If You Had to Pick One Bike and Coffee for Life: A Thought Experiment

With each choice you make, you create your life. Welcome to the Throttle & Roast podcast. I'm your host, Niels Meersschaert. Today's episode, I want to conduct a bit of a thought experiment. Regular listeners how much I love a variety of coffee, and I've documented several trips to independent coffee shops reachable on a single tank of gas on the website throttleandroast. com. But of course, I also love all motorcycles, and I've owned or currently own models from several different categories of bikes. So the exercise that I want to explore today is, what would you pick if you could have only one bike and one kind of coffee for the rest of your life? So let's start with the motorcycle. I want to tackle this question in a few different layers, because it might be hard for one to pick a single bike that you would ride for the rest of your life. But what if we made some of those groupings wider? And to help us, I really want to think about some guiding questions. When you think about what you would choose as a motorcycle that you would use for the rest of your life, you might be considering a few different factors. For example, maybe comfort. If this is my one bike, I might want something that will be comfortable to ride, so I have the choice to go out for a quick one-hour ride or taking a week-long trip. My choice in bike might limit me to some kinds of riding if it isn't comfortable. The other thing we might look at is versatility. Since we only have one bike for the rest of our lives, we probably want something that can work in a variety of different situations. Do I want to canyon carve? Do I want to do touring? Do I want to commute? Do I want to run errands? And the choice of bike might make some of these better while making others worse. So do I give up on some types of riding and focus on one or get something that works in more, but it isn't really ideal in any one of them? The other thing we have to think about is, again, this is for the rest of your life. What about the viability as you age? And to be honest, getting old sucks. most riders aren't young when we look at some of the stats on the average age of riders. And the truth is, we only ever get older. So does the choice of our bike limit our ability to use it as we get older? Can we manage that 900-pound full-dress cruiser at 75 years old? Or do we need something lighter? Can we contort ourselves to fit on a sport bike? And are we really going to be hitting technical off-road trails as we age? And the last factor that I want to look at is interest. And this might reflect a little bit of my own perspective, but I tend to think that variety is the spice of life. And this is why really honing it down to a single motorcycle is actually a really difficult exercise for me personally. Because that means that is the only thing I will have. I don't have any variety. And that's probably why I've owned so many different kinds of bikes over the years. And why I seek out novel places to explore on the bike. But the bike that I would choose for the rest of my life has to be able to keep my interest. And not get into a feeling of sameness which eventually evolves into monotony. So this is, to me, these are really the guiding questions I think when we think of, well, what would you do for a motorcycle for your life? And so let's start with category. Because I think this is probably a little bit easier for anyone to think of, well, if I have to myself to a motorcycle for the rest of my life, what if I'm not limiting it to a specific motorcycle, limiting it to a category of motorcycle? Now I've personally owned cruisers, sport bikes, sport tourers, standards, adventures, and even scooters. So my background gives me a pretty wide swath of experience across these different kinds of bikes. And there's something I've loved about each and every one of these. So I don't think it means that I'm stuck on one or the other. However, if I reflect back on my nearly 30 years of riding, there is one bike category that I've probably owned more of than any other. And that's an adventure bike. My first motorcycle and indeed my first ADV was a 1997 BMW F650GS that I bought in early summer of 1997. And what I've always liked about ADV bikes is their versatility. I used that first F650GS to commute into New York City. And because of the large suspension travel, it pretty much made the potholes endemic in Manhattan a non-event. So, when I think of it from that versatility question, ADV bikes are often referred to as Swiss Army And they can pretty much do anything. They can canyon carve, you can make them great commuter bikes, they can even take you off the beaten And this does give them a ton of versatility. But at the same time, sometimes you might think of this as jack of all trades, master of none. They don't really excel at any one task. They won't be as good off-road as a dual sport or a dedicated dirt They won't carve a canyon as well as a sport But they often are quite similar to a sport tourer. Now, they often don't have the wind protection of a full-dress tourer with a fairing to handle the colder weather or long slogs on a highway either. So, the versatility, while it's there and can do a lot of different things, It's not optimal in any one of them necessarily. So, if we think next about comfort, the upright seating position of an ADV makes these bikes very, very comfortable. There's no hip pain that