The Herd Gets Thinned…

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

A motorcyle mag that I subscribe to arrived the other day and contained a column by the editor in which he lamented having sold numerous bikes over the years. It seemed to be the right decision at various times, but now he now regretted selling them for a variety of reasons. That’s a feeling that I just don’t get. Just like I don’t get why some folks have non-collectable bikes tucked away in garages, basements and sheds with no intention of ever getting them running and on the road.

If you have a bike and don’t use it or display it, discard it. The RIDE-CT garage has more space this morning after the 1985 BMW K100RS got sold yesterday evening and loaded on to a truck by its new owner. It’s a bike that I “just had to have” a little more than  two years ago, purchased out of a barn in Kent. Its somewhat prehistoric looks were captivating. 

Suffice to say it was the right bike for the wrong rider. Its four-cylinder “Flying Brick” engine was wonderfully poweful and smooth and it held the road like glue. But it was too tall and top-heavy for me to really enjoy. When the 2003 Harley-Davidson V-Rod got replaced by a 1994 BMW R100RT last spring, the K-bike started to collect dust. The wisest decision was to let it go and let someone else enjoy it.

While I don’t miss any bike that has gone away, I do routinely wonder how the new owner is doing with it – whether it has been fun and reliable, or whether he’s cursing me for whatever problems might have cropped up? Whatever. The herd has now been thinned to two bikes – the RT and the 1969 Triumph T100R Daytona, which I got back on the road over the weekend after having the gas tank repainted.

Are they for sale? Not at the moment. But every bike has its price, and there are so many other bikes out there that need a good home.