01-13-2017, 01:06 AM
Yeah, I can go along with the basic three types of motorcycle riders.
On another forum I participate in it appears that a large percentage of folks who plan on buying that particular brand already have in hand a long and expensive list of ˆfarklesˆ that they are adding at or prior to purchase before they even ride the bike away from the dealership. Quite a competition to add more "stuff" to the bike, fully encouraged by the dealership, to make the bike 'theirs'. Many lightly used examples available at bargains in a couple of years.
The tinkerers follow a similar path, quite happily changing out bits and pieces in a never ending quest to perfect the machine into an enviable masterwork of engineering just before replacing with another new almost perfect marvel just lacking the few finishing touches. At least they do ride their bikes and rationalize the upgrades publicly, and sell their surplus bits and pieces reasonably.
I mostly fall into your first category, I enjoy motorcycling for a variety of reasons and have recently returned to the philosophy of simplicity is a good thing. I understand that there are a lot of tradeoffs in motorcycle design and manufacturing between cost and performance. I grew tired of tupperware everywhere. Taller motorcycles for shorter legged riders required costly alterations or compromises right out the door. Hours long riding comfort rarely fit with exotic styling. Greater mass requires greater power to achieve velocity further complicating handling and stopping.
In the generic classification of all round street motorcycles that perform most tasks reasonably well at a moderate price there aren't a lot of contenders. All come with their own set of compromises. As experienced motorcyclists we can recognize the limitations of the several contenders we individually identify and choose accordingly. The CB isn't ideal but it does the job reasonably well. Going back to a chain was a decision requiring acceptance of a known compromise. Oiling it requires less time and trouble than checking air pressure which I do religiously, my version of a pre-flight check. Same with moderate cleaning, find problems early.
I thoroughly enjoy riding for the sake of the ride, any innovation that prolongs the ride at the expense of preparation and maintenance time is a worthy consideration. Costing less allows me to spend less time working and more time riding. My explanation to my corporate partners when I retired was that I wanted to go ride my motorcycle for a few decades. I am.
On another forum I participate in it appears that a large percentage of folks who plan on buying that particular brand already have in hand a long and expensive list of ˆfarklesˆ that they are adding at or prior to purchase before they even ride the bike away from the dealership. Quite a competition to add more "stuff" to the bike, fully encouraged by the dealership, to make the bike 'theirs'. Many lightly used examples available at bargains in a couple of years.
The tinkerers follow a similar path, quite happily changing out bits and pieces in a never ending quest to perfect the machine into an enviable masterwork of engineering just before replacing with another new almost perfect marvel just lacking the few finishing touches. At least they do ride their bikes and rationalize the upgrades publicly, and sell their surplus bits and pieces reasonably.
I mostly fall into your first category, I enjoy motorcycling for a variety of reasons and have recently returned to the philosophy of simplicity is a good thing. I understand that there are a lot of tradeoffs in motorcycle design and manufacturing between cost and performance. I grew tired of tupperware everywhere. Taller motorcycles for shorter legged riders required costly alterations or compromises right out the door. Hours long riding comfort rarely fit with exotic styling. Greater mass requires greater power to achieve velocity further complicating handling and stopping.
In the generic classification of all round street motorcycles that perform most tasks reasonably well at a moderate price there aren't a lot of contenders. All come with their own set of compromises. As experienced motorcyclists we can recognize the limitations of the several contenders we individually identify and choose accordingly. The CB isn't ideal but it does the job reasonably well. Going back to a chain was a decision requiring acceptance of a known compromise. Oiling it requires less time and trouble than checking air pressure which I do religiously, my version of a pre-flight check. Same with moderate cleaning, find problems early.
I thoroughly enjoy riding for the sake of the ride, any innovation that prolongs the ride at the expense of preparation and maintenance time is a worthy consideration. Costing less allows me to spend less time working and more time riding. My explanation to my corporate partners when I retired was that I wanted to go ride my motorcycle for a few decades. I am.