03-28-2024, 04:25 AM
CRISIS
During the time that the Triumph's delivery has been delayed (i now will not get it till early may) I have had time to assess the purchase and look around at the market in general, and even had time to consider other bikes in a more serious way. The Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S was actually pulling pretty hard on my heartstrings but ultimately didn't measure up to what the Thruxton gives me for the same price. If it had been 3k cheaper.......we'd be living in an alternate timeline.
However, the real crisis is upon me, in the form of a 2022 Thruxton RS (keep in mind, this is exactly the same bike as my 2025 Thruxton FE in every way other than the paint job). I found a used one, in solid black (boring color...) with only 1300 miles on it. perfect condition....for only 13k. 13k vs. the 18k on the FE. The difference in price is so massive that I could buy this 2022 model and still be able to afford to replace my poor crashed KTM! They even have a 2023 KTM RC390 in the exact same colorway as my crashed one at the same dealer!
I'm a guy who's good with money, and meticulous about how i spend it. Everything I open my pocket to purchase requires a clear value statement. It has to be something that's important to me, and something that's actually worth what i'm paying for it. I don't have any doubt that the thruxton FE is worth every penny, but I'm having a really hard time paying what amounts to a whole nother bike for a paint job and the "prestige" having ***the final edition.***
All that sounds pretty cut and dry, and then I think aspirationally about how it would feel to be riding that flat black thruxton. I'm....not underwhelmed? just middle-whelmed. There's a sticking point in my brain that says "if you aren't getting exactly what you set out to get, why spend any money at all? what good are half measures?" I could just as easily buy a completely different bike that performs better than the thruxton at every metric, and costs far less. It's called a Suzuki GSX-s1000GT+. better handling, better power, better comfort, better utility, better reliability, smoother power delivery, more tech, wind protection, the list goes on and on and on. But i feel nothing for that bike. it's just an motorcycle. fast, yes. but just an motorcycle. I can't justify opening my wallet for something that means nothing to me, and the black thruxton just doesn't mean the same thing to me.
I said all that to say, i'm getting my dream bike. the FE is ultimately the only thing that's going to make me open my wallet. No half measures. but it is HARD to ignore all the superior economic choices. I know when I actually take the FE home all these considerations will blow away like dust on a shelf, but the longer triumph delays, the more anxiety I have.
During the time that the Triumph's delivery has been delayed (i now will not get it till early may) I have had time to assess the purchase and look around at the market in general, and even had time to consider other bikes in a more serious way. The Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S was actually pulling pretty hard on my heartstrings but ultimately didn't measure up to what the Thruxton gives me for the same price. If it had been 3k cheaper.......we'd be living in an alternate timeline.
However, the real crisis is upon me, in the form of a 2022 Thruxton RS (keep in mind, this is exactly the same bike as my 2025 Thruxton FE in every way other than the paint job). I found a used one, in solid black (boring color...) with only 1300 miles on it. perfect condition....for only 13k. 13k vs. the 18k on the FE. The difference in price is so massive that I could buy this 2022 model and still be able to afford to replace my poor crashed KTM! They even have a 2023 KTM RC390 in the exact same colorway as my crashed one at the same dealer!
I'm a guy who's good with money, and meticulous about how i spend it. Everything I open my pocket to purchase requires a clear value statement. It has to be something that's important to me, and something that's actually worth what i'm paying for it. I don't have any doubt that the thruxton FE is worth every penny, but I'm having a really hard time paying what amounts to a whole nother bike for a paint job and the "prestige" having ***the final edition.***
All that sounds pretty cut and dry, and then I think aspirationally about how it would feel to be riding that flat black thruxton. I'm....not underwhelmed? just middle-whelmed. There's a sticking point in my brain that says "if you aren't getting exactly what you set out to get, why spend any money at all? what good are half measures?" I could just as easily buy a completely different bike that performs better than the thruxton at every metric, and costs far less. It's called a Suzuki GSX-s1000GT+. better handling, better power, better comfort, better utility, better reliability, smoother power delivery, more tech, wind protection, the list goes on and on and on. But i feel nothing for that bike. it's just an motorcycle. fast, yes. but just an motorcycle. I can't justify opening my wallet for something that means nothing to me, and the black thruxton just doesn't mean the same thing to me.
I said all that to say, i'm getting my dream bike. the FE is ultimately the only thing that's going to make me open my wallet. No half measures. but it is HARD to ignore all the superior economic choices. I know when I actually take the FE home all these considerations will blow away like dust on a shelf, but the longer triumph delays, the more anxiety I have.