Emphasis and Value on Cosmetic Appearance

[fossilrider]

Just ride it!

 

[Joevelocity]

My father-in-law is a big rider and big story teller to go with it. He likes to share a story about a "guy he knows"[SIZE=8pt]tm[/SIZE] who bought a brand new bike and put a single ding in the tank (where just he would see it) so when he got the "2nd" scratch he wouldn't be so upset about it.

Now, there all kinds of psychologist that could make a career out of that concept. <_< And I am sure he never admitted he was the one with the screw driver, because I gave him ten kinds of grief about how crazy that would be. But I think his point was that scratches and dings are inevitable, and nothing to get that upset about.

He would seek out and buy used bikes that were mechanically sound and had character versus buying one on looks. "it's not going to sit in the garage"

Something to be said for that.

 

[HaulinAshe]

I bought my FJR to ride, not to polish it. I love reminding my HD neighbors of that.

I wash my bike almost every time I ride it, or at least once per week. I have a very convenient and quick setup to do so.

It was the same with my MX racing bikes. Washed every single practice or race. I don't work on a dirty bike and I prefer not to own one.

Just for the record, I put 24,000 on the 05 in the nine months I owned her. So I can honestly claim to both ride and wash the bike. Scratches are inevitable. IMO, undone repairs are not. I prefer scratches on the bolt heads over scratches on the paint, and will pay more for a used bike that has been serviced and ridden, than one that has been polished.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

I bought my FJR to ride, not to polish it. I love reminding my HD neighbors of that.
I wash my bike almost every time I ride it, or at least once per week. I have a very convenient and quick setup to do so.

It was the same with my MX racing bikes. Washed every single practice or race. I don't work on a dirty bike and I prefer not to own one.

Just for the record, I put 24,000 on the 05 in the nine months I owned her. So I can honestly claim to both ride and wash the bike. Scratches are inevitable. IMO, undone repairs are not. I prefer scratches on the bolt heads over scratches on the paint, and will pay more for a used bike that has been serviced and ridden, than one that has been polished.

I like keeping my bike clean, but it sure doesn't help the condition of my paint.

I have

1) a dinged sidecase from a rock on 550 in Colorado

2) a dinged and scratched tank from my camera swinging too much

3) a sandblasted under cowl

4) worn clear coat on sides of tank from my knees

Recommendation to new FJR owners:

1) Put tank slapper or some other protective covering on the side of your tank and top of tank down to the seat

2) Fenda extenda immediately (protects radiator only)

3) some kind of protective covering up the middle of the lower cowling

 

[Rogue]

I would love it if my bike (& my cage) looked 100% perfect with no scratches or dings! But not enough to fix them.

You ride and your bike will show it.

If I were buying a used bike I would use scratches to dicker the price down if I didn't feel I was getting a fair deal with the asking price.

 

[Charlie Hoss]

I like to polish AND ride. I tend to do the cleaning and polishing on a lousy day when I wouldn't be riding anyway. It still frosts me when I find another scrape on a side bag lid...but I'm doing better.

When I did dirt bikes centuries ago, I would just push the new one over and get it scratched right away. Even dirt bikes look good when new.

 

[Violione]

OrangevaleFJR,

For the lower cowling, tank sides and even the saddle bags, here is my suggestion for protection: Clear packing tape from Office Depot. Stuff is as clear as glass and if you put it on without any air bubbles under it, you wouldn't know it was on the bike! If you want extra protection, put a second layer on top of the first! When removing the tape, peel it off very slowly and it will not leave any residue. If it does, Goo-Gone takes care of that in no time. On the lower colling; the ultimate cheap protection, even if you have the packing tape already on, is to use about a 6 to 8 inches of silver duct tape down the center line of the cowling front and under the cowling. It adds an even thicker layer of protection AND on a Silver FJR, people don't notice it. On a Black Cherry FJR the duct tape complements the bike's color and on a Galaxy Blue FJR, it looks like, well silver duct tape. But you won't get any rock chips or sand blasting there and it pulls right off. BUT, don't leave it there more that 6 month or else you'll have a sticky mess.

The other really good and cheap tank protection is to get the rubberized tool box tray liner. You can get it Sears, Wal-Mart, auto par stores. You can cut it to shape or I just double over a 3' by 2' rectangle and attach it to the tank using the magnets that your kids get a the souvenir stores. Works like a charm. AND when and if you wash the bike, take off the magnets and shelf liner and wash both bike and liner, then go ride! Works great under your tank bag to keep it from scratching the top of the tank as well!

Enjoy,

Violione

 

[red2kcbr]

I have rock dings and bug guts in tight places. Bike has a few, too. I try to knock the worst bugs and dirt off it before I do maintenance. Otherwise, I don't wash it very much. I'd rather go riding. But I cleaned it real good before I did the Wilbers shock and fork springs. And I cleaned it up before I did the brake lines. If it's real bad at oil change time, I'll get the bucket and hose out.

I wash my car a lot more than I wash the bike. I wonder why that is?

Probably because it's easier to wash a car than it is a bike.

 

[Low Level FJR Pilot]

As a good friend of mine said the day I dropped mine in the parking lot at work, "Well! you got that over with, now lets go riding." Just enjoy it. I will get around to fixing my damaged plastic sooner or later, and I did whine about it for awhile, but you realize that the only person that notices it is you. That's why there's a Color Rite website. Good luck with that bike.

 

[MikeYork5]

Patina...... But having said that I keep all my bikes clean (you can ride and still keep them clean, generally, if you have a mind to) and sctatches and dings do upset me, so they are kept to a minimum. To each their own.......

 

[mdisher]

I did wash my bike yesterday, but only to ensure it will rain like a son-of-a-***** today.

We're having a slight drought issue at the present time.

