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Yet another purely hypothetical, not-real question.
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Let's imagine there's this bloke. He lives in London.
He has been using having a short rail commute and lack of free weekend
time as a perfectly reasonable reason to not buy a new bike.
Now, just suppose, in the space of 3 months, he's changed jobs and now
has a 17 mile commute that can't be done very easily on public
transport. He has a nearly 9-year-old ZX9R and is considering a new
purchase next spring, mainly just because he wants a change. It will
almost certainly be a new bike. He has a ticket to the NEC and will be
hoping to have a good, long look at all the nice, shiny motorcycles.[1]
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putting 70 miles a day is far too much mileage to put on a bike. trust
me i know about this.
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Err, where did you get 70 miles from? It's half that.
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that's why I've kept Andy's 9R and put 10K on it in the past year. I
haven't ridden it in winter either. in fact its not moved out of the
garage for the past month :o(
If you don't mind huge depreciation on your new bike then that's fine
but take into account that 10K miles on a 2 year old daytona was
considered very high mileage. I know the sprint is more of a tourer
but even so. Trumpets do not hold their value with high miles as most
are just used as sunday toys.
my previous daytona had 42K miles, two services a year is expensive.
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35 miles per day * 5 days = 175 per week = 700 per month.
I'll probably ride mainly from late Feb through to late October which
is say 8 months = 5600 miles per year.
So, while I take your point, I reckon that it will probably not be a
major problem as non-commuting miles won't be excessive either.
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My question is, given a budget of £9,000[2] ... what would you put on
his list of things to definitely look at?
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No brainer - New gixxer thou
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I'd tell him to buy two bikes - something like a new Triumph Sprint for
touring and hooning, and a cheap dirt bike, SOB, whatever for commuting.
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It's a good plan, but he doesn't think there will be enough of the
former on its own to justify a brand new bike. It's the commuting that
has helped with the justification process so it really does need to be
just the one bike. The 9R has done really well in this respect, so far.
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See, where you've gone wrong is in trying to justify a bike purchase.
Just pick what you fancy and buy it, there's no other justification that
makes sense.
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FWIW, I^hhe really likes the look of the Sprint so it is on the list.
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If it's used or nearly-new you're after, sorry, he's after, then you can
get just about anything. But, realistically, only one thing stands out
as a do-everything bike, from commuting to touring to hooning, and all
with a great grin stitched on the face....
BMW GS, and spend the change on a holiday.
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I will[1] check BMWs out[2] but I think my legs may be too short for a
GS. They've always looked very tall when I've been close to one.
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Don't take this personally, but you're about the same height as darsy? He
needed a foot ladder to get on his GS.
On a more serious note, the Sprint does look like the most sensible option
for you. I was going to suggest a new Mille, but would it stand up to the
daily commute?
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And an extended warranty
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heh.
[1] Yes, this "friend" was me all along! Clever, eh? :o)
[2] I am 42 years of age, after all.
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This budget means virtually anything
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He apparently likes the idea of something fairly sensible, and not for
the winter, like.[3] Doesn't have to do big miles[4], just be a bit of
a grin. Comfort can not go hang, apparently - he's got a bit of a
dodgy back.
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So, sensible and comfortable. Not my area, old chap, but I guess the
new ZZR will do that and also make you smile.
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It is currently top of the list, even though I've only seen one in the
flesh. As you know, and like yourself, I am a big fan of the big
Kwackas.
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I dunno. I like the idea of it, but it looks ugly. And it'll depreciate like
a lead brick.
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I'll pass on any replies to him.
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A neighbour just got an Aprillia RSV Mille-R - I have no idea how it fits
with any if your, sorry, his requirements, but it looks nice and sounds
very, very nice. Also he informs me it's better than the Gixxer Thou he
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Good suggestion. A Mille gives the "Italian V twin experience"
without having to become a Ducati owner
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changed for it in every way. But he has only had it a week...
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This is tosh, tho. I've ridden both (indeed, I raced a Mille at Jurby
Road circuit), and there's nothing a Mille does better than a gixxer
other than make a big booming exhaust noise.
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He seems to only be a Sunday rider and use it for posing on Scarborough
seafront, so I suspect it does every thing he uses it for better heh.
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What more could you possibly want?
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I'm not sure that was any help, but thought in the spirit of been helpful on
UKRM I should suggest it.
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[1] Yes, including Harleys but they're definitely not in the running
for the purchase.
[2] So he can include the ZZR-1400.
[3] He has a car for that.
[4] 35 miles/day commute mainly, but also the odd French trip or that
type of thing.
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