Kiwi Rider Podcast 2022 | E28
In this week's show, Ray talked us through his insurance win, we have
I've been lucky enough to own a few bikes from brand new. its a privileged position I find my self in, as some people can go their whole lives without owning a brand new bike.
My first new bike was a 2014 Yamaha MT07, and in my close to 3 years of ownership i clocked up 40,000km. I sold it with the idea of upgrading to an MT09, but once sold realized I couldn't actually afford said MT09... I went through a few more bike, and if you know you know... I ended up with another MT07 which I had till 30,000km, when I sold it to buy the Tenere 700.
Now my Tenere is up to 40,000km and I'm contemplating selling it... but firstly what would i replace it with...? another Tenere 700? a Tiger 900?
The real question is, why an I thinking about selling my Tenere 700? I think it's a 40,000km itch. There is nothing seriously wrong with the T7. Buy, I have it in my head that 40,000km is possibly the point at which thing could start going wrong with the bike. What could go wrong? Who knows. I don't know of anything specifically, but there is that niggling thought in the back of my head.
Also, being an adventure bike, I have ridden it as such. and because its been to some tough places, its not "pretty" any more. some of the fairings and plastics are scratched up from when I tried trail riding the big girl at Berm Buster. there are some marks on the swing arm from that infamous bendy exhaust. There is still a nice big crack in the right hand fairing. The rims are now scratched anf pitted from mils of beach riding. and sure a good clean up would have it looking pretty good again... but its not new any more.
Does that even make sense?
I know I'm a bit neurotic for thinking this way, but it is the thoughts going through my head, so I thought I would share it with you.
Is the 40,000km itch a thing for anyone else? no? just me then.
Might be time to work out a plan for a second bike. But this brings with it a whole new set of questions... which bike would I choose to keep int he garage along side the Tenere 700? Maybe an MT09? or, a Speed Triple? that was a brilliant bike in the short time i was able to ride it. but they aren't cheap.
For now I guess I will keep the T7, maybe at least for another 10,000km. who knows, in the next whole there might be a Tenere 900... dreams are free.