Grand ideas. We all have them. We all have hopes, dreams, aspirations. Sometimes we get to realize those dreams. More often than not we don’t. Even when we do get to realize a dream it isn’t always exactly how we imagined.
I think thats half the fun.
For as long as I can remember I had wanted a vintage scooter. You know, one of those italian made, smoke making noisy hunks of steel. I finally got a chance to buy one in November. After driving with a buddy for a few hours to pick the bike up, I got it home and got a crash course on how to drive a shifting motorcycle. It was awesome. Then the little quirks of the bike started to show. It liked to mark it’s territory with oil. Sure that’s semi-normal, but this bike was agressive on it. The headlight was dim, the vibration on the glovebox and other parts of the bike was intense, the centerstand was bent way out of shape. The bike was certainly starting to show it’s age.
That brings us back to the warnings I’d had from multiple people. “Don’t buy unless you plan to work on it yourself.” Honestly, I shrugged those off. It can’t be that bad. I somehow thought my experience would be different. I wouldn’t have to worry about finicky wiring, or a seat that doesn’t fully lock or a leaky oil tank. The funny thing about that – it is that bad, but not in a bad way. I wanted a whole new experience. I wanted a bike that took more to drive and sure it will take more to maintain, but that means I get more connected with it.
When something goes wrong it really is frustrating. Hunting down electrical issues is a pain. Trying to figure out why fuses are blowing isn’t exactly fun, but when you do find the cause it is rewarding. Even getting a simple idea and trying it out is awesome.
If anything it is an incredible learning experience. Less than a month ago I had no idea exactly how the electrical system on the bike works, now I know. I still haven’t opened it up to see for myself, but I can’t wait to.
That is exactly why buying a 30 year old scooter that I’d wanted since I was a kid and selling my ‘reliable’ three year old scooter may have been one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.