Adding a Third Motorcycle to the Garage

So I’m pretty close to pulling the trigger and adding a third motorcycle to the garage. I know. I know. I’ve already got two bikes sitting in the garage and somehow I’ve talked myself into needing another one. But stick with me here because the road that got me to this point is a long one. Grab a coffee. Maybe hit the bathroom first.

How I Ended Up With Two Bikes in the First Place

I got back into riding around 2020. I’d taken a long break when the kids came along because it just didn’t feel like the right call at the time. But eventually I figured life’s too short and got back at it. Started with a 2018 Honda CB650F. Loved that bike. Ended up trading it in on my Yamaha MT-09 because used motorcycle prices had gone completely sideways and I basically got out of the CB what I put into it. Hard to pass that up.

Then I made a rookie mistake wrenching on the MT-09. I was trying to save myself about a hundred bucks pulling the wheels off to get new tires mounted and balanced. Pulled the threads out of the rear brake caliper in the process. Turned into a months-long wait on a backordered part from Yamaha, right in the middle of when everything was backordered and nobody could get anything.

So while I was waiting, I picked up a Kawasaki Ninja 400. And honestly? That thing is an awesome little bike. I still have it. I actually ride it more than the MT-09 these days because most of my rides are shorter and the Ninja is just easier to grab and go when time is tight.

The Commuting Problem That Started All of This

Here’s where adding a third motorcycle actually starts to make some sense. Or at least it did in my head.

A few days a week I was commuting to the office on a motorcycle. The back roads out to where I work are fantastic, so that part was great. The problem was everything that came with it. Change of clothes because you can’t sit in the office in gear all day. An extra pair of shoes because nobody wants to walk around in motorcycle boots for eight hours. Lunch packed because you can’t exactly swing through a drive-through on a weekday commute schedule. Coffee situation to figure out. It turned into this whole production every single time.

I was packing my backpack like it was a game of Tetris. Layered just right, everything at the correct angle, or the zipper wouldn’t close. And if I got it wrong, I was starting over.

So I started thinking a sport tourer would solve all of this.

The Sport Tourer Search (and Why It Didn’t Pan Out)

My father-in-law had a Gold Wing sitting in the garage and told me to take it out. So I did. And look, the bike was comfortable, well-balanced, smooth. But it felt like riding a ocean liner compared to the MT-09 and the Ninja. Just too much bike for what I wanted.

That got me looking at the Yamaha FJR1300. Everyone I’ve talked to who owns one speaks highly of it. One came up for sale near me at a reasonable price and I was seriously considering it. Didn’t buy it, and I’m glad I didn’t because about a week later the transmission went in my car and turned into a massive expense. So the FJR money became a Toyota RAV4. Life.

Why the FJR Is Still on My Mind

Even after all that, the sport tourer idea never fully went away. The problem is the market is rough. The FJR1300s that are priced right tend to have a lot of miles and wear. The ones in good shape are priced like they know it. I kept landing on one extreme or the other and couldn’t find that middle ground at a fair price.

The Adventure Bike Detour

Since I was hitting walls in the sport touring market, I started looking at adventure bikes. Something like a Suzuki V-Strom or a Kawasaki Versys with saddle bags and a top case. Similar utility, a little smaller, and the bonus of being able to actually explore some of the dirt roads I’ve been turning around on with the MT-09 and the Ninja.

I’ve got to admit, I talked myself into this one pretty hard. The idea of some moto camping, some light off-roading, checking out trails up in Berks County – that all sounded really good. But then I started running into the same problem. The affordable ones were old enough that deferred maintenance became a real concern. My budget was under five grand all in, so I wasn’t expecting perfect, but I couldn’t get a comfortable feeling about a lot of what I was finding.

And then I stepped back and looked at it honestly. I already have a standard and a sport bike that cover about 99% of what I actually ride. Adding a third motorcycle just to handle that small percentage of rides where I need to haul gear to work felt like a lot of money to solve a pretty small problem.

Why I Landed on a Vintage Honda CB

Here’s the thing. When someone says the word “motorcycle” to me and tells me to close my eyes and picture one, I see a late-70s or early-80s Honda CB. That’s just what a motorcycle looks like in my head. Always has been.

I’ve been wanting to get into wrenching on my own bikes for a while now, but my only experience was that disaster on the MT-09. A carbureted vintage bike with simple mechanicals is a much better place to learn. No ECU, no fuel injection, no sensors to confuse the situation. You figure out how it works, you fix it, you learn. And then maybe you feel confident enough to tackle work on the modern stuff.

One Bonus: My Dad Might Have the Bike

I texted my dad and laid out the whole plan. He’s got a few old bikes sitting in a storage shed including a 1976 Honda CB750F that he and I were actually going to get running about 25 years ago. We hit some snags, it went on the back burner, and it stayed there. The idea of picking that project back up now is honestly pretty appealing. It’s almost like finishing something we started.

If one of his bikes is serviceable, that takes the purchase price off the table and puts that money toward parts and tools instead. I’d probably grab a motorcycle lift – likely a Harbor Freight model – and get to work.

If none of his bikes pan out, I’m still going this direction. I’ve made up my mind. Adding a third motorcycle is happening and it’s going to be a vintage Honda CB from the late 70s or early 80s.

The One That Got Away

About a year ago I came across a 1983 Honda CB1100F on Facebook Marketplace out of Phoenixville. Great looking bike. I sat on it for too long and it sold before I could reach out. Then my dad mentioned that Honda only made that model for one year and there’s some real history behind it. I’ve been kicking myself ever since.

There’s actually one listed in New Jersey right now for around $5,200. Not sure I want to stretch the budget that far. And my dream bike – an old Honda CBX – has one sitting on Marketplace near me for $24,000 in beautiful shape. That’s just not happening right now.

What This Means for the Channel

If this all comes together the way I’m hoping, especially if I can get my dad involved and work off one of his bikes, this has the makings of a real rebuild series. I think that could be a lot of fun to document. Something a little different from the usual moto vlog format.

Nothing is locked in yet. There are still a lot of moving pieces. But the direction is set. I’ll keep you posted the moment things start moving.

In the meantime, drop a comment and tell me what your dream motorcycle is. The one you’ve always wanted but haven’t been able to make happen yet. Or maybe you did make it happen. Either way, I want to hear about it.

Ride With Me

If you want to follow along as this whole third bike situation unfolds, here’s how to stay in the loop.

Subscribe to the WaltInPA YouTube channel so you don’t miss the rebuild series when it gets rolling.

Share this post with a friend who rides. Especially if they’ve got a two-bike garage and a dangerous amount of free time on Marketplace.

And come hang out on the WaltInPA Discord. Good people, good conversations about bikes.