It begins again... New bike time.

[corey]

So, last year was new-bike-year. The wife and I were both planning on getting new rides... but she wasn't my wife yet, and... well... now she is. That was an expensive process that is now behind us. 

But NOW, I get to buy a new bike. Sometime before next April. Period.

I love my S2R, she's treated me well, and I've had no intentions of selling her... until I started looking at the going rates.
I'm confident/hopeful that I could get around $5k for her in private sale, which is a good chunk of equity towards a new bike (I like low payments/low debt, especially on toys). That being said, I can afford to put $8-10k down WITHOUT selling the monster... but I will likely ride it very little, if at all.

Any opinions on ownership of two bikes, from a practical standpoint of someone who rides maybe 3,500m a year MAX?
Is a 2006 S2R800 something worth keeping for the long haul?
Is variety really the spice of life, enough to make me forget the nostalgia of riding my awful-for-everyone-but-me Monster? The brakes suck, it's kinda slow, is finicky... but i love it.

current front runners are bikes with more oomph... and plastic... 899 Pani, and Daytona 675R.

Not looking for answers, just personal opinions 

[1.21GW]

My $0.02.  Should be noted that I am the type of person that can easily let go of things and I don't have an attic full of nostalgic junk.  With that...

1. You can only ride one bike at a time, so no need for a stable of bikes unless you are of the income level that allows one to keep toys one rarely uses.  Ultimately you'll enjoy riding one more than another and then you'll feel guilty for not riding the other.  Better to sell it.

2. Exception to the above opinion: bikes that serve different purposes.  Keep the Duc if you plan to get a touring bike, dirt bike, ADV, etc.  In this scenario, you ride one for one purpose, one for the other, with little overlap.

3. If you can't decide what to do, buy the new bike and keep the Duc.  Try living with both and if it doesn't work out, sell the Duc and use the proceeds to pay down the new bike financing.

[Triple J]

My wife is very nice, and doesn't care how many bikes I have as long as I am never making payments on more than one at a time (and we can afford it, but that's obvious). 

It has served her well...After several tries I learned that I hate having more than one bike. One will always be my favorite, so I almost always want to ride that one. After a few months of the non-favorite just sitting there I end up selling it. For me, one street bike is enough. Even if they have different purposes, I always have an overall favorite.

That said, be careful getting a SBK for your only ride. I love SBKs on the track...and absolutely hate them on the street. They're uncomfortable (to me), and having all that power (even a middleweight) is frustrating since roads all have speed limits.

If you're set on a SBK though, I'd suggest considering a 2011+ Aprilia RSV4 (2011+ has the full electronics - APRC) if you have a nearby dealer. Great bikes, and you can get them cheap.

[DarkMonster620]

IMHO, air cooled bikes will become more of classics since they're coming to an end . . . I was going to suggest a MTS1200 for 2 up riding and long rides but that's my personal opinion . . . A supersport bike for 2 up . . . or unless I missunderstood, you want to ride alone?

[RBX QB]

...
2. Exception to the above opinion: bikes that serve different purposes.  Keep the Duc if you plan to get a touring bike, dirt bike, ADV, etc.  In this scenario, you ride one for one purpose, one for the other, with little overlap.
...

My opinion, as well... bikes of a type. That made it easier for me to (financially) justify my second bike.

[1.21GW]

That said, be careful getting a SBK for your only ride. I love SBKs on the track...and absolutely hate them on the street.

Aren't all the bikes in your signature SBKs?  Maybe you need to buy his S2R.

[Triple J]

Aren't all the bikes in your signature SBKs?  Maybe you need to buy his S2R.

They are, but they're both race bikes. I don't have a street bike at the moment, although I've had quite a few in the past, and I'll eventually get another.

[corey]

Sorry guys,
Let me clarify the whole wife position...

She's not opposed to having two bikes at all. She rides her own GSXR600  and is actually advocating for me keeping the monster for use around town, and getting the Pani for our more spirited (but not necessarily all that lengthy) riding weekends. At the moment, my monster is equipped with clip-ons and adjust geometry that make it more uncomfortable than most middleweight track bikes... My wife's Gixxer is much more comfortable :/

Definitely some great opinions in here... And I guess it's true that I can always sell the S2R later if I decide it's not working out.

