Are you the king of bling?
Or the queen of sheen?
You have just purchased a brand new motorbike.
You probably sold your soul, and some of your kids for scientific experiments, to buy it.
Many of us then go on to spend thousands of dollars on bling and bike mods.
So you have to sell the rest of the kids off too.
Do we really need to do this stuff?
Here are some examples.
The very first thing you must do is invest $1000 in setting up your suspension.
It will transform your riding!
Ditch those dangerous stock tyres immediately,
you will ride much faster and safer on these Wang Chang tyres!
These mods will turn you into pro rider,
give you firmer longer lasting erections for your camping tent, and attract the opposite sex.
And a good chunk of the same sex too.
Sure, in some cases there are bike mods and bling that will make a substantial difference.
But so often we are victims of clever marketing.
There is only marginal to zero gain for lots of dollars.
The truth is that usually about 80% of performance and safety
comes from actually learning to ride better.
And only 20% is based on our bike and what we do to it.
But we consumers are hoodwinked into believing the hype.
And so guys go onto social media and say this product will transform your bike!
Maybe in some cases it will.
But this usually triggers my bullshit radar.
Psychologists love studying this stuff.
Learning to ride better takes time and effort.
Buying bling is easier and instant, so I choose to believe this will improve things instead.
I have spent so much money on bling I don't want to admit it made no difference,
so I choose to believe it has.
Go with the crowd.
If everyone else says this anodised billet alloy gas cap made their bike faster,
it must be true, right?
In a similar vein, there is anchoring bias.
You are likely to stick with the information you learned
as a beginner and not listen to other points of view later.
So if everyone tells you bike mods and bling are critical when you first start riding,
you are unlikely to change your mind later.
This is why I think it's important to think critically and not just blindly run with the crowd
and keep spending money on stuff we probably don't need.
There are plenty of people getting into our sport for the first time, and often they are
hit with a barrage of wellmeaning advice to buy a shit load of stuff they may not need.
Also, even experienced riders are often sucked into this consumerist vortex
and start believing they'll only be happy if they have those anodized titanium hand levers.
If you are rich, fine. But many are already in debt and don't need to make it worse.
Now before this all sounds too negative, yes it's fun putting bling on a bike!
If you are are wealthy, why not have fun doing this?
Yes it's nice to customise your bike a little and make it different to others.
And projects are fun, we have done this with our massive DR650 series.
But here are a few suggestions.
Just ride your bike stock for a while.
You may realise it's fine as is.
Do your research.
Check out all the bike mods and bling but do your footwork and see if it will be worth the cost.
Be sceptical.
So many guys rave about bike mods and bling that often makes very little difference.
Be very wary when they say things like 'must-have accessory'. This will transform your bike.
You will never go back once you use this. In my experience they probably have no idea and
have just fallen for the marketing hype. Get some training. Often you'll be far better off putting
that cash into learning how to ride better. Cheaper options? Sometimes the cheaper product is
just as good as the expensive one. Do-it-yourself. I love seeing guys make their own windscreens.
Designing and making their own custom seats. A final thought. Check out this guy we ran into
in Borneo. Beaten up old scooter. It's probably 30 years old. Done a gazillion miles. Isn't this
what motorbike riding is all about? A huge grin on your face? Making do with what you have? Not
falling into that trap... I'll only be happy when I get a better bike. Or that anodized butt plug?
Hear endeth the rant. This is all just an opinion of course, and I'm keen to hear
yours. Are you a king of bling? Queen of sheen? Or a wiser miser? Let us know in the comments.