Too clean to ride...

[twizzle]

The guy that was fixing my puncture was keen to show me pictures of his immaculate 2005 FatBoy...it's for sale he states, it is my dream bike, but I don't like to ride it, don't want to get it dirty......

I think I'll buy a GS800 as I can ride that all year round... My freewind is getting tired.... I look at the freewind and sure enough it's R reg and a snotter..

Do you like the fatty I ask.... Love it he states.... So, ride it all the time .,, commute/holiday/weekends...but he stutters.....ride it.... It will get stolen..Dirty...

Had me thinking... Just how many HD's are.locked away, loved, regretted, a dirty little 10k pleasure...guilt ridden the owner polishes and MOTs his pride and joy... But is too scared to ride it...add miles, depreciate it...

And the end of the day it's just nuts and bolts.....feck it just ride it.....it's a motorcycle it will depreciate... Just enjoy it......

 

[peepingtom]

i reckon at least 50% probably more like 70% . A lot of owners are more into the idea or image of being a "biker" than actually ride the bloody thing. hey ho at least its easy to buy nice low milage bikes

 

[daveg]

The guy that was fixing my puncture was keen to show me pictures of his immaculate 2005 FatBoy...it's for sale he states, it is my dream bike, but I don't like to ride it, don't want to get it dirty......

I think I'll buy a GS800 as I can ride that all year round... My freewind is getting tired.... I look at the freewind and sure enough it's R reg and a snotter..

Do you like the fatty I ask.... Love it he states.... So, ride it all the time .,, commute/holiday/weekends...but he stutters.....ride it.... It will get stolen..Dirty...

Had me thinking... Just how many HD's are.locked away, loved, regretted, a dirty little 10k pleasure...guilt ridden the owner polishes and MOTs his pride and joy... But is too scared to ride it...add miles, depreciate it...

And the end of the day it's just nuts and bolts.....feck it just ride it.....it's a motorcycle it will depreciate... Just enjoy it......

Wise words oh sagacious one

 

[jackassdave]

off all the bikes ive owned around 48 or so ,the harleys are the only ones i look for an exscuse to ride .
i dont really like riding in the rain ,if i dont have to ,but i will ,or really shitty weather ,thats no fun .
but mine does get dirty ,in fact in france it was ,shitty ,one person at the tunnel said ,its nice to see them used !
but i am a polisher as well ,im getting better at riding not hiding.
clean them ,but ride them .its only a bike

 

[Nutty]

As long as it takes to clean my GS (sorry, I know this is the Hd section) I couldn't not ride it just because the weather is crap, even though I know that a 1-2 hour clean awaits upon my return home

 

[Mutley]

i reckon at least 50% probably more like 70% . A lot of owners are more into the idea or image of being a "biker" than actually ride the bloody thing. hey ho at least its easy to buy nice low milage bikes

Ah yes, the legend of the immaculate low mileage bikes all locked away in centrally heated garages.

If it were true then they'd come up all the time, but they don't do they? Second hand values for clean, low mileage HDs are really strong. The bikes are snapped up really quickly. Only snotters, bad custom jobs and over priced tinsel barges seem to hang around.

In reality Harleys get ridden, a lot. Much as I dislike HOG I have to admit they get out and ride, and they ride late in the year and start early. The attendance at Hoggin' the Glen is amazing.

The bikes hold their value because the owners buy them, like them, ride them and keep them. If you get tired of the bike you don't have to buy a new one, just change the one you have. That's why the second hand values are high, they don't come up that often.

 

[dibdob69]

Isn't this true about most bike owners i know loads of people with bike in there garage that get used once or twice a month

I have been Riding 50 miles a day on my bike commuting to work and back for the passed 3 years, A bit of topic but on Saturday i tried to insure my newly converted camper/race van, but as soon is explained didn't own a car they said they couldn't insure me and hung up

 

[theoneandonly]

i turned up at berkshire bike night in binfield a while ago , in the pouring rain , on the" big gay blue bike " ....they all went quiet ....took off helmet ...and said .....wot ? never seen a harley being driven in the rain ? they all laughed

ride 'em , don't hide 'em .

you know it makes sense .

 

[BIKERBIKER]

Hi all

Yes I agree ride em don't hide em did that with my last Harley not this one it's getting used I have plastered it with ACF50 .
Was at a meeting earlier last month all the locking bikes away what's the friggin
Point. .
I ride all year round have 1200 RT that does ok plastered with ACF50
Well I do like this Harley section good reading keep it coming
Regards Roger

 

[Fanum]

I think it depends on why you buy them TBH

Yes, if you buy a bike to use and ride, it doesn't make much sense to lock it away, what with modern cleaning stuff, clothing and kit that make it easy to ride as safely and almost as comfortably in the winter as the rest of the year......snow on road possible excepted.

On the other hand, If I were rich enough to buy 'art' to enjoy for art's sakes, I can think of many many bikes, bits of machinery/engineering that I would FAR rather have on display to enjoy than pieces of 'art' in the traditional sense.

There are few Harleys I've ever really fancied a ride on, but plenty that I really like the look of from a design point of view, and that I'd enjoy on a plinth, de-fluided and polished up.

If you see a really nice bike as a piece of art rather than a tool to ride, they are actually really good value as a thing to keep in the dry and admire










I can't believe I just said that