August 22, 2006

The Beast Lives...

Music | Whatever You Want by Vienna Teng

After the accident, I got the bike out from the impound the very next day. In a period less than 24 hours, I started to have doubts and feelings about how fragile one is sitting on a motorcycle. Besides the advice I got about getting the bike out of impound because of co$t, I knew that if I didn't get the bike out and ride it, I would have the serious consequence of possibly never riding again.

For the short period of time I got the bike and had the accident, I was brought back to a happier and much more adventurous time in my life. I was reminded about the joy of a kind of solitude that is empowering. It's like playing one on one with mother nature being out there in the mountains, along rivers and riding thru the trees. Every ride exposed something new about the world, whether it be a shaft of light streaming thru the trees, or the sudden coolness in the air when riding into the shade of a mountainside. Suddenly, your senses come alive and you notice things, things you never noticed before, taking the same mundane route to the store or to run an errand.

So weeks have passed and I haven't been able to ride The Beast, the rear end having no lights, and a foot peg bent to a point I could barely shift. Nothing major, but without running lights, I couldn't legally go anywhere. Having an old, close to a 30 year old motorcycle makes finding parts very difficult. Even with the advent of ebay, it has been a struggle getting the necessary replacement parts I needed. Though the thought of running thru a salvage yard seems like fun, it isn't for motorcycles. I did manage to find the foot peg, though not an exact match. Via ebay, I got a decent front fender, rear tail light and other necessary parts to return the entire rear end back to its original form.

So today was the day I got my package with the parts. I was able to reinstall the tail light, but couldn't quite figure out the wiring. That task WILL be done tomorrow and I'll be able to fire up the bike and ride, again, finally. I'm so greatful that up to at least this point, I have been dying to get back on the motorcycle.

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