I love my bike and love just looking at her colours and lines and shape. I also love riding her, fast in the sun and smooth in the wet, etc. ....but I am a bit of a anal bugger (that sounds a bit wrong) and hate scratches / scuffs and stone chips. Sometimes when I look close at my bike and see the dirt right where you cant get it and small chips in the paint, it breaks my heart, but then shes there to be ridden, be a waste of money to just keep her in the garage......what a quandry. I suppose it comes down to, is the joy of riding her, more than the heart ache of seeing the scratches / marks......hmmmm........YES Thanks for that, I think I have answered my own question whilst i have been typing!
No your not alone. I feel the same, what you need to do is buy 2, one to use and one to keep and look at. Stone chips are annoying but can't be helped (apart from venture shield) I think of them as battle scars, got a couple of whoppers going round the mountain on the IOM but they remind me of good times. I bought the bike to use, to enjoy to thrash to have fun on. I also enjoy cleaning it and making sure it's always looking it's best but primarily it's to be ridden which will result in little chips and scratches, so be it.
I lioke my bike being clean, I like cleaning it, and making sure it's been protected from the elements. Yes scratches and marks piss me off but I would rather ride the bike fast and hard on road and track then have a 34 yo bike with 500 miles on it in mint condition. if you get me
Some of the bikes I see when they come in for their MOT, when they have only done 60-100 miles since last. What's the point, it's not like they're anything extra special either.