 

[cota95]

There was a point in my life where I would get steamed over any little scratch, but I'm by that now. My bike is not a garage queen but I do try to keep it clean, if only so that it won't scratch easier

 

[bkbennett]

It's encouraging to know that I'm not the only guy in the FJR universe who puts the emphasis on mechanical maintenance over cosmetics. I clean my bike, but the scars have to be pretty bad before I do cosmetic surgery.

I showed my bike to a guy the other day who said he was surprised and turned off by all the scratches, chipped paint and cosmetic flaws. (Again, from 30 ft, you can't tell my bike from a new one! It's not HIDEOUSLY bad). After the guy left, I noticed his automobile left an oil spot on my driveway, which left me turned off. To each his own, I guess, but I'd work hours to get rid of an oil leak before I'd spend two minutes polishing chrome.

Bottom line is this: my grin is bigger when I'm on the bike and rolling on the throttle and leaving my problems behind than when I'm in the parking lot admiring its good looks.

 

[jmdaniel]

This thread reminds me of that old adage:

Everyone wants to date a whore, and marry a virgin.

I ride and wash my FJR, perhaps because of what you can see in my avatar! :yahoo:

 

[bkbennett]

The event that precipitated my post was user "topher" coming to look at my bike after seeing it on craigslist. He came from the Quad cities area and told me that he was planning to buy it -- even had me fax his bank the title. I told him before he came that it wasn't a clean bike (a fact which he acknowledged after his inspection showed the bike to be below his standards). He drove hours to see what I could have shown him in photographs had he asked. I tried to warn him, but I'm not going to badmouth the bike I'm trying to sell!!!

Today I found the thread below in the classified section, and, for the record, "topher" misquoted me. Had he told me he wanted a bike that was 8.75 on a scale of 10 in terms of cosmetics, I would have told him, or at least strongly hinted , that this wasn't the bike for him. As it is, he spent over 7 hours on the road, wear and tear on his vehicle, and a miserable hour in my hot driveway. I thought I had the bike appropriately discounted in price for the cosmetic flaws. He thought otherwise, and we parted ways. He went home, wrote his post, got moderately "flamed," announced that he wouldn't be posting anymore, and hasn't been heard from since.

What did I learn from this experience? My sense of the market is pretty good, and I need to respect my own time more and insist on clear communication. I also learned that I should ride my '05 until it wears out before I "upgrade" to a Gen II.

topher's wish list thread

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

OrangevaleFJR,For the lower cowling, tank sides and even the saddle bags, here is my suggestion for protection: Clear packing tape from Office Depot. Stuff is as clear as glass and if you put it on without any air bubbles under it, you wouldn't know it was on the bike! If you want extra protection, put a second layer on top of the first! When removing the tape, peel it off very slowly and it will not leave any residue. If it does, Goo-Gone takes care of that in no time. On the lower colling; the ultimate cheap protection, even if you have the packing tape already on, is to use about a 6 to 8 inches of silver duct tape down the center line of the cowling front and under the cowling. It adds an even thicker layer of protection AND on a Silver FJR, people don't notice it. On a Black Cherry FJR the duct tape complements the bike's color and on a Galaxy Blue FJR, it looks like, well silver duct tape. But you won't get any rock chips or sand blasting there and it pulls right off. BUT, don't leave it there more that 6 month or else you'll have a sticky mess.

The other really good and cheap tank protection is to get the rubberized tool box tray liner. You can get it Sears, Wal-Mart, auto par stores. You can cut it to shape or I just double over a 3' by 2' rectangle and attach it to the tank using the magnets that your kids get a the souvenir stores. Works like a charm. AND when and if you wash the bike, take off the magnets and shelf liner and wash both bike and liner, then go ride! Works great under your tank bag to keep it from scratching the top of the tank as well!

Enjoy,

Violione

Thanks! At this point, the damage requires a paint job to repair. It is too late for prevention. I might as well just ride it until I decide to either paint it, or sell it. Either way, I sure of one guy that won't want it :lol:

 

[Sherman]

Maybe we could keep topher on the road with our 8.749 bikes that are really 8.751s in his eyes. I have $1400 in suspension upgrades that nobody values - 'cept me. All the new buyers care about is looks, low mileage, and dollars.

 

[chipset]

Well, I happen to nice a good clean looking bike. I like them to look brand new.

That being said, with the weather being so bad here, I spend little more than a quick bit of time cleaning her, and more time riding her. I wouldn't want to be on a bike with severe damage... I think a clean looking bike is a sign of good owners taking care of their equipment. I like the nice clean looks of my FJR. And when I did some damage to her (fell over on the trailer), I fixed the broken piece. I didn't replace my bag, as it is just a little marred. Of course, I ride with those only when I need the storage.

Minor scratches are on thing, major cracks are another. I say this, but the first motorcycle I bought, a 1996 Yamaha YZF600R, had a cracked fairing and broken mirror due to a tip over.

Will it affect how much I will spend to buy a bike? Yes. Unless it was meant to be a track bike, in which case, I am expecting some damage at some point.

Ride it like you stole it, take care of it like you will never own another..

 

[HaulinAshe]

This thread has some true pearls of wisdom. I liked them too much to not Gunny a few.

Gunny!

To each his own, I guess, but I'd work hours to get rid of an oil leak before I'd spend two minutes polishing chrome.

Wouldn't this qualify in the Harley Davidson book as "perpetual motion".

Everyone wants to date a whore, and marry a virgin.

I'm not interested in [SIZE=14pt]marrying[/SIZE] the virgin.

Ride it like you stole it, take care of it like you will never own another..

Priceless!

 

[FlyingLow]

A word to the wise among the "I don't wash it, I ride it" crowd: You might consider at least washing the lower fork tubes. If you value your fork seals.