Owning three bikes is a luxury, I know that despite the N+1 formula bikers always roll out when discussing the optimum number of bikes they should own. Maybe I should sell one? The one I don’t use very often perhaps?
These questions have been floating around for a while, but they are difficult to answer. The one I don’t use often is easy, it’s my GSXR750Y, which I bought new in March 2000, its only covered 49,000km in those 21 years and has moved from only bike to second bike and now third s bike tatus. In the last few years, it has done around 1000km per year, not much really.
Should I sell it then?
This question is much harder to answer especially after a day out, riding in Costa Blanca.
It’s warm in July, so an early start was in order to allow a good ride and avoid the mid-day sun. Wheeling the GSXR out of the garage at 6 am, I got the familiar buzz, in my opinion, it is one of the best looking late 90’s or early 00’s sports bikes and one of the best colour schemes of any bike.
Turning the key had the rev counter moving through a test sweep and the fuel pump buzz into life, next the fast idle lever, is set and the starter pressed and the 750cc four-cylinder power plant roars into life, I have the standard exhaust now, but it is still loud in the early morning stillness.
After a couple of minutes the temp gauge reaches the magical 50 degrees, the fast idle is turned off and we are ready to go. Pulling out of the drive I have to quickly recalibrate my brain and my legs to fit on the high pegs.
After a brisk ride out of the valley and down the coast, I stopped near Altea to take some pictures and enjoy the view as the sun started to emerge.
Then off again and down the coast further towards San Juan, before turning inland on the CV800 towards Jijona and eventually Venta Teresa, a favourite haunt for bikers in the area because of the superb stretch of road it is on.
Apart from the first section out of the valley, most of the roads so far are well surfaced with sweeping corners, great for a sports bike but not for your license. The GSXR takes roads like this in its stride and is a joy to ride.
After a coffee and cake, I headed further up the hill along the CV800, stopping to take photos of the clouds cascading over the hilltop, you only see this early in the day as the sun tends to burn off the mist. Great views and a great ride so far.
Down towards Alcoy with a little jump over the railway bridge on the way and then onto the CV70, one of my personal favourites in the area. The CV70 is a rollercoaster of a road that takes you from Alcoy to Benidorm on the coast, mostly following the edge of the valleys with a good combination of twists and turns as well as some fast sweeping corners. After a brief encounter with some other bikers, quickly dispatched, it was on to Guadalest and then left onto the CV755 to Callosa d’en Seria.
There are some great views along this section looking down the valley, but you have to watch for car drivers cutting the corners on blind bends, it happens everywhere, unfortunately.
After Callosa it was onto the CV715 over Col de Rates and back into the Jalon valley and home, a great ride, on a superb bike that hides its age well.
The GSXR doesn’t have ABS, Traction Control, Quick Shifter, Auto-blipper, Electronic Suspension, Gear Position Indicator, a TFT display, a fuel gauge or any of the toys found on modern bikes, it is fuel injected. What it does have is the ability to put a huge grin on my face whenever I ride it, which is all that counts in my book. After 21 years of ownership, it still makes me smile, it is the best looking of my three bikes and probably the one I would sell last, just by that one fact alone. Do I ride it much, no because it also now gives me sore ankles, wrists, shoulders and neck and I have to have a couple of hours rest after a long ride, but its worth every minute and I’m not 29 anymore?
