A Third Memory
Posted by Jim Zeiser on Thursday, March 5, 2015
Still cold and snowy out there so I'll regale you with another tale of my past bikes. This was the last motorcycle I owned and pictures of it appeared on this blog in the beginning of my writing endeavors. It was a Kawasaki W650 which was a retro styled machine that resembled a 1960s British motorcycle. When I first saw it in magazines the "Got to have It" bell chimed. A series of events fell into place that permitted me to buy one for the most money I had ever spent on a motorcycle. The first few rides were inspiring but I had one nagging thought. "Gee I wish I had test driven one before I bought this." You see it was a handsome machine and people always asked me questions about it when I stopped. See?
The thing about it was that as a Retro bike it had many of the traits of motorcycles of that era. One of which was 1960s level performance. I wasn't expecting a Rocket Ship or anything like that but it just didn't give me the kick I was accustomed to. As a result it spent far too much time in the garage averaging only 2,000 miles a year while I owned it. The bike never did anything wrong but it never connected with me and was about as comfortable on a long ride as my 1974 Kawasaki which was renowned for being a torture rack. I gravitated toward scooters since they pull off the line much more spiritedly and have that elusive quality labeled as "Mystique".
I felt bad when I rode it for the final time to sell it to a new owner but it taught me two things. First, at least be familiar with a bike on some level before you buy and, Two, the past, for me, is better left in the past. If I get another motorcycle some day it will have four cylinders like a modern design and be another Kawasaki. A commercial years ago asked, "Are you the Kawasaki kind?" I think I am.
The thing about it was that as a Retro bike it had many of the traits of motorcycles of that era. One of which was 1960s level performance. I wasn't expecting a Rocket Ship or anything like that but it just didn't give me the kick I was accustomed to. As a result it spent far too much time in the garage averaging only 2,000 miles a year while I owned it. The bike never did anything wrong but it never connected with me and was about as comfortable on a long ride as my 1974 Kawasaki which was renowned for being a torture rack. I gravitated toward scooters since they pull off the line much more spiritedly and have that elusive quality labeled as "Mystique".
I felt bad when I rode it for the final time to sell it to a new owner but it taught me two things. First, at least be familiar with a bike on some level before you buy and, Two, the past, for me, is better left in the past. If I get another motorcycle some day it will have four cylinders like a modern design and be another Kawasaki. A commercial years ago asked, "Are you the Kawasaki kind?" I think I am.
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