How Many Bikes?

[NeilM]

I was just watching a short video on YouTube and a bloke was detailing the 20 different bikes he has owned since around 2002 and I was left a little open mouthed.

Turns out most of the bikes were BMW GS's which after a year he got bored with, sold, replaced with something else only to return to another GS, which, after a year or so he got bored with. His latest purchase a 1250GS.

I passed my test in 1976 and since then there have been periods when I have had bikes, and poorer times (kids, mortgage etc) when I haven't, but more recently I settled on my 650 VStrom which frankly I just don't see myself ever getting rid of, although I may well add another bike or two to the garage.

Are serial bike changers continuously dissatisfied with their current bike? Always thinking the next bike will be 'better' in some way or another? Or is it just materialism gone mad where the next shiny thing grabs the attention and immediately becomes a must have?

Interested to hear both sides of this one.

Oh and thirteen is my count, two of which are in the garage currently. And of those thirteen, I built two myself from scratch including the T140V presently in the garage.

[2112]

My mate has currently 16 bikes in his stable, 14 of them Kawasaki triples (he has actually just sold one). His bike total is over 300 starting at the age of 12 to his current 67 years young. By comparison my 59 seems hardly relevant? I have looked to replace the tigger 1200 but I've been unable to find anything better, for my requirements. The search for number 60 continues...

[Phild]

I was late coming to bikes. In the 30 years I’ve been riding I’ve owned a grand total of 6…. with a 7 year break due to mortgage / kids / needing to eat… I’m sure you get the picture.

CG125, Kawasaki Z400J, Suzuki Bandit 600N, Yamaha Fazer 1000, Honda CBF 1000 FAB (owned for 10years) and my latest bike Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT.

In 20 years my wife owned a Yamaha 125, Suzuki GS500, Honda CBF600S and a CBF600SA (owned the last one for 10 years).

In 18 years, one of my sons has had a cheap Chinese 50cc moped, Suzuki Bandit 600S, Suzuki Bandit 650S….break due to usual reasons….and now owns a Yamaha Tracer 900, which he’s had for three years.

Other son has a bike licence but never owned a bike.🤷‍♂️

We’re definitely not serial changers.👍

[Rixington43]

I've had 3 bikes and 3 cars in my life. Both followed the same pattern;
Cheap and cheerful beginner, fun for what it was, never a keeper.
Renault Clio, Yamaha SR125.
First serious contender, good fun, still not a keeper.
Nissan Almera GTi, Kawasaki ZR-7
The promised land, definitely long term, bought with head garnished with heart.
Volvo V70, DL1000 Gen1 (I pride space, comfort and reliability over economy)

I like old vehicles I can work on myself. Unless it's an absolute stonker then modern stuff turns me off more than on these days and it's always better the devil you know in my experience.

* If someone offers me either a Volvo V90 recharge or a Harley Pan America then the above statements are rendered void and I will deny all knowledge.

[kwackboy]

Owned many bikes over the years and I've forgotten more than I can remember.

Over all those years I've only ever owned 1 bike for commuting and one bike for leisure because I've never seen the need to own many motorcycles.

However.....  I wish I'd kept some of them as a handful of of them would be worth a fortune now ... 

[NeilM]

Kwackboy, bikes we should never have sold is an entirely different thread, in my case a Mk3 850 Commando Interstate which was 18 months old when I bought it and also my 1973 Laverda 3C which was a wreck when I bought it and a much nicer looking machine five years later... but ho hum.

Collectors I kind of understand, I have a slight weakness for hand made steel bicycles made in the 1980's and 90's, I own (and ride) umm, 15 or maybe 20 of those. That is often about having one of each style or model or variation, but the reason the youtuber gave for getting rid of several beemers was he was bored with them and the reason for buying the latest 1250GS was.... familiarity!

Takes all sorts I guess.

[mr_diver]

Since doing my CBT in 2009:
Yamaha YBR125 Custom (2009)
Suzuki DL650 K6
Honda CX500ec 1983 (still own, but in bits)
Honda Deauville 700 (2007)
Suzuki GZ125 Marauder (2010 - and bought for the mrs)
Kawasaki KL250 Super Sherpa
Royal Enfield Bullet 500 (2015 - SWMBO's after passing her test)
Suzuki GSX1400 (2006 - Still own - SWMBO's ride)
Honda Varadero 1000 (2010 - Still own)
Yamaha TTR250 (2004)
Yamaha XJ600n (1996)

A few have been kept for some time and had some consistent stable mates, like the Varadero and GSX1400 we've had since 2015, and the CX500ec has been there since 2012.
At one point there were 5 bikes and a large work bench in my single garage.

