Where's the Value?

An interesting evolution has taken place over the past decade in the motorcycle industry. Ten years ago Japanese motorcycles where by far the best "bang-for-the-buck" in nearly any category. They offered cutting-edge technology, performance and reliability for a relatively small amount of money.  Example: I purchased my 2003 Yamaha R1 in the spring of 2004 as a left over new stock for $9,300. 150hp, 77.4 lb ft of torque, fuel injection and a dry weight of 384 lbs. Specs that are impressive and still relevant now.

At that time, in the superbike category, you could step up to a Ducati 998 or 999 with similar specs but higher quality components, lower production numbers and higher maintenance costs for around $17k. Bottomline was the European competitor to my R1 was nearly double the purchase price and more expensive to maintain but I could ride around knowing I had something special and unique.  Taking a similar approach to the power cruiser category look at the 2003 Yamaha VMax ($11k) vs. the Harley V-Rod ($18k); similar specs however the Harley was a third the price more to purchase.

The price difference between European/American made motorcycles versus their Japanese competitors was considerable and the Japanese had a leg up on their competition in regards to technology and reliability. Now, let's fast-forward 10 years to 2013. The price of a new Yamaha R1 is $14.5k and a Ducati 1199 Panigale is $18k. A new Yamaha VMax retails for $18k and the Harley V-Rod Muscle retails for about $16k. In addition to the price disparity, European and American made motorcycles have stepped up their game in regards to product reliability and technological advances to the point where they are on par with or better than the Japanese competitors. In addition, if you check resale values you will likely find that U.S. & Euro bikes hold their values better and longer than the Japanese do. So, what happened?

Some say the impact of the world economy circa 2008 played a role by throwing the exchange rates off. A friend of mine that works in the industry believes that the Japanese got complacent and significantly scaled back their R&D efforts while the U.S. & Europe manufactures invested more in R&D. I remember reading and article several years ago that Yamaha was going to drastically reduce production numbers and move toward selling fewer bikes at higher profit margins. Regardless, if you are in the market to purchase a new bike going U.S. or European just makes more sense now.

I maintain that I am a fan of motorcycles regardless of make but if I can get better product or simply get a comparable product but it will be unique plus retain its value better well, I'm all over it! 

Sources:
http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/yamaha_yzf-r1_2013.php
http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/yamaha_yzf-r1_2003.php
http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/2003-harley-vrod-vs-modified-yamaha-warrior-15098.html
http://www.ducatiusa.com/bikes/superbike/1199_panigale/index.do
http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelspecs/23/1/specs.aspx
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Motorcycles/v-rod-muscle.html?locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US&source_cd=SEM_Retention_Motorcycles_V-Rod_Muscle&_cr=ppc|Google|Int_Retention_V-Rod|{harley%2Bv-rod%2Bmuscle}&version=desktop#!specs

The Idea of Owning/Riding

It's no secret that I am a bit of a motorcycle geek. In the past few years have transformed my view of varying types of motorcycles more-so than ever before. Between having children, getting older and having a lot fewer resources at my disposal I now have to look at practicality. That word in itself makes me cringe!

To the outside world (cagers) the words "practical" and "motorcycle" have no business being used together. They don't get it. Now, to my motorcycling friends, you are probably thinking, "What's not to 'get'?".  My point is that in having to take a practical approach to motorcycling I have started to view them in an entirely different light. The problem here for me is that practical is not always synonymous with cool or fun and it's tough to find good compromises. Furthermore, I've come to realize that many fall in love with the idea of owning/riding a particular motorcycle but don't think things through entirely, myself included.

Case in point; a friend of mine, a non-motorcyclist, told me recently that he would like to own and ride a motorcycle. Frankly, I hear this so often from people that until they say some key words or phrases indicating they are serious I really don't give the conversation much merit. In this situation I was in a setting where there wasn't any more intriguing subject matter to be had so I decide to engage him.  My response, "What did you have in mind?" He proceeds to tell me that he wants to basically spend peanuts and get a vintage bike, possibly British, that he could tinker on himself. My response, "Oh yeah, you and everyone else." Yes, this was an asinine response as I intended it to be to start my "coming to Jesus" conversation with him if he was serious about bringing his dream to reality.

