Getting your money's worth

[masterchop]

Thought I'd do a little write up on my sportcity. Things have changed for me. Or maybe I've just changed. I remember not so long ago when every little defect to any bike I owned was the end of my life. Nowadays I ride round on a bike with over 42000 on the clock. With the back light plastics being partially held on with black tape and the exhaust sensor help in place with chemical metal. The license plate light is also wrapped in tape. There are scuffs and marks on the bike. Despite all of this I still love it. It takes me to work and back and anywhere else I want for around a tenner a week. The engine still sounds perfect. And most things are hastily fixed without the need for a garage.

I guess I have lost my snobbish streak to a degree. I like the overall shape and look of the bike and don't care if it looks a little worse for wear.

I rode in to work the other day in the pissing rain and some guy said to me "ah a real biker".

Yep I thought. He is right. It's not about having a gleaming spotless bike. It's about the riding and the commitment.

If money allows then there is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to keep your bike in top notch and don't get me wrong if that is your passion.

Anyhow the sportcity has served me for 20k. She's a bit worse for wear but her heart is beating. And despite the shortcomings I still love riding her everyday.

[gn2]

Enjoyment is what its all about, if you're enjoying riding, you're doing it right

[KEEFYBEE]

Theres nowt wrong with what you are doing. I've previously had 2 Piaggio's in the last 10 years , A Skipper which i had from late 2003 to early 2008, I did nearly 36000 miles, till an attempted theft put an end to that one. Followed that up with an XEvo which I had from June 2008 til last month, and did 41500 miles on that, the repair bills for this were getting a little OTT on this. Both the machines though the engines were running absolutely fine, and cosmetically was still pretty reasonable (the XEvo). I've now took the Aprilia plunge with the SR Max and I'm not disappointed. Bigger fuel tank, better handling, better fuel economy, a little faster, although a little less on the storage front. I bought mine from a dealer who had sold it to a customer last year. Unfortunately the customer hadn't done his homework on the specs for the bike, and he found the bike a bit on the 'tall' side and wasn't comfortable with it. So I got a '12' plate bike in mint nick for 2k after trade in, can't complain.

[MrGrumpy]

I guess I have lost my snobbish streak to a degree. I like the overall shape and look of the bike and don't care if it looks a little worse for wear.

I rode in to work the other day in the pissing rain and some guy said to me "ah a real biker".

Yep I thought. He is right. It's not about having a gleaming spotless bike. It's about the riding and the commitment.

True...but worryingly I seem to be making the journey in the opposite direction. Whilst once I used the TMax every single day (apart from in serious winter weather), these days I worry about it getting filthy and salty, and I keep paying for someone to professionally clean it!

[masterchop]

I guess I have lost my snobbish streak to a degree. I like the overall shape and look of the bike and don't care if it looks a little worse for wear.

I rode in to work the other day in the pissing rain and some guy said to me "ah a real biker".

Yep I thought. He is right. It's not about having a gleaming spotless bike. It's about the riding and the commitment.

True...but worryingly I seem to be making the journey in the opposite direction. Whilst once I used the TMax every single day (apart from in serious winter weather), these days I worry about it getting filthy and salty, and I keep paying for someone to professionally clean it!

I guess its down to what you use it for. For me it's my one and only mode of transport. I could quite happily have a show bike but I don't think you get the most out of them that way.

[Ferret]

Master chop i agree with your statements and have ridden 365 days a year for nearly 35 years in all conditions . Unless you are anal about bike cleaning and seriously have the time to spare to do it ,then all machines will show ware and tare . Even all the HD`s i have owned i have used just the same way and it was at that time i learnt the hard way and about acf 50 .I coat machines with acf 50 after a good clean then just hose it down when needed and when the salts on the ground i just hose it down and will re apply acf 50 say once a month until the nicer weather comes along . NOw it gets a proper deep clean and degrease and inspection for corroded fasteners etc .I have had many rats that look like shit but are mechanically safe & better than some highly polished clean machines ,just walk in to any dealer and see nice clean bikes with marginal tires rotting downpipes leaky hoses etc .jmho