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No More New Bikes
Blog Date - 19 October 2016
I did it didn't I. After 26 years of riding a variety of used motorcycles I purchased a brand spanking new one, the CB500X. No, this isn't a review I've already done one - Honda CB500X First Review - this is me asking myself would I do it again? Buy a new bike I mean.
No. Why? Because much to my deepest regret my brand new motorcycle has become a second hand motorcycle. It is no longer pristine and perfect. It has become dirty like a second hand bike. It already has a few very minor tiny little scratches like a second hand motorcycle. The chain is wearing just like a chain on a second hand machine. The tyres are disappearing like they've done on all my other bikes.
Logically I knew this would happen but subconsciously I think it is coming as a surprise.
If you're going to use your new toy, it's going to get dirty.
Do I regret buying a brand new bike? No, I wouldn't say that. It is an experience and an experience I am glad to have experienced. I am thankful I was in a financial position to purchase a brand new bike, I am lucky I chose a motorcycle that I am enjoying and I have learnt a few things about owning a new motorcycle. But now I have done it, I have ticked the box and while I don't regret my decision I know enough now to not feel the need to repeat the experiment.
From now on I shall try to source those almost perfect slightly used motorcycles. The ideal situation is to find the make and model I would like with between 500 and 2,000 miles on the clock with the first service already completed and stamped up by a reputable dealer. That way there is less chance that some ham-fisted mechanical assassin (like myself) has been tinkering with things they don't understand (like myself).
In the meantime though I shall try to subconsciously accept that my new bike is no longer new and get on with enjoying it rather than mourning its lack of newness. Just as a side note I must report that while the 500 is quick and smooth and big and comfy I am still, even after 52,000 miles of ownership, enjoying riding my 125. It seems ridiculous because it is so much less than the 500 and yet I get just as much pleasure from it.
125cc, 250cc, 500cc or more, I'll just enjoy the ride.
Reader's Comments
Bob said :-
I've never bought a new bike, had a few nearly new and that's definitely the way to go - let someone else take the financial hit.
There's another reason I won't buy a new bike these days, I don't want ABS ring sensors, ABS modulator/pump, ABS control unit, ECU or rider modes or active suspension. I don't want a fuel pump, air intake temperature sensor, coolant temperature sensor (or coolant), cam position sensor, anti knock sensor, tip over sensor, gear position sensor, Idle actuator stepping motor, I want my throttle connected directly to the carb, not to a stepping motor via a computer.
My bike runs and rides perfectly well without any of the above items. They had complexity, bulk and weight. Yes I can be considered a luddite, but I don't break down much and when I do I can fix my bike with a Leatherman and a hammer.
21/10/2016 09:45:13 UTC
Ian Soady said :-
I've never had a new bike - the nearest was a year-old Triumph Tiger 955i which had only done a couple of thousand miles, was dealer serviced and had a very attractive price ticket.
It was a lovely bike after I'd corrected two glaring faults which the Triumph main dealer had introduced. Of course they told me "they all do that sir"....
The Triumph had many of the features that Bob objects to but in truth they were all very easy to understand and maintain with free software and a £10 connecting cable. And I always treat my bikes as learning exercises and enjoy getting to grips with different technology. I'm currently wondering why the clutch on my newly acquired (but 23 year old) CB400 Super Four seems to drag so much.......
I can't see the point in paying loads of money which evaporates as soon as you ride the bike off the forecourt but each to their own.
By the way Bob, why did you suddenly go off the Honda 650 singles after extolling their virtues at such length?
21/10/2016 12:58:44 UTC
Doug said :-
My YBR and Electra were stolen and torched last month, and after the insurance paid up started bike shopping again. I've bought new twice - a Kawasaki GT550 in '92 and a Royal Enfield Bullet in '04. I do like the "buzz" of getting a new bike, but my biggest problem is that as I get older, there's fewer new bikes I like the look of to choose from. So again have gone second hand, picking up a YBR Custom for £800 and another Bullet for £1400. I figured the money left over will go a long way in fuel and spares, and I won't have the sinking feeling when you see the first scratch/graze/dent.
22/10/2016 09:04:34 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
That's some bad grief having both bikes stolen and burned Doug. Gutted I bet. And yeah, scratched my new bike on Friday and I'm like "urgh, the beginning of the end".
23/10/2016 06:50:15 UTC
Henrik said :-
In EU they are working on a total ban on selling new benzin/diesel driven vehicles starting from 2030, Sweden + Germany + NL has already expressed a possetive attitude, and more are likely to follow,...
So I guess in a few years it would have been a reality anyway, no more new bikes, anyway the new electronic etc. has made new bikes a no-go for me long ago
23/10/2016 09:04:58 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
I dare say I may live to see then end of the internal combustion engine as the primary means of propulsion. While I adore the engineering, noise and wizardry of the 4 stroke cycle I believe that electric motorcycles will be great!
Of course the other thing that will come in is the self driving vehicles in which case motorcycles will be confined to race tracks and curiosity events. In which case I'm doing as much riding as I can now and trying to make the most of it.
24/10/2016 09:53:11 UTC
Bob said :-
Henrik, that'll never happen. Politicians desperate to show green credentials posit these policies, with no thought of whether it's possible or not. There simply isn't enough lithium on the planet to convert even 5% of the world's current vehicle stock to electric and who is going to build the hundreds of nuclear power stations needed to charge these vehicles up? Not to mention the national grid (of all countries) which couldn't handle the distribution duties either. Couple in the fact that nobody is even suggesting that we can build an electric version of a 43 tonne HGV and we'll be driving petrol powered vehicles for a good few decades yet.
