Ok, to cut a long story short, I think I'm having a midlife Scoob or Bike crisis here :eek: - and I'm a meare 28!

I love my Scoob, STI-V, blah blah, spent £000s on it to get it where I want, still 'need' more, love it to bits, it's my perfect car.....BUT my heart has always been in bikes, always, I am a better rider than I am a car driver (Fact), I feel more at home riding a bike quick than I do with the Scoob......Sometimes I dont find the car 'quick' enough? - Does that make any sense, I mean its got 320bhp (with all my mods - proven), but sometimes its like "Yeah it's quite quick etc etc'

Prob is this, the Scoob as we all know is costing a fortune, I wont stop till I have a reliable 400bhp I know it, so that is in turn gonna cost mega bucks, I dont drive it everyday so it is still an 'Expensive Toy'.....

I've always had bikes, GSXR600's, RC30 (Love that bike Still), CBR6's, RGV's etc etc, I've done hundreds of trackdays, Instructed on trackdays, Raced for 3 seasons, lost good friends to all of the above, this is the longest i've been without a bike of any sort 14 months, I miss the rush only a bike can give.

Another prob is that I cannot afford to run the Scoob & Bike.

1) Do I keep the Scooby - Spent more mega bucks?

2) Do I Sell the Scoob (Painful), use the funds on say a new 03 CB6 c/w HRC Kit ;) and go back to trackdays?

aaaarghhhh :(

Although I have been trained to ride and drive fast, and I have driven my fair shair of exotic cars, I am only really happy when I am on the bike.

I hear where you are coming from, but to me the car is a tin box that gets me from A to B when its wet, cold, I need to wear a suit or for transporting the family around, I'm only really happy when I am on the bike, which is probably why the car does about 5K a year compared with 65K a year on the bike.

Whilst I will take the car if I need to, with the bike I actually look for a reason to go out and it doesn't take much to give me an excuse, I think once biking is in your blood you never get rid of that love, where to me the car is a convenience which is why I keep my cars for 13 + years at a time and the bike is replaced new every 2 - 3 years. Go with your heart is probably the best advice I can give you.

buy an old bike to do trackdays on.

no need for MOT, insurance, tax etc. get a cosmetically damaged bike and use it on the track.

I am by no means loaded,very far from it,but I manage to keep my Scoob and my R6,if 1 had to go it would be the scoob,but I would try everything to keep both if it come to it.They are both expensive toys as they both only get weekend action,but its nice having the choice if its Pi@@ing Down.

I wish I could afford the Scoob and say a nice spanky new bike or maybe another old relic like the RC30, but its too impractical on costs.......<sigh>

Am sorely tempted to sell the Scoob now, i've had my fun in it, enjoyed it for what it is and get my a55 down to the local bike shop and order the new CBR for March :)

TB,

I did the same as you this summer. Sold my MY01 Scoob which I loved and spent several thousand modding. I thought I'd be heartbroken, but I have always been more into bikes. I got a great deal on an MY03 Ducati 748 and haven't looked back.

I also bought an old VW camper for when it's really horrible and transporting stuff.

What you didn't say is if your scoob is your only form of transport and what sort of lifestyle you have. If you have another car then for me it would be a no brainer. The scoob costs so much more to run and isn't ultimately that exciting. The bike however gets me going every time. For me the scoob wasn't extreme enough and felt like a compromise. My other option would have been to buy a Caterham, but that would have been about as practical as a bike anyway....

On another note, I'm about to buy a minimoto and start racing to get my fix. I'm looking to the day when family pressures means the Duke must go and minimoto seems to be the cheapest way of doing this. Just another thought.

Best of luck with whatever you do. Cheers,

Simon

I'd sell my scoob...but i'd never sell my supermoto, not fussed about the CBR6 that I just use it to commute/pop to the shops and odd blast.

I actully hate riding on the road, give me a nice track anytime, so sell the scoob, by a new CBR....<but call Honda first and tell them you want it for racing;)>

andyjd CBR6, Husky NOX

I've got a reasonably good car (MY93 WRX) and a reasonably good bike (97 GSXR600) to cover both sides of the coin.

I love my bike, but I'm a better driver than I am rider (fact ;) ) so I don't need the latest tackle.

In your situation, I'd go for a decent bike and cheap fast car.

I had exactly the same conversation with myself about 7 months ago. Money-wise, my costs looked like this when I sold my Scoob, and bought a Polo TDI (sorry!) and a new CBR6.

No need to pay for 45,000 (cambelt) service - save £400ish?
No need to buy a set of tyres for the Scoob - save £600ish
Car insurance - cheaper by £500
Road tax - cheaper by about £80
Fuel bill, just going to work and back - save £850 a year
Depreciation on a VW and a bike - shall we just say rather less than a Scooby!

Even allowing for bike insurance I've saved well over £2,000 this year. So in financial terms there was no question for me that it was the right thing to do.

But we don't just buy cars with our heads do we, we follow our hearts too...this is the first car I've had in 20 years that has been a "normal" car i.e. the first time I've bought a car purely to go from A to B. This was something I thought I'd never do!

