Moto Social Experimentation on my Coworkers

[Bazbro_imp]

Sun?
What's that?
I dream of "sun"!!
We swap "rain" for "sun" here in the British Isles!!
All our covers are for rain and snow!

[pdedse]

I may be on the OCD side, but I have a problem if my stuff doesn’t look as new as it can. My wife’s car just rolled 110k miles, and I rotated the tires yesterday. As I did so, I touched up a few tiny nicks on the wheels that nobody but me would ever notice. I’m big on keeping plastics looking new. I find it therapeutic, but it really helps with resale as well.

I get about a year out of a cover before it fades to the point that the material gets thin and it’s ready to be replaced. Cheap protection.

I think if one has the time and energy to keeping things nice looking, clean, well protected, then that's a very good thing. Sometimes I let my motorcycles go for awhile--especially my KLR650 because, well it's a KLR650--but everytime I clean it up, I'm reminded of something that ought to be done, or I find something loose that shouldn't be, it gives me a bit of peace of mind as the bike ages (it's an '07 with 45k miles on it)...so it's good thing.

[the Ferret]

I may be on the OCD side, but I have a problem if my stuff doesn’t look as new as it can. My wife’s car just rolled 110k miles, and I rotated the tires yesterday. As I did so, I touched up a few tiny nicks on the wheels that nobody but me would ever notice. I’m big on keeping plastics looking new. I find it therapeutic, but it really helps with resale as well.

I get about a year out of a cover before it fades to the point that the material gets thin and it’s ready to be replaced. Cheap protection.

LOL I'm in the opposite corner..I don't buy things with a plan on resale. I buy them with a plan on wearing them out. I used to be more picky about my stuff, but a ding in my truck here, a scratch on the bumper there, tiny rock chips in my paint on my motorcycles, some oxidation of little bolts and brackets.....I can either drive myself crazy trying to keep them new looking or I can ignore the little stuff and ride them until they have so many miles they are not worth anything to anyone anyway. So that's what I do. I happily trade pleasure for aggravation.

My brother is more like you. His T-120 Bonnie looks brand new but has less than 7,000 miles on it, whereas my CB has close to 50K miles, and looks it. We spend equal amounts of time on our machines. His is spent cleaning/detailing. Mine is spent riding. Hope he gets as much pleasure out of his as I do out of mine (but I doubt it). In the end his will end up with less than 15K miles and be worth a few thousand dollars. Mine will have over 100K miles and be worth $1500..maybe. I feel I will have gotten my money's worth out of the bike.

Resale value? good one! Motorcycles have no resale value.

[misterprofessionality]

This is interesting. I just unwittingly conducted an experiment in object permanence and socialization on my coworkers.

I ride to work daily, and park in a spot close to the front door of my office. So, each morning and evening, my 15 coworkers file past either my red CB or my black Bonneville. They see me go outside about an hour after I arrive and cover whichever bike it is. None of my coworkers is bike-savvy. They either see "red bike" or "black bike", but each is distinct in its appearance.

Today, however, due to the high winds, I decided to put my CB inside my shop area behind the office so the cover doesn't slap my bike around in the wind.

So far, two different coworkers who have come out the shop area have seen my bike parked inside have said "Dude, did you just get a new bike?"

"No, this is the same one you always see in the parking lot, it's just inside now."

"Are you sure? This looks different."

"Yes, I'm sure."

Is it the mental picture that a vehicle parked inside is so out of context that it must be a different vehicle?

Is it the mental image of a vehicle indoors being in a showroom, and is therefore new?

" no, i'm not sure. you know what, now that you mention it i did go to a dealership just yesterday, sign a ton of paperwork, fork over 12 thousand dollars, and leave with a brand new motorcycle. i completely forgot. THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME. THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH."

[GoldOxide_imp]

Winters up here folks just wears everything down over time and use. Most vehicles are not monetary investments. They are to be consumed, or at least meant to serve us. I understand that for "first time" new vehicle owners the object seems precious. I think that is a natural human response. However, over time that wears off and it won't long before some of us call our vehicles foul names. As Ferret said, they just get dinged up and is a part of the enjoyment and/or part of utility.

