blackONblack
Junior Member
Alright folks, so here's the deal...
I've had my 2008 FZ6 since August 2012. It's only my 2nd bike ever (started on a beat-to-hell '95 Ninja 250) and since I've been lucky enough to have a garage where I've lived so far since I've owned it. This has been important because as a more casual rider taking it out on weekends and Fridays when the weather is cooperating, I may go weeks (no more than 5-6) without starting it up. As I've gathered from this forum and my own experience, the FZ6 is a perfect bike for this type of use because it is reliable as hell. I can't tell you the number of times I've been sure THIS is the time bike won't start up when I try to go for a ride after leaving it sitting for a couple weeks. But every time it fires up without a hitch, so I've been extremely satisfied with it.
The problem is, in a few weeks, I'm going to move to a place without a good garage storage spot for when I'm not riding it. I'm considering the following options:
- Buy a bike cover and park it outside during the summer, then rent a storage unit for it when the weather finally turns. The downside here is that when I need to take it for a maintenance ride during the winter, it won't be as easy as bundling up and going downstairs. I'm concerned I won't ride it enough and mechanically things are going to start going downhill.
- Keep it for the summer (still using a bike cover) but sell it come fall. I don't need the money but I'm worried about it turning into a liability. One way this option could branch out results in me trading for or buying an MX-5 with the cash I fetch for the bike. I'm thinking the mazda would offer a lot of what I love about the bike but with a lot more practicality. Between our unpredictable winters and our hot, humid summers, it's hard for me to justify having a bike, and I could actually drive the mazda a bit more than I'm comfortable with on the bike. The FZ6 is an 08 with only 5200 miles on it so I'm pretty sure I can get a good price for it.
So anyway, I'm kind of at a crossroads here, and not sure what to do. I love getting out and riding but it's kind of a question between having money sitting in a potentially volatile pile in a parking lot/storage unit or someplace boring like a savings/investment account. Will the bike hold up to rougher treatment than I give it now? Will an MZ-5 be more trouble than the bike? I know I've only had the FZ-6 for a short time but it already feels like it's a part of my background, who I am and what I enjoy doing. I feel like I'm having a mini mid-life crisis :blah:
I've had my 2008 FZ6 since August 2012. It's only my 2nd bike ever (started on a beat-to-hell '95 Ninja 250) and since I've been lucky enough to have a garage where I've lived so far since I've owned it. This has been important because as a more casual rider taking it out on weekends and Fridays when the weather is cooperating, I may go weeks (no more than 5-6) without starting it up. As I've gathered from this forum and my own experience, the FZ6 is a perfect bike for this type of use because it is reliable as hell. I can't tell you the number of times I've been sure THIS is the time bike won't start up when I try to go for a ride after leaving it sitting for a couple weeks. But every time it fires up without a hitch, so I've been extremely satisfied with it.
The problem is, in a few weeks, I'm going to move to a place without a good garage storage spot for when I'm not riding it. I'm considering the following options:
- Buy a bike cover and park it outside during the summer, then rent a storage unit for it when the weather finally turns. The downside here is that when I need to take it for a maintenance ride during the winter, it won't be as easy as bundling up and going downstairs. I'm concerned I won't ride it enough and mechanically things are going to start going downhill.
- Keep it for the summer (still using a bike cover) but sell it come fall. I don't need the money but I'm worried about it turning into a liability. One way this option could branch out results in me trading for or buying an MX-5 with the cash I fetch for the bike. I'm thinking the mazda would offer a lot of what I love about the bike but with a lot more practicality. Between our unpredictable winters and our hot, humid summers, it's hard for me to justify having a bike, and I could actually drive the mazda a bit more than I'm comfortable with on the bike. The FZ6 is an 08 with only 5200 miles on it so I'm pretty sure I can get a good price for it.
So anyway, I'm kind of at a crossroads here, and not sure what to do. I love getting out and riding but it's kind of a question between having money sitting in a potentially volatile pile in a parking lot/storage unit or someplace boring like a savings/investment account. Will the bike hold up to rougher treatment than I give it now? Will an MZ-5 be more trouble than the bike? I know I've only had the FZ-6 for a short time but it already feels like it's a part of my background, who I am and what I enjoy doing. I feel like I'm having a mini mid-life crisis :blah:
