| I know what you mean Ali...
People have asked me just what the point of buying an older bike (like my 888 Strada) and lavishing upgraded brakes, bit's of carbon, high level exhausts plus plans for lightweight wheels, Ohlins rear shock, K-teched front Showas (can't see the point of going to seal popping Ohlins when worked over Showas will work just as well for me)...then there's the engine and gearbox....hmmmm should I go to 926 or 955 in the spirit of the race bikes...or look for an ST4S engine and go up to 996...depending on which engine and spec I could be looking at anything from 110 bhp to 135 bhp....then maybe a close ratio 748R gearbox to lose the 'overdrive' top gear.
The list goes on and the cost doesn't bear thinking about. People could yawn and say 'not another 888 SP5 wannabee' or point out that I could probably have bought an SP to start with or even a 998/999R but that would be missing the point.
To me, half the fun of bike ownership is in dreaming, scheming and planning ways to upgrade your bike. Tinkering with it to make it your own unique bike...something that no-one else has and something that is exactly as you want it.
Plus the fact that I don't need to find a big lump of cash in one go, I can enjoy the basic bike and then just add to it or modify it when I've got the time and the money, and you get an extra hit of enjoyment with the new bits - says the bloke who has just come in from fitting high level carbon cans. |