Moving on

[Bogstandard]

It is a couple of years now since I couldn't ride my mo'sickle any more, and with a little help this morning, I managed to get it out into the daylight, to actually get it ready to be sold, as I will never be able to ride it again, and it and it's matching trailer are taking up precious room in my garden that would be better used for the storage of my disabled buggies.

The second press of the starter button and it fired up (I had forgotten to turn the ignition on the first time), once that was done, I slipped it into reverse and backed it out of it's containment where it had stood for the last two years or so.

Mind you, that little bit of exhilaration was worth the couple of hours pain it gave me, it brought back great memories of doing long distance journeys in bike heaven.




It still looks rather good, seeing that it has only been covered up with it's bike cover. I have yet to dig out the trailer, and I am hoping it will be in at least as good a condition that this is.



I have been dreading this for a couple of years, and once it is gone, will mark the end of a significant era in my life.

I'm really dreading finding a buyer, and see it disappear forever. I just wish I could keep it until it became someone else's problem, but lack of space will not allow that.

That's life I suppose, and maybe explains why I prefer to go for long buggy rides rather than trying to go in the metal box on four wheels.


John

[75Plus]

John, I know how you feel about getting rid of the Goldwing. I had one for 9 years and the wife and I put over 25K miles on it. 500 miles was an easy day's ride. My wife's knees went bad and she couldn't sit for long periods so we opted to sell it.
 
Just wondering if you have "Trike" kits in the UK? One option available here is reversible. A handicapped friend has one that has logged over 30K road miles and still going.

Here is a couple of sites.

http://triggtrikekits.com/?gclid=CNeIhZC6takCFcK8Kgodviv2Mg

http://www.championsidecars.com/products.asp?scPage=3&catID=1&itemID=2

Joe

[Bogstandard]

Joe,

We do have trike kits in the UK, and I looked at them when I couldn't ride the bike as it was.

But we both decided that we just wouldn't get the use out of it for such a large outlay of cash.

At some time or other, we had to let go.


John

[jim]

i know how you feel.

you've always got you memories

[mike os]

Really going through it at the moment Bogs......



hope she goes to a good home & you get a decent price for her.

[cfellows]

I know how you feel, John.  A couple of years ago, I sold my Harley Sportster.  I was getting to the point where I was afraid of it, or more particularly afraid of the consequences of getting hit by one of the many car and truck drivers who can't seem to see motorcycles on the road.  I still get the urge for a scooter or small cycle occasionally, but it probably ain't going to happen!

Chuck

[Bogstandard]

I don't think a lot of non bikers can visualise what it is like to be on the open road.

From about the age of about 10 I was fiddling about with motorbikes, and it really does get into your bloodstream, and no matter what, it stays there.

With me, every opportunity I got, I was out on the open road, even if it was only a half hour spin in the evening, just wasting a bit of fuel.

I don't know if it is the same in other countries, but here in the UK, if you decided to stop in the middle of nowhere and have a smoke at the side of the road and enjoy the view, within minutes you would have other committed bikers stopping to ask if you were in trouble. Try doing that in a car, you would end up as a skeleton at the side of the road, waiting for someone to stop and give help.
I myself have towed home many a stranded biker, whether it be engine trouble, broken chain or bad electrics, even just running out of fuel. Sometimes going miles out of my way to get him/her either home or to a repair shop who could help.

The feeling is always there, that no matter what, help would soon be at hand if something went wrong. Luckily, it only ever happened to me once, when I threw a drive chain.

It is really something, that if it does get into your blood, it can't be got out easily, and is very difficult to describe what it really feels like.

With me now, this is like having my insides ripped out.


John

[75Plus]

John,

I know the emotions that you are dealing with. It was hard to face the fact that I had reached a point in my life that would no longer include motor cycles. While it was the wife's knees that was the determining factor I also had to accept the fact that I was no longer as capable a rider as I had been. I had a 1988 GW 1500 similar to yours. We really enjoyed the miles we rode. I was lucky in finding a buyer that I had known for a number of years. After he had ridden it for about 15K miles he sold it to another close friend who kept it for about 3 years before the "Harley Bug" caused him to trade it. I almost bought it back but the other owners had made a number of changes that I did not care for like running boards and heel and toe shifter. You shouldn't try to make a Harley out of a Goldwing

Here in the US (where the GW 1500 was built BTW) we have the Goldwing Road Riders Association (GWRRA) which is a group that ensures that GW riders have help when needed.

BTW: My avatar is a picture of me on my second bike, a 1949 Harley Davidson 45 cu inch, flat head with a foot clutch and the gear shift on the tank. The picture is from 1956 when I was a lad of 22. The Harley was my second bike.

Joe

[Bogstandard]

Joe,

had made a number of changes that I did not care for like running boards and heel and toe shifter

When I bought mine, it had almost every conceivable mod done to it, and like your thoughts, I actually had difficulty doing the toe & heel thing, but after a while, you get used to it. But one thing that did throw a wobbler (when I eventually found out about it) was the footbrake. When I first had the bike I tried to ride it as a normal mo'sickle, that is, applying the front brake first (back brake for emergencies only). I had a few near misses, as no way would just the front brake stop such a heavy machine. I then went in search of driving info and found out that the footbrake should be used most times as it puts both front and back brakes on at the same time.
I had no manuals when I first bought it, so I bought the whole lot and found out about and got used to the bikes little foibles.

I actually did a few mods myself. I fitted a special centre stand that when you select reverse, you just pushed down with your heel on the centre stand arm and move backwards, the bike automatically lifted itself up onto the stand, there was no way I could have got the bike onto the centre stand by myself, it was just too heavy for me in my condition. When you wanted to ride off, you just climbed on. selected your forwards gear, and rode away, the centre stand automatically retracted. The auto parking and ride off was done even with a passenger on board. The best bit of kit I ever fitted.

But anyway, I have a very interested buyer calling either today or tomorrow, so it might soon be gone, trailer and all.


John


BTW Joe, mine is a 1988 model, almost classed as a classic now. The 1500 range is now classed the best of the lot for reliability, and people are starting to search them out as the latest 1800cc version is getting a bit of a bad reputation on that score. Also, mine was made in the US, and as far as I know, the only place making them.