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K75, a short story. Thu May 24, 2018 1:21 am
Two Wheels Better
Moderator
I know a friend of a friend. He's a funny bugger, always travelling, a lifelong Bandido, 75 years old, and along with many other bikes, owns a K75S. He needed to haul the bike to Texas, didn't have a trailer, and riding the triple wasn't an option. So he rented one, with insurance, last minute. Trouble was, it was a low profile and had a roof. Maybe 48" tall, tops.
With 8psi in the tyres, the windscreen and mirrors removed, he placed the ramp on one side of the opening and struggled the bike in on a severe angle, tied it with baling rope to the wooden straps, those straps that are riveted to the wall, and drove away. No one said anything about his abilities. Ten minutes from home he heard a dull thud behind him. The bike was on its side. The ropes had broken and the pressure caused the stand to collapse. He went to my friend for help. The bike wouldn't start, was wrenched on a bit, and a new stand was fitted.
Once again he wiggled the bike inside the low and narrow confines and set out, this time with proper tie down straps. Even with the correct straps a man ought to have a secure tie down point. An hour up the mountain pass the straps popped the rivets, releasing the wooden strips out of the walls like a zip strip. The bike fell again.
The phone rang at my mate's workshop. "Can you drive up and help me get this bike out of the trailer? I've tweaked my back, busted the fairing and shit my pants with the effort."
My mate pissed himself laughing and suggested someone who could help him who lived nearby. The two knuckleheads built a wood frame inside the trailer and more securely strapped in the bike with rolls of soft foam either side.
The bike survived the week-long drive from Washington state to Texas. But not before the wood frame collapsed in splinters. Being a creative sort, and staying with fellow Bandidos along the route, they simply cut the roof off the trailer and stood the bike upright. As it should be. The trailer was found burnt out in a ditch alongside a Texas back road a few days later. That's what insurance is for.
Those soiled trousers? Before they hit the road again the old mate had really needed a new pair. Walmart was just down the road. He hung the soiled pair on the hook of the changing room as he walked out in his crisp new jeans.
'Strewth.
With 8psi in the tyres, the windscreen and mirrors removed, he placed the ramp on one side of the opening and struggled the bike in on a severe angle, tied it with baling rope to the wooden straps, those straps that are riveted to the wall, and drove away. No one said anything about his abilities. Ten minutes from home he heard a dull thud behind him. The bike was on its side. The ropes had broken and the pressure caused the stand to collapse. He went to my friend for help. The bike wouldn't start, was wrenched on a bit, and a new stand was fitted.
Once again he wiggled the bike inside the low and narrow confines and set out, this time with proper tie down straps. Even with the correct straps a man ought to have a secure tie down point. An hour up the mountain pass the straps popped the rivets, releasing the wooden strips out of the walls like a zip strip. The bike fell again.
The phone rang at my mate's workshop. "Can you drive up and help me get this bike out of the trailer? I've tweaked my back, busted the fairing and shit my pants with the effort."
My mate pissed himself laughing and suggested someone who could help him who lived nearby. The two knuckleheads built a wood frame inside the trailer and more securely strapped in the bike with rolls of soft foam either side.
The bike survived the week-long drive from Washington state to Texas. But not before the wood frame collapsed in splinters. Being a creative sort, and staying with fellow Bandidos along the route, they simply cut the roof off the trailer and stood the bike upright. As it should be. The trailer was found burnt out in a ditch alongside a Texas back road a few days later. That's what insurance is for.
Those soiled trousers? Before they hit the road again the old mate had really needed a new pair. Walmart was just down the road. He hung the soiled pair on the hook of the changing room as he walked out in his crisp new jeans.
'Strewth.
Last edited by Two Wheels Better on Thu May 24, 2018 11:18 am; edited 1 time in total
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How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard, author - born 1945
1977 R75/7-100, '93 K11/K12 Big Block, '93 K1100RS, '95 R100 Mystic, '96 K1100RS, 2 x '98 K1200RS, '06 K1200R & '09 K1300GT. Projects: 1993 & '96 K1100RS, & one '98 K1200RS. The R100 Mystic, K11/12 Big Block, 2nd K1200RS, K1200R & K1300GT are running, rego'd & ridable.
great story TWB.
Really tempted to say 'oh shit' but...
