if i win the lotto...

well, i know i said it might be a while between posts, but here i am sitting in a coffee shop with nothing else to do, and little motivation to work on any other writing (i'm in between projects), so i thought i'd do a little virtual drooling.

i think i mentioned doing a post like this back when i started up this blog, but never got around to it, so here it is: my dream garage. these are the bikes i would buy if money was no object, and if i actually had space/technical knowledge to take care of them.

a few things to mention before starting with the list. first off, i do believe in a certain amount of brand loyalty. however, it is often a luxury, and can get rather boring. i have personally owned a kawasaki, a triumph and a suzuki. i've also taken long trips on a honda and a yamaha. all were good bikes in there own right, and i'm not trying to talk smack about any company, but i obviously have my preferences. for this list, i tried to consciously ignore that preference, and focus on what would be the ideal for what i want. this includes asthetics, performance, functionality, all that stuff. so i tried to mix it up a bit. besides, it would be very boring if you just read a list of all the triumphs i wanted.

second, my current bike is not on the list. i love vixen, and i'm not planning on getting rid of her any time soon, even if i was financially able to consider something on the list, but in being honest with my dream garage, i don't think a suzuki sv650 would make the cut.

this leads to the third thing to keep in mind, which is i tried to keep it relatively short. in other words, one bike in each category. i could easily go on and on about all the naked bikes i want, or all the vintage bikes, or anything else for that matter, and end up with a list of 50 or more bikes. but i didn't want to do that (also very boring), so i've picked my top in each category.

and so, without further ado, i present... the list:

the commuter: ducati monster 796


to be perfectly honest, i just think this bike is damn sexy. it is, as far as i'm concerned, the prettiest naked bike out there right now. i've never ridden one, but i haven't heard anything bad about them, and ducati seems to be nailing things at the moment. i like naked bikes for every day types, they're sleak, nice and clean, have plenty of kick and are good for whatever you might need them for. vixen is a great commuter, the monster is just a little prettier (no offense, baby).

runners up: triumph speed triple, ktm duke

the weekend warrior: triumph bonneville


the bonny is one of my favorite overall bikes out there on the market right now. the revival of a classic, great looks, and one hell of an engine. for this particular bike, i like just what's above, classic black with chrome piping. a comfortable riding position, a nice bench seat for taking a passenger (the waiting list is already filling up), and perfect for hanging out at the cafe (or bar). i had the pleasure of riding one a few years back, and boy was it nice. i would actually prefer the new one as opposed to a vintage, partially because i already have one vintage in my garage (see below), partially because i like maintenance-free things, and partially because the reworked bonny is supposed to be fantastic.

runners up: triumph thruxton, harley davidson sportster 883

the weekend warrior (number two)/project bike: early 1960s triton



i love the classic cafe racer look, and nothing was more pure cafe than the triton of the early 60s. the triton (TRIumph + norTON) combines the triumph parallel twin engine with the norton featherbed frame, getting the best of each bikes. note the stripped down looks, clip-on handlebars, cafe seat and cut tail-end. very sexy. this one has to be original, since that's kind of the whole point. right now, i have nowhere near the techincal skill to pull this one off, though ironically it's the one on the list i could actually afford at the moment. old bikes are not very expensive, even if they're really, really cool.

runners up: 1950 triumph thunderbird (brando's from "the wild one"), early 70s honda cb750

the adventure bike: BMW f800gs




saved for last, this is the bike i would take around the world. it was basically designed for it, and you can't really do any better. some may argue that the 1200 model would be more appropriate (that's what took charlie and ewan around the world, essentially twice), but i still like the lighter midweight engines. i know the single may be some cause for the concern, and the bmw boxer is one of the best ever made, but other than that, i really haven't heard any arguments compelling enough to change my mind. this category used to be occupied by the f650gs dakar, but since they came out with the new 800, it has usurped the 650. plus, the black and orange looks awesome.

runners up: triumph tiger 800 xc, ktm 990 adventure

that's it. my dream garage. if you're feeling generous, i do accept donations. if you'll notice, there is a triumph model in pretty much every category (i told you i could make it pretty boring). yeah, i'm a bit of a british-bitch, but damn they are nice bikes. plus, they just came out with their new adventure bike. how could i not want one?

anyway, thanks for listening. or reading, i guess. this was a fun exercise in torturing myself with things i'll never afford. at least, not all at once.

rftc,

scott

winter wrap-up

ok, so techincally winter is still going strong. in fact, it's barely started. the title is mainly in reference to the fact that my winter commuting is done. at least for now. and a good thing too. it's fricking cold right now.

i actually got a respite two days early. i found out that i was able to drive to work new year's eve and new year's day (yes, i worked both days. yes, both days were slammed at the store. people never stop shopping). and it was a good thing i could drive, because i woke up the 31st to find it hovering in the mid-20s with frost and ice all over. and it hasn't let up since. not good riding weather. in fact, that qualifies as weather i don't ride in if i can help it. so, i'm done on the bike for a while.

a few final thoughts though, after the last week of commuting, and looking back at the experience as a whole.

one: it still wasn't nearly as bad as i thought. sure, i had a few harrowing experiences, and yes, my mother tried to steal my keys so i couldn't ride anymore, but it was a lot of fun most of the time. i actually enjoyed my commutes, as opposed to dreading them.

some observsations i made the final week. the last piece of inclimate weather i had yet to face, i faced: wind. wind sucks. especially gusty, strong crosswinds. not fun. also, people never expect you to be nice when you're on a bike. think of it as a holdover from the outlaw biker days or whatever, but people never expect you to slow down, or yield to pedestrians. ever. and they're surprised when you do.

also, when you only commute on a bike for a month, and then get back into a car, you have to get used to it again. yeesh. silly mistakes. and it's really easy to zone out in a car. i've really noticed that this past few days. in a bike, you are focused one hundred percent all the time. any slip, you get jolted back into it. over the last few weeks, i've made a few stupid mistakes. i would occasionally shift out of neutral forgetting to pull in the clutch, which would kill the bike (this did not happen often, but more often than i care to admit). things like this immediately pull you back in, and you realize you have to concentrate on the task at hand. not enough things in life are like this, i think. live in the now, man.

anyway, i've rambled enough (and i have to get to job numero dos), but that's about all there is to say for wrap-up. hopefully it won't be too long before my next post, although i can't control the weather. i may be getting some new gloves soon, maybe i'll write about that.

until next time, rftc,

scott

ps- here's a reposted picture, so i can use it as a thumbnail on facebook. enjoy!