Come work for Navman...

[NordieBoy]

number of staff, only eight, but about 50% of us have bikes. When everyone has their bikes at work we have two R1's, a V Max, ZXR750RR and another guy has sold his GSXR600.

Where I work there's about a 300% bike to rider ratio.

[dangerous]

That heap of rubble to the left, is it a 12 month old Guzzi per chance?

That deserves a bloody big clout round the ear

[NC]

I'm the only one at work who rides bikes, and guys... :love2:

[onearmedbandit]

We have about 23 employees and I'm the only rider. I park my bike on the yard at work, so its always in view, and everyones always admiring it and keeping an eye on her. The boss is originally from England, ridden more bikes than I probably will ever and has toured all over Europe, got some tales to tell. He's looking at maybe getting a Brutale (sp?) or something similar.

[gav]

Your bike will have plenty of company. Amazing how a bit of sunny weather and a lack of parking brings 'em out.

Let's see, what do we have... XJR1300, F650, ZX-7R, Zeal, R1, XV250, GSX1100, weird yellow BMW and some nasty-ass old Honda 600 thumper with knobblies.

There's a Firestorm and a VFR750 around somewhere, too, but I think they parked in the other building today. And one of the new guys just admitted that he'll be hauling out his winter-shy Road King and bringing it in tomorrow.

Any other (non-bike-shop-employee) people here with decent bike populations at work?

Dude, theres a bloody hippy stealing one of them!!

[Paul in NZ]

That heap of rubble to the left, is it a 12 month old Guzzi per chance?

Oh ho ho! Very droll! If it was, it would still be 3 times more interesting than some boring 'one free with every box of cornflakes', looks like it melted in a microwave feckin' Honda Budgerigar.

(that a big enought thump DD?)

Paul N

[StoneChucker]

I'm the only one at work who rides bikes, and guys... :love2:

You dirty dirty bitch! hehehehehehe
Hey, when I get my bike back, can you test ride me for me?

[jrandom]

Dude, theres a bloody hippy stealing one of them!!

Jeepers, you're right! How could I have missed that?

Then again, he's a bass player, so I guess he'll be used to not getting noticed...

[Biff]

Oh ho ho! Very droll! If it was, it would still be 3 times more interesting than some boring 'one free with every box of cornflakes', looks like it melted in a microwave feckin' Honda Budgerigar.

(that a big enought thump DD?)

Paul N

woohoooo - someone bit!! Thanks Paul and DD.
Even DD is a recent convert to the dark side, and what prey tell is he riding ? A Honda none the less!!

Resistance is futile. Give in Paul, you know you want to

[dangerous]

Even DD is a recent convert to the dark side, and what prey tell is he riding ? A Honda none the less!!

*clears throat* BB....... My I correct you here, I have allways had a 2nd bike usually a Honda and no not incase the guzzi wouldent start I was offered a good price for the MG sport so I sold it I am however just waiting for one of these Guzzies to turn up and then I will be back on a Guzzi....... pile of rubble indead

[Paul in NZ]

woohoooo - someone bit!! Thanks Paul and DD.
Even DD is a recent convert to the dark side, and what prey tell is he riding ? A Honda none the less!!

Resistance is futile. Give in Paul, you know you want to

nah!

Although to be honest, I've actually been giving it a lot of thought! I'm by no means wealthy but I have managed to acumulate enough assets to make me an attractive lenading prospect to banks and they are more than happy to give me suitcases full of cash to buy what ever I fancy.

I like the idea of a newish bike.

I do get irritated with working on my old shitters.

I have got a little spare cash right now.

Last time I went on a KB ride it was obvious the Guzzi is now so ancient it's more of a mobile chicane than a sporting thoroughbred.

I regularly buy 'The Classic Motorcycle' and hardly ever buy modern magazines.

That depressed me a little to be honest as I have ridden a lot of modern bikes and I know I can handle them without fear (well still enough fear to keep me alive) so what stops me?

I walk into the shop. I stop and look and not much happens. My heart does not perform little flips and the trumpets don't sound and dreams of glory don't play in my secret vanity. I get more excited shopping for a new TV. I just don't get turned on by most modern bikes and these days can barely tell one from another at 20m. The only tight leather I want to see is in the bedroom and having a hump on my back only involves rolling over.

