In need of some KR advice

[jp1]

Basically, I am at a crossroads..

As said in the other thread, the Katana is in need of repair. (cliffnote: oil plug fell out, now higher the RPMs, faster the tapping).

I don't know what I should do.

I don't have the money to get it "fixed" right now (new house and 3 month old makes $ tight for now), but how much can I realistically sell it for? Body is a little rough on lower fairings where it was dropped by the previous owner a couple of times, but other than that, ok, frame's good, rear tire, chain, and sprockets all have under 200 miles on them. Is there even a market for this as is?

I guess my options are: I could sell it now as is, and then buy another bike down the road, or I could garage it and do the swap when I can afford it?

What do you guys/gals think?

[Dan Dubeau]

Just a suggestion, but you might try



he might be interested, ya never know.

[SweetLou]

Keep it. Oil plugs are cheap. Tapping is prolly valves needing to be adjusted, which is something you can do yourself with the help of a Manual.

Besides, what would you rather do on a stressed out day. Go for a cruise and feel the wind and openess all around you, or stay stuck in your house????

[BobKat2002]

Facing the facts

Sounds to me JP, like your mind is already made up. It appears that you just need a little bit of support.

Selling the bike at this time in your life, is kinda like letting go of the last strands of your youth. New baby and all the responsibilities that go along with that sure do "Keep it real" don't they.

I sold my last bike at a cross roads too. Just before I got married, bought a house , had kids....
...said I'd get one down the road too.
And I did...
Thirteen years down the road.
From age 29-42, no bike. Thems prime riding years.

Now that I've been riding again for a couple of years or so, I miss the years I was without a bike, even more than before.

I voted, Sell it, 'cause I think thats what you want.
Really think about it before you do.
You never know how far "down the road" might be.

[paperairplane]

I have a 65 Pontiac Tempest sitting in front of my house that I have neither time nor money to restore right now. I look at it every day and get frustrated.

But I don't 'have' to sell it right now. So I am going to hold onto it and see what happens.

If you can afford to keep your bike, and the SO has your back, I would keep it. You aren't going to get much for it the way you talk it up.

What's better, a few grand in the bank that you will blow on groceries and gas or a bike that you are working on?

Big decision.... think about the real reasons you are thinking about it. Make a pro/con list.

Most of the times I have seen this, the guy ends up buying a newer / more expensive bike than the one they 'had' to sell.

[The CyberPoet]

You have to know what's right for you:

- Whether the risks you take on the bike are too large to jeapardize your child's future without-a-daddy;
- Whether the bills are too tight to pay for the maintenance, repairs, insurance and so-forth on the bike;
- Whether the bike's economical use of fuel can offset some of those other costs, while leaving your other half with a car (or perhaps you're already a two-car family);
- Whether you're at a stage in your life that you want to ride, but are too pressed for time and $$ to get the chance often enough to justify it.
- Whether it's you who wants it gone, or if it's actually the wife pressuring you to give it up (for a wide variety of justifications in her mind, the biggest probably unspoken -- she's trapped at home and wants the company for the sake of her sanity -- and riding takes you away from her)...

Now, having said all that, there are a few other questions you should ask yourself:

(A) Do you have the mechanical skills to repair the bike, even if it will take quite some time? Can you ride it the way it is (or with minimal repairs) -- and is it vanity that requires you to have it pretty and perfect?

(B) Do you have a good storage spot that you could winterize your bike for a year or two without too much fuss, and then get it back out and fix it up?

(C) Would the cash the bike nets you really make much of a difference in the bigger picture? If so, would you get more if you parted it out instead of selling it whole?

Maybe the right answer is to say I'll make it a project... I'll winterize it, park it off, and slowly collect pieces for it on eBay, and when mid-winter comes and times are boring, I'll dig into it heavily, so come next spring, I'll have a good ride.

Or maybe the answer is "I really need to sell it."

You make the call. I'll support you whatever you pick. But examine the reasons very closely, so you know exactly why you made your call... And don't let it become a point of contention for your relationship if that's the case (store it off and dig it out later when she's not baby-laden all day).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[tdrcomm]

jp1:

When I got married I owned a 1970 Dodge Challenger 440-six pack. I ended up selling it in order to buy a more practical car for a young married couple.

I nearly puked when I saw the Jackson/Barrett auctions this year.

Keep the bike.

[Blacktog]

keep the bike!!

