The joys of riding an old, cheap bike (college students, assemble)

Motorcycling is often taken as a "race", a race for power and speed. We want the biggest, shiniest bike with the most horsepower, largest engine, etc.

But what about those who ride simply what they can afford? Wearing basic gear, riding every tire until it's so square it starts flipping burgers for a cheapskate crab, riding because it's your passion and enjoying every minute that you're out on your ratty, 500$ bike that you so proudly fixed last week.

Broke riders! Let's hear your stories, and see what you ride! I myself am a proud owner of a 2002 Suzuki GS500, with almost 119K km on the clock, riding it through university and having a blast.