Rant: The “Joys” of Old Bike Ownership

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

Owning an old bike (or, in the case of RIDE-CT, bikes) is a blessing and a curse. An old motorcycle is inevitably rough around the edges, tempermental and prone to breakdowns. But there’s a romance to riding an old bike. Every old bike has its quirks that bonds the owner with the machine. One moment you’re swearing at it, the next your darn close to hugging it. And that’s just when kick-starting it. That’s the case with my 1969 Triumph T100R Daytona. But with the gas tank for it out getting repainted and the battery still out of the 1985 BMW K100RS, I’ve been riding my most reliable bike the past week – a 1994 BMW R100RT.

Here goes with the rant: It was late yesterday afternoon when the knowledgeable gentleman who does my service work called to inquire when I was planning on bringing it in this week to get a new rear tire put on, the oil changed and a neutral light switch installed. I said I could ride it straight over. I called a friend to meet me and give me a ride home, grabbed my gear, fired up the bike and backed out of the garage. When I mashed on a shift lever to get it into first gear, though, the lever snapped. Metal fatigue, no doubt, on the bracket that ties to the shifter to the transmssion linkage. I called back my friend, who quickly came over with a trailer and we drove it the 10 miles or so to the mechanic’s workshop. During the drive, the handlebars slipped and rotated down on to the fairing. Thankfully, no damage was done.

So, here it is Monday morning, and I’m bikeless and looking at a repair bill that will be more than I expected. Not only does the bike need a new shift lever, my knowledgeable guy wants to change all the fluids (not just the oil) and adjust the valves, too. I always defer to his experience. He did tell me to look on the bright side of the situation – the shift lever could have sheared 100 miles from home, leaving me stranded somewhere in the countryside instead of at the top of my driveway.