Start a new adventure with this article: I became the owner of a roaring one BMW R 1150 R the 2003, una di quelle moto che rientrano oggi tra le cosiddette “youngtimer“, one of those bikes that I told myself I would buy when I was old. Dunque… eccoci qui. I am the third owner and yes, I am the third owner and yes.
What is a youngtimer?
This term has been in vogue lately, but it is only a practical way to define something that was already there and was done before, or anticipating vintage collecting. Whether we are talking about cars or motorcycles, le cosiddette “youngtimer” non sono altro che models straddling the 20 e i 30 years of production (in the case of cars too 40) for which it is expected in the future they will be able to collect at least a fair historical interest. But not only: their charm is due to the fact that they are very up-to-date and beautiful to drive even today like (e più) of a new model. The term, che letteralmente sta per “giovanotte”, it has a double value because it is well suited to both the vehicle and its owner. And I'm not just talking about chronological age, in this case, but how he aspires to feel. Those who buy a youngtimer are usually those who admired it at the time of its launch, he dreamed of it, but he couldn't afford it because he was too young and penniless. Being able to squeeze the handlebars today means take a little revenge on time and things and come back young.
The advantages of buying a motorcycle (a car) twenties are both the pleasure of driving, come detto, both cheap. It sounds quite strange to talk about investment when referring to the purchase of a motorcycle, but buying a good youngtimer at the right price can even prove to be so in that a 18-20 years is found at the lowest market value. Past the threshold of 20 years, if the model is of historical interest and the specimen is kept in an impeccable way, it can acquire value.
Because the BMW R 1150 R?
I didn't buy the BMW R 1150 R much from an investment perspective, how much for the desire to use it. Undoubted, however,, that it was his lowering of prices that attracted me. The requests at this time are quite varied, but let's say that on average who sells asks between 3 e i 4 thousand euros for a specimen in excellent condition. A figure entirely justifiable by the qualities of this Roadster. For many it is the last true BMW, but perhaps even more are those who say this about the model before, the 1100, e ancora di più quelli che lo dicono del R100 e così via… Sta di fatto che the 1150 is a boxer still very current and tasty as never before. It is not a power phenomenon (85 CV) but has 14 kgm of torque well distributed and is an ideal companion for traveling. He mumbles and pushes with a little gas.
I have never owned a boxer before and I thought it was time to have one. I would have liked to have put something more classic and period at home, a nice R100 to tell the truth, an RS maybe. Ma le quotazioni già importanti e l’intenzione di usare la moto “tutti i giorni” come una moto moderna e per fare turismo senza limitazioni mi ha portato a considerare le comodità offerte dalla 1150 R, undoubtedly one of the most comfortable bikes I've ever ridden. Ha le prestazioni che mi servono ed è ancora abbastanza “analog“: with the exception of injection there is no electronics, not even the clock is digital but with hands! Here the instrumentation is another of its strong points: I didn't want to display. Odio i display. I spend my days in front of a computer or smartphone screen and when I'm on my bike I want to enjoy the road, don't hear me in a video game. I know that sooner or later I will have to capitulate.
How come you didn't buy a Guzzi?
It will seem strange to some, but this is one of the first questions I was asked following the purchase of the R 1150 R and I can understand it. With the exception of Motocicl-ista I am not a -ista of any kind and never will be. Non sarò quindi un “biemwuista” come non sono stato un “ktmista”, un “kawasakista” o un “hondista” in passato. Having said that, I am fascinated by some brands more than others for their history and the values that characterize them as well as for the characteristics of their models and among these there are both BMW and Moto Guzzi as well as Triumph.. I have never made any secret of my sympathy for the V-twin of the Mandello company, especially lately that I participate in the Fast Endurance Trophy. It must be recognized, however,, che i modelli validi specie nel periodo “youngtimer” non sono molti. Equal budget, the market did not offer a Moto Guzzi with the same characteristics as this BMW R. 1150 R. La sua “antagonista” era la Breva 1100, nata a dire il vero qualche anno dopo e che ora si trova a quotazioni superiori perché più recente e per un effetto “100 anni Moto Guzzi” che porta molti proprietari a chiedere più del dovuto. However, some features of the Breva didn't make me want it as much as the R. 1150 R. An alternative could be the Griso 1100, bike that I have always found beautiful. Anche in questo caso le richieste sono un po’ elevate, also because not many have been built, unlike the BMW, which today is still in abundance on the second-hand market.
How come I waited so long?
Ho lasciato passare un bel po’ di tempo dalla vendita della KTM 990 Adventure before going back to buying my own bike. The reasons I can give are various, but in essence they can all be traced back to a moment of change in my life with relative crises and indecisions.
Ora, I don't want to drag it out for long, because the last two years have at least been special for everyone. We had to deal with problems whose existence we were unaware of and events that we had not foreseen. Add to this that in the meantime I have crossed the famous threshold of 40 years and that, per giunta, I became a dad. Well, shake everything and you will get a beautiful and good midlife crisis that led me to question my own tastes and my choices. I'm not just talking about motorcycles, but motorcycles have always been an important component of my life to this day and for many months I wondered what I should do with this component, how to behave with a passion that in some moments, I confess, I felt faint.
As I have already had occasion to say, the 990 Adventure was a great bike, one of those models that I wanted to own once in my life and I did it. I had it, it was mine, and I enjoyed it. Then at some point the joy of driving it was no longer the same, I noticed more its defects and limitations than its merits. It had already happened in the past with other bikes, it will probably happen in the future as well, I can recognize the symptoms. E così, Rationally, I realized it was time to sell it. As always, it was a difficult decision because it would be nice to be able to keep and maintain the bikes you wanted, but at least in my case it is not possible. Also, with the bikes being tested and everything else, I wouldn't even have the time to enjoy them!
For a while', therefore, I was left without a bike. I focused on the bikes I had to ride for work. A convenient location, no doubt about it. After a while', however,, the desire to have your own bike returns, a fetish to play with, to experiment. And then I wanted an old bike, that it cost little but was still worth a lot on the road also to be able to tell how you can get started with little and what it means to choose an old used one. To put it as they say now, a youngtimer in short.
