OP
OP
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2009
- Messages
- 1,796
- Reaction score
- 58
- Location
- On a mountain in the Ozarks
- My Bike Models
- 1982 Standard
scdmarx":2qgmfrye said:"NEVER" say "NEVER"!
The words of the infamous "Lou Costello", Umma baaaaaaaad boy! :blush:
Ahem...Let me explain:
I had once heard somewhere that the definition of stupidity is practicing the same proceedure over and over and each time expecting different results. I had pretty much given up on "wing shopping". I grew weary responding to advertised "cream puffs" only to show up and look at something that had been beat to death and then burried for years. So I started to focus on getting beer for me and "things" for Agnus.
I get home from work one day and before I get my shoes off, I'm cornered by my wife and son. Seems they'd found another genuine, low mileage, "cream puff" on ebay. Awe, geeze! Here we go again. Raising dead horses. For the next 3 days, every negative scenerio I could conjure up was thrown back in my face with optimism. I learned doom and gloom at an early age, so I don't know where the boy gets this? I know his mom was partially behind this. Anyways, I fired up the snipe program and place my highest bid.
Here are some photos from the auction listing.
I met the reserve and won the bid by $150. = $2500 total, click here to pay now.
The auction stated a deposit is required within 48 hours, and full payment within 7 days. I call the man to say howdy, it's me. The man wants his deposit. Prefers wire transfer. (HAHAHA, ya that's gonna happen) I explain that I'm local and I can bring cash. Now I have his attention. By local, I'm talk'n 4 hour drive. I go on to explain that I have to have my wife drive me down there and I'll have to ride the bike home, but it's gonna start raining for the next 3 days. He says that's cool, he'll wait for the cash. So come Friday me, wife, and 3 kids pile into the minivan and head for L.A. traffic. 4 hours later I call to tell him I'm parked out front of his house.
Of course, as I suspected, the ebay pictures look a lot better than the actual item being auctioned. But it's not so bad. I'm still not turned off. Now he starts in with "this is wrong with it and this little thing over here doesn't work right" yada, yada, yada. But all the stuff he's telling me is not that bad, I don't think. There is some chrome engine parts that are chipping and flaking, but that still doesn't make it a bad motorcycle. I take it around the block. All I can say is "WOW!" What a difference between this and Agnus! If you've ever hopped off a Welch pony and mounted and Arabian thoroghbred, got past the trot and into a smooth canter, then you know what I'm trying to describe. Like getting out of an old Corolla and into a new Towncar. I really wanted an 83 because I'd heard things about the extra room and the highway gearing, but I never knew it could be like this. This bike is smooth! I should have listened to those yuppies 30 years ago when I was creating shovelheads in hardtail frames with those pogo sticks we called springers.
I give the man money and he signs the title, finds the registration, and it takes me 5 hours (L.A. traffic) to ride 240 miles home. He wasn't the original owner, and I need to mess with it some to make it right, but we brung home a keeper.
Here's he is at his new home.
And finally, here's the happy couple together in the honeymoon suite.
