Greetings,
I've been a member for a few months, have posted a few questions and gotten great responses, and only just realized that I had neglected to introduce myself. It is a pattern, head right for the problem, ignoring the people. I've spent decades trying to fix that, but still fail at times.
So, here goes:
- My first motorcycle came to me in pieces when I was 17. It was a honda, about 80cc, that the accountant father of a friend had taken in trade. It was in a half dozen boxes or so. Mechanically inclined, I put it together, and it started. I lived in a house with about an acre and half of land, completely surrounded by a narrow, paved private road. I hopped on went right out the driveway, around the property in first and second gear, and turned the corner back to the driveway to see a village police car waiting for me. The list was long. Uninsured, unregistered, uninspected, unlicensed. I think it was on the order of $500 in fines, which back in 1971 was a lot of money. I did all the necessary and scooted around town on that bike for the summer. After a while I was surprised to find it had electric start. I could start it by hand on the kick start lever.
- My next bike was a Yamaha RD350. I rode that from Michigan, to NY, to Maine, to Boston, and all around New England. It was my only transportation for years, but after going down on black ice one December in Augusta ME, I bought my first car.
- Bikeless for many years, at the end of the last century I decided I wanted to ride again. I shopped around, but in my mind was the bike I'd seen on my first day of college outside the student center, a then new R75/5. It was amazing. So after trying a bunch, I came to the conclusion that I just couldn't abide anything else and bought an R75/6. It had been sitting for a decade. I replaced every fluid, seal (including both main), and a decent chunk of the wiring. I rather loved wrenching on that bike. Things fit, parts were available, and there was a fantastic community of old (in terms of experience with the bike) codgers who knew everything and were willing to share. I did send the transmission out for a rebuild. I couldn't get access to the tools necessary nor justify the expense of buying them. Some of my best days were going to work offsite. My work was in Montpelier VT, but I had to go to Burlington, for which I got paid time and mileage. On the bike, it's hard to imagine anything finer.
- In 2006, in a different part of VT with a different job and life style, my bike had become a storage shelf in the garage. I needed money for family reasons, and sold it and all my gear, to get money fast. I thought I'd never ride again. Every spring there'd be a day or two where I wanted a bike, but money was not there for a bike and my life was full.
- This year, the bug didn't go away. I found myself wanting to ride on a regular basis. I also became friendly with a group of guys who ride regularly together (not Beemers, but they are ok anyway). I started shopping early August, (I'm a terrible, indecisive shopper) and finally purchased a lovely 1990 K75 in October. I'm still looking, sort of, for an RT or S version, but will wait until I've confirmed that I'm in for life this time before I try to explain to my spouse of 30 years why I need to buy a second bike.
More than you wanted to know, but I tried to do the proper thing at last.
I'm glad you are all out there to share your experience.
Tom
