Well... here we go.
About 6 years ago, I bough my very first motorcycle. It was a 1977 R60/7 that had a bunch of mods such as 800cc Juggs, different carbs, modifiet seat etc etc.
I did all the maintenance on the bike myself for those 6 years except the heavy technical stuff like rebuilding the gear box. She was old but she ran well and never left me stranded.
I replaced the pistons and juggs, rebuilt the carbs, changed my own tires, rebuilt and repainted the fenders, re-covered the seat, added luggage and a fairing, replaced the breather valve... heck the list goes on and on... I did a LOT.
But finally this summer, time caught up with me and I was no longer able to stay ahead of maintenance... 30 year old bikes need a lot of maintenance...
SO... I started shopping and within a few days, a dealer add for a used 2001 V11 Sport with 4500 miles on it caught my eye... hell... I totally fell in love with it. The lines and curves, the impression of power coming off that engine, all the positive articles and reviews I read online... I wanted THAT one... so I got it.
I was totally into this new bike! Okay... I admit it is not the best city commute bike. The drive play and engine compression is a little too abrupt, which causes too much weight on the hands in high traffic stop/go you get a lot in a big city... but as soon as you hit any open stretch of road... effortless... just beautiful.
And then about 3 weeks later, still getting adjusted to the new bike, on the highway in a construction zone in tight traffic, someone slammed on the brakes, the guy behind him/her rear ended him, the one behind did the same, so did the one after that and the one after that... and then there was me. Still not fully used to the 4 piston caliper dual disk stopping power... I hit the brakes a little too hard, locked the front for a fraction of a second, sent the bike into a tank slapper and eventually fell on the side and slid into the car in front of me...
I'd slowed down a lot by then so I didn't break any bones. Some road rash, bruises all over, a sprained knee and a gash on my thigh needing 12 stitches. I got off real cheap... lucky I didn't high-side.
The bike hit right in the headlight, crushed that,the instruments and the ignition switch. Also cracked the tranny's rear cover seal.
It's still at the shop now, I got them to repair the seal and the handlebar stopper. I'm going to replace the lights with aftermarket parts, a kit I got from Aztec8, the dials with a Koso and generic blinkers. It's going to look close to the same.
It's been a moth... and I miss my bike!
That's the story...