one gets from, you know, a full forward control cruiser, nor that cramped feeling that you get onto a sport bike or even some of the sport tourers. So, all-day rides are really easily doable on an adventure bike. So, this comfort really does work for us. Now, viability as you age is sort of this third category I want to think of. And this is where I think that versatility and your viability actually start to mirror one another when you think of an adventure bike. First off, I'm tall. I'm 6'4". So, the height of an ADV doesn't really matter to me. I'm generally flat-footing all of these bikes no matter what, and I usually even have a bend in my knee. But pulling a leg over the saddle still takes more effort than a shorter bike. And ADV bikes often sit right in the middle of, they aren't super heavy bikes, but they also aren't super lightweight like a scooter would be. So, they have a lot of versatility or viability, I'll say, from when you get older. lifting that leg up over a taller seat, unless you're really tall, will get harder as you get older. So, this is, I think, one of the things that probably holds it back a little bit. But when you think of that versatility, the reality, too, is as you get older, you're probably not going to carving those canyons quite as hard as you might have when you were younger. So, having it where you don't have the performance capability of a sport bike may not matter. Same thing of, when you're going off-road, are you really going to be doing these heavy-duty technical trails as you're getting into your 60s, 70s, 80s, whatever? Probably not. So, that versatility and the viability, I think, actually start to go hand-in-hand because your envelope shrinks as you get older. You're not going to be doing as quite on the extremes as you might have done when you were younger. And even if we think of touring, you're probably not doing the same thing with touring either. You're not going to be doing those thousand-mile days every single day. It's a lot just mental load and physical load on your body. And so, doing those long swaths of touring might not be what you end up doing as you get So, you have to kind of balance this. And this is, I think, balancing act of what kind of a bike you get does make a difference. And finally, that last one that I want to talk about is interest. That versatility in your ability to do range of riding does keep your interest. And I can do a lot of things I love when I'm on an ADV. and in truth, as we age, we're not doing this at the same levels that we would when we were young. So, that master of none aspect may not matter quite as much. They're good enough in each of them that I think it'll work for most people to have as a variety of a bike. So, this is why, for me, I think if there was one category of bike that I would probably use for the rest of my life, it would more likely be an adventure bike. But that may not be the same answer for you. Now, if we switch to brand as the sort of like next grouping of what kind of a bike would you have for the rest of your life, I think brand is a little bit harder, especially today with so many different brands making some really good bikes. However, in general, I think you have to factor in some of the general target rider for each one. I'm tall, so I often struggle to fit on a lot of bikes. Likewise, a shorter rider would probably have the same issue. Now, I've always loved the sound and the looks of Ducatis, but I've not really been able to fit on any of them except maybe their ADV bikes and even those are, for me, a little bit cramped. And Japanese bikes have also never really been something that was viable for me. I just feel insanely cramped on them no matter big of an adventure bike they are. They just tend to be a bit more cramped for me. And I think this just has to do with where target audience is versus maybe some other brands and who they're catering toward. this does kind of leave a little bit of, if I'm looking at an ADV, I'm probably looking at one of the European brands that tend to target a little bit taller people. And these would be things like Triumph or KTM or BMW. Now, KTM is probably one of the most impressive motorcycle brands that are out there. They're incredibly capable off-road. I mean, their ready-to-race philosophy really does hit home with a lot of this. But their financial stability, as we've talked about in some prior episodes, is maybe not the most stable thing out there. And this does play some concern. And if I'm going to go with a brand that I'm sticking with for the rest of my do I want a brand that their longevity is questionable? This really does make some doubts for me, at least, that KTM would always be around. Now, hopefully, with what's happened with Bajaj, that will not be the case. But it's always been a little problematic for KTM because they've always been trying to push the envelope so much that this means that they're really stretching so far. And sometimes they overstretch their skis, so to speak. it's been a little bit of a challenge. So this really leaves Triumph and BMW. Now, I think both brands are really good quality. And what Triumph has done since they restarted back in 1990 has been amazing. Now, while the original Triumph was unstable, the new Triumph has been actually very good. I would feel completely confident getting a Triumph. Now, BMW, for me, is the brand that I started with on motorcycles and the one that I've owned the most of. And