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25 Mar 2009
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Will I ever be happy or satisfied?
Never done any real adventure riding / off road.
Local green laning on an XR250 Honda and an XT600 Tenere but not for 4 years.
Plenty of tarmac miles two up around Europe on a Honda Blackbird and now my current ride a Triumph Speed Triple.
We had the Blackbird 7 years and then I bought a new one which I kept for a year after which we bought the Speed Triple. I also had a R1, a Blade and a Honda SP1 in succession at the same time as the Blackbird.
Only 2 bikes at the moment, the Speed Triple and a 1972 MZ ES250.
This recent list just shows that I seem to be always looking for something else. The ultimate ride.
Are we spoilt for choice nowadays?
Back in 1975, my second bike was a 1970 Triumph DaytonaT100T 500cc.
Happy with it? Satisfied?
It was a case of having to be. Couldn't afford anything else so I put up with it for 2 years.
Reading threads on this forum I change my mind every day, hour, 5 minutes and then back again.
Happiness and satisfaction, to me, are a dream. Content for a while but when the novelty fades, off I go again.
Even if I had the talent and skill to build my dream bike, would I be satisfied?
Probably not.
At 52 years old , never been without a bike andand having owned over 35 bikes you'd have thought I would have grown up, but I'm still like a kid in a sweetshop where bikes are concerned.
I can't be the only one like this.
Do I need therapy?
:-)
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25 Mar 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roxxo
Will I ever be happy or satisfied?
I can't be the only one like this.
Do I need therapy? :-)
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Your not the only one, both myself and my other half change bikes so often it's 'almost' an addiction. At one point the two of us had five bikes in the garage between us, we have now managed to get some kind of grip on the situation and have settled on one bike each, an F650GS (800cc) for her and an XTZ660 Tenere for me (picking up on Thursday, hopefully). How long will we be happy and content with these bikes? Who knows!
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25 Mar 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steved1969
Your not the only one, both myself and my other half change bikes so often it's 'almost' an addiction. At one point the two of us had five bikes in the garage between us, we have now managed to get some kind of grip on the situation and have settled on one bike each, an F650GS (800cc) for her and an XTZ660 Tenere for me (picking up on Thursday, hopefully). How long will we be happy and content with these bikes? Who knows!
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Phew!
Thanks Steve.
I feel a bit better now.
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25 Mar 2009
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73,000 k on our 03 Triumph Tiger and it is still like a honeymoon every time we ride it.
The Tiger is on it's way back to England and we will be riding it around the UK and Europe for 4 months. Even taking it back to it's birth place on the 7th of May for a factory tour, not sure they'll let the Tiger in but we are looking forward to it.
So if you see a silver Tiger 2 up with funny little (compared to what I've seen of UK rego plates) white and blue Tasmanian registration plates stop and say hello.
Cheers
Wilky
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25 Mar 2009
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Suppose this shows there's a bike out there for everyone - not necessarily the same one !
I'm new to all this and have a F650GS (800cc), not travelled anywhere yet (plannig africa next year) but most people I talked to whilst getting into biking suggested this one - i'm also a short arse and I can touch the ground with this one with lowest seat and lowered suspension! Ok! so it might not be THE most fun but I hope it'll do the job - only problem so far is the weight.
Time will tell
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26 Mar 2009
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I have had a 1985 BMW r80RT for the last four years or so, and been around France and the neighbouring countries.
If it were not for the Left Hand gearchange it would be a keeper, but i dislike having to think all the time and knowing that in an emergency I will press the wrong pedals. It has to go, which is sad in many ways. Its' replacement will either be a new Five speed Enfield or an older Triumph. Either of which can easily be converted to RH shift if not already configured that way.
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25 Mar 2009
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Location: Oslo, Norway
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roxxo
I can't be the only one like this.
Do I need therapy?
:-)
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Nah - you need a Guzzi. Trust me
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25 Mar 2009
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25 Mar 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie
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Your time will come Andy.
Thankfully we are now mortgage free and my wife Carol loves bikes. Our boys are 27 and 24 and have flown the nest.
