Why buy a new bike every year or two?

4729 Views 46 Replies 33 Participants Last post by Froldt, 8 mo ago

Oliveoil

Discussion Starter · 8 mo ago

I was riding my 08 650 yesterday and enjoying the heck out of it! I thought, what would make me spend money on something new? I couldn’t think of a reason. What moves someone to upgrade regularly??

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ratbikerandy

· #2 · 8 mo ago

Oliveoil said:
I was riding my 08 650 yesterday and enjoying the heck out of it! I thought, what would make me spend money on something new? I couldn’t think of a reason. What moves someone to upgrade regularly??

Once I have found a bike that I really like , I keep it for quite a while. Like you, I have an '08 Strom 650 that I bought January 2015. Prior to that, I had a H-D SuperGlide for 9 years. I do rotate some other bikes through the garage, but keep my main bike.

Now cell phones - who in their right mind would want to have to change that out if you don't have to??

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richlandrick

· #3 · 8 mo ago

I think that question is for a different crowd/forum. V-Strom owners tend to be a bit more frugal. Of course, it is easy to be that way with a bike as comfortable and long-lasting as a V-Strom.

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Motor7

· #4 · 8 mo ago

It's a disease...buy, >farkle,> sell. Never caught it with bikes, but used to be infected with it for cars and trucks....waaaaay more expensive .

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oldjeep

· #5 · 8 mo ago

I suppose the same reason that some people get a new car every year or 2 - they want to

Someone needs to create the used market. I tend to buy older bikes and new cars, but keep them for a while unless they tick me off.

Jonstorp

· #6 · 8 mo ago

Motor7 said:
It's a disease...buy, >farkle,> sell. Never caught it with bikes, but used to be infected with it for cars and trucks....waaaaay more expensive .

Its when all the mods (one can afford/manage) have been done that the attention turns elsewere.. Or at least prior to the KLV1000/DL1000 2004 i have now..

theayn

· #7 · 8 mo ago

I haven't stopped shopping for my next bike since I bought the first one 6 years ago. They've all been great, and I just want to try everthing. Of course i know that's stupid, and i passed up a good deal on a Triumph Tiger to buy my second Wee instead because it was an even better deal and i already knew i liked the bike. And then kept shopping. It's an illness I barely keep in check.

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joeslabb

· #8 · 8 mo ago

Rather change your bike than your wife, it's cheaper. But I tried to get my moneys worth and keep them longer.

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Griff

· #9 · 8 mo ago

I rarely purchase second hand bikes. However one aspect of new bikes that I dislike are the initial period of getting used to their idiosyncrasies and running them in. I just love to get that over with and the farkling and then get on with riding.

I will move a bike on quickly if I don't gel with it. However once I get to like a particular machine I tend to keep it. To me its like a comfortable pair of boots or gloves. The Strom replaced a Triumph 1200 which I loved, but eventually had to admit was too heavy for me as I got older. The Strom will stay for as long as I can manage its weight and that seems to be ok currently. My old Dominator is with me for 9 years to date and will stay also. My X-Adv replaced the CRF1000L which I never got on with. The X-Adv is a keeper also and I have it 5 years.

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larry1096

· #10 · 8 mo ago

I keep my cars and bikes pretty much as long as they're reliable and suitable for what I want to do with them. I sold my CBR1000 because I couldn't contort myself into that riding position anymore, and a VX800 because it wasn't a great distance bike. Other than that, I strongly prefer something I'm used to, rather than something new. My wife says I get in 'ruts', I think I just like to have a 'groove' going.

Larry

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D.T.

· #11 · 8 mo ago

Money to burn is my guess. I don't know. I have none.

240k on my jeep, and 63k on my V-strom. 10+ years old.

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outdoorgb

· #12 · 8 mo ago

History shows I have owned six bikes in the past 10 years... and probably 25 since first riding in 1978. This is my second 650V and for certain by most liked bike. I tell myself, and believe, this one will be with me for many years... Time will tell

The why part? Curiosity, I like staying busy all the time, and I can afford the hobby to do so.

kballowe

· #13 · 8 mo ago

My Wife picks out most of mine.