The rest of the conversation with him included some key points such as; vintage bikes are popular now which means you can rarely buy them for peanuts anymore, they are also typically unreliable compared to modern motorcycles so you will be able to realize that dream of "tinkering" probably more than you care too, you don't know anything about motorcycles or general automotive repair so you will likely be paying somebody else to "tinker" on yours when things break and if you obtain the old British bike that you really want then you will need to invest in a whole set of tools specific to that bike because many old British bikes use the Whitworth system of measurement so your basic standard & metric wrenches and sockets will not fit. Before you judge me and think I was being an total a-hole to this guy let me explain. I promise I took more informative approach to conveying my points versus a condescending one. My goal was to simply bring awareness to his thoughts of motorcycle ownership and steer him in a better direction. My suggestion to him at the end of the convo was simply this; it would probably be better suited for him to pursue a 10 year-oldish Japanese motorcycle. These bikes are new enough that they are reliable but old enough that they can be obtained for minimal amounts of money, relatively speaking. First, buy this, find out if motorcycling is for you, discover what your comfort level is with doing your own maintenance, then pursue your dream of the vintage (perhaps British) motorcycle that you are envisioning.

A couple of years ago Suzuki completely redesigned their V-Strom adventure bike. They decided to make it a better road bike by making it less of an off-road bike because they found that 90% of adventure bike riders never leave paved roads. So, Why do people buy adventure bikes? Clearly, these bikes are designed and engineered in a way that can conquer almost any terrain. If you never leave paved roads there are certainly much better motorcycles out there. The answer is simple; generally speaking people like the idea of the "adventure" and ability to go wherever, whenever. They buy the motorcycle with visions of crossing creeks, riding through a foot of mud and going where no motorcycle has gone before.  The reality is that 90% of the people that buy these bikes ride a solid 5 months out of the year, when it's dry and the temperature is between 60-90 degrees. The idea drives the purchase.

Even I, an experienced motorcyclist, get caught up in the idea of owning/riding a certain bike when I see it.  At times I will go as far to convince myself that I can live without amenities like a respectable amount horsepower, comfort and reliability to get what I want because that bike is so cool! After a while reality sets in, the fog clears and I begin to start looking at the bigger picture of what owning that bike would really be like and I slowly come back down to earth. The solution is clear and easy, just own a lot of different types of bikes. Done and done! Now, I just need money and a large warehouse.

Idiots on Motorcycles

Over the past week or so I have been inundated with conversation about the Streetfighterz, "Ride of the Century" due to it's prominence in the local press.  For those of you who are not familiar, the Ride of the Century it is a large gathering of motorcyclists, prominently sportbikes arranged by a local stunt group called the Streetfighterz. Here's a link to one of many articles about it if you want to learn more.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/dozens-arrested-by-police-during-weekend-motorcycle-rally-in-st/article_3c6d6e24-af0d-55a3-8b7f-c2492e5321f5.html

Many of my non-motorcyclists friends, coworkers & family have asked me about my take on this event and if I am/was a part of it.  Instead of using this conversation starter as a jumping off point to voice my biased opinions I simply replied, "Based on what you know about me, do you think I took part in this event?" Commonly the answer was "No".  I hope that the people that know me, motorcyclists or not, hold me in high enough regard to understand why the answer is "No."

I can preach about why I do not associate with this event but the reasons, i think, are obvious.  It's the same reason I don't partake in poker runs that involve riding from bar to bar or riding for long distances fatigued and miserable for the sake of bragging to my friends about how many miles I can put on my bike in one stint. It's simply not a good idea. My opinion is that there are idiots on all types of motorcycles the only thing that differs is how they choose to express what type of idiot they are.

I ride for fun and because I enjoy it.  Motorcycles are one of the single coolest sports, hobbies, passions that a person could have. It bothers me when people put something that gives me so much joy in a negative light. As a motorcyclist I feel I have a constant battle with public opinion about negative motorcyclist's behavior and it's my job to try and change it. I love seeing people on 2 wheels and I enjoy teaching classes to get more people on motorcycles because I want to share this joy with them. It's a little dangerous but with good decision making and education the danger is drastically minimized.


