What constitutes a ‘keeper’?

[Lord Danoir the first]

For me a keeper is a bike that "theoretically" you could keep "forever".

That makes most sense to me. It's rare we're literally able to keep a bike indefinitely, so it comes down to whether you would, or would have kept a bike if you could.

It's difficult though...... I'd have loved to have kept the Ducati 900ss I had, but only because it was as close to a 888 as I could get.

[Green_Ninja]

They are all keepers but the timescale varies  (maybe dependant on who you are). For me it's a bike I feel really comfortable on whether it's bimbling about, ragging it around with a group of mates, hammering it on track (been a while) etc etc. For me it's not one specific bike but a genre, the Speed/Street Triples. Have had 2008 Speed 1050, 2103 StreetR 675 and currently Street RS 765 they just suit me.

Of the other bikes I've had the one I kind of regret letting go is the 1985 GPZ900R that I bought for £600 off ebay, it wasn't perfect, wasn't in original colours and when I had finished didn't even have it's original forks and rear wheel (but that actually made it a better bike) but after 3 1/2 years of ownership and enjoyment I got £750 for it. Would be nice to have it in the garage now but it isn't so onwards we go.

[Neio79]

For me a keeper would be a bike that you look at and to you just makes sense. One that you love to look at and to ride . you never get bored of it. To you its perfect regardless of newer models having better this or that.

There will alway be something newer faster, better kit, but no matter how many of those come along your "keeper" surpasses them all in the feeling it gives you looking t it and riding it.

Effectively your "keeper" is your wife but in mechanical form with two wheels.

Some find them earlier in life, some after a few models under their belt, some think they want a better model then go back to the one that had the biggest emotional connection to them.

[Kitb4460]

For me a keeper would be a bike that you look at and to you just makes sense. One that you love to look at and to ride . you never get bored of it. To you its perfect regardless of newer models having better this or that.

There will alway be something newer faster, better kit, but no matter how many of those come along your "keeper" surpasses them all in the feeling it gives you looking t it and riding it.

Effectively your "keeper" is your wife but in mechanical form with two wheels.

Some find them earlier in life, some after a few models under their belt, some think they want a better model then go back to the one that had the biggest emotional connection to them.

Effectively your "keeper" is your wife but in mechanical form with two wheels. 

But i got divorced..

[Neio79]

For me a keeper would be a bike that you look at and to you just makes sense. One that you love to look at and to ride . you never get bored of it. To you its perfect regardless of newer models having better this or that.

There will alway be something newer faster, better kit, but no matter how many of those come along your "keeper" surpasses them all in the feeling it gives you looking t it and riding it.

Effectively your "keeper" is your wife but in mechanical form with two wheels.

Some find them earlier in life, some after a few models under their belt, some think they want a better model then go back to the one that had the biggest emotional connection to them.

Effectively your "keeper" is your wife but in mechanical form with two wheels. 

But i got divorced..

So did I 

[Green_Ninja]

For me a keeper would be a bike that you look at and to you just makes sense. One that you love to look at and to ride . you never get bored of it. To you its perfect regardless of newer models having better this or that.

There will alway be something newer faster, better kit, but no matter how many of those come along your "keeper" surpasses them all in the feeling it gives you looking t it and riding it.

Effectively your "keeper" is your wife but in mechanical form with two wheels.

Some find them earlier in life, some after a few models under their belt, some think they want a better model then go back to the one that had the biggest emotional connection to them.

Effectively your "keeper" is your wife but in mechanical form with two wheels. 

But i got divorced..

So did I 

me too