Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
I just watched the new owner of the Z750s pull off and down my street. As always, it's a mixed happy/sad reaction which fills me when I sell something major like this.
On the one hand, I'm happy to be rid of it (for usually, as with this time, the thing I'm selling is something I really don't want any more, for whatever reason). I'm always happy to see someone else with a big grin on their face as they trade their money for the object of their desire. In this case, Steve (the buyer) looked quite happy as he saddled up and rode off, following his friend in the car they arrived in. Steve gave me a much more comfortable feeling than the previous theoretical buyer, who I now simply refer to as Mr. Creepy. Steve also gave me the impression of being a more skilled rider than the person who bought my BMW R100 a few years ago -- that guy rode off, swinging wide across the street, wearing nothing but a ventilated jacket, a helmet he'd purchased that day, and street clothes. I think it was 40 degrees that day. He must have been half-frozen by the time he got home. Steve will be happier in that way as well.
On the other hand (to return to the structure with which we started this sojourn down memory lane), it makes me sad to see a major part of my life departing. In this case, the Z750s was less major than some previous bikes have been, but it was still important. Going back to the R100, that was a bit of a jar, if only because I'd had the bike for a couple of years, and had gotten to know it really well over the course of several major breakdowns. There's a certain connection with a bike when you've had large chunks of it disassembled for repair. Selling the Le Mans was a similarly mixed event, the sad part coming from the ridiculously incorrect goals I'd loaded it down with. Road trips! thought I. Gonna go places! Yeah, that didn't happen. Then when I rode it those distances once or twice, it turned out it wasn't really all that good for the purpose. Live and learn, I guess.
Now, of course, I find myself with a situation which would probably make most "real" motorcyclists cringe: a Ninja 250 (anathema to speed junkies everywhere) and a Honda Goldwing (gasp!) with a sidecar (double-gasp!). Nothing speedy in there. I mean, the Ninja could be considered speedy when pitted against a stock Honda Civic DX, but it's really not a fast car. The Goldwing feels powerful, but it's hauling around so much mass that even though you feel like you just burned through the gears, you're only going 70 MPH and it's starting to wheeze a bit.
Of course, this is what I wanted. This is actually my ideal situation right now, and I've finally achieved it. Now I just have to finish up the changes to the Ninja (all centered around making the bike fit me better), and I'll be done. Just in time to move houses and build an airplane!
Posted at 13:42 permanent link category: /motorcycle
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater