Thursday, May 8, 2008

I have just sold my first child

Every now and then my wife reminds me (in that gentle but persistent way that they have, like a knife pressing between the third and fourth ribs) that my beloved motorcycle is sitting in the garage unused and I should really get rid of it. 

"How can I sell the most beautiful thing I have ever owned?" "How can I sell the bike I was going to keep for life?" "An Italian classic, a life long dream, an extension of my manhood..." 

I'll tell you how: Since the birth of my eldest son 10 years ago it's hardly got used, it's expensive to maintain and insure, and it's slowly deteriorating from sitting idle. I don't have any free time to myself to ride it for pleasure and it's too big and unpractical to commute on.


No Pedals Dad
The bike corner

Motorcycles have a similar appeal to bicycles for me. I've been riding them since I was 15 and they are a life long passion. It's that unbridled sense of freedom. Fresh air you can actually feel on your face. You can taste, smell and hear the world around you and there's no such thing as a traffic jam. 
If you like a bit of excitement in your life it also doesn't hurt that a reasonably priced motorcycle will out-accelerate a Porsche or Ferrari.

I first started cycling as an adult in the early 90's, not long after buying the Moto Guzzi above. What I really wanted was a trials motorcycle for off-road competition but that involved buying the trials bike, a trailer and a car to tow it with. I was working with road cyclists and mountain bikers at the time and was talked into getting a mountain bike instead and going racing. I was hooked! I'm still riding that bike to this day and I now have another obsession. 

So it's out with the motorized version and I now have a little extra cash to invest in one of the pedal-powered variety if I can get that knife out from between my ribs.

5 comments:

we;shcyclist said...

Hey Antoine,

Enjoyed reading your blog, I got my bike back this afternoon, only had a quick spin so far, but no problems so far. Will go for a ride tomorrow, fingers crossed. The manager at Halfords was very apologetic, he and the other bike mechanics, couldn't find out the cause of the last puncture, save that maybe the inner tube got pinched when they were putting the tyre back on. He agreed with me, that, if it happens again, they'll replace the back wheel in its entirety. Hope its the last of my flat problem.

Doug said...

Antoine, sorry to hear about the knife in the ribs and the sacrifice you will have to endure to get the knife out. It's quite sad indeed.

Love the motorcycle/Pugsley comparison on your flickr page. The handlebar hand positions was very interesting.

Brian said...

Hi Antoine,

Thanks for stumbling across my blog, and reading it too. I have many thoughts regarding the Brooks saddle, but it could be too much for a comment post. Send me a quick email at brian [at] booksbikesbeer [dot] com.

Thanks,
Brian

Antoine said...

Curtis the flat: I'll be keeping an eye on your blog for inflation adjustments.

Doug: Margaret has been in Australia on business for a week so the wounds are healing up nicely.
I'm going to try the age old male reasoning of "you've got to spend money to save money".

Brian: No need for a 5000 word essay! I was just curious if you were happy with the comfort after riding a Flight or if the standard width B-17 would be a better bet for a sporty commuter/back-road bike.

we;shcyclist said...

Hey Antoine,
Sad to say the unthinkable happened today, yes the back tyre had a flat yet again. No external sign of puncture, Halfords at the end of their tether, going back on agreement to replace back wheel completely. Opened up tyre to find that the inner tube had split?? Once again they replaced inner tube, and told me if it happens again, I'll have to take it to an independent bike shop, for them to produce a report, as to what is the problem, Halfords are adamant that there is nothing wrong with the wheel? Will try the commute tomorrow, see what happens, and take it from there.