they've been making bikes for more than 100 years. So stability isn't really a concern. They even continue to make parts for bikes that are more than 50 years old. My main concern with BMW, though, is the lack of service manuals. So you have to bring your bike into a dealer in many cases. Now, I do have a great local dealer. And so I have a lot of confidence of bringing into BMW. But I do want to just sort of, you know, lay out the land this is, I think, one of the downsides of BMW today is that if you do want to do your own service, it is a little bit harder. And when we think of dealers, no matter how good your dealer is, they may get to a point, and this is something that other brands have seen, where they may choose to no longer service bikes that are beyond a certain vintage. And I've heard many stories of many brands where the dealer won't service a bike that's more than 10 years old. And if you're only riding 1,000 miles a year on your bike, that's not a lot of mileage to then have a bike that no longer can get service. So that is a concern, I think, if you're not able to do your own service because you don't have availability of a service manual. But just to kind of go with the thought experiment here, I think I'm going to kind of go with BMW as the brand that I would probably stick with if I had to stick with a single brand for the rest of my life. And when it comes to model, I think this is another really, really hard decision to make. And I think how we define model could also be a little bit challenging because if you choose to get a model where you're saying that specific unit is the bike that you have to have for the rest of your life. And now, you know, 20, 30, 40, 50 years later, that's the bike that you're still going to be riding. I think that makes it a very different question versus a specific model or, you range within the model line that you would use, because now you start getting into parts availability, all these other concerns that does make it a little bit more challenging. So I think for the purposes of this discussion, I'm really going to stick rather with instead of saying the specific unit, I'm going to stick with the, based on the model that can be replaced. So with that, I'm sticking with the middleweight GS series or the F series. Now this works for me because it is lighter than the bigger R1300 bikes. And I feel that having a lighter bike will work better for you as you age. Also, they tend to be better off-road. So if you do want to do off-road riding, this is why I think middleweight bikes are being so popular right now is because they are more, they're more close to, let's say a dual sport then let's say a 550 pound motorcycle of a full size ADV. The other benefit is that the bikes are cheaper, which never really hurts. So I think this is why the middleweight ADV is, is really the sort of sweet spot. if you're going to have to be stuck with one bike for the rest of your life, I think that's the way to sort of go. All right. So let's, let's switch into maybe the next grouping. Let's think of coffee, right? Because I absolutely love coffee. I have my coffee sitting right next to me. This is a, uh, it's ironic because it's going to be reflected in what we're going to talk about for this. But coffee is one of these things where I think it's a perfect pairing with motorcycles. I grab a coffee before I get out onto the bike. It keeps you energized. If you get a little bit low as you're riding, you may pull over, grab a coffee, et They're, they're just so wonderful as a pairing. And if we think of even the etymology of a cafe racer, it's like, well, I want to stop in a cafe and grab a coffee or a tea or whatever, and just have some way you know, reflect on the ride thus far, but also to rejuvenate any sort of energy that I might be feeling. And so when we think of coffee, I'll do that same sort of exercise of thinking of the different categories or groupings that we might think of for coffee. So let's start with a roast. Now, generally most people will think of a roast as you might have like a light roast or a medium roast or even a dark roast. And really the fundamental question for this comes down to what flavor profile really resonates more with you. Do you prefer having more, maybe a, a bitter coffee that feels stronger, or do you want more of a lighter coffee that's full of flavor, but doesn't feel as strong? And there's always those days where you might want a little bit more oomph of a dark roast, but then you think of the kinds of beans that it keep coming back to is thinking, well, they were so delicious. And these oftentimes tend to be on the lighter side. So I think if I was going to pick a single roast that I would have to do for the rest of my life, it's going to be that same sort of endeavor as what we had with the motorcycles. I'm looking for the, the flavor that will keep my interest over the long haul. It will maybe some of that versatility or variety that you might get, even though it's a single roast, but it allows for more expression. Whereas if you take a dark roast and you compare any dark roast, no matter which origin it is, they don't really feel as dramatically different as a light roast would be. So I think the light roast to is where I'm going to have a little bit more variety. And that's, that's really for me, where I think I would kind of pick. Now, when it comes to origin of the coffee beans, this is where we are actually really blessed because