One last thought. There are a lot of good motorcyclists that chose to take part in the ROC this past weekend that have gone on record accusing the police of profiling them.  For them I will share a quote from my late mother, "Birds of a feather, flock together."  You understood what you were getting yourself into before you decided to partake in it. If you do not like the negative attention then maybe next year you will choose not to support it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of idiots on motorcycles; they come in all guises. It's our job as responsible motorcyclists to try and reverse the negative perception that so many of our counterparts like to exploit.

Top 5 Pet Peeves of Motorcyclists

Like many, motorcycling for me is a passion and because I am passionate about it I am also fairly opinionated.  Okay, okay so admittedly this is probably one of the key driving forces for me to start this blog to begin with.  There are some things fellow motorcyclists do that just drive me nuts!  Here's my top 5, not in any particular order.  Feel free to chime in if you wish.

1. Passenger's without proper attire: How many times do you see a motorcycle going down the street, 2-up, and the rider is wearing all the right stuff; helmet, gloves, boots, etc. and then you look at that passenger...flip-flops, spaghetti straps and short-shorts. It's great that the rider has become aware of the risks and has taken measures to reduce his/her risk but that passenger may not be fully aware of what they are getting into. As riders we have to take some accountability for our passengers.  We are their guardian so-to-speak therefore we should be as concerned about their safety as we are our own.

2. Leaving the blinker's on:  I'm guilty of this at times too. Rider's, turn your f'n blinkers off when you're done using them; it confuses drivers and opens up opportunity for confusion and miscommunication on the road. And, it's annoying.

3. Attitude:  How do I put this? Yes, you are cool because you ride a motorcycle and yes, there are several subcultures within the motorcycling community and yes, with that culture comes a certain stereotype and/or personality if you will. Now that we have that on the table let's leave it there. We are all cool because we ride.  If you ride ride a Harley you can still waive at other, dare I say it, non-Harley riders out there on the road and vice-verse.  There are great people (and idiots) on all kinds of bikes, trust me.

4. Not taking accountability:  As rider's we are vulnerable and therefore have to expect the unexpected. In every crash there is at least part of it that is your fault.  Maybe it's 1% or maybe it's all your fault but don't try to avoid taking your fair share of blame. The leading cause of single bike crashes is improper cornering. If you take every corner as if there are potential hazards then you will leave most every corner safely.  Sportbike riders; your knee has no business touching the ground anywhere except on a racetrack. Cruisers; your bikes are heavy and low to the ground which means they do not corner the greatest so be aware of that.  Always leave yourself a margin of safety so you have enough time react properly when things go wrong.

5. Negative Attention: Whether it's bar hopping, street stunts or my no. 3 pet peeve getting the best of you it reflects all of us negatively. It's your business if you want to put your life in danger but at least have the decency to think about how your actions reflect public opinion about all motorcyclists. I've been at rallies and have seen drunk motorcyclists literally running into each other and I've ridden in large groups down the highway where some thought it would be cool to ride wheelies at 70 mph. For non-riders, all they see is a motorcycle, nothing more and they take that negative image and apply it to all of us. Example: when someone finds out that I ride a superbike the most common question i get is, "Are you one of those guys that do wheelies on the highway?" No, I am not. Due to the acts of few, people (J.Q. Public in his/her car) on the street view me the same way they view the idiot on the mostly banged up Gixxer.  They don't see a 37 year old, father of 2 with a full time job, and a mortgage that also chooses to teach motorcycle safety classes on the weekends.

Street Wise

I read an article in this months Cycle World titled, Pace 2.0.  It was a good read on basic...let's call it, motorcycle technique albeit I use the term loosely.  One of the key takeaways from the article is simply this; learn to be smooth with your controls.  Sounds simple but breaking it down and defining what "smooth" means makes you quickly realize that regardless of experience, you (me) are still stabbing our controls versus being fluid with them.  Example: being truly smooth with your brakes means you can use them in a corner IF they are handled with an extreme amount of care and finesse.

I preach over and over again in my BRC classes for my students to work on being smooth with the controls. Me and my fellow RiderCoaches are constantly saying, "Squeeze the brakes. Don't grab them!" and, "Ease the clutch in & out; use the friction zone!"  Refining what that means includes gaining a full comprehension of what the bike is doing. How preload and geometry play a part in leaning the bike into a corner. As motorcyclists we should be on an ever-ending pursuit to understand as much as we can about riding including the how's and why's the motorcycle does the things it does. Another Example: When downshifting to reduce speed (especially before a turn) increase throttle before engaging the next gear to prevent too much front end compression.

