thinking about another bike

jtemple · 03-19-2012, 08:35 AM

I have the Husky (TE630) and I love it to death. I'm a bit concerned about logging too many miles on it. By some crazy miracle, my wife has told me that I can get a second bike. I can think of 1000 reasons not to do it, and only 2 reasons to do it. Why do it? Because bikes are awesome. Because I wouldn't beat the Husky down putting 5000 street miles on it. I'd ride the Husky when the day was going to take me off road; that's it.

Here are some practical reasons (other than money) not to get another bike.

Parking. I have a 2 car garage. My car would be kicked out to the driveway. I would likely put one bike in storage over the winter, so I can park my car in the garage, rather than scraping frost off of my windows every morning.

Maintenance. Fewer miles on either bike than if I only owned one. But, now I have two bikes to work on, winterize, etc.

Mods. I have modded the piss out of the Husky. It is the most modded bike I have ever owned. Exhaust, opened up airbox, JD Jetting tuner (think PowerCommander).

Equipment. For one, I'd have to buy repair stands for the new bike. Right now, I just have a Craftsman ATV jack. It works great for a dirtbike with a skidplate. A streetbike, not so much. I sold my Pitbull stands when I sold my ZX-10R. I also sold my throttle body sync tool.

To make matters worse, there are only two street bikes that really excite me right now. Both of them are Ducatis. Hypermotard and Monster.

I do not want another sportbike. I want to sit upright. I know there are other viable options. CB1000R, ZX1000, Speed Triple, to name a few. But, the more I think about it, the more none of those other bikes turns me on.

I want a twin. Too bad Buell isn't still around, because a Lightning would be pretty cool.

The added maintenance I can deal with. However, I was looking through the Monster owner's manual, and Ducatis have a service indicator that flips on when the bike is due for maintenance. The indicator can only be turned off by a dealer. Or, you can buy the $300 software & cables it takes to do it yourself (I actually have a similar setup for my Husky).

Will doing it myself void my warranty? I don't know. I'm waiting to hear back from the dealer on that one.

I'm leaning toward a new bike. I have had some shitty experiences buying used and that really makes me feel uncomfortable.

Thinking about all the cons of multiple bike ownership makes me want to just ride my Husky and worry about it when the engine gives up.

Any multi-bike owners or Ducati owners want to chime in?

03-19-2012, 08:35 AM	#1
jtemple Geek Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Papillion, Nebraska Moto: 2011 Husqvarna TE630 Posts: 1,437	thinking about another bike I have the Husky (TE630) and I love it to death. I'm a bit concerned about logging too many miles on it. By some crazy miracle, my wife has told me that I can get a second bike. I can think of 1000 reasons not to do it, and only 2 reasons to do it. Why do it? Because bikes are awesome. Because I wouldn't beat the Husky down putting 5000 street miles on it. I'd ride the Husky when the day was going to take me off road; that's it. Here are some practical reasons (other than money) not to get another bike. Parking. I have a 2 car garage. My car would be kicked out to the driveway. I would likely put one bike in storage over the winter, so I can park my car in the garage, rather than scraping frost off of my windows every morning. Maintenance. Fewer miles on either bike than if I only owned one. But, now I have two bikes to work on, winterize, etc. Mods. I have modded the piss out of the Husky. It is the most modded bike I have ever owned. Exhaust, opened up airbox, JD Jetting tuner (think PowerCommander). Equipment. For one, I'd have to buy repair stands for the new bike. Right now, I just have a Craftsman ATV jack. It works great for a dirtbike with a skidplate. A streetbike, not so much. I sold my Pitbull stands when I sold my ZX-10R. I also sold my throttle body sync tool. To make matters worse, there are only two street bikes that really excite me right now. Both of them are Ducatis. Hypermotard and Monster. I do not want another sportbike. I want to sit upright. I know there are other viable options. CB1000R, ZX1000, Speed Triple, to name a few. But, the more I think about it, the more none of those other bikes turns me on. I want a twin. Too bad Buell isn't still around, because a Lightning would be pretty cool. The added maintenance I can deal with. However, I was looking through the Monster owner's manual, and Ducatis have a service indicator that flips on when the bike is due for maintenance. The indicator can only be turned off by a dealer. Or, you can buy the $300 software & cables it takes to do it yourself (I actually have a similar setup for my Husky). Will doing it myself void my warranty? I don't know. I'm waiting to hear back from the dealer on that one. I'm leaning toward a new bike. I have had some shitty experiences buying used and that really makes me feel uncomfortable. Thinking about all the cons of multiple bike ownership makes me want to just ride my Husky and worry about it when the engine gives up. Any multi-bike owners or Ducati owners want to chime in?