STN group bike - any thoughts?

[Aero]

I have this idea...
Since relocating to Canada I have been missing those rides around Europe that I did when I lived in England, and I read with envy the trip reports of Orson and Global Rider who have bikes parked in suitable locations so that they can fly in, hop on and hit the Alps or wherever. Unfortunately I can't justify the expense of doing that and it doesn't seem very cost effective for me as I can't say for sure that I would get enough use out of a bike if I only made the trip over occasionally. Renting seems pretty expensive and so is shipping a bike across the Atlantic and back, but what if several STNers pooled resources to buy a bike and have it garaged somewhere in Europe for group use? Servicing and storage costs would be shared according to mileage per member, and insurance could probably be arranged on a group basis too. Care would have to be taken that a rogue member didn't sell the bike and make off with the cash, but that shouldn't be too hard to arrange. I'm not really thinking about a new bike, just a sound sport-tourer maybe a few years old and well maintained which should be a small investment split between say five to ten people.
Any thoughts on this idea, anyone??
 

[Global Rider]

What if several STNers pooled resources to buy a bike and have it garaged somewhere in Europe for group use?

For starters, I know a few that store their bikes with:

Stefan Knopf of Knopf Motorradreisen in Heidelberg which is a short run down the A5 from Frankfurt, a major airline hub.
(see that purple R100 GS on the Knopf's home page? A rider from Texas that I put onto Knopf in 2002 and who rode with me for a week rented that GS. I noticed it had a Florida plate on it...hmmmm).

Bianco Blu in Milan is a lot closer to the Alps and also a major airline hub.

[Ralf]

I always thought a "time-share" approach would be an interesting idea. My suggestion would be to get a used bullet-proof TransAlp and put crash bars or similar on it. However, I'd also suggest knowing the people you do this with very well and even setting up a contract. The devil is in the details.

[mr moto]

i looked into this some years ago . it will never happen for one reason ...INSURANCE .. and that,s not all , who would take care of the bike between times when it,s not being used ?  where would it be kept ? who would be responsible for buying and choosing consumables like tyres ? chain and sprockets , who would be responsible if one rider trashes the bike ? what if you arrive in europe for a tour on the bike and the previous rider failed to mention that the tyres are shot ? or the brake pads are badly worn or that they were flashed a dozen times by speed cameras in several different countries , meaning that the next unfortunate rider would be stopped by the police and made to explain himself in a foreign language ,fined or worse have the bike confiscated ! . as i said , i seriously looked into doing just this some years ago and it,s just too complicated and expensive to set up and maintain . i now understand why some bike rental places are so seemingly expensive !
go with a good rental company , that way all the paperwork and legalities are taken care of, and you can just get on with enjoying the scenery .