I have owned my beloved BMW motorcycle for 25 years - one could say we have grown old together. One could also say that the motorcycle is in better condition these days than its owner! Encroaching arthritis has meant its weight and riding position (heavy on the wrists and hands) is becoming a nuisance, so I came to consider that discretion is the better part of valour and reluctantly decided to sell it. After all, I still have the lighter Royal Enfield to play with and the Honda Scooter for comfort and convenience.
So I put it on eBay for £1,600 - it sold within 3 hours! A delighted new owner came to pick it up a week later - it was not the happiest day of my life owning motorcycles!
I have ridden motorcycles for 55 years and it is only in the last 20 or so that riders have become increasingly aware of the damage that wind roar can do to the hearing (akin to the sound of a jet taking off nearby) and have started wearing ear plugs when riding.
The moral of all this is that my hearing has deteriorated to the extent that it needs help. The £1,600 I got for the BMW has exactly paid for my smart new hearing aids! Ironical!
4 comments:
Still at least you have the two other bikes! Am looking forward to a trip out in Sept!
Avus: The price you got for the BMW at least put a value on the bike that others outside your family could understand. Not that the price is any real kind of measurement of the emotional ties.
You say it wasn't a good day. I had one of those when we sold the house in France (for a complex set of reasons). When it was advertised I had several people willing to buy provided I could arrange an inspection. I was in the midst of doing this when a retired businessman from Ireland said he'd buy it sight unseen. Which he did. Alas he turned out to be something of an oaf and the transaction still sticks in my gullet. I found myself apologising to the others, one of whom was a genuine French enthusiast (lived in Kent I recall). I would very much have liked the house to have gone to a good home but it was clear it wasn't going to. A bad day at Black Rock, if you like,
Like Himself selling the very beautiful Moto Guzzi Lemon because it hurt too much to ride. Unlike Lorenzo da Ponte's house, the Moto Guzzi went to a lovely fellow. The guy who bought your BMW was so happy, does that count for anything?
LdP
S'funny how we can become so attached to inanimate objects, what?
Vita
Good to hear from you again. The only Moto Guzzi I have owned was a new (1980) V50 500cc. A good little bike to ride, but terrible Italian finish. I remember spilling gas over the tank whilst refilling and the logos and lines sort of "dissolved" and fell off - it also leaked oil. I did not keep it long!
The "Lemon" is a beautiful looking bike and I rode one (only once!) I wondered how long Himself would keep it!
Yes, the guy who bought the BMW was really happy - his is riding it to Germany in June to meet up with another BMW enthusiast and promised me pictures.
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