This is probably one of the most disputed points of motorcycle ownership: the everyday riders vs the everyday lookers.

I fit in both categories, but, with 6 bikes, 5 are just about 'glass box' candidates. From my perspective, the 'collector' enjoys the pride of ownership with the ability to ride any bike as he chooses, but prefers instead to keep them low mileage as a preservation piece. There is no real real investment value in our collecting, especially when taking into account insurances, servicing and roadworthy (MoT in UK) costs, right down to battery tender and electricity. Perhaps it could be put down as just another hobby?

I don't have a Mona Lisa on my wall, but I do have an F4 in the lounge room. I wonder if the same scenario is put to philatelists: 'Are you going to use those stamps for postage or just place them in an album?' Well, at least I don't get gum on my tongue.

Many forum member will know that I purchased a mint Honda VF1000R from a forum member back in May. It's yet to click over 10,000 miles, which means I have done fewer than 400 in 6 months. I have enjoyed every one of those miles AND every minute of looking at it!!

Interested in hearing other views.

Ride, every possible day you can. Nobody is going to thank you for saving miles on a bike you will eventually sell one day. After already 5 years the bike is a bit old. There is really no point in buying a F4 750cc any more. It still looks good and that’s it.

F4Claudio didn’t impress me. They should have at least made it 1078cc with 220hp. Now it’s just another RC with different exhaust.

Mine, which just passed £60.000, will be the true homage of the F4 - and I will ride it every day I can.

I agree wholeheartedly with Nicholas, ride em. If I was 20 years younger I might have a different attitude, but there's no value (to me) in keeping a bike on the basis it might be worth twice as much in ten or fifteen years. I could well be dead by then. I get Nigel's point that a pretty motorcycle is a thing of beauty and I certainly fall into the category of being one of those people who just go and look at my bikes in the garage from time to time, but I also need to ride it not just look at it..


There is a Goldilocks bracket (if I can call it that) with classic bikes. I have a friend with a Yamaha 1000GTS which has covered just 106 miles. He won't ride it! If it had 1060 miles on the odo or certainly if it had covered 10600 miles, he admits he definitely would ride it. We've all seen classic bikes in their original crates which have never been fired up. They fetch a fortune and of course if you did take it out of the crate and start it up it would wipe off at least 25% of its value straight away. If it's a future investment you want, then yes perhaps thats the way to go.

The Goldilocks bracket I refer to are bikes that are classic and collectable but not ultra low mileage such that I wouldn't want to ride them like the friend I've mentioned with his GTS. For that reason I wouldn't be interested in buying a bike with less than 500 miles on the odo whether I could afford it or not.

For me, I'm not a rich man, but I have no wish to be looking down from on high after my death watching my bikes being sold off on the basis that I never rode them and they are all pristine. I like to ride whatever bike I might own. That's in essence why I sold my F4 to Roy several years ago now. Not that it was a classic as such, although it was low mileage, it was simply I couldn't ride it more than 50 miles without pain, so for me there was no point keeping it.

A motorcycle is meant to be ridden Do I need to say more?

Doesnt matter if its 400 miles a year or 4000 a year.
Buckle up when you can and enjoy the ride.

Wow! Three replies and now I'm wondering if I'm just a doddering old bastard!

Cheers for your comments guys.

Let me say that I understand your opinion about this subject @nigelrb.

Rare, mind condition motorcycles that have hard to find and expensive parts. Would be shame if you dropped it or some dumb bimbo doing her makeup while riding and hitting you.
So using it as an art piece in the living room isnt a bad idea at all. Admire the beauty are rarity.
But at the same time having is standing still and not doing what it is meant to do is a waste of its own aswell.

So my suggestion and opinion. Do whatever feels right to you

*Just a few weeks ago on television someone had their F4 312RR lifted onto their balcony to enjoy it as an piece of art.
Oh did I mention it was a apartment building at floor 10 or so. Bike wont move an inch a year.

Now THAT, to me, is going too far - or too 'high' maybe?

At least I enjoy the experience of also RIDING mine - at a minimum they get a 40-mile run every 4 to 6 weeks. Just yesterday I had my Honda NS400R out (V3 two-stroke). Blew plumes of smoke over the neighbourhood for the first half mile but still a delight to ride. Do you have many (or any) of these in Netherlands B_G_S? Also later models in 'Rothmans' livery.

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@nigelrb I havent seen the rare Hondas in my neightbourhood. All I see is shitty and loud scooters/supermotards and z800 kawasaki's. Litteraly.....how many z800 can 1 city have.
However 80km up to Eindhoven at the dealer I bought my F3, they have a Honda RVF400 for sale :O Thats a interesting bike.

Fun fact: There was a honda rvf400 for sale before I had my motorcycle license. 4 months before I succeeded it was sold.
I was actually thinking of buying it that early, but I was to late. Then the F3 showed up and I was sold and nothing else mattered Had to have her.

*Picture isnt from dealer. Somehow the website of dealership wont let me save their picture.

If I had to space I'd definitely buy the RVF400. Sporty looking 60HP of a beast hehe

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Nigel, i feel you brother. I just sold a 2004 BMW R11S Boxer Cup Replika with under 4k miles on it. It looked like just out of the wrapper, had abut 3500 miles when I bought back in May. Every mile I put on the bike, every pothole that couldn't be avoided, every little pebble that would come in contact with fairing would make me cringe. This was a limited production bike in the US, only 300 copies sold in 2004. My choices were ride it sparingly, put it under covers in the garage, drag into living room or sell it. I chose to sell it. It did fetch top price as the rest of the R11S and R12S market in the US is depressed. I didn't need to sell it, but not riding the bike I would be causing it harm. Hoses, fluids, pumps,bushing etc. would start to deteriorate and after a while the bike would need reconditioning. The new owner has different take on things and wants to ride it just shy of 10k at which point he will make a decision to put up on display or...

My motorcycle history contains other examples of low mile, pristine bikes that I loved to own but stressed to ride. When buying my 1991 Bimota YB10, seller gave me a choice of two bikes - a spotless, show queen or one in daily rider condition. I went for the daily rider and could not have been happier. I ride it with a bit of care, but I do ride it. Mileage is a consideration only when it comes to maintenance intervals. The Brutale I have was extremely well cared for by the PO and now my self. It had over 8k miles when I got it and I put about 2k in about 6 months. I have no qualms of riding it, modifying it and enjoying it. If it had 800 miles on it I don't think I would enjoy it in the same sense.

The YB10 is the bike that I plan to have for as long as I can ride and even past that. Brutale hopefully will be around for a long time considering the coin I am planning to drop on it in terms of mods. To sum it up, buy clean well maintained machines and enjoy them. If the mood strikes and you want to sell them, go ahead. If you want to stick them in the living room you can do that too. They are bikes bought with your own hard earned cash and whichever choice it will be go with the one that makes you happy.

@Black_Gold_Saw, I love the RVF and am continually on the lookout for a good one. Like many of the older bikes, good stuff is rare. We now have a flood of imports from Japan that are refurbished to look mint. Problem is they have no history, and who knows if the speedo (odometer) that reads 5,200 kilometres is actually the original? I recently drove 200 miles to look at one advertised on ebay. Looked great in the pics but in reality looked like a beautiful woman who had suffered under the surgeon's knife and overdoses of Botox.

@Tirefriar, enjoying your motorcycling history and perspectives of ownership. Great feather in the cap owning a Bimota!