does this make me a Bad Person?

[Steve Northrop]

I hope your wife is paying attention to how you're treating a dear and 
trusted friend at the first signs of high mileage. Trust and reliability 
mean nothing after giving you the best years of their life. I see how you 
are. She needs a little "paint and body work"  and right away you're ready 
to trade her in. I've never met your wife but I think she deserves better. 
Shame on you Mr. Sims.

Steve in Western NY
'96 GPZ1100
'02 Daytona 955i
"You Can't Fix Stupid", Ron White

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Sims" <bob.sims at us.army.mil>
To: <gpzlist at micapeak.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 5:08 PM
Subject: does this make me a Bad Person?


> All,
>
> As some may recall, my GPZ is now in my garage, stripped of all bodywork,
> awaiting my winter maintenance plans.  Mainly, I wanted to get the 
> well-worn
> fairing repaired and repainted, the front forks rebuilt, a 
> new-and-improved
> horn, and a few corroded metal parts refinished (powder coated or 
> anodized).
> This is Phase II of my restoration.  I completed Phase I at the end of 
> last
> summer by rebuilding the brakes and replacing some of the critical 
> ignition
> components.
>
> However, as I look at the costs involved, both in money and time, I 
> realize
> I could easily spend more than half the current value of the bike on this
> modest refurbishment alone.  The paint and fork renewal is especially
> expensive.  I'm starting to think that the money I'm planning for my 
> winter
> maintenance projects could perhaps be better spent towards the cost of a 
> new
> motorcycle.  Am I a Bad Person for having these thoughts?
>
> My GPZ is still quite reliable, but it is high mileage and showing its age
> from being rode hard and put up wet far too many times.  If Kawasaki made 
> a
> '07 GPZ1100E, I'd probably go out and buy one.  But as it is, it seems 
> that
> every maintenance chore (and there are a lot with this many all-weather
> miles) becomes an expensive, frustrating, and time-consuming ordeal.  Of
> course, the GPZ has never been a purely rational or economic choice for 
> me,
> but man, it sure is getting harder and harder to justify.
>
> Are there good reasons why I should continue to pour money and time (the
> latter increasingly more valuable than the former) into a scarce, 10+ year
> old, out-of-production, high mileage GPZ, as opposed to saving for 
> something
> new and sexy in the near future?
>
> Bob
> www.twowheelsburning.com
>
> "I've looked on many women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart
> many times. God knows I will do this and forgives me."
> --Jimmy Carter