While rearranging the garage yesterday I realized that all three of my personal bikes were set up for a photo op. It also occurred to me how stratified the motorcycle market has become. Back in the day having more than one bike was a luxury reserved for the truly committed or those with more disposable income than most.
That one bike was meant to do anything you asked of it — from commuting to sport riding to touring, maybe even some mild off-road fun. It also helped to be of a certain age where spending consecutive days on the open road on a naked, rattling, temperamental British twin could be viewed as an adventure rather than an exercise in stamina and character-building (which it was).
My garages of the past have housed many brands and genres of motorbikes from Germany, England, Italy and Japan. Today I finally have one made in America, along with a British and Japanese model. If I had more room I'm sure I'd still have my vintage Honda XL500S dual-sport, covering most of the street motorcycling niches. We're very fortunate to be living in an era of such affordable variety in our sport. Bikes that were cutting edge a few years ago are now available at a fraction of their original MSRP, allowing us to fill our garages with the eye candy of our dreams.
That one bike was meant to do anything you asked of it — from commuting to sport riding to touring, maybe even some mild off-road fun. It also helped to be of a certain age where spending consecutive days on the open road on a naked, rattling, temperamental British twin could be viewed as an adventure rather than an exercise in stamina and character-building (which it was).
My garages of the past have housed many brands and genres of motorbikes from Germany, England, Italy and Japan. Today I finally have one made in America, along with a British and Japanese model. If I had more room I'm sure I'd still have my vintage Honda XL500S dual-sport, covering most of the street motorcycling niches. We're very fortunate to be living in an era of such affordable variety in our sport. Bikes that were cutting edge a few years ago are now available at a fraction of their original MSRP, allowing us to fill our garages with the eye candy of our dreams.
'15 Triumph Bonnevile, '86 Honda VFR750F, '12 Victory Cross Country Tour.
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