Yet still, every time I sweep off the dust cloth of my ugly as sin LM2 and that dear old Guzzi wheezes into life, every time I look at the Triumph it does happen for me!.... Odd I know but I freekin love those bikes. All thunder, blood and guts and no common sense!

I'm coming to the conclusion that I should not be allowed out in public anymore and that Vicki should hire a nurse to monitor my increasingly strange behaviour while I quietly grow a beard and bushy eyebrows while reconstucting a 1931 Brough Superiour replica from used popsicle sticks, corned beef cans and the foil wrappers from old condoms.

So for the rest of the summer I think I should just keep out of the way, potter off and ride my old Guzzi in solitude at it's easy pace and enjoy it while I slowly rebuild the trumpet. I am thinking of aquiring a small old 250 for pottering about the neighbourhood and will probably bungy a wooden crate on the rear to carry home dead cats and random objects from the beach while I frighten all the neighbourhood children with my old duffle coat and turgid trousers for I fear that I have now gone so far up one of the lesser travelled tributaries off the main stream of biking that I have lost my way back! Whats more, like many hermits, I now don't care and am avoiding rescue!

Embarassing!

Since joining KB though I have found that very few people care about these old bikes any more and I think thats a bit of a shame. Call it perverse but I think I will stick with the old Guzzi a bit longer..... If that means no track days and less KB rides then WTF!

I shall be as the Elves and diminish with my bike untill we are gone from the memory of man!

[dangerous]

Paul..... You know even the Mk2 is a very under rated bike, did you see the pic I posted of the Mk1/2 racing at Nelson port? was comming in in the pre82 in 2nd place ahead of a GPZ1100i.
And from what I here you dont stuff about on the KB rides either, once Guzzi is in the blood it stays.... dont ask me why, but the people are part of what makes them.

[vifferman]

nah!

I like the idea of a newish bike.

I do get irritated with working on my old shitters.

I have got a little spare cash right now.

I walk into the shop. I stop and look and not much happens.

So?
There are new bikes that have the character and style you like, so you could have summat new and reliable that "does it for you". Maybe you're just looking in the wrong places?

There's a guy (oops - mistyped it "gut" the first time, but it could be right ) who rides past work every morning. The first coupla years I worked here, he had an old Guzzi. He obviously (?) eschewed modern bikes, because he wears an open-face helmet and goggles, an old-style bomber jacket, etc. A couple of years back he bought a newer Guzzi, a Jackal or summat like that (I'm not up on Guzzi models, although I recognise most of 'em). It sounds much the same as his old bike (he's noisy-ised the pipes), has similar looks and ride position, but is newer and more reliable.

I think I know what you mean. The bike I think I enjoyed the most of those I've owned was the XBR500RS Mutant, which to be fair was a Pile-O-Crap™, but which had character in spades, and fully encapsulated the whole riding experience. Every bike I've had in the 10 years since then has been WAAAY better, but I've lost summat. This is part of the reason I've had only V4's since then (apart from the FahrtSturm), because at least you get a bit of engine character with the reliability, comfort and handling. But sometimes I look at all the plastic and gizmos, or I go to maintain summat, and throw up my hands in despair...

[Paul in NZ]

So?
There are new bikes that have the character and style you like, so you could have summat new and reliable that "does it for you". Maybe you're just looking in the wrong places?

Name one that is better than the original.

(please don't say the new bonnie or else I will be forced to unlease a string of vitriolic invective that would possibly melt your screen)

The character I like is this.

The bike should have a bit of history
Be tough.
Be rebuildable or at least fixable by an average mech
Parts should be reasonable.
It should have style
It should NOT be a new HD (sorry - just not really me ya know)
It should be suitable for a variety of purposes.
Have a touch of blood and thunder about it.

Most importantly of all....
I should look at it and go phuck me dead! I wants one! - Last bike that did that was an Moto Guzzi 1100i sport. I'll own one one day!

Paul N

[jrandom]

Hehe, which hooligan has the mighty XR in the back ground? Does he wheelie it?

Some dude in our marine R&D division, I think. Or he might have been production engineering. Can't remember. Don't know him personally.

And surely having an XR600 and wheelieing it is a natural, unavoidable thing, like going for a swim and getting wet, or watching Britney and Madonna at the MTV Music Video Awards and... er...

...

I'll be right back.