If reading an article, book or owner's manual leaves you scratching your head then don't shrug your shoulders and throw it aside.  Read it again, break out the dictionary, talk to somebody in the know so you can comprehend what you are reading because it is important. MSF defines a good motorcyclist as someone who has, "the desire and motivation to choose to reduce risk while riding." You reduce risk thus, increasing safety for yourself and others by being a better rider and being a better rider happens with experience and education.

Getting Started

Being a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) RiderCoach and teaching the Basic Rider Course (BRC) repetitively  I get reconnected with the memories of being a new rider around a dozen years ago.  It is one of the most exciting times to be a motorcyclist because your eager and everything is new but equally one of the most frustrating times because your just not there yet.  Limited by your experience, comfort level and general ability you want to get on the bike ride into the sunset instead you are more concerned with making to the local gas station without killing the engine (or yourself). 

Purchasing your first motorcycle can be as vexing as learning to ride it.  Problem being that you don't know what you don't know.  Do you purchase used and risk getting taken advantage of or worse, buying a real piece of junk or do you buy new; no worries of prior ownership but run the risk of damaging a brand new, beautiful bike in addition to making more of a financial commitment?  In BRC we teach a section on risk management, risk awareness and risk acceptance.  I believe this applies to the purchase as well.  I did not want to risk a lack of confidence in the bike itself so I decided to purchase new.  Not really knowing much about motorcycles (other than I really wanted one) I enlisted the help of all the people closest to me that had any motorcycling experience and expertise; my friend Jeremy who purchase a very used 1975 Honda CB750 that he had owned for about a year, his first motorcycle, and my brother, Art, who purchased a brand new Yamaha FZ-1 about 4 months prior, his first motorcycle.  Rallying all both of my troops for input on a purchasing decision, with a combined experience of about 16 months in motorcycling I was ready to find my ride.

I believed then, and still believe now, that you should match your motorcycle with what your coriders have; at least in the beginning because it makes things a lot easier.  Differing bikes have differing purposes thus, differing behaviors.  With that in mind I chose to go the naked/standard bike route and purchased a new old stock 1999 Kawasaki ZR-7S from Cycle City on Gravois which no longer exists.  To be honest I wasn't in love with that bike then, it just hit all the requirements on my mental motorcycle checklist; affordable, not overwhelming in terms of power or size, sporty and not used.  Regardless of being on the fence with the overall appearance and technology of the bike I was giddy with excitement of taking possession of my first motorcycle.  A dream was going to be achieved.  

With the bike now in my possession it was time to figure out how to ride it.  There I was, in a vacant parking lot of a banquet hall next to my appartment, my brother enjoying the nice warm heat of my truck, somewhere around midnight in the middle of January.  Layers of clothes on to keep me warm albeit none of those clothes being real riding gear outside of my helmet.  At this point I had purchased the motorcycle, I had studied up and played around on other bikes enough to be familiar with the controls but I had yet to successfully ride one.  Step 1: Start the bike, put it first gear and ease the clutch out while simultaneously providing enough throttle that I didn't stall the engine.  Seems simple enough in theory, substantially  more difficult when put into practice.  Within a couple of hours I even found second gear in that parking lot; it's located between hypothermia and adrenaline if you were wondering.

Eventually I made my way out of the parking lot and moved on to neighborhood roads, then main roads and then finally the highway.  A few months later my brother and I enrolled in the Harley Davidson Rider's Edge Course. For those of you who don't know; it is MSF's BRC course with a healthy dose of H-D KoolAid.  Taking the Rider's Edge course helped me refine my newbie skills and build confidence in my riding ability in addition to learning what to do when stuff goes wrong. Now every time I am teaching a BRC class and I see the looks on my students faces (the holy crap I was just going mach 3 with my hair on fire when really they barely broke 10 mph) I have a flashbacks of being in their shoes, or rather, riding boots.

Motorcycle Trends

Around a dozen years ago when I purchase my first motorcycle, a 1999 Kawasaki ZR-7S, one of the main motivating factors leading me to buy the bike was this new, and very popular, "naked bike" class of motorcycle that had just been established in the industry.  My brother, fresh off of a Yamaha FZ-1 purchase, was a driving force pushing me toward the purchase of a naked bike.

