When I was working as a mailman, one of my customers was this guy and his wife from Iowa. They came to Arizona every winter. He was a really interesting guy, he owned a motorcycle dealership back in Iowa, that he had owned for decades. He actually raced in the Daytona 200 back in the seventies. This guy lived and breathed motorcycles his whole life, he was in his 70’s when I met him and he still drug a trailer full of motorcycles out here to Arizona every winter. He had a Gold Wing, multiple Triumphs, big cruisers, you name it. This was a guy that has accumulated motorcycles his whole life. He surprised me one day when he told me that he had never sold a bike that he had owned. He had all the old British marquees and a lot of early Japanese bikes. He stored them all in this great big old barn on the farm he lived on back in Iowa.
One day while he was out here in Arizona for the winter, he received word from home that his old barn had collapsed during a major snow storm, his collection crushed under tons of timber.
I was reading this article the other day about a bike this guy wished he’d never sold, we’ve all said it,
“Man I should’ve kept that one.”
In spirit, I’m like my friend from Iowa, I wish I still had every bike I’ve ever owned, I loved them all for different reasons. But it’s just not feasible for me. I am limited for practical reasons to two bikes at any one time.
I have ran through my mental Rolodex a hundred times, I’ve only owned eleven motorcycles ever and compared to some of you guys, I’m a small time player. When I think of the one that got away, it really comes down to two bikes, either my 1976 Triumph Bonneville 750 T-140V or my 1977 BMW R100/7.
That Bonneville was just a cool iconic bike, it was in beautiful shape and ran strong.
The BMW was rough when I got it, but the engine which had over 40,000 miles on it ran great and was very strong. I restored it to a very nice looking and running bike. Parts are expensive for BMW’s and there’s not a lot of aftermarket support for it, BMW still make the parts for those old airheads and you pay up for parts.
In the end , if I had to choose only one bike to have back? For me it would be the Beemer. They are just such a mechanically interesting bike, I love the looks of them, and they are just built like German tanks. They built them to last.
I used to go to this annual antique and vintage bike show here in Arizona and it’s funny,
The show was filled with perfect British bikes that guys didn’t ride, the parking lot however had a bunch of well used and worn old BMW’s that guys were using for their daily riders.
So here’s the question, if you could reach back into the past, is there ONE that you wished you still had today?
One day while he was out here in Arizona for the winter, he received word from home that his old barn had collapsed during a major snow storm, his collection crushed under tons of timber.
I was reading this article the other day about a bike this guy wished he’d never sold, we’ve all said it,
“Man I should’ve kept that one.”
In spirit, I’m like my friend from Iowa, I wish I still had every bike I’ve ever owned, I loved them all for different reasons. But it’s just not feasible for me. I am limited for practical reasons to two bikes at any one time.
I have ran through my mental Rolodex a hundred times, I’ve only owned eleven motorcycles ever and compared to some of you guys, I’m a small time player. When I think of the one that got away, it really comes down to two bikes, either my 1976 Triumph Bonneville 750 T-140V or my 1977 BMW R100/7.
That Bonneville was just a cool iconic bike, it was in beautiful shape and ran strong.
The BMW was rough when I got it, but the engine which had over 40,000 miles on it ran great and was very strong. I restored it to a very nice looking and running bike. Parts are expensive for BMW’s and there’s not a lot of aftermarket support for it, BMW still make the parts for those old airheads and you pay up for parts.
In the end , if I had to choose only one bike to have back? For me it would be the Beemer. They are just such a mechanically interesting bike, I love the looks of them, and they are just built like German tanks. They built them to last.
I used to go to this annual antique and vintage bike show here in Arizona and it’s funny,
The show was filled with perfect British bikes that guys didn’t ride, the parking lot however had a bunch of well used and worn old BMW’s that guys were using for their daily riders.
So here’s the question, if you could reach back into the past, is there ONE that you wished you still had today?