They both had off road bikes when they were younger. We belonged to a trials club. I used to do a bit on a twin shock Fantic. The eldest lad now has an R6.
Motorbiking has been a way of like for me but I must admit to now preferring riding as much as I can rather than late nights on my knees in a damp garage with oily fingermarks on cold cups of tea, grazed knuckles and frayed temper getting the bike sorted for the morning. There have been spells when I didn't have a car. 3 years was the longest.
Keep believing.
Int motorbiking great!
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25 Mar 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by indu
Nah - you need a Guzzi. Trust me 
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Had one in 1985 for 2 years.
A 1977 T3 California.
I must admit I wouldn't mind trying a Guzzi again indu.
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26 Mar 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roxxo
I can't be the only one like this.
Do I need therapy?
:-)
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I'm 51 years old, have had more then 30 bikes too. I have three bikes now and thinking about selling and buying something else again.
No, you are not the only one
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My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Super Glide
My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl
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26 Mar 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jkrijt
I'm 51 years old, have had more then 30 bikes too. I have three bikes now and thinking about selling and buying something else again.
No, you are not the only one 
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Hi
No chance of us growing out of it then :-)
Stayed in The Nederlands a few times on bikes.
2007 was the last time on the Honda Blackbird.
Camped at Hoogeveen, Drenthe. Then at Westerbork.
Some years back we were on the coast at Noordwijk and also in the South at Valkenburg.
Dag.
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26 Mar 2009
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I'm another one where age has done nothing to dull my bike addiction. I picked up my 25th bike today. Of the 25 I've owned I've sold 13 (two as non runners), scrapped one and two have been stolen so I'm left with 9 bikes in my barn of which 6 work. I am seriously trying to cut back on the number of bikes mostly because there aren't enough hours in the day for work and family let alone riding and tinkering with bikes.
Versatility is the name of the game - or at least, this weeks theory. We shall see, the perfect bike that does everything you want sounds a bit dull to a bike addict. Does the 'dream garage' thing work - I don't think so, there's always another one out there you need to complete the dream.
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26 Mar 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnon
I'm another one where age has done nothing to dull my bike addiction. I picked up my 25th bike today. Of the 25 I've owned I've sold 13 (two as non runners), scrapped one and two have been stolen so I'm left with 9 bikes in my barn of which 6 work. I am seriously trying to cut back on the number of bikes mostly because there aren't enough hours in the day for work and family let alone riding and tinkering with bikes.
Versatility is the name of the game - or at least, this weeks theory. We shall see, the perfect bike that does everything you want sounds a bit dull to a bike addict. Does the 'dream garage' thing work - I don't think so, there's always another one out there you need to complete the dream.
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I feel better now it's in the open and I can talk about it.
But I feel there's no cure for us :-)
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26 Mar 2009
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I'm on my first big bike, Transalp XL650V year 2004, she's a sweetheart, I have found it fairly easy to maintain, and it's very reliable, the fairing costs a lot so not so interested in burning up that offroad mountain track like I would on a XT500 or 660. I had an XT125 for 4 years, that was a legend bike, it held together no matter what. I think i'm still in the game for looking for my ideal bike. The triump tiger looks very tempting, pricey.
I would like the dual type bike. The Varadero 1000 is way too heavy.
The cagiva elefant looks like a serious offroad machine, should eat up dunes with out a whine. Pricey.
I'll stick with the Transalp for now, it was nice riding back on the highway from a long trip at a good pace, still a great all round bike, lacks is some departements.
I almost feel like taking off all the fairing and see what she looks like.
I can't seem to get serious mileage on a full tank either. I've heard people get 300/350 odd km on a full tank, not my case for the moment, I think I'm on about 250km for a full tank. Then again havent run her dry yet so wouldn't know. Should take her out next time with a 5 litre jerrycan to see just how much i get on a full tank to be able to say.
It's a great bike for touring, not too heavy, stable, Guzzi's do sound interesting though for touring.
I see more and more people touring on big road bikes, might be the way to go. But not really practical for a all surface mission.
I shall contemplate some more.
Happy riding all, spring is here.
Ta-all-the-way.
Last edited by ta-all-the-way; 27 Mar 2009 at 10:24.
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