked on it a bit but couldn’t guarantee for me the issue would not reappear. Another time I was checking the air in the tires and discovered that one valve stem was totally rotted out, so badly I couldn’t understand why the tire wasn’t flat already.

In both cases I just pulled all my things off the one bike and loaded it all on another and off I went.

On at least another couple occasions I wanted to take one bike but checking the tread on the tires there clearly wasn’t enough rubber to go a couple thousand miles. At the same time, there was plenty of rubber to go another 1,000 miles or so and I didn’t want to junk that tire prematurely. Not with motorcycle tires generally getting only 10,000 miles or less as it is. And paying to have the old tire replaced and then put back on later would be absurd. No problem–take a different bike.

Early on in the rides of the OFMC, back when I only had one bike, I had an issue and did not have this option. I needed some work done on my CB750 and took it to a shop well in advance of departure date, telling them I absolutely had to have it by a certain date, but expecting to get it back well in advance of that date. They said oh yeah, we’ll have it done well before then. They didn’t. They didn’t have it done until three days after Bill and John had already left. I ended up riding really hard for two days solid to meet up with them a long way from here. How nice a second bike would have been at that point.

Having more than one bike has also worked to the advantage of other people a couple times, too. Once the OFMC was heading out and Johnathon had problems with his bike. I loaned him my CB750; he got to go on the trip. Another time a member of the RMMRC who has moved away from Denver was back in town. The RMMRC was going on a ride. I offered to let him ride my V-Strom. He did. You’re welcome.

So yeah, I like have three motorcycles. I strongly recommend it. You have room for another, don’t you?

Biker Quote for Today

A motorcycle ride melts away the frustration of life in less than a mile.

Here you see my taste in motorcycles.

I had occasion to speak with Ben Hochberg, the former head of the ABATE of Colorado rider training program, and once we were done with the topic at hand we, of course, shifted to discussing motorcycles.

“What are you riding now?” Ben asked.

I told him that of the four bikes I’ve owned I still have three and they are the 1980 CB750 Custom, my ’99 Concours, and my latest, the 2006 V-Strom 650. Get a load of what Ben told me about his bikes.

Sometime in the last couple years he sold his old Kawasaki KZ 750. Now, just like my CB, the KZ is from the era of the UJM, the universal Japanese motorcycle, where function defined style and therefore there were a whole lot of bikes that were virtually identical.

Ben said he was really, really interested in a V-Strom 1000, and came very near to buying one that was remaindered with a great asking price, but ultimately just couldn’t justify even that expense.

Nevertheless, he needed a good bike he could burn some serious miles on because his training activities often take him some distance from home. So when a friend from New York came to visit, a guy who rides an older Concours like mine, Ben decided to take a look at Connies on craigslist. There he found a mint condition 2003 (?) bike with just 10,000 miles on it for a fabulous price. He thought about it but still couldn’t justify the spend.

He did mention it, though, at one point and the friend asked to see the ad. Calling it up on his phone, he showed it to the friend, who got seriously excited and told Ben, “You’ve got to call the guy! It’s going to be gone!” Ben demurred, at which point his wife, Sheila, told him, “Call the guy.” He said to Sheila, “I love you!” and dialed the phone.

Besides the bike involved, it is similar to my situation with the V-Strom. After I got my second bike my wife told me if I ever intended to get another I would need to let go of one of the two I already had. Then, years later, the opportunity came for me to get the V-Strom and I was just wavering. Without mentioning anything about that previous conversation, Judy told me, “Buy the bike. You’ve wanted one for a long time.” Yeah, I love you, too, Judy.

Ben asked about my set-up on the Connie and I told him the first thing I did was to get risers so I wouldn’t have such a serious lean toward the grips. Check. Ben has gotten adapters that allow you to use a tubular handlebar, which then gives you a wide selection so you can have them come up and back to whatever point you want.

“Have you ever thought about getting highway pegs?” he asked.

Oh yeah, I have them and I love them.

“Where did you get them?”

From Murph. Anyone who rides a Concours knows Murph’s. He has designed and produced a whole lot of the best accessories for Connies. And yes, those are the highway pegs Ben has gotten for his Connie.

Now, he has also gotten an aftermarket windshield and I haven’t done that. I’m perfectly happy with stock on that item.

So obviously we must have very similar tastes in bikes, which surprises me because the last time I saw Ben he was riding some big Harley cruiser. I guess that Harley is long gone. He also has a Buell that he says he’ll never part with. I’m not a Harley guy at all and I doubt I’ll ever have a Buell, though I’d take the Buell before I’d take the Harley. Pretty interesting, though, all this similarity.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
ABATE of Colorado in a fight for its life

Biker Quote for Today

The shortest distance between two points is for people who can’t ride.

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.

Biker Link for Today

https://americanlegendrider.com/