In the early 2000's naked bikes were "it".  You got most of the performance of a superbike but less aggressive thus, more comfortable riding position and most importantly, insurance rates were affordable versus full-faringed motorcycles.  By 2003 virtually every manufacturer was on board and had their own rendition of a naked bike.

Circa 2005, all of that focused energy had been led astray by the Discovery Channel.  Enter The Chopper Craze.  The world erupted with custom motorcycles that served no practical purpose other than they were rolling works of art.  A sculpture of custom paint, hand fabricated parts, triple chromed pieces of what-not and fat rear tires.  I'm not hating, I was as wrapped up in it as much as John Q. Public.  I still have a deep appreciation for the designers and fabricators that created those extraordinary machines.  Unfortunately in most cases custom = money and when the fall out of the economy hit in 2008 so did the virtual death of the custom motorcycle.

What happens when fuel prices increase to record highs and the economy is in shambles?  Answer: people buy motorcycles.  Moreover, people buy cheap motorcycles.  Nobody wants to ride around on an unpolished turd so they decide to invest money into their cheap motorcycle in effort to make it cool.  The best way to accomplish this is to turn it into a cafe' racer.  Being ever so hip to motorcycle trends, here comes the Discovery Channel once again with a TV Series labeled what else but, "Cafe Racer".  Now all those cheap bikes that were purchased a few years ago are prized possessions and a must have to be labeled as an enthusiast amongst motorcyclists now.  Owning an old bike gives you instant street cred; turning an old bike into a cafe' racer makes you god amongst gods.  I love trends that result in preserving history by making something old, cool again.

The past couple of years a whole industry has been created around a Zombie Apocalypse.  Although few truly believe that a Zombie Apocalypse will happen it has fueled an increasing flame for many American's to be prepared for, "S**t to hit the fan" as they say.  A result other than record high sales in guns, ammunition, camping gear and pretty much any tool of survival one can think of has been an increasing interest in dual sport and adventure-tourer bikes.  Five years ago a person showing up at a bike night or most any other motorcycle gathering in a Suzuki VStrom or BMW GS would have been greeted with a bit of apprehension, not respect.  Fast-forward to now, there is a dual-sport and/or adventure-tourer offering by pretty much every large motorcycle manufacturer and sales are good.  When talking about versatility most of these bikes are the most versatile machines ever offered on two wheels.  I can't wait to pick one these up on the used market, post-apocalypse of course.

On again, Off again with the VStrom

I have been coming to terms with several aspects of my "riding life" over the past couple of years.  What I have determined is this; my body is getting older, my riding style has changed, my saddle time has drastically decreased since getting married and having children and superbikes are not the end-all & be-all of motorcycles albeit I still love them dearly.  Taking all this self-awareness into consideration I have been toying with the idea of possibly turning in my Ducati 998 for a more logical & comfortable ride.  Somewhere in the top of my considerations has been the Suzuki VStrom.  My closest riding buddy and dear friend who has simultaneously been going through similar self-awareness also has been looking that the VStrom and perhaps more closely than me.  He sent me a link to the article below which speaks of great first-hand experience from a motojournalist who has been riding one for the past 5 years.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/235/16149/Motorcycle-Article/Suzuki-V-Strom-1000-After-Four-Years.aspx?WT.i_e_dcsvid=289621507

I guess the ultimate problem for me is that I am simply not ready to give up my superbike but I am ready for comfort and versatility.  The answer is simple; have multiple motorcycles, one  for each and every riding occasion.  Oh, if it were only that easy.

The Dream is Alive!

I have been contemplating starting my very own motorcycle blog for a long time, literally years.  I don't know why I never mustard up the courage to move forward with it, let's call it "time" so I can save a little face.  Being a motorcycle enthusiast (a.k.a. nut) I spend what little spare time I have away from working and raising a family on my motorcycle passion.  This includes anything from attending the occasional bike night to reading one of my many motorcycle related periodicals to searching on the internet for, well, anything motorcycle related.  I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I need an outlet to pour my thoughts and ideas into.  Here it is, alas, an outlet for my passion.  I don't know where this will go or where it will take me but like many a roadtrips I hope to enjoy where I end up.  My goal here, in addition to being an outlet for me, is to share what I have with any like-minded individuals that also want to share or just hear me rant.  Either way; it has begun!