Why is the right number of bikes always n +1?

[Moulder]

Alternative title, possibly a thinly veiled what bike thread.

I have the bikes below, they all do different things and it is about the right number for being able to ride each one regularly. They comfortably fit in the shed with room enough to move around and get any one out without moving the others, which may change with an extra one.

GSXR1000K6 - For when only going like the clappers is enough
GSXR400 - For sporadic going like the clappers on twistier stuff
Kymco Downtown 300i - Daily commute, supermarket, etc.
Vespa P200 - Immaculate 70's model, for generally pootling around

It has taken a while to refine this to what I think is a good spread, but the lure of Ebay is strong...

Potential shaped holes I have spotted are:

1/ 125 2 stroke from my youth (TZR, NSR, etc). Maybe too close to the Vespa?
2/ Ducati 600ss (smooth one), 851 or 888. 600 supposed to be dire though
3/ Honda SP1 or 2 (though I think the reach may be too far to the bars). Too near the GSXR?
4/ Something classic, random e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401120981167 or http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151921470848
5/ Supermoto
6/ Triumph 675R. Based on everything I had read thought this would be a perfect fit between the two GSXR's, but weight is almost the same as the GSXR1000 and it was taller to sit on
7/ Velosolex (http://www.classicmopedspares.com/Classic-Mopeds-Motorbikes-For-Sale/Mopeds-For-Sale/1951-Velosolex-45-For-Sale-21092015). Struggling a bit now...

Reading something like this I would normally suggest green laning or road legal trials, but I used to have these and struggled to use them due to location. Not really one for track days either.

So, anything obvious that I have missed?

[Fleegle]

Moulder said:

So, anything obvious that I have missed?

Yes, you have listed 2 objects that don't belong in a bikers garage

[Moulder]

You should be relatively safe, they never make it into London and are too nice to scrape down the side of a bike.

Not why I have it but the Vespa is the answer to the birds question in that other blokes thread, it could be in the shed with an NR750, Desmodici, H2R and they wouldn't get a second look...

Thinking about it, TRX850 could have gone on the list.

[black-k1]

You need something like a Ducati ST4 or an Aprilia Futura to cover the following:

1. The NEED to take longer trips (possibly with a pillion);
2. The V-twin sound;
3. That certain excitement that slightly complex Italian electrics (as opposed to the simple Vespa set-up) offer every time you turn the key and pray to the twin gods Amps and Volts.

[spookly]

Fleegle said:

Moulder said:

So, anything obvious that I have missed?

Yes, you have listed 2 objects that don't belong in a bikers garage

Yep, that ^^

Sell them and use the money for petrol to put in your gixxer

[Tribal Chestnut]

Need something for off-road.

[obscene]

Still need to cover more bases

[T6 vanman]

black-k1 said:

You need something like a Ducati ST4 or an Aprilia Futura to cover the following:

1. The NEED to take longer trips (possibly with a pillion);
2. The V-twin sound;
3. That certain excitement that slightly complex Italian electrics (as opposed to the simple Vespa set-up) offer every time you turn the key and pray to the twin gods Amps and Volts.

^^^ This ...

Although agree with the KH, I was thinking more RDLC or

[Andy XRV]

obscene said:

Still need to cover more bases

That's a very collection

[Moulder]

obscene said:

Still need to cover more bases

Look good. At the risk of people being mortified by this statement, the Ducati and the GSXR are quite similar so is there a reason you would take one out over the other?

[Walter Sobchak]

I'd skip the 2 stroke 125 in favour of a 2 stroke 250, RGV,RS or if money isn't an issue an NSR 250 MC28 in Repsol colours

Also if you've got a Ducati or an SP2, on top of your GSXR you still need more sports bikes with different engines.
A cross plane crank R1 and an RSV4 are musts too .

[obscene]

Moulder said:

Look good. At the risk of people being mortified by this statement, the Ducati and the GSXR are quite similar so is there a reason you would take one out over the other?

Ducati = sunny day bike and the investment being it's the R. GSXR is a track bike now.

[phatmanace]

Given that I would have thought most bikers have more than one machine, do bike insurance companies tend to offer decent deals for owning multiple bikes? Last I checked for the car when I was thinking of buying a second one, you didn't actually get much of a discount.

[cat with a hat]

Heres my combo:



Pretty decent balance in my opinion, but there is always space for more!

(note: rear type is punctured on nuda)

Also tempted to remove the awful rim tape from the zx, but just haven't been bothered to.

Edited by cat with a hat on Monday 1st August 19:20

[Moulder]

phatmanace said:

Given that I would have thought most bikers have more than one machine, do bike insurance companies tend to offer decent deals for owning multiple bikes? Last I checked for the car when I was thinking of buying a second one, you didn't actually get much of a discount.

All 4 of mine are insured with different companies, mostly because....

1/ Very few are competitive on all 4 bikes, e.g. some don't like the GSXR400.
2/ Some companies won't insure you full stop, so when you buy a new bike and try to add it to the policy they will refuse and you end up with another anyway.
3/ By the time I got the third I already had 2 lots of 9 years NCD, it seemed a shame to lose this when merging to one policy.
4/ Never looked into this, but I assume if all 4 are on one policy and you have an accident the NCD is impacted on all 4.

[Moulder]

Tribal Chestnut said:

Need something for off-road.

The below is how things looked a year back, the KTM and Beta went when the bikes went into storage for 6 months. Where I am now it is 20 miles to any decent lanes and I do not have anything they would fit in to get them there.

[Moulder]

spookly said:

Fleegle said:

Moulder said:

So, anything obvious that I have missed?

Yes, you have listed 2 objects that don't belong in a bikers garage

Yep, that ^^

Sell them and use the money for petrol to put in your gixxer

Just for you pair.... Taken for the classics dwarfed by moderns thread.

[3DP]

Loving the scooters

Have to say I'm the same - currently have 5 bikes in the garage - again all fulfilling different roles - scooter - Honda Vision, sports bike - Blade, super naked - Speed Triple, sports tourer - ZZR1400, classic off roader - SP370.

Still end up browsing e-bay all the time for track bikes and 90s sports bikes!

I've found over the years that having 2 or more bikes that do the essentially the same thing means you only end up really riding one of them, so it's important for me to have completely different bikes. I realised it when I had this lot (plus a scooter) and found I was only really riding the R1 and occasionally the Ducati.



Since then, it's always been a mix up of types - even running the 1198 and Blade together was not ideal.

[TheOversteerLever]

cat with a hat said:

Heres my combo:



Pretty decent balance in my opinion, but there is always space for more!

(note: rear type is punctured on nuda)

Also tempted to remove the awful rim tape from the zx, but just haven't been bothered to.

Edited by cat with a hat on Monday 1st August 19:20

What do you think of the Nuda? Fancy one myself at some point.