i get this feeling every fall...

[taki]

I have had a motorcycle for the last 5 years, and i commute as much as i can from springtime to late fall. i get very excited about riding in the springtime (because the bike sits when there is snow on the ground) and in general, i enjoy commuting very much (thats all i really have time to do).

last year, we had our second child, and i ended up selling my motorcycle last year because i thought i was done with riding (for safetys sake), and we needed the money. of course, when this springtime rolled around, i walked out to my garage and started looking for my motorcycle (which i didnt have anymore)..thats when i bought my fz6. i love this bike, it fits me perfectly, and fits my needs just right. in the springtime, i told myself that i would hold onto this bike for a while.

now that its fall again, i find myself having second thoughts again about having a bike. i think of it as wasted money just sitting in the garage (we could use the money again). i have had a few people at work get into crashes this year, and the son of one of my coworkers passed away in a mc crash. seems like in the off season, i tend to forget about crashes and accidents, and this always gets me to thinking about my owning a motorcycle when i hear local stories.

any thoughts, comments? does anybody else experience this?

 

[Cuba]

This has been my first summer of riding and motorcycle ownership but I'm sort of looking forward to winter in a way. I'll have the time to strip it apart, repaint maybe, clean everything to showroom condition, maybe do some modding, sproket change, get it serviced/balanced, etc. and have it perfect and ready to go for the next season. It's not an expensive bike and I don't see it losing a ton of value to depreciation like my car. It's an investment sort of, I'll use it to trade on another bike when the day comes without losing 50% of what I paid for it.

 

[CanadianFZ6]

Keep the bike... buying and selling them as your desire fluctuates is costing much more money than winter storage of your FZ6. Also, people die in car crashes too.... Death on our roads is not exclusive to just motorcycles...

 

[taki]

thanks, and keep em coming. i definitely dont want to get in a habit where i buy and sell a bike each year, that wouldnt be very cost effective. on the flip side, theres always mods/gear i want to buy if i keep the bike. if i sold this bike, it would be with the thought that i stop riding for a long time, and ill just have to go into detox in the springtime.

 

[CanadianFZ6]

thanks, and keep em coming. i definitely dont want to get in a habit where i buy and sell a bike each year, that wouldnt be very cost effective. on the flip side, theres always mods/gear i want to buy if i keep the bike. if i sold this bike, it would be with the thought that i stop riding for a long time, and ill just have to go into detox in the springtime.

Everyone needs something to make the feel alive... otherwise we just eat, sleep and work until we die....

 

[fast blue one]

Keep the bike... buying and selling them as your desire fluctuates is costing much more money than winter storage of your FZ6. Also, people die in car crashes too.... Death on our roads is not exclusive to just motorcycles...

My sentiments exactly.Now explain that to my mum :thumbup:

 

[MisterX]

I would love to tell you to keep the bike, and that you'll be glad that you did. Then again, I don't know your financial situation and whether or not you need the money at this point, or be just fine as things stand. Also, as you have stated, it's possible that once spring rolls around, you'd get another one. Of course, rolling through bikes once a year can easily get expensive.

Overall, it's your call. If you really need the money for the family, or whatever, sell the bike. Family and personal needs always come first. However, if you can keep the bike without financial repercussions or whatnot, then I say keep the bike.

Not very helpful, I'm sure. Just my thoughts on the matter.

X

 

[oldtimer]

The way I see it, the motorcycle is my window out of the norm. I eat, work, sleep every day. On my days off, I'm running errands. I don't have much time/money to enjoy much these days, but a simple ride on the motorcycle to run an errand gives me a break from normal life and reminds me there's more to it than eating, sleeping and working.

This will be my first winter with a bike, and you can be assured I'm riding that thing as much as I can. I won't ride in the snow, if it's wet or if it's too damn cold outside, but I will ride throughout the winter here and there. I won't let it sit until the spring time.

P.S. some motorcycle insurance companies offer you the ability to freeze the coverage (so you don't pay premiums) if your bike is in winter storage. Not sure how much motorcycle insurance is in Iowa, but that might help you out money-wise.

 

[taki]

totally agree on the bike making me feel alive and making my commute more enjoyable (when im not dodging cars on the highway).

financially, its more of a short term cash flow issue, hopefully it will be remedied around the end of the year. my alternatives to solve the short term cash flow issue is to sell our 3rd vehicle (kinda a beater truck we dont use much), or get a 0% interest free credit card for 6 months. we just ended up with a couple unexpected bills that i didnt figure into our budget this year (the biggest one was the purchase of an FZ-6!)

if i did sell the bike, and i need to feel alive, i would start modding my car (when its financially possible). ive got a magnum rt that i enjoy driving to work when im not on the bike. some people dont like the magnums, but i think its a sweet ride.