Symptoms of withdrawl

[chrisflock]

Wednesday, June 25th.

I took my motorcycle in to the dealership and left it there. I’m mad at my bike for breaking down. I feel betrayed. My wife comes and picks me up in her car to drive me home. Her motorcycle gear is in the back of her car, because she rode her bike to work and just swung by the house to grab her car. The weather is beautiful, a great night for a ride. I go golfing.

Thursday, June 26th: Day one

I’m forced to drive a large, white pickup that’s normally used for hauling things to big to fit on the FJR (you know, like other motorcycles, automobile engines, etc.) to work. I try to make the best of the situation, running some errands to pick up things that are hard to fit on the bike.

Friday, June 27th: Day two

I take the truck to work again. It’s raining, I pretend that I wouldn’t have ridden the bike anyway. We’re going camping this weekend, and since we have to take the car, we’re taking the dog too. I pretend that we’re taking the car because we want to take the dog, not that we’re taking the dog because we have to take the car.

Saturday, June 28th: Day three

It’s a really nice campground. We go hiking, do all the usual camping stuff. When we drive the car into town, I keep smacking my head into the driver’s side window when I try to lean into left-hand sweepers. When we’re hiking through the park, I can’t help but wonder if I should still get a dirt bike.

Sunday, June 29th: Day four

I spend the morning driving back from the campground. In the afternoon, it’s overcast but warm. I try riding a bicycle around, that doesn’t go well. The seat won’t stay at the right angle, the kickstand is loose and falls off, and then I get a flat tire. I spend the afternoon getting some projects done around the house. By evening, I’m in the garage messing with my brother-in-law’s Ninja 250, trying to get the tail lights to work. I think maybe he’ll let me ride it if I get it working.

Monday, June 30th: Day five

The weather is beautiful. There’s no way I can make an excuse to myself today, there’s no chance I wouldn’t be riding my bike if I had it. When I get home, my brother-in-law comes over. We play a little Call of Duty 4 on Live. I pretend like every enemy I see is personally responsible for my motorcycle being in the shop. I’m the merciless angel of death.

Tuesday, July 1st: Day six

Today is almost a repeat of yesterday. Great weather, no motorcycle. I call the dealership to check on the status of my bike. The shattered clutch plate means they’ll have to take the bottom of the motor apart in search of metal fragments; my hope of getting the bike back within the week are in as many pieces. I think I’m starting to hallucinate. From the corner of my eye, I could swear that I saw my motorcycle in the garage. I turned to look, but it was gone.

Wednesday, July 2: Day seven.

I’ve been without a motorcycle for a week. It’s strange, this is so much harder than winter. I think I’m starting to lose my mind. Even scooters look tempting. Ideas for motorcycle substitutes keep popping into my head. If something doesn’t happen soon, I fear I may end up doing something irrational, like duct-taping a chainsaw to a bicycle. I think I better get the tail lights on the Ninja put back together so I can ride it tomorrow…

 

[motorcycle-ed]

Damn, you should write for a living. Great stuff, and exactly what I feel when I can't ride. Wife, nor anyone else understands. "Riders" who don't feel this way don't understand. It's like you MUST have it. I guess that is a good reason I have never taken drugs. I am sure they would grab my soul just like mosickles have.

Ed, Lancaster, SC

(rode today, rode yesterday, will ride tomorrow, going BRP riding over the weekend...love to ride) :yahoo:

 

[chrisflock]

Damn, you should write for a living.

If you could convince the editor of say, some motorcycle magazine, or travel magazine or something, of that, I'd appreciate it. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could get paid to ride my motorcycle all over the place?

 

[airboss]

That's why you should have a spare.

and how come they both run out of tires at the same time?

 

[ionbeam]

Ping ol' FJRFencer, he knows all the words AND the music to the Bikeless Blues. I think he has now passed the 6 month mark. A short time ago he nearly committed suicide on a race track because he has completely forgotten how to ride.

