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Need vs. Want...how do you handle it?

I screwed up and bought a '06 Wee that still proves to be the most fun, er, logical bike for me. Prior I had a ST1100, 1800 GW and SV650. The Wee pulls those together for me (1 up).

When I want, and I do a lot of wanting, a ride on the Wee works magic.
Then there is the hint of something new/different, like 700cc class ktm adv bike. Or the now "seasoned" FZ07 (remember when the new CB500's came out?). I want a MG V7II, until I read a review...yea, some day I will pick up a cherry used one. The new 900 triumphs are cool...

The DL 1000 is an easy choice.:rider:
 
When you want something, double the price and see if you still want it. You will have to make that much before taxes and other costs to have the money to buy it

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It leads to trouble, I have 3 and am thinking on number 4 as a matter of fact i made a first right of refusal offer on it tonight

its a sickness almost a year later from my last post in this tread, and I do have number 4, housing a 5th for a friend and eyeballing another one again, and I have realized my wife is a goddess with incredible patience for my passions. Or she figures if I keep playing with toys I am out of her hair and she can relax
 
How timely is the resurrection of this old thread... :doh:

I only have two that are actually "mine". Then there are the four dirt bikes for the kids. Snoopster keeps her bike in our garage as well. I've had to move the riding mower out behind the garage and get a nice cover for it :-P So now, if I want another, I have to get rid of one of mine.

I still go through all the need vs want stuff though. Now with three kids from 12 to 8, I am often wondering what I could do with the money that might make for really cool memories for them. That gets me thinking about doing bike trips with them like I did with my oldest last September on my 1200 GS. My problem now is I want to upgrade my small bike, which can't carry a passenger and goes on trips where it is just me and other riders, so that necessarily excludes the wife/kids for now. Also, there is ALWAYS something else I probably SHOULD spend the money on, like fixing something on the house, adding to savings, buying something my wife might want, etc,...
 
T usually has great advice. The only thing I'll add is my personal philosophy. Each new thing is only attractive for a while. Logically that means there are a finite number of things we can get in our lives that we can afford (T's advice) to keep us interested. Therefore the faster we get those things the longer we're bored at the end. Pace yourself.


:tab If you are paying all your regular bills and meeting your responsibilities, what comes after that is just personal preference. Need is rarely an objective standard. You just have to consider the other things YOU might wish to do with the money versus getting a bike. The problems start when you let other things go so you can buy the bike and those things start to come back to bite you. I mean let's face it, most of us don't REALLY need a bike. We simply have one (or more) because we can and we enjoy it.
 
I've found that what I think I want in a bike never really is. My first street bike was a Katana 600, and I loved riding it. I got rid of it when I found a good deal on a leftover SV1K naked. I never liked the SV as much as many people seem to. I found it uncomfortable, and just not that much fun to ride.

Then I began to lust after a supermoto, so I got one. There aren't any enjoyable roads around me for that kind of bike, though. When I coupled that with the ridiculous scarcity and cost of parts for it (it was a Vor), i couldn't bring myself to keep it long.

The discomfort of the SV and the Vor made me think I wanted a cruiser, but I still wanted power. I bought a V65 Magna, thinking it would be the best of both worlds. It wasn't as comfortable as I had hoped, and I didn't care for the weight, antiquated brakes, or suspension.

"A sport touring bike should fit the bill", I thought. I replaced the Magna with an ST1100. Too big, too heavy, and too boring.

I'm bikeless right now. Partly due to disenchantment with street riding, and partly because I have a kid now (man...those are expensive).

I think the biggest issue is that I expect to get the same thrill from street riding as I do dirt riding, and I'm not sure that's possible. Navigating roadways with Buicks and semi trucks on a 400+ pound machine just can't duplicate the thrill of riding on a trail barely wider than a knobby tire while dodging trees in third gear on a 250 pound two stroke.

I'll get back in the street at some point, but I don't know what kind of bike it will be on. Right now I'm thinking I want something light and nimble, but who knows. Whatever I decide on will probably end up being the wrong choice yet again.
 
After a year, I think I have figured it out. If I want a bike, I convince myself that I need it and purchase it.

I am only at 5 and two of them I haven't had a year yet. I am eyeballing a Futura, but haven't pulled the trigger because I have to build a shop, then continue purchasing scooters. Plus I NEED to put a V-6 in my NA Miata....I am pretty sure I need something else as well....

Life is good.

