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The Kia Carens we are soon to live
without pictured behind the bike
we get to keep. |
Today we did something
that seems pretty crazy. It would have seemed unthinkable not all
that long ago. We signed an agreement to trade our Kia Carens 2.0CRDi
for a slightly younger Fiat Panda 1.1 eco somthingorother. Why?
Because when it comes down to it, I couldn’t care less about cars.
Unlike riding, driving’s fine, but not a pleasure. Taking my
children on holiday is a pleasure. Driving is just necessary and
expensive. However, the Panda will be a grand a year less than the
Carens yet will do 95% of the work just as well. I know my friends
will laugh. They already have. But honestly, I just don’t care
about cars.
The thing is, if
tomorrow we won say £10 million, on the lottery, there would be a
considerable time before I went car shopping. I do have a list of
motorbikes I would be hunting down though and this blog is that list.
It comes under three headings;
- Nostalgia
- Just Want One
- Bikes to Use Regularly.
Here goes (I apologise
for repeating some things I mentioned in a previous post).
The Nostalga List
The Honda CB100n.
My first bike. Bought for a song, simple and characterful. It had
things like contact breakers and tappets that needed adjusting with a
spanner. I’d use it as well. Actually I’d probably buy two or
three of them and a Haynes manual as it would be the only bike I
would work on if I had plenty of money. Other than that I’d be
paying Alan to come to my garage every week to adjust chains, pull in
for servicing and so on. The CB100N would be for me to satisfy my
urge to get tool out and mess things up.
The Kawasaki GT550
was my first big bike and I loved it. That would need to be the later
model and in red. I imagine I’d want to ride that as well. Being a
shaft drive, Alan probably wouldn’t need to do much with it between
services though as it would only go out on clean dry roads.
The
BMW K75RT.
In memory of the
URide trip, this would need to be 1992 with a
missing side panel and non functioning speedometer. Actually, I’d
probably just ask Dan if I could buy his, get in covered in dust from
the
West Virginia dirt roads (assuming he has now washed it) then
have it sealed in box and shipped over. Warts and all that one. Ride
it? Probably. Alan would be splitting it ever few thousand miles to
check the clutch splines though.
Just Want One
I’ve always wanted a
Classic British bike and as a fan of little bikes it would have to be
a BSA Bantam. Mine would be one of the 175cc bikes and the
older the better really. Sure I’d ride it but it would probably do
more miles on a trailer. It would spend most of it’s life in the
living room next to the other bike under this heading, looking
beautiful. Outings would be to steam rallies alongside the CB100N.
Only one manufacturer
makes an engine which is a thing of beauty. I would have to have a
naked
Ducati of some sort. It wouldn’t be for riding. In
fact, I may even leave one side pristine and then cut up the other
side to expose some of it’s inner beauty. Exactly which one I’m
open to suggestions on.
Bike To Use
Regularly
First up, Mine. I’m
not going to get rid of my Wee! It would just get all those
suspension upgrades I’m always wishing I could afford. I might put
a full luggage system on as well. This would be the most used bike
right through all four seasons. I’d put pure road touring tyres on
it as well (in fact, that’s probably gonna happen anyway).
I’d like a
CRF250.
The rooftop chase in Skyfall was amazing and I really would like to
have a go at off-roading one day. I’ve also spent a lot of my
riding life on 250s so it would be wrong not to have one. This would
probably get used just as a local run about as well as for light
green-laning. Not so much with the roof to chases though.
I would like a big
tourer. I loved Dan’s RT but I like the idea of a modern boxer. We
would want something super comfortable for good long trips two up.
The
R1200RT would make plenty of sense. I would probably use
it two or three times a year. However, all my mates who ride would
know it was available to them for when they want to go two up
touring.
If we won today, Ang
would probably want to keep her YBR125. Just maybe she would consider
swapping it for a CBR125. Either way, we wouldn’t be without a
bike suited to a pair of L plates. When Ang does get her full
licence, she fancies a Triumph Street Triple. Actually, we can’t
get rid of the YBR. We’ve already promised Mummy's red bike to
Beth.
The final bike is a
request from Beth. She wants a side car outfit so she can go with me
on rideouts. Having followed
redlegsrides as he explores snowy
mountain roads aboard his Ural Patrol rig, I’m slightly taken with
the idea. If it means I could share the pleasures of riding with my
children while they are still young, I’d have one in a heart beat.
While the Ural rigs are kin of cool, thanks to Wallace and Gromit,
ours would probably be an
Enfield Bullet with Watsonian Squire
side car.
Of course, there would
be a few other little bikes for the kids. A reasonable selection of
electric bikes, crossers and mini-motos would be available for fun
and frolics with friends.
With a garage like
this, heated, clean, brightly lit with a good size screen playing all
my favourite videos on a loop, hot tea and comfy seats, it would be a
great place to just sit and be. When friends come round, they could
choose one of mine or ride their own. It’s good to share. With ten
of the above bikes available for road use, there'd be plenty to
choose from. I’m not sure Kev would be tempted off his trusty
CBR600F with a CB100N or even a shiny new CRF250 but you never know.
The choice would be there. And, if it’s too wet get them to ride,
we could just chill amongst the bikes, drink brews, natter and be.
So now I’ve got my
wish list sorted out, I just need to wait for my numbers to come up,
preferably after a few weeks of roll-over. Don’t worry though. I’m
not holding my breath. Besides, I’m already a lucky man. Two of
those bikes are in my garage and right now they are both running
beautifully. Another is in my brother’s on the other side of the
Atlantic, available if we want it.
The point is, there's
no car in my dream garage. There would be some car. Probably a small
some car for getting about and a bigger some car for getting
more/bigger things about. The bigger some car would be for towing
bikes mainly. They can live on the drive or stuck out on the road for
all I care. Car just move stuff and people. Bikes move me. Bring on
the Panda.
 |
| Not this one exactly but it looks a lot like it. Just some car to do the job. |
So what did I do when I got home? I put my mid winter gloves back in the draw of death for another two seasons. Threw in a couple of mid layers and dug out the Summer gloves while I was there. Then I lowered the screen on Wee Hamish and gave serious consideration to removing the PinLock insert from my visor. That's pretty much it, I was back at work the next day and the mornings aren't all that warm.
