How long?

[m99dws]

As I'm making the transition from cars to bikes, I am wondering how long most of you keep a bike for?
Coming from 11 years as a car driver, I wouldn't dream of keeping it for more than 3 years, I get bored of them too easily.

My main reason for asking is purely down to the fact that to afford a bike it will have to financed, so looking at 4 or 5 years to begin with. I don't think I would as quick to dismiss a bike as I do my cars.

I am looking to get something about 4 or 5 years old, so it will be close to 10 years by the time I pass it on, but looking around there are some really good bikes at the 10 year point too, so I'm not bothered about re-sale value.

Cheers

[Frost]

you will dismiss the bike far quicker than you will a car. cars are practical, so even when your bored of it, it still has a purpose. bikes are utterly impractical and are for fun on sunny days only.
Push it to the limit for a summer and you'll likely want something else for the next summer.

I advise building up to a good bike, by buying what you can afford now, riding it for 6 months to a year, then selling it, putting money to it and buying something better. Rather than the car buyers aproach of spend £20k on finance on a car.

Buy a simple all rounder bike, much like the one you will do your DAS on. After riding that for a while, decide what type of bike you really want such as something nippier, sportier, more confortable etc

Out of everybody i know, the longest ive known anybody keep a bike for is 2 years, with most keeping it for at least a year

[Kickstart]

Hi

I tend to keep bikes for ages, but then not really sell them on anyway. My old FZ750 I have had since 1990, even the 1200 Bandit I have had since 1997.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

Well due to having not much money, i'll have to keep the 400 for a while and commuting on it and using it for fun.

I quite like the idea of keeping it "around" because its a nice, rare little bike.

May sell it for a good price to my brother afterwards, keeping it in the family...

When i have proper money i'll probably have lots of bikes and cars knocking around, each for quite a while i hope.

If you get a bike and you use it properly, enjoy it and maintain it well i don't see why you wouldn't keep it for years.

[Born2bVile]

I bought my current bike in 1987. Wouldn't dream of getting rid of it.

My first bike I bought in 1983. It got stolen in 1985.

My second bike was a 250 and after a couple of years I wanted something that would do long distances a bit easier.

I bought my car in 2000, but only because some dozy doris crashed into my last one when it was parked up and wrote it off.

I don't get bored with vehicles that easily.

Cheers,

Byrnie.
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NABD Treasurer
National Association for Bikers with a Disability
Reg Charity No. 1040907

[m99dws]

[Ste]

Hmm let's see. Had NSR for about 6 months, had ZX6R for about a year and then was wanting something different and got TL1000R which I used it for a couple of weeks before it had to have some gearbox problems fixed and now havn't got a license. Have had my Pasini Proddy 40cc for quite a while now though.

[Bendy]

Had the CB500 for 9 months. It wasn't so much that I got bored, more that I lost confidence in it.

Have had the CBR6 for a year and a half now, and got no intentions of changing it yet. It can still do a lot of things I can't, so what's the point in moving up?

I think some people claim 'boredom' when they really mean 'my friends all got something bigger/newer', and sometimes people get bored because they don't try and exploit all the abilities of their bike, just focus on one aspect. And yes, some may just get fancy a change.

In short, you can't generalise. Some people are chronic bike changers, others aren't.

[m99dws]

[Ste]

Chronic bike breaking is more fun.

[robbiehall]

I have kept my bike for 9 years, and I am so pleased because it - a Yamaha 350 YPVS - has come back into focus again and I have met so many new friends because of it.

2 strokes are fun!!

Cheers
Rob
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The older I get, the faster I was.