Buying a used bike

Wouldn’t it be sweet if, every year when the new line of bikes came out, we could just roll down to the local dealer and pick up a new bike right out of the crate.  Then as soon as we get it home, go to MotoSport.com and load up on all the sweet aftermarket parts to trick it out!  And while we’re at it, might as well order up some matching new gear to go with the bike. Then after you’ve ridden it for a year, dump it and get a new one.

Some of you may have jobs or businesses that generate the income to allow you to have the latest and greatest ride every year:  Rock on man!  But the rest of us have to balance other life expenses (like food) with our love for riding, so when it comes time for a new bike, it’s usually a “newer” bike that we are in the market for.

I have found that a good strategy is to buy a bike that’s one or two years old, in good shape, ride it for a year or two, then sell it and get a newer one. This strategy has several advantages

1.  You're able to take advantage of new developments and technologies that come out (suspension, engine, etc), albeit a year or two later, and it also means...
2. You can research on those new features and get feedback as to which new ones work well, and which ones are duds.
3. You get good riding time out of a machine before the major systems wear to the point of needing a total rebuild or replacement (shocks/forks/engine/brakes).

It is a little more risky, because you can get burned buying a bike that looks fine on the surface, but has hidden mechanical issues.  But you can also find that jewel, a bike that’s in great condition that you will be happy with for several years.  Wading through the market to find the bike that is right for you can be a daunting task, so here is how I approach getting a newer bike, and I hope it helps. (click below to read the entire article)

Thrills and Spills

A good friend of mine recently said “with the thrills come the spills.”  Legit words, as I whip out this post in my hospital room with two broken bones in my right leg (hopefully this post makes sense, me being all knocked up with very powerful pain meds...) Yes my summer has come to an abrupt end:  We were out at a local track yesterday, I was coming out of a dry, hard-pack clay corner, got on the gas, the rear end went wide, the bike went down, and my foot was in the wrong place. I knew it was broken the moment it happened:  The cracking nose, coupled with my foot sticking out 90 degrees from the rest of my leg, my foot  flopping around when I kicked off my boot  – these are all bad signs.

It was ironic in a way.  My eldest son had gone down earlier in the same manner, and I had given him some advice, explaining that he needed to use a little finesse when applying throttle out of those hard clay corners to keep the rear end in check. I should have listened to my own advice!  After an ambulance ride to the local ER, some X-Rays, and I am now scheduled for orthopedic surgery this week.  I have two broken bones below the knee: The fibula and tibula. The doc said it’s a “spiral fracture”, which means I am going to have some shiny new titanium plates screwed to my right leg bone.  I would rather have a titanium exhaust pipe.

So now I have some time to “reflect.”  I’m one of those over-analytical guys that has to find some truth or principle to apply from an experience. (click below to read the full article)