[Grampa]

can't go wrong with a ural

[corey]

My wife is very nice, and doesn't care how many bikes I have as long as I am never making payments on more than one at a time (and we can afford it, but that's obvious). 

It has served her well...After several tries I learned that I hate having more than one bike. One will always be my favorite, so I almost always want to ride that one. After a few months of the non-favorite just sitting there I end up selling it. For me, one street bike is enough. Even if they have different purposes, I always have an overall favorite.

That said, be careful getting a SBK for your only ride. I love SBKs on the track...and absolutely hate them on the street. They're uncomfortable (to me), and having all that power (even a middleweight) is frustrating since roads all have speed limits.

If you're set on a SBK though, I'd suggest considering a 2011+ Aprilia RSV4 (2011+ has the full electronics - APRC) if you have a nearby dealer. Great bikes, and you can get them cheap.

Local dealer has a yellow 2012 APRC, and believe me I've strongly considered going and picking it up... The reliability concerns haunt my dreams.

[1.21GW]

So you have an uncomfortable S2R and are thinking of getting a pani or similar?  I guess the question is what kind of riding do you want to do?  What % of that "3500 mi/yr" are you street riding?  Twisties in the hills?  Touring?  Track?

If it's mostly twisties in the hills, then a SBK I guess would be fine but I think a Monster would still be more fun.  Would you consider investing (a lot) less in getting the S2R in a more comfortable set up and see if that cures your new bike thirst?  Realistically, if you're like me, you sometimes just want something new and different for its own sake, in which case I'd look at something a little more comfortable than a SBK.  I haven't ridden many other bikes, so I will defer to the crowd here, but what about a Brutale?  Hypermotard?  KTM Superduke?

[Triple J]

Local dealer has a yellow 2012 APRC, and believe me I've strongly considered going and picking it up... The reliability concerns haunt my dreams.

RSV4s are reliable. The very early ones had a motor problem that was fixed by recall, but otherwise they're good bikes. I'd say easily as good as any water-cooled Ducati.

You can read about all sorts of problems on the AF1 forum, but it's like any forum...the bad gets more emphasis.

You should at least ride it. The V4 is a fantastic motor.

The main problem I see with the RSV4 is the plastic tank...it will swell with ethanol. I'm on my second, and it now only sees only non-ethanol fuel. That's easy because it's a race bike...would be tough for a street bike I think. The 899 has a metal tank which is a huge bonus. Caswell coating is an option, just like the plastic tank Ducs.

You also need a good dealer. We have a great one in Seattle, so I'm lucky. Piaggio (parent to Aprilia) are notoriously difficult to deal with, so a good dealer is key. But if you have one no worries.

[corey]

My only concern on the RSV4 is that it's just too much bike for me... I've gone down this path many times, and for the money it seems like a no-brainer. I have to convince myself that just because it's a "better value" or "more bike for the money," doesn't really mean it's the right decision...

To put it in perspective, I've been riding for about 7 years, and have about 10,000 miles in the saddle...
This is why I'm looking into mid-weight bikes, though the modern electronics on the Aprilia do have a certain appeal.

[d3vi@nt]

Keep in mind that even if you ride your S2R only a little, you'll still have to do regular maintenance; flush fluids, keep fresh gas, keep the battery on a tender, replace belts, etc. I had two bikes for a short while and slowly came to the realization that I didn't have the time, space and inclination to maintain two bikes. Plus, the cost of upkeep on a bike I rode occasionally just wasn't worth it to me. I'd rather put that maintenance money into new/better gear and upgrades to the bike I ride most of the time.

...and congrats on the new wife. 

[MadDuck]

I'd say that, if it is possible, go get some test rides on the 675R & the Pani 899 and see which one you like better. Both will knock your socks off compared to your S2R 800. I doubt you will look back. My pre-game prediction is that the 675R will be more comfortable but you might like the overall zoom of the 899 more. You just have to justify the price difference though.