there are so many different regions that offer some great options for coffee. But, there's one region where I always tend to default to it because there's just such a depth of the flavor notes that resonate so well with me. And it often has more of a fruity note than I think some of the other kinds of beans. And it balances wonderfully with some of the savory aspects that you also have into it. And of course, I'm describing the country that's often been credited with the original development of coffee, which is Ethiopia. And that happens to be the coffee that I'm drinking this morning is an Ethiopian roast. Ironically, also a light roast from Ethiopia. So I'm kind of sticking with what I think would be the envelope that I would do. Now, my daily coffee and the one that I actually have in my hand right now is a typical black coffee. And I'll usually do this as a pour over if I'm doing a single cup or if I'm making a whole pot for my wife, we'll make a whole carafe. from a perspective of ease of making, it's really hard to beat a drip coffee. But when I think about what kind of a coffee drink I tend to enjoy the most... it's one that isn't super popular, and so you may not have ever even personally sampled this kind, but if you haven't, I would really encourage you to. And certainly when you compare it to things like lattes or cappuccinos, those are pretty much, if people are going to get an espresso-based drink, they're usually getting one of those two. If you go into any coffee shop and you just listen to the orders that come in, 80% to 90% of them are going to be a latte or a cappuccino of some variety. But the drink that I'm actually going to describe here, it's a really simple recipe. Half espresso, half milk. It's the Cortado. And what I love about the Cortado, it has this luscious caramel color. It's usually served in a clear glass, so you can actually really enjoy and see that color. It's part of the experience. And it has enough kick from the espresso to power you through your day. So it's the perfect pick-me-up in the middle of a motorcycle ride. But it's also has enough of the, it's not been diluted so much by the milk that you don't have the coffee flavor anymore. So there's still a lot of variety into the flavor profile. And that's what makes it a bit more interesting. Now I realize of course that coffee is a very personal choice and your choice may not be the same as mine. And that's completely fine. That's part of why this makes it an interesting just thought experiment is really taking a moment and thinking about what are the aspects of both enjoying coffee or riding a motorcycle that really resonate for you. What are the things you see yourself continuing to do for the rest of your life. And this, this does sort of help you hone in on what about motorcycling and coffee you really, really enjoy. So I think when we wrap this up, you know, we've covered some of the factors that you might consider with what kind of a bike you might want to use for it. You might consider versatility or comfort or viability as you age and maybe something that will also keep your interest. And I think those same factors probably also play into, if you were to choose a coffee, something that would have that same aspect. Now you may have different factors and that's completely fine. So when I looked at this and I really looked at the categories of bikes, well, I kind of found that the one that sticks for me is the one that's going to have a lot more versatility into here. And that's why I kind of like the ADV bike. But when it comes down to like brand and model, I do find it a lot harder to kind of limit yourself down there because I think there's a lot of really great bikes by a lot of different brands. And I'd really personally, I'd probably not want to limit myself to a particular brand or model, but I think for purposes of a thought experiment, it's worthwhile to kind of do this. And a lot of it, you know, certain people will maybe want to choose because they have a massive amount of brand loyalty and it's like, it's only this brand ever. And that's fine, but I think it's still worthwhile in your motorcycling journey try out a couple of different try out a couple of different categories of bikes, obviously try out different models of bikes. Because if you don't actually really try you don't know what you're missing. And it might be that you think, hey, this is all there is to motorcycling. And until you've really experienced some of the others, I think you might be giving up something. And so making a decision about what kind of a bike, whether it's a category of bike or a brand or bike or a model of bike, before you've actually experienced a variety of them, I think does you a disservice. So I would really encourage you to try out a little bit of it. Now, of course, for, you know, the coffee, I talked about how I really like the Ethiopian light roast, especially if it's put into a Cortado. To me, that's just, it's my favorite drink. And it's one I more often that I get when I'm out on the bike. But that may not be what you choose. So my question for you this week is, what is the bike? And this can be the category, the brand, the specific model. And what kind of coffee would you want for the rest of your life? Share your thoughts through the text show link in the show notes or leave a voicemail at throttle and roast dot com slash voicemail. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you next week.