I bought my 3½ Sport in 1997, having lusted after Morinis for 20 years, when I finally found the money & garage space.
I've ridden bikes for 30 years, going through a Triumph Cub & T100S, Honda CD175 (as a student!), Ducati 350 Mark III (not a general purpose m/c), BMW 750/6, Suzuki 400GS ( I bought a house) and BMW R65.
It was about the year 2000 that I realised that I had never kept a bike for more than 3 years - except for the Sport. I had to admit I was hooked.
It was turning 50 that really did it: I realised I could afford to indulge myself if I wanted to and instead of using the Sport for days out, track days once a year & the occasional commute, I could indulge myself. I bought a K2 frame for the twin discs, a Kanguro (currently being transformed into the big GT), a scrap Kanguro 'cos the engine blew up, a mongrel Strada/Kanguro 'cos it needed a good home...
I like Morinis. I can cruise at 75 from Bath to Cadwell once a year; they handle well enough to keep me out of trouble; they have limits to their power to keep me out of trouble...
Anyone want to join me on a UK end-to-end ride or the ACU/RAC rally?