[crump]

Started in 1978.
Suzuki GT250,
Honda CB750f1,
Honda CJ250.....only bike I never really liked
MZ TS250.....really good, underrated little bike.
Kawasaki Z400 twin......another underrated bike.
Yamaha XS850....spent most of its life dragging a sidecar round .
Yanaha XJ900......Ditto XS850.
Suzuki GSX750f.
Honda Varadero 1000.
Yamaha FJR1300. Current
Suzuki Vstrom650 . Current

I tend to keep most of my bikes a long time, the FJR longest at 15 years and still counting.
XJ900 13 years.
XS850 12 years.

[Brockett]

First bike in 1964 - A 1958 BSA 175 Bantam (D5)  Now have # 47, 48, 49 in the garage + my son's 125 Honda Varadero.
Coincidentally, my remaining motorcycles all have air cooled 2 valve engines.
I think I have changed my bikes so often in a subconsious search for the "feel" of my old BSA 500 B33 which thumped around with a sidecar and the Puch M125 two stroke which was happy to have it's neck wrung all day and took me to work every day and to almost every motorcycle race track in England for five years. The V-Stroms were nice but my legs got shorter as I got older so I now seek seats less than 800mm.

[Ridaz]

Former bikes
KH250 Many years ago
DT125RE
KLE500
DL650 (Glee)

Current bikes
Africa Twin
TTR 250 (formerly Diver's)
VF750F Interceptor

[MartinW]

Just my one DL650 since going through DAS in my 30's, but I did have a 50cc at 16.

[Robotstar5]

I had to sit and think for a bit and it looks like 19 bikes over 50 years, some were kept for a year, others up to 10 years, sometimes I had 2 bikes at once, a road bike for most of the year and a beat up trail bike to use over winter while the salt was down.

[MilozFolly]

Not many really but I did have a 15 year break!

CG125 in 1994 when I passed my test.  That lasted all of a week.
VF400F in matt black.  Bought off a mate for about £400 and crashed.  A lot.  Fairly indestructable Honda's back then.
RD350 YPVS.  God I wish I'd kept that!
VFR400 NC30.  Red, white and black.  Black wheels.  Single sided swinger.  Full speed everywhere madness.
Yamaha R6 - 1999 model.  Loved it but "made" me misbehave.

Kids....

Current V-Strom.  Perfection 

[NeilM]

Fascinating to see the long and short lists of bikes.

Mine looks like something from a different era.

I was 16 in 1975, so.... moped, but no money and a Bank Manager father who DID NOT approve of HP.

1967 Raleigh Runabout RM6
1966 Royal Enfield Crusader Sport 250, dressed as a Continental GT. Passed my test, saved up and got.
1970 Triumph T100P - 500cc ex Police rocket ship. Bike crash as pillion and a summer in hospital / on crutches.
1st Car, a Mk2 Cortina, that phase of my life lasted a month and the car was sold to a friend of my mum.
1967 Triumph T120 Bonneville
1975 Norton Commando Interstate 850 Mk3, electric start (?)
Marriage, mortgage, kids.
1970 Triumph T25 Trail Blazer
1973 Laverda 3C 1000
1956 Triumph Thunderbird 750. Flat Tracker. Started with a set of crankcases bored to take 750 barrels, and built from parts bought all over the place. Check out AWOL magazine January 1993, it's in there.
1970 Norton Commando Roadster 750. Bought cheap locally from a lovely old bloke called Jim. It wasn't as fast or fun as the Thunderbird or 3C so was sold a month later.
Another gap.
1998 Buell S3 Thunderbolt.
Another short gap.
2015 VStrom 650
1975 Triumph T140. Swapped for the Thunderbird in 1994 and delivered as many boxes of rusty bits. Now nearing completion.

There have been a couple of others, a CZ 175 Trail which was turned into a field / trial-ish bike. A Honda GC125 built from a pile of bits bought out of the back of a Transit van from a bloke in Cheddar, but I think that's about the size of it, so far.