Bennington Triumph Bash

You know that "oh shit, what have I done?" feeling you get when spending large sums of money?

Today I got the financing worked out for the 2008 V-Strom 650 I'm buying. I know I won't regret it and I'm going to love this bike, but $7400 is a tough pill to swallow anyway!

Fortunately that "oh shit" feeling will go away in a matter of hours, to be replaced by excitement at the thought of the touring I'll be able to do. God, I can't wait till it's warm out!

--mark

Mark, I still say oh shit every time the bill comes in the mail for my Sprint. A little over 2 years left to pay on it.

It has been well worth it.

Yeah, I figure the V-Strom is going to last me for the foreseeable future. I don't want a more powerful bike because I will lose my license, and I've ridden Tito's Strom so I know how fun this bike is in the twisties.

My plan is to ride it as much as possible, March-December, and limit use of my car to those three winter months and torrential downpours. The Strom gets twice the gas mileage of the car... and the less wear I put on the car, the longer I can keep it, which is good because I'm looking forward to not having a car payment and hope to keep it that way for a long time.

--mark

Congratulations Mark!


You are going to love that bike. It is a lot of fun to ride, and very capable of embarrassing larger and sportier machines on a twisty road.

I do like the color!!!

Tito

Ton Up!

oh shit indeed, you should have bought my Ducati 620 monster for $5900

The 620 is a great bike, but nowhere the sport touring and adventure touring capabilities of the V-Strom.

Tito




Ton Up!

Mark, you can't look at it thru fear or buyer's remorse...you have to look at it as logic...as gas hits $4+ look at the money you save.

at the end of 5 years you will have spent the same amount of money no matter what...the only question is what did you have to show for it?

I'm seriously looking at scooters for this very reason...Europe has had that high gas price mindset for decades.

I got mz. modre a honda ruckus for christmas this year

...we're still waiting for a thaw, but we went round and round about the money...it's a good solid move. I want 100 mpg cause the gas companies and pollitics that support them don't have my best interests at heart.

why scooters over mcs? mini-bikes are fun. mini-bike sized wheels bring mcs back to the realm of adventure when you do local short runs primarily...the Bonneville will do bigger miles, but short and sweet is me anymore...I want cheap fun...and am thinking a 250-400 scooter at 80 mpg stripped to fighting weight is in my future.

here's a ruckus owned by a guy named sanjaro stripped I think is pure art

Modre!


I am a fan of the Ruckus, how much $$$, mpg, top speed, automatic???



Thanks!



Tito

Ton Up!

modre wrote:Mark, you can't look at it thru fear or buyer's remorse...you have to look at it as logic...as gas hits $4+ look at the money you save.

Exactly. The momentary "oh shit" feeling is long gone; now I'm just excited and can't wait to pick up the V-Strom (in, oh, a month or so...).

It's going to be my primary transportation for most of the year. I plan to only use the car in pouring rain, winter, and for multiple-hundred-mile trips when the weather is chilly (such as driving down to DC to visit my parents for Thanksgiving).

--mark

[quote="TonUp"]Modre!
I am a fan of the Ruckus, how much $$$,

$2K list...we did a pre-christmas sale at $1800, then they loaded up the secret stuff...still came to $2K OTD

mpg,
they claim 100mpg...all the way up to 115 mpg...85 is the least I've heard.

top speed,
they claim a legit 40 mph

automatic???
it has a variable ratio torque converter like a snowmoble, final drive worm is 13/1 and the converter is something like 3/1 to 1/3, so overall ratios (guessing ballpark) range from 30/1 to 4/1, and the engine revs to 8K

this is perfect for the wife and kids, but if it were for me, I'd go with more displacement...and still get that 80-ish mpg. I had a 1959 Zundapp scooter years ago when I was picking up stuff to turn into quick bucks...but never thought much about them until recently. with the Big Ruckus and maybe the 400 Bergman or Piaggio 500, they're back on my radar...but stripped naked and light.

The ruckus is a kid's toy...but made by honda...and little scooters are where honda made the name everywhere but the US...I think it's a solid toy for the money...as I said to Mark, at some point you'll have spent the same money...either on gas or toys...you may as well end up with something to show for it...in the long run, you're ahead...cause they'll get $7-8 a gallon if they think they can.

I can remember $.22 a gallon and if they didn't check your oil it was free...thay gave towels and glasses away...now they just clamp your gonads and snarl and I don't like anything on the horizon.

Ever watch the show Rob and Big on MTV? Funny stuff. Even funnier seeing a 6'6" 400lb dude riding a "murdered out Ruckus" as they call it.