New biker buying issue

[Wololo]

Something of a confessional here. I'm sure some of you will laugh at me. I'm sure some of you will nod sympathetically. In fact if the dealer or my instructor are on the forum they'll know exactly who I am from this post.

I've done CBT, Theory and Mod 1. Just waiting on Mod 2 exam.

Sitting in my garage are a Ninja 125 and a Ninja 400, which I bought brand new because Bournemouth Kawasaki did my a great deal on it, it seemed a good starter bike based on every single review, and I was a bit naive about how long it would take to finally do Mod 2.

Now I am quite sure I will love the Ninja 400 and it will be a great everday bike. I should be satisfied in the knowledge that it will be a good bike to learn on and more than fast enough for a new rider to have fun on. But still I find myself on biketrader looking at used exotica like the MV Agusta F3 thinking "would it be totally mental to buy one as well as the 400?"

It's not that I need or want the extra power. In fact I have no interest in riding a bike at crazy speeds on the road. But as an object of desire, damn!

Is this just what happens when you start riding bikes, and notice how the deposit on a good car buys an amazing bike outright? Am I doomed?

[Longy00000]

Yes your are doomed.
Bikers are a bunch who see no end to their spending on bike related stuff. Its something that will stay with you for many many years
I wouldn't run off buying another bike just yet as you haven't really worked out (so far) what type of bikes you will like, how you will use it and so forth.
The 400 kwacker is a fine bike and one you can really hone your skills with.
All the other super sexy stuff will still be there in a year or so

[bogie]

It does not matter how many bikes you have in the garage or the style you ride, you may spend hours each week looking on autotrader and dreaming of what bike you could add to the fleet, or whether you could trade your bike in for a different model

[black-k1]

As above! However good your current bike(s), it really doesn't stop you looking for more and doing the man maths to justify why, and that will be true throughout your entire biking life.

Hang fire on another bike until you've had a little while on your 400. It'll help you understand a little bit better what elements of biking you like more than others. After that, space in the garage/shed, depth of your wallet and tolerance of your partner/family are likely the only things that will stop you buying more and more bikes.

[Wololo]

Ok, I'm glad this happens to everyone

I'll try not to do anything silly in the meantime and get to know the 400 before I buy it a garage friend for when the 125 goes. Emphasis on "try".

[klootzak]

Don't worry too much. I know a guy who bought a Tuono V4 Factory before he'd passed his full licence and he's still alive. The biggest bike he'd ridden at that point was an XSR700.

k

[gareth h]

Put the MV in the front room as a piece of art and ride the 400, is the obvious solution

[MDUBZ]

Yup, quite normal. Carry on.

[Wololo]

gareth h said:

Put the MV in the front room as a piece of art and ride the 400, is the obvious solution

You (possibly) joke, but the thought did occur to me.

I live alone so have no-one to complain, and it's such a gorgeous bike that it deserves to be seen regularly rather than sitting unseen in the garage most of the time. However I'd need to renovate the front room to justify such an objet d'art.

[Donbot]

Check out the 'CBT and buying a Desmo' thread.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Only you know how much of an idiot you're going to be when riding a very fast bike with little experience.

[Wololo]

Donbot said:

Only you know how much of an idiot you're going to be when riding a very fast bike with little experience.

In short, a total pussy who sticks to speed limits fairly religiously and is rather paranoid.

For me it's not about the power and going fast; I'm under no illusions about being a racer. It's just that these things are so damned desirable. If there was a 500cc F5 for the A2 license crowd I'd have bought one in a heartbeat. I was actually gonna order an Aprilia RS457 until the Kawasaki dealer made me such a good offer on the Ninja...

[RazerSauber]

I understand the urge to buy all manner of bikes but the insurance costs will soon tot up. Running costs can soon add up, just bear that in mind.

[andburg]

gareth h said:

Put the MV in the front room as a piece of art and ride the 400, is the obvious solution

If OP bought the MV he'd need a japanese backup bike for when its feeling italian and he actually needs to ride somewhere

[Wololo]

andburg said:

If OP bought the MV he'd need a japanese backup bike for when its feeling italian and he actually needs to ride somewhere

That's what the Ninja 400 is for

[Wololo]

RazerSauber said:

I understand the urge to buy all manner of bikes but the insurance costs will soon tot up. Running costs can soon add up, just bear that in mind.

Yes this is very true.

I sort of have a "Ninja 400 plus one other" plan in mind as - let's be honest - it'll have a garage mate before too long once I pass Mod 2. It's just how bonkers that garage mate is.

[Krikkit]

Perfectly normal, and why not buy the bikes you really want if you can afford it and have the room? Life's too short to say no.

[Donbot]

Wololo said:

In short, a total pussy who sticks to speed limits fairly religiously and is rather paranoid.

For me it's not about the power and going fast; I'm under no illusions about being a racer. It's just that these things are so damned desirable. If there was a 500cc F5 for the A2 license crowd I'd have bought one in a heartbeat. I was actually gonna order an Aprilia RS457 until the Kawasaki dealer made me such a good offer on the Ninja...

Then I'm sure it will be fine. You are no more likely to drop something just pootling about. Obviously more expensive if you do drop it though.

OT - is your username from Age of Empires?

[Steve_H80]

gareth h said:

Put the MV in the front room as a piece of art and ride the 400, is the obvious solution

That'll save all the stress when it won’t start

[spoodler]

This did make me smile... Been riding for forty five years and still spend hours on Ebay, Marketplace and various dealer sites rather than watching the t.v. Over that period, I've had something like fifty bikes, but there are still as many that I'd like to own. If you're lucky (and I wouldn't bet on it with the forthcoming changes) you'll have time to try all sorts of stuff. You may well find after riding a bit more, that you actually prefer a different style, or discover a manufacturer you'd never considered... so I wouldn't go off too half cocked to begin with. Years back, I wouldn't have considered my Harley or Laverda.
Going back to being an excited "newbie", I started with a Puch GP50, that I somehow didn't kill myself with - back before any test was necessary before hitting the road, quite literally at times. I bought a 250 BSA, that I managed to break before my 17th birthday, so bought another, faster variant. I broke that on my test. So bought a, near as dammit new, Suzuki GS250, which made passing the test easy, so I bought a go faster BSA 650 and had it sat ready and waiting for me to gain my full licence.
All the above were kept well out of sight from my parents at a garage I rented, my first experience of what could be called peripheral expenses... it's a figure that multiplies rapidly!
Still have half a dozen bikes, but am finally cutting down as I now find we have too many vehicles to enjoy.

As for keeping it in the living room - you wouldn't be the first. I once met a vicar who kept a Velocette Thruxton in the rectory loft, just so's he could sit up there sometimes and commune with it... and occasionally start it up...

Bunch of weirdos, bikers...

[Wololo]

Donbot said:

OT - is your username from Age of Empires?

Yep. Be an amazing coincidence if it wasn't!