Are you sentimental about bikes/kit?

[rubberhedgeho...]

Hi everyone!

Hope you had a good break over Christmas/New Year.
I was thinking about this topic a bit over the holidays since it was the first time that I could spend some serious time looking at my bike and putting some new gear on it (fender, bungs), a DriftHD for trips, and I bought a new helmet as well.
Almost every piece of bike kit that I have purchased came with a couple of stickers that I think the manufacturor would like to see emblazoned on the bodywork.

Now, I've got to pick a helmet to attach my camera to and I don't want to stick anything on my brand new shiny one! it looks so neat and pretty that I don't want to put the velcro strips onto it, and so they're gonna go on to my slightly older (and plainer in terms of colour) Shoei lid.

I also don't want to emblazon my bike with all sorts of stickers proclaiming where I got my crash bungs from - if I was being paid then that would be another issue

Is this just a symptom of 'new bike syndrome' where I don't want to see any scratched on the bodywork or a 'ruined' paintjob on a helmet?

Thoughts?

[Nai]

I am sentimental about my bike. I feel a sorta emotional pain every time its been stolen (Currently up to 9 or 10 times). I got turned away from doing my test on it due to 'safety' concerns. Choke cables snapped, clutch works but the cables threading is splitting (both £15 ordered new ones). I can no longer get the electric cables under the front of the frame so have them going between the top of the frame and the tank (newest ignition cable was really short for some reason :-/ ). The whole front end is obviously off another bike, forks and brakes (Thanks Mechanic!). The tank still looks a mess. The exhausts end can come away from the pipe.

The front end, tank, and exhaust I am putting off paying for because the dealer was meant to be replacing them because it was his cock up. I listened to his waffle instead of making haste to a solicitor when it happened so my legal standing is non existent. I am just sorta hoping he comes through at some point :-/

But for all its faults, this is the bike I have leaned to ride on... It is a wonderful bike, it still looks happy (if rather wrecked), its 'my little baby Rieju'

[WannaBeDude]

Blank this pristine malarkey, whilst i love me bike and treat her well, scratches, scuffs and the like are part and parcel of biking, and would drive me up the wall should i get nitpicking.

I tried touching up the paint work and made it 10 times worse
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Jogging on, destination living.

[Mikey3]

I too get very picky and over protective over new equipment, but it doesn't wear off with my bike!
Helmets, gloves, gear, at first yes, but after a little while the novelty does wear off.
But yes i hate getting new shiny stuff dirty/covered in fingerprints/scuffed.
It's good to care - better than not caring at all
Mike
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'04 Yamaha WR450F
'99 SV650 Streetfighter Project - mid build
'Motorcycling is about what you do; not about what you own, or how much you spend on it'

[WannaBeDude]

However, i will say and intend to treat my new helmet with much care, as they just seem to get ruined very quickly.
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Jogging on, destination living.

[johnsmith222]

I am not sentimental about any of my bikes or my kit. The closest I would come to being sentimental about anything bike related is my bike gloves.

Three of my best pals chipped in and got me some nice alpinestars SP1 gloves for my birthday as I badly needed new gloves. They went as far as to lie to me about one of their pals who rode bikes and wanted to know the name of "that good bike shop" (J&S). I didn't have a clue .The thought that went into it made me realise how good my friends really are and how lucky I am. If I went down the road and ripped them up then I wouldn't be bothered because when it comes down to it, that's what they're there for and it wouldn't take the sentiment of their gesture away.

As for the bikes themselves? I don't have any sentimental value for them. I mean when it comes down to it they are just replaceable lumps of metal.

Nothing makes me any more sick to my stomach than people who personify bikes or identify themselves by whatever bike they have.

When I crash, apart from the monetary loss and inconvenience, I have no interest in losing a bike.

I felt bad for about a millisecond when I crashed. My first thought when I came off was "oh no my bike is ruined". That instantly was instantly disregarded when it suddenly became "I am sliding in the oncoming lane and there is a car heading towards me but I can't see it for the uncontrollable rolling. At that point in my head I was preparing for death or worse. Gladly the attentive woman and ABS saved me from getting run over.

Moments like that force you to appreciate what's important. A bike is definately not one of those things for me.

[Dazbo666]

It's more important to me for my kit and bike to be functional rather than looking its best.
Of course I do my best to look after my kit and bike, but I'd rather be riding than worrying about every scuff or bit of dirt
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1st bike (Sept'06 - May'10) : 1991 GPZ500S / Current bike (since Nov 2009) : 2003 Suzuki Bandit 600N
Word of the day : DILLIGAF

[Mikey3]

[johnsmith222]

[Mikey3]

[Pete.]

Not in the slightest. The closest I would come to emotional would be if I had my 'busa stolen, and then it would be the loss of the hours of work I had put in rather than the actual bike itself.

Other than that - there's always another round the corner.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[moppy]

I got a lump in my throat when I sold my bike, it was my first bike, Id learned to ride on it and discovered biking on it...

/gay