[jp1]

holy long posts batman!

well, I took CP's post, pasted it into Word, and answered the questions. This is what I came up with:

-I do not feel that I do anything squidly enough to leave my baby father-less. My riding as of late has only been to and from work, about 24mi roundtrip, mostly rural twisty, go a little fast, nothing crazy. I will expose one thing though: I have always had a fear in the back of my mind of "the other guy/cage", and my wife has expressed recently that being a large fear of hers also. She's back to work full-time, so luckily she's not cabin-fevered and tired of talking baby-talk all day, but her concern does weigh.
-The cost of the repair is out of the question for right now. We're paying out cash for the final little "this-and-that's" on the house among other things, so $$ too tight. Going from $7/week for gas to $40/week driving my truck hurts pretty bad also.
-After reading threads here and elsewhere, I feel that I can do the actual swap myself, but I would feel better if someone else/a shop did any fine tuning adjustments afterward. The bike would stay at our house in the garage the whole time, so it would be in the way occasionally, but it would be very convenient to get to if/when I would decide to work on it.

In the end, I do not think that selling it now would net enough $$ to make the trouble of selling it worth it. I enjoy riding my Kat. Like Lou said, the ride home after work is very calming, (and I can crank it up a notch on the days that I wanna play a little) As of right now, I think I will just stay on the course of keeping it. If down the road (this fall/winter) it looks as if the repair will not take place, or if after I get it fixed I decide to move it anyway, you guys will be the first to know.

Thank you all very much for your help/advice. It made me do some really deep thinking on everything. Things like this show the true integrity/bond of KR.

cliffnotes: waffled, but most likely going to keep it, big love to KR.

[trinc]

this is where boys become men. imo

#1 your wife needs to be home with your baby. period.
( or #1.5 you stay home )

if you can't afford the new house & bike and live on one income then sell them and move into an apartment. Your primary goal is well being of your kids.

i have 2 kids ( 5&3 ) & my wife hasn't worked in 6 yrs. do we sacrifice, yes. I would sell everything i own to give them a good start in life. I can usually tell, in very short order, what kids are 'day care' babies & which are not. Everyone will tell you how fast they grow up - i see it already. the foundation you build with them in their early years will pay big dividends when they get into their teens & beyond.
i could write a book with all i've learned in a few short years - but there are many out there if you take the time to read.

we are all different people & make our own choices but take a step back and look at whats REALLY important.

tim

[jp1]

She has 2 bachelors degrees, and is getting her masters in January, and has the best opportunity/chance for making the "comfortable enough" salary... you never know, if having her mom/grandma/aunt babysit doesn't work out, we may resort to option 1.5 over $200/wk daycare

[trinc]

She has 2 bachelors degrees, and is getting her masters in January, and has the best opportunity/chance for making the "comfortable enough" salary... you never know, if having her mom/grandma/aunt babysit doesn't work out, we may resort to option 1.5 over $200/wk daycare

'babysitting' is a great way for family to bond & help keep mom & dad sane. raising kids is a very difficult task. i often catch myself taking the easy way out ( letting them get there way ) cause i'm too tired.
but i will find a way to talk about big picture issues.

daycare - $200 wk is cheap. i'd say if your not making TWICE that NET your stepping backwards. ( we send our kids to private pre-school. my son @ 3yrs old went 2 day/week, @ 4yrs old 3 day/week and @ 5 yrs old went 5 days/week for 4 hrs a day - my daughter is following the same schedual ( they are oct/nov babies so kindergarden will start when they are 6 ) - this is a small PRIVATE school that was founded by teachers - they are very good at teaching through play and building social skills )
the two year waiting list tells you how good the school is.
You don't even want to know what that costs us. but like i said, i'll sacrifice for my kids. )

a big point is that we have our kids for an average of 18 yrs, but by the time their 8-10 they are already starting to push away - the influences around them ( friend, society ) will be stronger & stronger. you must have built a solid bond that THEY cherish - this will become their inner voice.

imo spending a couple hours a day doesn't cut it.

tim

[WildKat]

As long as its not breaking the bank for you to let it sit in ur garage..Keep it. Its alot less expensive to repair it over time, little by little, then to not have a bike at all, and then have to go out and drop a boatload of cash on a new or new to you bike when you have one that can be made rideable for alot less.

[Skydvr]

Looks like everything has already been covered, I voted for keeping/repairing it.

[katman05]

When my kids were born I sold my 67 Chevelle and my 86 VFR, even now, I wished that I would have kept em.