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Spooky

Post Received 30 December 2021

By Ian Douglas

My answer to the lockdown blues was to buy another, secondhand, motorcycle. It wasn’t a planned or sensible move but a reaction to weeks of compulsory confinement – a fresh bike makes you feel better. While casting about what to go for, looking at reviews and articles, I wondered if we are somehow fated to follow a prescribed path, why do we choose this or that?

I’ve never been a sports bike fan and yet that’s what I ended up purchasing. It was as though some mysterious hidden hand guided me, sleepwalking, into that dealership. There’s all those different models and manufacturers to select from plus the new crop if you have the money. I considered some of the bikes that were around in my biking past, but the prices were crazy.

Cartoon man years for modern sports bike as partner leads them to an old machine

Motorbike designs change over the years, some adjust to fashion and others remain faithful to a perception of yesteryear. Our lives alter and so can our preferences, we can eventually start to exclude styles and motorcycle types that for one reason or other don’t suit us. I prefer traditional configurations; it takes all sorts so it is a good thing that there so many options available.

You may recall occasions when you had the chance to buy a bike but didn’t. What was it that made you hold back? Why did you let that opportunity slip? Possibly caution stayed your hand, if you are not certain than it is best to move on to something else that you feel more positive about. I think of those openings now and wish that I’d gone for some of them.

As it happens, I went back, years later, to ‘correct’ one of my perceived motorcycle non purchase mistakes but it didn’t work out, it may have been the wrong thing for me all along maybe. These predicaments have a lasting effect, they come back to haunt you. Should we jump this way or that? Of course, there’s still bike related choices to be ahead.

In a way it is a relief to say that something was either meant to be or not, that the stars weren’t aligned correctly. The idea of predetermination is hard to grasp. We can find ourselves propelled through a chain of events that have an inevitable outcome. It seems like we arrive at an established point bike wise. I never expected to end up with the bikes I have.

In his book ‘Moonfleet’ by Meade Faulkner the Mohune family crest is a forked road, the narrow is the righteous route, harder to travel, the alternative is a wider, flatter and more tempting. The difficult road could be the slog of buying an unrestored machine and bringing it back to life. One of my regrets is not buying a bike of bits when offered it. The easy choice is the one with rave reviews.

I wasn’t seeking anything fast, I started by looking at single cylinder thumpers, I tried out a big tourer and had a go on a medium sized retro. I was drifting about scanning anything that cropped up within a budget that was slightly flexible should anything grab me. We sometimes know that we want something that will give us happiness without quite knowing what it is with unpredictable results.

Motorcyclist steps out of fortune tellers tent being informed he's going to buy a scooter soon

Maybe like buying a house or meeting a partner, you can get an inkling of when something appears to be right or wrong. Things don’t always work out, perhaps that was a stage that we had to go through in order to realise our true fate. I guess it would be boring to make utterly logical decisions, an element of spontaneity, luck, chance or coincidence adds spice into the equation.

I still don’t know why I went for what I did but I’m pleased that I did, I’m very happy with the ‘new’ motorbike. My subconscious decision led me to contemplate whether there is a pre-ordained future ahead, an inevitable path we follow without being aware of it, deep stuff. It is difficult to know why we go for any bike explicitly, partly it is what is on offer at a target cost and partly gut reaction.

We don’t have a crystal ball and few clues, there’s just intuition. Are these things influenced by notions of a previously mapped out future? Given your personality, traits and characteristics can you predict a pattern ahead or are we on a haphazard trajectory towards some ill-defined holy grail? Will we be happy? Creepy or what? Que Sera Sera.


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Reader's Comments

ROD said :-
Best of luck with your new acquisition. I hope you have some great rides with it.

Do we get to find out what you have purchased?? Do you have pics??
31/12/2021 19:36:50 UTC
ian said :-
it was a yammy thundercat that i accidently happened on through an unexpected chain of events, the last bike i imagined owning at 71 yet it is surprisingly comfortable and great fun. i had in mind an old style 'cafe racer single but this does everything better. Didn't think things would turn out like they did, bit like sleepwalking into it, strange.
Posted Image
01/01/2022 02:02:56 UTC
nab301 said :-
It's funny how a sports bike from the last century becomes a sports tourer in the 21st century ! Looks good , enjoy it.
Nigel
02/01/2022 16:56:01 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
Enjoy the Thundercat Ian. More power than my 1150cc BM if you like revving the motor.
Get down behind that screen you should see over 150 mph!!!!
02/01/2022 20:10:39 UTC
Bogger said :-
Like the bike. Love the cartoons. Glad you're enjoying your new purchase.

Bogger
03/01/2022 19:43:25 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
150mph! That would be illegal ROD, unless Ian has access to his own private runway. The Thundercat motor was the basis for the Fazer FZ6 engine I had, the Fazer having a few less horses and a tad more mid-range. That 'cat may be "old" but it's still way way faster than my feeble brain could cope with.

Enjoy the Yammie Ian.
04/01/2022 16:07:01 UTC
ian said :-
THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS GUYS

05/01/2022 15:02:28 UTC

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