The only viable long-term solution is Hydrogen, everybody knows this, but short sighted government policies have lead to the world-wide distraction of Lithium Ion powered vehicles. In decades to come these will be seen for the evolutionary dead-end that they are.
Ian Soady, yes I had a brief wobble there, but I've got four FX650 Vigors again now - and I'm loving every minute!
24/10/2016 09:54:04 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
FOUR Vigors?!?!? I know I liked my SLR650 but I never felt the need to own 4 of them. What's up with you Bob? By the way, I know of an old, rusted up solid and lifeless SLR650 for sale if you feel the need for another 650 single in your life.
Maybe hydrogen is the way to go. Maybe, just maybe someone somewhere will solve the battery issues in the future, we don't know. Hydrogen is still used to create electrical energy so either way we'll be running electrical motors of some description.
Unless of course the governments REALLY screw up and we end up with Armageddon. Either way the point still remains, make the most of your internal combustion engines while the going is still good.
24/10/2016 14:59:02 UTC
Bob said :-
Yes FOUR. I decided that there's nothing new I want, there is unlikely to be anything new that I want (witness the new Suzuki VStrom 250 at 28HP and 172KG, or the GS310 with cast alloy wheels and only 20ftlb of torque) and even if a manufacturer offered a bike I did like the look of (SWM RS650R for example), it'd still have ABS, FI and all the complexity that goes with it.
So I figured, stock up. I've got four low mileage bikes here, which should see me for >150000 (maybe 200000) miles of motoring, with my average mileage of ~10000 PA that's 15-20 years. At the end of that time I'll be retired and if someone does invent some disruptive technology in the meantime, we'll know by then whether it's a goer or not.
I've spent less than the price of a new BMW F800GS buying my fleet and I've insured my continuing enjoyment, riding what I want to ride.
25/10/2016 10:36:57 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
I just wish I had space to store 4 bikes! Let alone all the other machines you seem to casually mention. I imagine your place looks more like a bike shop than a house.
I think you've got a good plan there. You're right 4 bikes should see you through parts and spares wise except for tyres, chains, sprockets and oil filters. The only thing that will throw a spanner in the works is if legislation moves to stop the use of "old" vehicles. I can't see it happening as many of the toffs in power like their vintage motors. But then again...
26/10/2016 09:31:18 UTC
Bob said :-
Yes, an eventual ban on old vehicles is the biggest risk here. But I've only gone for bikes registered after 2000, which coincides with Euro 3 emission standards. Of the two major cities implementing or considering a ban on oldies (Paris & London), 1999 is the cut-off point.
As you say the toffs like their classic cars, it's far more likely that future governments will incentivise the purchase of newer vehicles with scrappage schemes than ban older ones - even the Tories would shy away from accusations of pricing the poor off the roads.
Consumables for the most part aren't a worry, brake pads can be re-lined, brake discs are relatively cheap to have made (especially on the Vigor as they are just flat plates), sprockets also are easy to have made. Another advantage of the Vigor is that the engine is identical to the XR650L (except for cam profile) which is still for sale in the USA - so all the bangy bangy and roundy roundy bits will be available for some considerable time to come.
Special parts like carb needles, jets and CDIs can be bought up and held in stock for future use and that's what I've done.
Next up is the worry about E10 fuel, the Vigor runs a relatively low compression ratio so shouldn't mind E10 and the fuel tank is steel so it won't dissolve. Fuel additive can used for any bike which is left standing to prevent the carb being attacked.
At the end of the day I've spent some cash, but that's not a problem. I'm not riding a Vigor because I can't afford a newer bike, I'm riding a Vigor because it's the bike I like the most and even if legislation eventually catches up with me the way I look at it is that I'm insuring my continuing use of the bike - especially as I ride off road, there's a risk that I might kill a bike prematurely. It's alright planning on a life expectancy of 55000 miles then punching a hole in a crankcase with a rock!
26/10/2016 11:50:56 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Sounds like you've got yourself prepared for the apocalypse Bob! I'll be publishing your Welsh ride soon - when are you going to give me your review on the Vigor? It's all very well saying you like the bike what I want to know is WHY you like the bike.
27/10/2016 09:42:30 UTC
Bob said :-
I like to plan ahead, sometimes I plan too far ahead!
Actually, my mate has just dropped over £8000 on a new KTM 690SMC, it is ferociously fast, frighteningly fast even. But he's spent more than I have and he's got just one bike and a very highly strung one at that. This is me trying to justify my spending...
I'll write up and unbiased (really, I'll try) opinion on the Vigor.
I've owned over 200 bikes across most denominations and capacities so hopefully I can offer a balanced opinion, with pros and cons considered and justified....
27/10/2016 10:02:27 UTC
Les said :-
Are we forgetting that with Brexit we can put (if the government chooses) two figure up to euro emissions etc. Whilst all governments make money out of the economy gren machine, most governments realise that it is an impossibe dream. (Hence VW and other manufacturers cheating). The classic veicles wold crates a lot of jobs nd a lot of money in taxes etc. I should imagine they will be around for a long hole yet. Look at the MOT being dropped for the really old vehicles. Simply because they could not ever hope to meet MOT standards. If government wanted rid of old vehicles it would be simple enough.
17/11/2016 11:33:57 UTC
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