I was without my bike from last October until this May and I have been bikeless again for the past 8 days. I'm facing the prospect of a bike free Fourth holiday :dribble: I've got my dealer's phone number on speed dial and they have set their caller ID to watch out for me

 

[radman]

God, rent SOMETHING, even a Hardley® is better than nothing.........

 

[eeksnake]

Ping ol' FJRFencer, he knows all the words AND the music to the Bikeless Blues. I think he has now passed the 6 month mark. <snip>

I was without my bike from last October until this May and I have been bikeless again for the past 8 days.

Did you say "bikeless" and "months" in the same sentence? OH FOOK THAT!!!

I'd either be sitting in the garage making "VROOM" "VROOM" sounds :crazy: or vying for Charles Whitman's record from on top of the Stratosphere!

You guys have the patience of a saint. Hat's off to ya.

 

[chrisflock]

I saw that reading about your engine troubles (In fact, when I went to post this, I was like, I got nothing on ionbeam). Gotta say though, bikeless October through May is basically normal around here, October is usually when when you have to start worrying about the Mastodon's, by November the glacier has pushed it's way down...In april it might start receding, but the chances of all the salt being off the roads before may 1st aren't always good...

Ping ol' FJRFencer, he knows all the words AND the music to the Bikeless Blues. I think he has now passed the 6 month mark. A short time ago he nearly committed suicide on a race track because he has completely forgotten how to ride.
I was without my bike from last October until this May and I have been bikeless again for the past 8 days. I'm facing the prospect of a bike free Fourth holiday :dribble: I've got my dealer's phone number on speed dial and they have set their caller ID to watch out for me

 

[fattymoon]

God, rent SOMETHING, even a Hardley® is better than nothing.........

Hardley? Hahahaha!

 

[ShawnKing]

Her motorcycle gear is in the back of her car, because she rode her bike to work

Can't you steal/borrow her bike?

 

[fhaze]

I crashed my Bandit a little, and was in the process of sourcing parts. I was without a bike a week. It was a beautiful day outside, weather called for nice weather all week. I went to a dealership. 6 hours later I had my FJR. Now the Bandit is for sale, not having been ridden since.

somethimes, not in your case though, being bikeless can have a positive turnout.

 

[Fencer]

I have an FJR??? :blink:

Ah yes, I had forgotten about that one :angry2:

7 days, phshaww!!!!

 

[chrisflock]

Well, after work I raced home and attacked my brother-in-law's ninja 250 (henceforth referred to as 'the Red one). I put the tail back together, lights and blinkers and all, then tried to ride it. Clutch doesn't work. WTF? I tore into the clutch, discovered the strangest situation. There are 4 bolts holding the springs that push on the pressure plate into the basket. They were all tight. I discovered that if I took the pressure plate off, turned it 1/4 turn and put it back on, I could push it with my hand and it wouldn't spin freely against the friction disks. So I bolt the springs back on, and now if the transmission is gear, I can freely spin the rear wheel! And if I pull in the clutch, I can spin the rear wheel!

This is strange, as there's no indicator saying the plate needs to be indexed in a certain way, and all 4 bolt bosses on the pressure plate and in the basket look the same. (We did have the clutch apart earlier, as when we got the bike we were told the engine was seized, turned out nothing was wrong...)

So, I should be able to ride it to work tomorrow, and may have managed to save myself from slipping into the sweet embrace of madness.

 

[uctofeej]

If you could convince the editor of say, some motorcycle magazine, or travel magazine or something, of that, I'd appreciate it. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could get paid to ride my motorcycle all over the place?

If this fooker can do it, so can we. You start from WI, I'll start from Louisiana and meet you in the middle. Then, we'll eat tasty, greasy food from the mid-way point all the way to the west coast, write a book about the whole experience, then either die of heart attacks or sell the book (whichever comes first).

Once the book is a hit, then we can sell the movie right... sort of a reverse Easy Rider, only with food instead of dope.

 

[Sherman]

Maybe take up drinking - I hear that there are a few bars in La Crosse.