MarkB
Well-known member
I don’t know what it is and maybe it’s just my imagination. On the other hand, it could be a tell-tale sign that my bike hasn’t been ridden that much the last few years. It’s only had about 4k put on it since some pretty major stuff was done; new valve seals, valves lapped, head gaskets, timing belts, carbs rebuilt, so on and so forth.
Whatever the case may be, my bike seems to be running better and better all the time. Not that it ever ran poorly, it just seems to be running…. Better.
There is a level of truth to the fact that maybe it’s just me getting used to the bike. Maybe it’s me that’s breaking in, not the bike. In all honesty, there could be a little bit of both.
Maybe it’s a few tanks of fresh fuel through her, maybe it’s the addition of ATF to the fuel (thanks to you guys), but whatever the reason, my confidence in this old Wing grows every single day and my confidence in my handling of her grows exponentially every single ride.
She’s a looker, too. Though she’s not perfect, she’s an attention grabber. People comment on her all the time. A good friend of mine saw her in front of the house and stopped to talk…..and stare at her. He’s seriously jealous and has said numerous times he wishes he’d have seen her down at the shop before I did. He even went so far as to ask me to keep my eyes open for a similar deal.
To be honest, I didn’t find this deal; another friend pointed me in her direction. I wasn’t really looking for a Wing; not yet, anyway. Don’t laugh, but I was seriously considering something like a 250 Ninja, or maybe a 650-750 cruiser, at the most. For whatever reason, that never happened. The months drug on and I never bought my bike. In fact, I had pretty much moved on from that dream. I had completed the MSF class at the end of last Spring and nothing had presented itself as the bike for me. I didn’t even bother following through with getting my official license. It seems like fate knew what was in store for me..
I didn’t go looking for an Oldwing; I stumbled headlong into this world. I was re-reading some of my first posts on this board this morning and reliving those first weeks considering buying my bike. I remember going to look at it for the first time. The price certainly was right and man, was she a beauty. Could this be it? I could hardly think of anything else for the ensuing days and weeks. I consulted with all of you and I listened to my motorcycling friends. It was a leap of faith, but thanks to all of you, not a completely blind leap.
It’s not hard for me to imagine why you guys love these old bikes so much; I sure do love mine. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that this bike is 29 years old. I had only been married a year when she rolled off the line. It would be another year before I would own my first bike, an ’81 Kawasaki 440 LTD. It would be another three years before we relocated to California. Much has happened in those 29 years; a couple jobs, three kids….heck, a lifetime and yet, she’s endured. She’s always been out there somewhere, waiting for me.
I’m a big believer in counting your blessings, once a year at Thanksgiving is not enough, in my opinion. I am thankful for the opportunity to own this bike. I’m thankful for this circle of friends that so love these bikes that they willingly share their experiences, both good and bad with the rest of us. I am thankful to Dan for creating and managing this site. I’ve checked out some of the other sites, but I feel at home here. Most importantly, I thank God every day for keeping me safe and watching over me as I play out in traffic.
I am eternally grateful.
Mark
Whatever the case may be, my bike seems to be running better and better all the time. Not that it ever ran poorly, it just seems to be running…. Better.
There is a level of truth to the fact that maybe it’s just me getting used to the bike. Maybe it’s me that’s breaking in, not the bike. In all honesty, there could be a little bit of both.
Maybe it’s a few tanks of fresh fuel through her, maybe it’s the addition of ATF to the fuel (thanks to you guys), but whatever the reason, my confidence in this old Wing grows every single day and my confidence in my handling of her grows exponentially every single ride.
She’s a looker, too. Though she’s not perfect, she’s an attention grabber. People comment on her all the time. A good friend of mine saw her in front of the house and stopped to talk…..and stare at her. He’s seriously jealous and has said numerous times he wishes he’d have seen her down at the shop before I did. He even went so far as to ask me to keep my eyes open for a similar deal.
To be honest, I didn’t find this deal; another friend pointed me in her direction. I wasn’t really looking for a Wing; not yet, anyway. Don’t laugh, but I was seriously considering something like a 250 Ninja, or maybe a 650-750 cruiser, at the most. For whatever reason, that never happened. The months drug on and I never bought my bike. In fact, I had pretty much moved on from that dream. I had completed the MSF class at the end of last Spring and nothing had presented itself as the bike for me. I didn’t even bother following through with getting my official license. It seems like fate knew what was in store for me..
I didn’t go looking for an Oldwing; I stumbled headlong into this world. I was re-reading some of my first posts on this board this morning and reliving those first weeks considering buying my bike. I remember going to look at it for the first time. The price certainly was right and man, was she a beauty. Could this be it? I could hardly think of anything else for the ensuing days and weeks. I consulted with all of you and I listened to my motorcycling friends. It was a leap of faith, but thanks to all of you, not a completely blind leap.
It’s not hard for me to imagine why you guys love these old bikes so much; I sure do love mine. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that this bike is 29 years old. I had only been married a year when she rolled off the line. It would be another year before I would own my first bike, an ’81 Kawasaki 440 LTD. It would be another three years before we relocated to California. Much has happened in those 29 years; a couple jobs, three kids….heck, a lifetime and yet, she’s endured. She’s always been out there somewhere, waiting for me.
I’m a big believer in counting your blessings, once a year at Thanksgiving is not enough, in my opinion. I am thankful for the opportunity to own this bike. I’m thankful for this circle of friends that so love these bikes that they willingly share their experiences, both good and bad with the rest of us. I am thankful to Dan for creating and managing this site. I’ve checked out some of the other sites, but I feel at home here. Most importantly, I thank God every day for keeping me safe and watching over me as I play out in traffic.
I am eternally grateful.
Mark