I've surprised myself that I really haven't missed it that much. Going to work in the car I get 58mpg, it will do 100mph all day and still do 45mpg. And it's not at all hard to get the back out on a roundabout either :D

But ultimately the car is for travelling, the bike is for fun :D

[Edited by Paul_H - 1/23/2003 11:15:23 PM]

I like most am not loaded I've always thought of enjoy what you've got while you've got it and thought about today not tommorow.... maybe not suitable for most people but I'm still a kid at heart and thats the way I play it.

I like you ride a fare bit better than I drive, and to get a decent amount of horses out of my car that I can use would probably be a waste of time and money coz I cant use it to its best any how. So Instead of throwing 5-10k at my type R I just opted for 276bhp, a GSXR750 and an RSV-R MIlle that I certainly do know how to exploit on a far more regular basis.

Think of it like this... How much will it cost to to get another reliable 80bhp... A lot I imagine, and how much would you really use it... just put the money into your bike and you'll be a lot happier...

80bhp or a mint RC30/45, R7(???), 996Foggy Rep...
or be like a good mate of mine and have all of them.....

and farmers say they are skint....

there is a compramise.

dazza

I was also faced with the same dilemma, I wanted a decent car, and a decent bike, but running 2, insurance, sevicing etc, etc.... it was going to cost me a fortune.

I ended up a few years ago with my current 996, best thing I've ever ridden, I know there are faster bikes, but this feels so planted, and the corner speed etc, the torque. And then I nearly bought an Evo VI, but after weighing it up, I knew it was going to cost me fortune for both, the Duke isn't cheap, by no means, but the Evo would have seen me without track days, or holidays etc, I can't warrant that. So I plumbed for a new CTR, and it's a great car, and it's practical.

If I was really, really stuck for cash I'd have to sell the bike, just for having the practicality, don't get me wrong, I'd hate being without a bike, but I didn't have a car for a while, and going to Sainbury's on a sportsbike isn't fun, you have to go 2-3 times a week, because I couldn't get everything I wanted in one trip. I guess I could sell the CTR and buy a wreck of a car....

At the end of the day YOU want a bike, we all want a bike, ditch the scooby, get something cheaper, and get yourself back on a bike, and on the track.... that's what I did, and I haven't looked back.

Awww, this is EASY.

Sell the 5, and buy a much cheaper early WRX which you could then get up to 400bhp on that one. Use the free'd up money for a bike.


Mike.

Well, I think the choice *is* fairly easy, to be honest. And it's mentioned in an earlier post.

Sell the Scoob to someone who really wants it and buy an older WRX - say a 95 - for probably a little over half the money. Then spend a little money on getting it quicker, maybe a Link, decent brakes and suspension before spending a sensible amount on a bike.

But I'd think twice before getting a new CBR because of the hit you'll take in depreciation and the premium you'll pay because it's a new model. If you want to do trackdays then go for a GSXR 600 instead, perhaps even the 750, because they're far cheaper to buy and (IMO) better bikes to boot. Especially on a track.

The only thing is, if you have alternative (enclosed) transport to the Scoob already then just use that instead. Or buy a cheap 4 wheel snotter that you won't be disappointed in because you don't have any expectations to start with. If you don't need 4 seats then a diesel pickup is a good option because you can get the bike on the back for trackdays but it's not as big as a van. Or a Land Rover. Just make sure it's a diesel or you'll wish you still had the Scoob's fuel consumption...

SB

I sold a MY99 and use a VFR VTEC of all things every day come rain/snow and shine. Best thing I have ever done.
Some days I actually look forward to work as it means riding 70 miles on the bike - sad eh ?

Unlike some I am able to buy what I like (almost bought a new M3 recently) but everytime I see one it looks sooo nice but still gets stuck in traffic. As everyone else has said quick cars and quick for cars but even a moderately fast bike (say 60bhp or more) always feels quick.

Tempted to buy a w/e bike just 'cause as currently doing 1500-2000 miles a month on the VFR and still averaging 43-45mpg !

Get rid of the car, buy some really decent kit (improves your life expectancy) and buy a bike. If you don't like it you can always sell it and buy a car again !! Better to have tried and failed than never have tried in the first place.
If you don't buy a recognised sports bike (might even be quicker in the real world on the roads) then insurance is remarkably cheap even though riding all year round.

And unless someone beats you to it, you could have a look at this. Seems like a decent price?

Ducati 748 (http://www.scoobynet.co.uk/bbs/thread.asp?threadid=167848)


Mike.

Get a bike. Well get a couple in fact. Sort out one for everyday use, and, more importantly, one for pure fun. Surprising how much fun a 55 bhp single can be.

It's true, get good kit that will last (cheap kit is really a false economy), and remember that heated grips are worth their weight in gold.

If you want a car for the odd days you cannot use the bike, get an old crapper. Any car will keep you dry, warm and the radio will inform you of trouble spots.

And it is always nice to see a £100 Ford stuck in the same queue as a £50,000 Merc. A 50 cc bike will get you past the same queue, but it is far nicer to go by on something bigger!

Whatever, enjoy!

Which is most likely to cost you your health/life?
I bet that's upset all of you!

Toerag,

That's a choice we are more than willing to make as the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages!!!!

Matt.