Purchasing my first bike didn’t happen the way I was planning to. And gosh, was I glad that it didn’t.
Okay, okay, I’ll tell you the story further down below.
The thing everyone wants to see/hear
Here’s the mandatory walkaround and startup:
(Click on the picture to start playback, click again to stop it.)
She’s a 2005 Suzuki Bandit GSF650SA. Yes, really, 2005! This beauty was loved well by its previous two owners. Everything you see is how I bought it: with an aftermarket windshield set and a Mivv exhaust system.
At idle the machine produces a lovely raspy breathy baritone rhythm. Not too loud when the throttle is left alone, though when you stand next to it you feel the street resonate.
When revving or riding… I mean: [imagine sportsbike noises] is probably the best way to describe it. I beg you, listen to the video above with headphones or earbuds.
I’ve been on it as a passenger (more on that later) and the ride is really really good. Excellent upright riding position, very forgiving suspension, straight as an arrow, and it seems to cut through curves like a hot knife through butter. I haven’t even ridden it myself yet and I already love it. Ridiculous.
What do you mean, ‘you weren’t planning it this way’?
If you’ve been following my journey for a while, you might know that I was always pretty clear about my intention to get my license first and to then start searching for a second-hand bike to buy. That way, I could make test rides and feel if a machine was right for me.
Of course I had already been keeping a list for months of interesting bikes that were showing up on the second-hand market. You know, to figure out the qualities I was looking for, and sure: simply to drool over (the thought of riding one of) these pieces of art.
It was this list which upended my original intention.
The Bandit I bought was on the list. It was pretty high up, not absolutely at the top, but definitely in the upper five. About a week before my final exam, I was going through the bikes on the list to remove the ones that were sold. I suddenly noticed something: the price of this machine had dropped. It was now €3000!
I texted the friend who got me into motorcycling, and he told me: “We’re going this weekend.”
Conveniently, he lives about halfway between me (West of the country) and the place where the store was (near the border with Germany). So: I went to him by train on Friday evening to crash on the couch.
The next morning we spent hours in trains and a bus to get to the store, where we were greeted by the store’s owner who then rolled the machine outside.
My buddy and I looked at the bike, and then to each other. I think at that moment we already knew. But of course we wanted to be sure. So: he swung his leg over the machine and I took the passenger’s seat, and we were off for a 20-minute test ride. We stopped halfway. By now we were absolutely convinced to go for it.
Back at the store the whole transaction happened in about 20 minutes. I Google Pay’ed the full amount — the most 2025 thing I can think of: hearing ding from your phone and being the proud owner of a motorcycle. Then on the spot the license plate was transferred into my name and I got the bike insured online.
After everything was taken care of, we got the key and my friend rode the bike to his house with me on the passenger seat. The next morning we continued the journey like that to my home.
It was in this last (longer) ride that the feelings truly hit me. ‘Holy shit, I own a motorcycle now. And quite the one’, I remember thinking.
I could only barely contain myself from shedding some happiness tears inside the helmet. After all: riding these machines has been a moving experience for me, so it touched me to be able to call one my own. Or, to put it in different words: I’m not a materialistic person, but these machines are more than purely a thing to me.
After profusely thanking my friend for sacrificing a weekend to ride my purchase home, I waved him goodbye. Five minutes later, I was downstairs recording the video you saw earlier in this post. Because who can leave such a beauty alone, right? 🫶
Why are you happy it went this way?
Well, staring in awe at a pretty machine is a good vibe. No, I’m kidding. (For 90%.)
It’s because I would pass my final exam on the Tuesday after this purchase.
Of course it was always possible that I’d flunk the test, which would’ve meant this machine would be sitting idle for another few months, but… in this case it won’t!
Instead of having to find a bike after passing the final test (near the start of the motorcycling season, which is when prices go up with demand) I could snag a great deal at the end of winter. This enables me to get on the road with this thing immediately after picking up my license.
Sometimes a few weeks make all the difference.
Who knows… perhaps this Suzuki was just meant to be!
