Clean It, Fix It, Sell It

Ever since the big windstorm last November, my Harley Davidson has been tucked away in the "old" shop out back. Now that I've glombed onto the scooter as my chosen mode of two wheeled trasportation, I haven't really wanted to visit my old Sporty. That was, not until Friday.

The wife and I had taken the kids to Burger King in Sequim, about 17 miles from home to have lunch and to get the new Simpson's toys that come with the kid's meals. As we were eating lunch, in strolls a club "Brother" from my days in the patch-holders world. After getting caught up over lunch, we went out to look at his new "Von Dutch" inspired paint job on his FLH. We traded phone numbers and said our goodbyes' but not without his invitation to "come around." This left me with that feeling that I used to struggle with back in the day. The allure of this type of lifestyle is strong, but the commitment to my God, family and work lifestyle will always be stronger. None the less, I'll always wonder how things would be if I had continued down that path.

As we were driving home, I told my wife that I was going to get the HD running...and sell it. I said that the only way to complete the separation, is to be rid of the bike that completes the circle. No Harley...no coming around. It's hard to explain to some folks how it all works, but I know, and I'm going to do something about it.

After tackling the cleaning and scrubbing, I drained the tank and charged the old battery. Sure enough, the "trouble" indicator light lit up on the charger, and I was reminded of an old problem with this relatively new battery from last fall. I pulled the battery, and proceeded to clean all of the leads including the starter leads. The above photo shows a bit of the birds nest of wires underneath the seat. I even pulled the relay from behind the oil bag, and unless you have hands the size of GI Joe's, this task is rather frustrating. But I got it done, and called the motorcycle shop and ordered a new battery. I changed the plugs with Splitfires, and poured in some $3.29 unleaded to have fresh gas when I get it fired up tomorrow...hopefully. The electrical gremlins always have me baffled, so I'm banking on a little luck to get her to fire. If she does, I'll run her for awhile, then change the oil.

While in the middle of all of this fun, I made a call to a fellow that has interest in buying a project bike. We had talked about the potential of me selling my bike awhile back, and I told him that I was ready to get with the program now, and so he will come by sometime this week. I'll make him as sweet a deal as I can, as long as I get what I paid for it. I have a few items to throw in, such as some lifestyle collectibles, and maybe an old peanut helmet, so I hope to swing a quick deal.

I'm actually glad though, that I ran into this Biker friend on Friday. Not only did it cement my decision to finally put the stamp on the end of this part of my motorcycling life, but it made me realize that I really do enjoy my current status as a scooterist, a scooter commuter, and a dude that really enjoys the slower paced, and more relaxed feeling that I get as someone that has finally lifted the weight of indecision from his mind. This by no means is to say that I am giving up on motorcycles as opposed to scooters, it is to say that I am parting with a bike that helped me fit in where I don't belong.

There will be another motorbike with my name on it somewhere down the line, but it will be awhile before I look to buying a "lifestyle" ride other than say a Vespa GT, or a PX. At least with these cool rides, I don't have feelings or thoughts of confusion. I can really look forward to this.

Have fun,

Bill