Threads like these are kinda like Hot Stove League conversations in the winter. Most of you can't get out to ride, so we stay inside during the snow and ice and have fun conversations like this.
Except for me - the weather was in the mid-70s yesterday, so I put about 160 miles on the NT and went out for a burger.
Terry, 1. Determine what YOU really want in a motorcycle. Not what you think you need or can live with, but what the heart says you really want. 2.Then determine which bikes come closest to that and put them in a priority order 3. Decide if your finances can support your #1 choice and if not move to your #2 choice, etc. 4. Go buy it and 5. Go Ride. Only worry about trade in value after you have made your choice. Once the money is spent, it will not be thought about again. You only live once. With all this said , the NT is a fine little machine, and in my later years I might have one again.
Excellent statement!!
When you get right down to it, the vast majority of us buy and ride motorcycles for the emotional thrill it gives us. Practicality is secondary. I know some of us ride our bikes to work (including me), but our bikes are not our only form of transport. There may be somebody on the forum whose bike is their only transportation, but I doubt it. For most of us, if there's ice on the road, or we have to go to the supermarket on the way home or we have to pick up the kids after school, we can leave the bike at home and drive the car or pickup to work.
Yes, I came from an underpowered past with a 66 VW Beetle that put out a whooping 50 hp and pushed a 2000 lb vehicle around nicely to even freeway speeds. I never had a problem passing...I rethought what was a "safe" opening and lived with it. Patience is a good thing. I'm probably alive now because of it. Passing where mere mortals wouldn't in cars, was not an option like it would be with a high powered car engine in a motorcycle frame. At some point, we realize that at 60+ years of age, we don't have the reflexes to respond to what you'll get when you marry a car engine to a motorcycle frame. We either back off from what the bike is capable of...or die.
Knowing where you live at, I wonder where you'll use all that extra power? On the blind curves of Hwy 101 leading out to Neah Bay? Will the road be washed out with gravel all over it after the next turn? I'll bet that if it is, you'll be happy you paid for the suspsension options that will make you feel good as your front wheel washes out in front of you and the bike goes down in that gravel. All the electronics in the world won't make up for the dangers of gravel, sand or rocks in the apex of a blind turn. What will you do then? Oh...slow down to what a mere motorcycle like the NT can do...that you already have.
Chris
Chris and I used to ride the same bike. We both loved our Burgman 400s, and I remember answering lots of forum discussions and saying the Burgie had plenty of power. As a man of my word, I rode the Burgman 400 on a 3,000+ trip to Columbus, Georgia, and back, then took another ride to Las Vegas that was over 3,600 miles. Did the Burgman perform? Oh - you bet it did! Solid little bike - but I also discovered that when I rode westward, a little more power might be nice while crossing the Mojave Desert or riding northward on the Interstate out of Las Vegas.
So, I found the extra power of the NT over the Burgman came in handy.
At least, the extra power was nice for me.
Some of you may recall that I find the new BMW R1200RT to be drool-worthy. For me, that's just window shopping. But, just because I'm on a diet doesn't mean I can't look at the menu. I think most of us suffer from bike lust every now and then. If we didn't have that happen to us, the bike manufacturers would go out of business.
Could I use a little extra power with the NT? Sure - the engine needs to be up towards the top of the power curve in order to pass sometimes. If I'm lazy (which is often) I'd like to just roll on the throttle rather than having to down shift.
As to passengers, I seldom have anyone behind me, except for the very occasional times when my daughter has time to ride with me. But, she only weights 95 pounds, and the NT handles her weight with ease. She also knows how to travel light - much different than my wife who feels she needs the kitchen sink to travel with her.
Referring to Chris' statement that there might not be any NTs at Spearfish, Phil replied
Chris, there will be at least one NT rider there. I'm going. If you want to come, too, we can sit off in a corner and feel smug about ourselves.
If the creek don't rise, I'll be there too. Not sure how smug we can be if there are three of us there,