The Countdown Is On

March 21st, 2007. The first day of spring. Or, more importantly, the first day that I’m back in the saddle of a motorcycle.

As some of you might be aware, I am was the proud owner of a 1998 Triumph Speed Triple. However, that all changed about 4 weeks ago. You see, I made a critical error in judgement, and let someone else ride my motorcycle. I’ve come to realize that this is something a motorcycle owner just doesn’t do.

In retrospect, it was clearly a bad idea. I won’t name names, but needless to say I let an old friend ride my motorcycle. He wasn’t licensed, he wasn’t experienced, and now I’m without wheels.

I was reluctant at first (and actually said ‘no’ a few times), but I knew he wanted to take it for a spin, so I agreed to a quick trip around the block. It should have been a 2 minute roundtrip - but when he passed the 10 minute mark, I knew something was wrong.

Apparently there was a kid playing, and a ball rolling across the street… I say bullshit, but whatever the case, he definitely locked up front wheel, and down they went. He was a little banged up, but nothing too serious (and quite frankly, he’s lucky it wasn’t worse). The bike was a different story however. It actually looked quite superficial at first. Beyond some scratches, a broken mirror and a damaged radiator, it didn’t look all that bad. However, clutch casing was shaved right off, and fluids were draining at an alarming rate. Not good. My buddy pegged the repairs at a few thousand… my first reaction was “fuck, I bet it’s a write-off”. I wish I was wrong. At $14,000+ to fix, the repairs easily surpassed the value of the bike. Indeed, that was one expensive ride.

The bulk of the damage was focused on the engine. In particular, the clutch was impacted which in turn impacted the cam shaft (at least that’s I think they said… I can’t say I’m mechanically inclined when it comes to motorcycle engines). Not that it really matters - the engine required a significant amount of work and being a Triumph (read: “exotic” motorcycle), parts don’t come cheap. Nor does labour.

So, what all does this mean? Well, I couldn’t exactly put it through insurance (much to the chagrin of my buddy). He wasn’t licensed, so I knew they wouldn’t cover the costs. I wasn’t riding - nor was I about to claim that I was, and have that on my record. And I wasn’t about to “dispose” of it and report it stolen (you know, something about conscious and fraud…) So, my friend is going on the payment plan (or so he says… I haven’t heard from him in a few weeks now), and I’m focusing my attention on getting a replacement. But what to get?

The answer to that was actually quite simple for me. Another Speed Triple! I looked at the Ducati’s, which are nice but not the same (and more expensive!). I looked at the Honda’s, and Kawasaki’s, and Yamaha’s… but I have zero interest in them. And Harley’s don’t do it for me either. So my choices are actually quite limited… even more so when you realize that there aren’t many used Triumph’s available in Ontario. If I want another Speed Triple, it’ll have to be new.

Now, I’m actually OK with this. I mean, yes - I need to pony up some additional cash (well, close to $10,000 to be specific). But I am getting a new bike in the end, and new is better than used, right? However, Jess isn’t so happy about that, which I can respect. $10K is a lot of money, no matter which way I spin it. Regardless, she’s come around to the fact that I can’t find a used Speed Triple, and that I want to purchase a new one. And her only stipulation is that I purchase it in the spring! I suppose I can see her logic, I mean winter is fast approaching. But with the season as short as it is, I really wanted to take advantage of every possible day. In particular, I was especially looking forward to my first ride in the fall.

Some have said that I should just purchase it now, and beg for forgiveness later. Others have said that I should cut my losses, and consider something else. And a few have insisted that I give up riding altogether (sorry mom). But I can wait. I don’t want to, but I will. And on March 21st 2007, I will be riding home from my local Triumph dealer, with a huge grin on my face.