How many motorcycles is too many?
Ok, yes, there’s clearly a problem here.
I know many pundits have written on this topic before, my favourite being Peter Egan. In 1997, Peter concluded you need 5 bikes: 1. A sportbike; 2. A sport-touring bike; 3. A dirt bike; 4. A great big hog; and 5. An Old Crock.
I would humbly suggest that, for those 50-somethings like myself, with the chronic aches and pains that accompany age, and the lack of mechanical skills someone like Peter has, the new list might look more like this:
A sporty standard - a bit more upright, but with enough peg clearance to lean over and still scare yourself sometimes.
A sport touring bike - I used to have a Ninja 1000 SX. Fast, great in turns, integrated luggage to hold enough for a long trip, and comfortable. As I called it: “The Old Guy’s Sportbike.”
An ADV bike - I’m not much one for riding single track in the forest, but it’s great to have a bike that is capable in the twisties and on long highway hauls, but with the added advantage of not having to turn around when a gravel road presents itself.
Cruiser? Not for me. They tend to be slow, not great in the handling department, and frankly uncomfortable, with their hands-feet-forward, back-too-curved-and-weight-on-the-tailbone design. I had a Vstar 1100, and rode it less than 4000kms in 10 years. (Then I bought a Bandit 1250 and rode 15 000kms in 12 months!) But for those who like these bikes, more power to you.
A modern-ish cafe racer - old enough looking to fit the bill, but doesn’t require weekly wrenching. I’d rather ride than wrench. Though on this bike, that’s only for 2 hours at a time. Damn clip-ons!
Again, as Peter said, sometimes you wind up with a few bikes in one category, and that’s when the trouble starts.
From left to right in the picture: Vstrom 1050 XT, Versys 1000 LT SE+, Tiger 900 GT, Thruxton 1200R, Z900RS and Scrambler 900.
I realize that most people have neither the means nor the time to curate a large collection of motorcycles. I happened to be “between sales”, as I like to call it. And, frankly, motorcycles are not that expensive as hobbies go. This entire stable of bikes was purchased for less than what a new 7 seater SUV would cost, or perhaps one year of college in the US. And would either of those 2 things be nearly as fun? (Well, college can be fun…)
My collection of bikes was really only together for a month or so. Within weeks of this picture, 4 were sold, leaving only the Thruxton (#5) and the Tiger (#2). Months later I added a Speed Twin 1200 (#1), so I’ve got 3 categories covered. Perhaps this means I’m done adding to the collection.
But I’ve had that Ninja 1000 SX, and the new one looks so awesome…
