[NOTE: I changed the title of this post to what it should have been originally. Song reference and artist???] It's days like this when I wish I had a motorcycle again. I was never a "biker" or anything, but I used to enjoy riding my little Honda some. Mostly to work and back when I worked at the gas station along Interstate 80. And even though I don't foresee ever really having another one... lemme tell you: if I did... or if someone handed me a wad of cash and told me I had to spend it on something totally frivolous... I would get me a Norton, baby.
I saw somebody ride by the office window on one just about like this the other afternoon (minus the booted lady), and it set my mind a wanderin'. Yep. I've never really had a "dream car," but I could really dig me one of these. Forget Harley Davidson's - give me a Commando. And I know it's nothing but pure vanity. So sue me or whatever, ya know.
Back home we had these friends who collected vintage old bikes. They had a Morton building full of Norton's, and Harley's, and Indian's, and BSA's, and Triumph's, and on and on and on. I don't know how many bikes they had, but it was a lot, and they were all totally cool. What a nice couple too. Though the wife had some peculiar habits. Hehe (she was great fun at parties).
The toughest decision would be what color: black, yellow, red, blue, white... And I think I would opt for the newer 850, since I'm not a real tool-head, and they're supposed to be better than the earlier 750's. Though that's somethin' else I dream about - spending hours in my "bike shop"... tinkerin' around; turnin' screws, shop rags layin' about, the smell of gasoline, and shiny chrome, and buffing, and... hey... I'd need to get me a barber chair again too! (I used to have a barber chair in my shop in Illinois. It was the coolest. I sold it on a garage sale when I went to seminary). But I know it's just a dream. And that's okay. This is the kinda thing I thought about when I was a youngster - like in grade school. Then came sports, and music, and girls, and... other things.One of the dumbest things I ever didn't do was when I passed up the chance to buy an old, old, old, Sears motorcycle (made in Italy). A friend of my dad's had it. He was retired and only used it to go to his fishin' pond and back. He was practically going to give it to me. God only knows why I was such an idiot that time.
Aaaaanyway... it's not like I don't love our beautiful Buick Century. But a man with no dream is a dangerous thing. I guess I can always roll the window down in the car.
6 comments:
Sheez... you read "On the Road" and "Of Mice and Men" while you're on vacation and the EASIER thing to ask for would have been a rabbit...but noooo.....
Heh... I just had this very cartoonish picture of you in my head riding your motorcycle down the road with a rabbit on the handlebars... "JACKPOT, BABY!"
A Norton?! Man, those are fussy machines! Back in the 90s, my housemate had one that sat in our living room (similar to the one in the first ad). He never licensed it, but we'd take it out from time to time and drive it around the neighborhood a bit. If we drove it for anything longer than 30 minutes, we had to readjust the timing.
I'm not especially enamored with Harleys, either (the "Hummers" of the motorcycle world). In fact, were someone to hand me an envelope of money with explicit instructions to spend it on a motorcycle, I would go out and get me a 919. I never owned a Honda, but when I compared my Yamaha or Kawasaki to the Hondas my friend had, I was always jealous. I think Honda makes motorcycles that make sense: easy to take apart and put back together, and not too expensive to maintain.
Hm. Maybe I should be posting this on my own blog ....
WP,
You would get no argument from me. If I were looking for a motorcycle that I actually wanted to ride I agree wholeheartedly about Hondas. But if I wanted something to sit in my living room and look cool... THAT'S what I'd get a Norton for. But, you know, this is just a dream thing. And I'll leave out what Dennis Hopper said about riding jap bikes. :)
Interesting trivia about Dennis Hopper. If he'd have showed up to your place this morning, he'd have asked for the "R" ballot.
Heard it right out of his mouth.
Ha! There's probably lots of things that've come outta Hopper's mouth that we don't need to hear. :)
Right out of the Hopper. Hahaha...
Now personally I've used the Norton ANTIVIRUS and I think it handles better.
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