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I know that normally, garage is for cars and bikes. But given the choice of having a "one car garage" versus a "six bike garage", tell me which one would you pick?

And so, six bike garage it is!

I currently own five bikes:

  • 1999 Aprilia RSV-1000 Mille
  • 2002 BMW R1150 GS Adventure
  • 1999 ATK 260LQ
  • 1998 KTM 400 R/XCe
  • 1999 Suzuki SV650

My wife's current bike is:

  • 2000 Ducati Monster 900

In the past, between my wife and I, we also had:

  • 1994 BMW K75
  • 19?? Suzuki Katana 600
  • 1991 Honda CB-1
  • 19?? Honda ???250

I ride all of the bikes that I own, and with the exception of race-only SV650, always keep them registered and insured. Each bike has its purpose. Some are relatively universal and some are specialized to fit a particular type of riding.

The most specialized of the bunch is most definitely the ATK. It is a two-stroke 250cc trail bike that weighs a mere 230lbs and is best suited for riding in the New England woods. I take it on Turkey Runs and hope to enter a few Enduro races. Despite the fact that it is registered for the street, it is certainly not a street bike. The gearing is too short for the open road and it gets blown around at speed because of its feather-light weight and its aggressive knobby tires.

At the opposite end of the spectrum it the most universal bike in my collection - the BMW. It can be ridden at a spirited pace through windy back-country roads, keeping right along with riders on sport bikes - and them passing them with ease as the road gets tighter. It can eat double its body weight of highway miles per day, it feels right at home on a dirt or gravel road, and will not shy away from a jeep trail or even an occasional single-track. It is certainly too heavy to be ridden fast in the woods, but it can pass through some nasty trail with the right set of mind, attitude and skill.

To read more about each of my bikes and the adventures I had on them, you can check out the links on the left.

--Ilya