I adored my Fazer. 09 model, bought from a IT chap who had begrudgingly parked the thing in the garage when domestic affairs took precedence. Moving up from my time on R6s and Cbr600s, the FZ1 felt berserk in its power delivery. I then embarked on many modifications...it became a monster. Licence lost, cops with guns pulled, me in my egyptian trousers which the gun slingers referred to as circus clothes, I was caught winding the damn thing up down the twisties, and the highway patrol...I hadnt seen them, was moving too fast, in between the sunday sloth metal tanks...and then, after my ban, my domestic situation had changed, woman and little man of another man, no time for play out in the sticks and no wallet for the fines. SO...I turned to peeking at other bikes, tried a SV650 and it was too much on the shoulders and the power felt so lame.
A perfectly presented 919 05' model appeared. SO I went along, and spoke to the owner, a viking chap, huge and Thor outline. He had seen a hornet when a nipper on some island in Europe and wanted one since, his boat work (true viking heritage showing) ended in PErth, no more work...so he made his way to Melbourne and found the 919 selling, a teacher, rather taciturn, yet every oil change, every filter, every brake pad, service history immense...when I met the viking and 919. It had 55k on the clock, yet the torque when i test rode, even in driving rain, felt good. SO I said why not eh!
Having the two bikes was unfair, and it took me a while to find love for the 919. It had nowhere near the power of the manically modified FZ1 (gearing, ECU flash, PC V) but slowly, surely it became the finest urban brawler I have ever ridden. Especially once the FZ had been sold.
Its turning, nimble flickability on what feels more a 600 frame, and the torque, brakes, fuelling with a PC III and great maps...all became amazingly comfortable. I could throw that thing into corners in a lean with zero hesitation, i could open the throttle from the lights and keep up with or outpace most far more modern bikes. In short, it was a superb urban scrapper...
The relationship, a throwback to my amorous romeo fanatic routine of my 20s...ended in a similar yet financially brutal fashion earlier this year. And I have found my dreams of her and her little man steady , and close to now exhausted all avenues of the by now rather long in the fang routine of the battleground of love and passion...im mortally wounded, the enemy is leaving the scene, bodies everywhere, bleeding into the earth, and yet I find the strength, to raise my maimed frame on a shoulder, see through blurred vision, the enemy I still love, for fanatics, when they love, its love or death, no matter the cost...and I gurgle, blood in my throat and pipsqueak 'WAIT...COME BACK AND KILL ME AGAIN...'...etct etc...She has gone. And I can do little about my dreams, 12th house is berserk in my chart so why wail on that score, its like a fish wailing at the tides...
Throughout my life, when I have lost a woman, I have bought a new bike...this reminded to me, from reading some of my earlier scribbles, on a whim two weeks back I peeked on bikesales and found a speed triple I instantly felt drawn to. Met the bike, bought the bike, now have the bike. The hornet was sold to the first interested party.
I wont bang on about the Speedy machine, suffice to say, its different to the 919. And an englishman should have an english devil steed at some stage of his passage...Instead I want to offer a virtual bow and show of gratitude to the community here, especially IslandBoy and mcromo44...who have been incredibly helpful and very much made me appreciate this niche hugely and always. By far the finest collection of bikers I have come across on my virtual or otherwise travels. Advice when needed. Barely any morons. And even the haughty rarities have something of value to offer behind the virtual front!
In short, I am sad to leave this community. I will miss the crowd and feeling of being connected to others who love their bikes as a lifestyle not as merely a machine.
Many thanks indeed for the support and kinship. I wish one and all the best of all possible worlds...
Cheers,
Daniel
A perfectly presented 919 05' model appeared. SO I went along, and spoke to the owner, a viking chap, huge and Thor outline. He had seen a hornet when a nipper on some island in Europe and wanted one since, his boat work (true viking heritage showing) ended in PErth, no more work...so he made his way to Melbourne and found the 919 selling, a teacher, rather taciturn, yet every oil change, every filter, every brake pad, service history immense...when I met the viking and 919. It had 55k on the clock, yet the torque when i test rode, even in driving rain, felt good. SO I said why not eh!
Having the two bikes was unfair, and it took me a while to find love for the 919. It had nowhere near the power of the manically modified FZ1 (gearing, ECU flash, PC V) but slowly, surely it became the finest urban brawler I have ever ridden. Especially once the FZ had been sold.
Its turning, nimble flickability on what feels more a 600 frame, and the torque, brakes, fuelling with a PC III and great maps...all became amazingly comfortable. I could throw that thing into corners in a lean with zero hesitation, i could open the throttle from the lights and keep up with or outpace most far more modern bikes. In short, it was a superb urban scrapper...
The relationship, a throwback to my amorous romeo fanatic routine of my 20s...ended in a similar yet financially brutal fashion earlier this year. And I have found my dreams of her and her little man steady , and close to now exhausted all avenues of the by now rather long in the fang routine of the battleground of love and passion...im mortally wounded, the enemy is leaving the scene, bodies everywhere, bleeding into the earth, and yet I find the strength, to raise my maimed frame on a shoulder, see through blurred vision, the enemy I still love, for fanatics, when they love, its love or death, no matter the cost...and I gurgle, blood in my throat and pipsqueak 'WAIT...COME BACK AND KILL ME AGAIN...'...etct etc...She has gone. And I can do little about my dreams, 12th house is berserk in my chart so why wail on that score, its like a fish wailing at the tides...
Throughout my life, when I have lost a woman, I have bought a new bike...this reminded to me, from reading some of my earlier scribbles, on a whim two weeks back I peeked on bikesales and found a speed triple I instantly felt drawn to. Met the bike, bought the bike, now have the bike. The hornet was sold to the first interested party.
I wont bang on about the Speedy machine, suffice to say, its different to the 919. And an englishman should have an english devil steed at some stage of his passage...Instead I want to offer a virtual bow and show of gratitude to the community here, especially IslandBoy and mcromo44...who have been incredibly helpful and very much made me appreciate this niche hugely and always. By far the finest collection of bikers I have come across on my virtual or otherwise travels. Advice when needed. Barely any morons. And even the haughty rarities have something of value to offer behind the virtual front!
In short, I am sad to leave this community. I will miss the crowd and feeling of being connected to others who love their bikes as a lifestyle not as merely a machine.
Many thanks indeed for the support and kinship. I wish one and all the best of all possible worlds...
Cheers,
Daniel