I know a few folks who treat their cages like precious baby animals (eyes rolling). I don't think they do much else.

[Gone in 60]

See, Ferret, when I'm ready to swap bikes, your brother is the guy I'm going to be looking for! I always buy used, low mile bikes that people bought, then never rode, then sold cheap once their wife said "If you're never going to ride it, get it out of our garage!"

On the OCD thing, my friends constantly rib me that I must have been separated from James May at birth. Yes, just as he, the vents in my car all line up. I am aware that I'm not normal, but my wife spends more time in the garden than I do on the cars and bikes. She looks at her plants with pride, I gaze at the garage, we're both happy, and nobody gets hurt.

My riding situation makes it easy to keep a bike clean. I commute six days a week on fairly clean freeways, and I split that between two bikes which keeps my mileage on the low side. I have no time to do any recreational riding. I tend to keep a bike for a few years, then swap it out when something else calls to me. Once I buy a bike, I'll spend a few days detailing it. Then, just a quick wipe down every few days with detail spray and protectant keeps them nice, which for whatever reason, makes me calm and happy. And, when it's time to sell, I've got an idiotically clean, lower mileage machine that will get snapped up within a few days for higher than retail, which gives me the money and freedom to pick something else out.

[Bazbro_imp]

28 years ago, I bought my BMW R100R from just such a person as you, Gone!!
I've kept it pretty near pristine in those subsequent years, despite some great rides all over Europe, USA and even into Canada on it.

It's going up for sale soon and I won't take less than £5,000 ($6,300). Not bad, considering I only gave him £3,600 ($4,500) back then!

So riding AND keeping clean can go hand in glove. It's ice, snow and too much filthy rain that punishes and corrodes modern 'bikes - all that alloy. But hose it and dry it after each crappy ride and it'll be Ok.

[the Ferret]

LOL oh yea, buying one new, taking anal care of it, and not putting any miles on it is great for the next guy that buys it. I don't buy mine for the next guy.

You can make out ok on motorcycles if you buy them used from a desperate seller, take anal care of them, also don't put any miles on them, keep them a short time and sell them to someone else that's hot for that particular model, but for the most part you will be lucky to break even or just lose a little for all your efforts.

Bazbro's example of buying for $4500, keeping it for 28 years, and selling for $6300 hardly ever happens. It would take a rare collectible model to pull that off.

I passed up a 16K miles 1977 R100/7 a couple years ago for $3800.

Ain't nobody making a killing like that on CB1100's lol

[Gone in 60]

I've never made money on a bike like that, but over the years selling many cars and bikes, I've found that the visual impact of something that looks very clean and well taken care of usually prompts the first or second caller to grab it, and not to haggle too much. And, to Ferret's point, I like to let the first guy take the depreciation hit. I'll let him tell me the sad story about how he never had time to ride, or that his wife never approved of him buying the bike in the first place, then I'll get it for a deal.

[GoldOxide_imp]

See, Ferret, when I'm ready to swap bikes, your brother is the guy I'm going to be looking for! I always buy used, low mile bikes that people bought, then never rode, then sold cheap once their wife said "If you're never going to ride it, get it out of our garage!"

On the OCD thing, my friends constantly rib me that I must have been separated from James May at birth. Yes, just as he, the vents in my car all line up. I am aware that I'm not normal, but my wife spends more time in the garden than I do on the cars and bikes. She looks at her plants with pride, I gaze at the garage, we're both happy, and nobody gets hurt.

My riding situation makes it easy to keep a bike clean. I commute six days a week on fairly clean freeways, and I split that between two bikes which keeps my mileage on the low side. I have no time to do any recreational riding. I tend to keep a bike for a few years, then swap it out when something else calls to me. Once I buy a bike, I'll spend a few days detailing it. Then, just a quick wipe down every few days with detail spray and protectant keeps them nice, which for whatever reason, makes me calm and happy. And, when it's time to sell, I've got an idiotically clean, lower mileage machine that will get snapped up within a few days for higher than retail, which gives me the money and freedom to pick something else out.

Calm, happy, no hurt. Like Gin60!