There’s no type of loss that compares to when I am without two wheels. Other motorcyclists know what I am talking about. Every encounter with another bike whether passing one parked in anticipation of it’s next ride, or the resonance of a bike’s howl traversing the particles of the atmosphere within the near distance. Booming and groaning down the pavement. The sound carves out a piece of your heart and leaves the mind in a fantasy of what could be at that moment. To have the freedom and the thrill again.
Well luckily I don’t have to feel that way any more. It’s a recurring part of my life and probably anyone else who makes a hobby of only acquiring used motorcycles. The feeling is great because when I get back on the road I get so happy I shout as I ride. This time I did really well. See you have to keep some cash on hand because you never know when a good deal may be revealed. Same with guitars or anything else really. So I planned for this. I saved my money and when the right bike had been posted on Craigslist I pounced on it. I acted fast. Familiarly and impulsively fast.
I thought the bike was ugly as all hell when I first caught the photo. Didn’t matter. It was a 550 Yamaha for $500 and they said it ran with a clean title. Also it was a cruiser style street bike. New for me, but I was looking forward to riding something that may be more comfortable for some time over an hour. Going across Texas on a sport bike can hurt around the knees.
The bike didn’t start when I first got to the dealership. My heart sunk. Turns out it was just out of gas. Ha! So they try to crank it. Still didn’t start, lol. We bypassed the solenoid after putting a jumper box on it and she started right up. This took some time you know. In my mind this took about $100 worth of time. Once we got inside I told the dealer that I want to know about dropping the price down to $400 since I obviously will need to put some work in it. He looked up for a second and obliged. Score.
Having the bike is great, but really the coolest thing about how this all turned out was that I got to surprise a best friend by showing up at Kingsfest unexpectedly. Shortly before that the fuel pump went out in my Chevy and I did not have any transportation out to Spicewood Springs for the party. After riding the bike around the city for a day, I felt comfortable chancing a trip out of town about 30 miles and had a great time. The surprise was successful. Badass.
In time the solenoid became a problem. Starting the bike with a screwdriver was getting pretty old pretty quick. Once started the bike is fast as all hell though. Someone decided to put high flow air cones directly on the carburetors. Nuts! Getting used to the different center of gravity has taken sometime, but I am starting to feel more comfortable on it. I used to think I didn’t have a preference, but I think I can say I am officially a sport biker. The bike just feels so much more a part of you, at least in my opinion.
Nothing beats riding in the hill country outside of a cage. Nothing really beats being in the hill country in whatever you’re in, but I am sure glad to be back on the road. Every time I ride I am as stoked as the first time I cranked the throttle and thrown forward to fly down the road at an acceleration never experienced before. There is nothing like. It is dangerous, but there is nothing like it. Life is good.