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So... I WANT a new bike. More specifically, I want another bike. I don't want to get ride of the bike I have.

I have a 1400 Concours and I love it. I WANT a ZX-6R. I've never owned a small light sport bike, and I think it'd be a hoot and a half.

But. LOL

I haven't ridden as many miles the last two years as I'd like. I feel like I WILL be able to ride a lot more this year than last. But I'd be sorely disappointed in myself if I got it and then rode only as many miles this year as I did last.

How do you go about making the "right" decision for YOU when faced with a dilemma? I'm not asking anyone what *I* should do. LOL I'm just asking for perspectives to help me set my mind. I literally talk myself in and out of it over and over. Yesterday was my birthday and it would have been a terrific birthday present to myself. LOL
there is no dilemma on what to buy if the money was earned through honest legal means. good luck and enjoy the new bike. (instead of a sport bike, i got a DR650)
 
The right decision is to always have 2 bikes. I got 3 now but 1 is for sale. The 2 bikes serve different purposes. If your perspective is - need vs want, well you will have a dilemma. Just view it as you need :)


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The right decision is to always have 2 bikes. I got 3 now but 1 is for sale. The 2 bikes serve different purposes. If your perspective is - need vs want, well you will have a dilemma. Just view it as you need :)


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yes, i also have three and one is for sale. have had a few calls but so far, no one has bought it. I guess I'm lucky huh?
 
I want what I need
And need what I want

Guess that's how I ended up with 6 bikes in the garage :rider:
 
Well it's been a fun year with the Ninja. I ride it a few less days than I'd prefer because it's harder to carry stuff, and I have stuff to carry more often than I'd prefer. LOL

But I love it, fantastic bike. My wife tried to talk me into getting rid of the Concours and just getting the ZX14...which would be an awesome bike, but I'd still have that "carrying stuff" issue that I never have with the Connie.

I do like my greatly upgraded memory foam and gel seat.

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I'm wrestling with it now. I want a sport or sporty bike, like a 600-750. A plated dirt bike, like a KLR or DRZ. A bare bones cruiser type bike, like an S40 or 883. And one of these. And one of those. And... Yeah. But I'm really wanting an S40, right now. I dunno. I've just been wanting a thumper for years, just not as my only bike. The S40 only makes around 41 horsepower, and it's kind of small overall.

Thing is, I don't want to pay for a second bike. We have no vehicle payments right now. That's nice. I don't want to see our savings number go any direction but up. My truck has 279,000 miles, the AC is out, the back sliding glass is plexi, the headliner is gone, the CD player broke, and sometimes it makes a funny noise. So, pretty much its well broke in at this point. But how long before it's just broke? Second bike money would make a good down payment or more on the next truck. Then there was the S10 debacle. I just got rid of that albatross.

Meh. N+1.
 
I'm kinda Jonesing for the new Duc 939 SS.

I am almost over it for a Tuono V4, California 1400T and 1200RT.

Almost.

Maybe I'll almost get over the Duc?
 
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Just wanted to scratch a need
So went out today on one of those pesky needless "road racing machine"
 

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I always compared it to having bikes like my buddies had guns for varied purposes. Each a tool for a specific type of riding.

I had as many as 5 inexpensive bikes at once, much happier with only one. Too much keeping up with all of 'em.

I also find I can do other things and not feel guilty about not riding in my free time.

Bottom line for me, if it's not blessing you, but stressing you, it's time to thin the herd. Or another way is just keep buying until it's not fun to keep em up and running.
 
Bottom line for me, if it's not blessing you, but stressing you, it's time to thin the herd. Or another way is just keep buying until it's not fun to keep em up and running.

That right there is it for me :zen:

Two, maybe three is my limit for maintaining my own bikes. Right now I have four additional bikes to maintain for the kids. They don't ride as much so it is not a big deal doing their bikes. Of course, they are ALL due for some TLC right now.
 
Motorcycles are exempt from hoarding regulations, along with many other fun toys. Just don't start stacking magazines and newspapers!
(S)He who dies with the most toys wins! I doubt I'll lead the pack but I will never let that stand in my way. rh
 
"want vs need" indeed.

Most of the time, I still can't believe I've added a THIRD motorcycle... for me, single, no dependents...it came down to the realization that my years of enjoying this sport/addiction/lifestyle are limited.

Although some folks I've met through TWT are testament that I might have longer to ride than one might think!

I decided to enjoy riding as much as possible, as long as possible.
 
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