N ew Bike Fever is one of those afflictions that gnaws at you around the clock until treated with the appropriate amount of Test Rides and ultimately the Purchase of the object of your obsession.
Many treatments have been devised to reduce one's New Bike cravings but there's nothing quite like closing the deal to bring one back to relative sanity.
I've been through this before, more than a few times and from my experience, there is no end to rationalizations one's brain can conjure up to feed the need for the new bike.
So I decided to let the numbers speak this time. The above spreadsheet image gives me all of the ammo I need to free myself form the pre-buyers remorse.
So I decided to let the numbers speak this time. The above spreadsheet image gives me all of the ammo I need to free myself form the pre-buyers remorse.
Just for some background: I purchased the Truck new in April of 1998 and as of Mar 2002, when I purchased the K1200LT, I had accumulated 105,000 miles on the truck. If I had not committed to Riding instead of Driving at that time; I have every reason to believe I would of continued to accumulate miles on the Truck at that rate.
Over the past 4 years I have ridden over 145,000 miles on motorcycles instead of using my dodge truck.
Using the Miles Traveled divided by the average Miles per gallon; I derived the Fuel Used by the Motorcycles and extrapolated what the Fuel usage would of been had I driven the truck instead.
Next using an average fuel cost of $3.00 per US Gallon I calculated the Motorcycle Fuel Costs over the 140,000 miles as well as the extrapolated Fuel costs of the Truck, had it been driven the distance.
Next using an average fuel cost of $3.00 per US Gallon I calculated the Motorcycle Fuel Costs over the 140,000 miles as well as the extrapolated Fuel costs of the Truck, had it been driven the distance.
The spreadsheet indicates I saved $19,367.10 in Fuel Costs by riding the Motorcycles instead of driving the Truck which equates to a Fuel savings of 6,455.7 gallons of petrol.
So what does all of this mean in relation to the New Bike Fever?
It means I have already saved more than the costs of the new bike of my desires in fuel savings alone.
This reduces the anxiety component of New Bike Fever to almost non-existent and allows me to focus on finding the best deal from the best dealers I trade with.
I'm not locked in geographically with a New Bike purchase and can literally pick from any Dealer in the US for this purchase. I can just as easily pick up a new bike in Texas or California should I choose to do so as I perform all of my own maintenance anyway. I have saved thousands of dollars on the costs of scheduled maintenance by performing the work myself.
I'm not locked in geographically with a New Bike purchase and can literally pick from any Dealer in the US for this purchase. I can just as easily pick up a new bike in Texas or California should I choose to do so as I perform all of my own maintenance anyway. I have saved thousands of dollars on the costs of scheduled maintenance by performing the work myself.
Now to decide which bike is the next bike. BMW has an outstanding offering in the 08 R1200RT as does the Kawasaki X-14 Connie.
My buddy Larry here at the office has offered to let me ride his new X-14 Connie to see how she fits me; this is of major importance to me as the ergonomics of the motorcycle make all of the difference in Long Distance Riding.
I know I can make the R1200RT fit me like a glove, and that may very well be the direction I go with the next bike purchase.
A couple of Must Haves for the next bike are Cruise Control and exceptional Lighting as well as larger fuel capacity and wind protection.
The GS Adventure is an excellent motorcycle and has almost everything I could desire in a Long Distance Tourer except Cruise Control and slightly better wind protection.
The GS Adventure is an excellent motorcycle and has almost everything I could desire in a Long Distance Tourer except Cruise Control and slightly better wind protection.
The R1200RT has the same power train as the R1200GS but is built for the street where the GS is an Enduro by design.
I plan on selling the 2002 K1200LT when I make the next bike purchase. With more than 100,000 miles on her, she still runs like a top with plenty of life left in her for years of fun riding & service. I just don't have room for three motorcycle at the same time.
So now it's a matter of finding the best deal based on the out-the-door bottom line of the dealers I'll contact.
I'll keep you all abreast of my progress with this endeavor as it develops.
LATER
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