Tire Vehicle Wheel Motor vehicle Automotive tire

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PerazziMx14

· #14 · 8 mo ago

For me I get bored easily. There are years where’s I’ve bought 6 or 8 bikes.

I also cannot see only having one bike. I ride a bike for a while and it get boring. Hop on another and my fondness for that bike is rekindle and I ride it for a while.

also having bike set up differently helps avoid boredom.

on the last 4 years I have bought 14 bikes. Out of the 14 I have two remaining. One was bought 3 years ago the other last year. There is a good chance the garage willl look different in the next couple of weeks as I’ve been searching for something else.

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ocoas

· #15 · 8 mo ago

I’ve heard comments like “my bikes got 30,000 miles, I need to sell it before it nickel dimes me to death. On cars it’s usually at the 100,000 mile mark.
I usually wait till a Bike or Car starts to get Metal fatigue and you have to start fixing a frame or weld. As I age I am easier on vehicles so they last a long time.

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Nicad

· #16 · 8 mo ago

I tend to get bored, but keep old stuff hanging around. I'd really like to try that Triumph 900. I do like my 650 a lot. I bought my first new car this year after being a car enthusiast for the last 50 or so years. Prior to that I enjoyed the hunting aspect of buying used cars. I currently have 3 old ones I want to sell . Sold my 66 Corvair a couple of summers ago after owning it 32 years. Been trying to sell a 99 Miata 10AE all summer and have an interested prospect in Washington State. (he must be a bit like me,willing to cross a Continent for a Miata.. as I bought it in Dallas) A couple of days ago I had some money in the wallet ready to try and buy a Yamaha RD350 LC that needed some work. Glad someone beat me to it. It Sold in a couple of hours.

BackPacker

· #17 · 8 mo ago

It's a medical condition. Compulsory Upgrade Disease (CUD).

You can get treated for it, but the treatment is so expensive that you won't be able to buy another bike (or phone for that matter) afterwards, ever. But heck, that was the point all along, wasn't it?

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Improperly Torqued

· #18 · 8 mo ago

I'm a rare breed (though probably less so in this crowd): a practical rider. I upgrade when my needs change or the bike costs more to run than it's worth. Last time, I traded my 13 year old '08 Wee for a new '21 Wee, because I decided it was time for ABS, and parts for the '08 were getting expensive.

However, I respect, but don't complely "love", the '21 the way I did the '08, so I may not keep it as long this time. We'll see.

Reactions: 3

V-Tom

· #19 · 8 mo ago

Oliveoil said:
I was riding my 08 650 yesterday and enjoying the heck out of it! I thought, what would make me spend money on something new? I couldn’t think of a reason. What moves someone to upgrade regularly??

I don't know about upgrading regularly but will normally ride until I see a bike with features that turn my crank. I guess that makes me a serial upgrader?

2006 DL650: rode to 202,435 km / 125,787 miles. Replaced with 2012 DL650 as I wanted ABS and liked the extra information the dash provided.
2012 DL650 rode to 139,553 km / 86,714 miles. replaced with 2015 DL1000 as I wanted Traction control and liked the upgrade brakes etc.
2015 DL1000XA rode to 235,186 km / 146,137 miles. Replaced with 2020 DL1050 because addition of Cruise control plus many other upgrades.(LED lighting, Linked Brakes, etc.)
2020 DL1050 still riding and only has 133,824 km / 83,154 miles like some of the upgrades on the new 2023 DL1050de but not enough that I would replace my 2020 DL1050 with such low mileage on it.

..Tom

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Wee van Cleef

· #20 · 8 mo ago

Because you can.

Dreams are what makes life worth living. Be it a farkle for what you already have or a bike you can't stop thinking about. Being frugal is generally a boring endeavor and makes Jack a dull boy.

I hit this link daily and drool. The bike makes no sense. But I want.

https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/ftr1200/

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