What do you miss?

[LowRyter]

I do miss my dad.  I moved back to my home town after being away for 15 years with my wife and young sons.  My dad was killed in car crash after I made a deal on my house but before I was able to move.

I think what I miss are the times we never had, especially with his grandsons.

Life happens, you have to move on.  Occasionally, like when I see something like this thread, the memories bubble back.

[Guzzistajohn]

I miss mom too. But it’s only been about a month since she passed. My life is like a country song this summer

[Huzo]

What do I miss..?
My apexes generally. That's the beaut thing about my last ride, one right turn at Port Agusta, one left at Katherine and one left at Perth...
Done..!

[oldbike54]

 If we are moving on to "who" we miss , Dilligaf (Matt Vacher) always comes to mind . His spirit and joy for life were infectious .

 Dusty

[Huzo]

If we are moving on to "who" we miss , Dilligaf (Matt Vacher) always comes to mind . His spirit and joy for life were infectious .

 Dusty

Sounds like his nickname was well earned.

[SmithSwede]

PhilB, your high mileage Ducati is semi-famous.  Sorry for your loss.    What happened in this hit & run?   Did they ever catch the person?

[oldbike54]

Sounds like his nickname was well earned.

 He was just the most amazing guy , he was dying of ALS and was still making us laugh .

 Dusty

[PhilB]

PhilB, your high mileage Ducati is semi-famous.  Sorry for your loss.    What happened in this hit & run?   Did they ever catch the person?

Small town in Illinois, had a main street that was pretty large, 2 lanes each way, with a center divider, traffic speeds about 50mph.  But they also had businesses and driveways that directly entered this main road.

In this case, I was moving with traffic down the main road, and a woman in the minivan pulled out from a McDonald's directly in front of me.  I remember seeing a flash of movement on my right, reaching for the brakes ... and then nothing until I woke up being loaded into the ambulance.  I probably hit it at least 40 mph.  The nearest medical center was in the next town, 20 minutes away, so I was unconscious for at least several minutes.  Broke the bike quite comprehensively, crunched my helmet, broke my belt buckle on the bike's tank.

She panicked and drove off.  They did catch her later; they knew what car from the McDonald's security camera.  She was charged with two felonies.  However, she had no insurance, no drivers license, a violation record as long as your arm.  She was driving someone else's car, who didn't have insurance either.  Just a big mess.  Foremost has been good about the insurance; I was covered for uninsured motorist, and the policy had a bit of medical coverage.

The ambulance took me to the ER, where they were remarkably unconcerned, bordering on negligent.  They basically asked where I hurt, took an X-ray of my right wrist (which is where it hurt), decided it wasn't broken, and sent me out the door.  I had to call an Uber to get back to town.

So I slept for a couple of days just to become functional again, went into my work project for the last 3 days to finish it out, and took the train home to NH, and then pretty much slept and healed for a couple of months.

This happened on 30Oct17.  So I'm now pretty much back to full health, and looking for the next bike, intending to turn over 250K on whatever it is, in about the year 2040.  That's why I'm on this forum, actually, since one of the bikes on my shortlist is a Griso.  (The other strong contenders are the Ducati 939 SuperSport, KTM 1290 SuperDuke, and Motus MST.)

My Monster was a 1993 M900.  My wife rides a 1995 M900, and she has graciously agreed to loan it to me until I get my own new bike.  So at least I'm not bikeless in the meantime.

PhilB

[Chuck in Indiana]

Wow! Way to hang in there, Phil. I hope your search bears fruition.

[Chuck in Indiana]

He was just the most amazing guy , he was dying of ALS and was still making us laugh .

 Dusty

Matt is one of the Guzzi Guys I'd never met.. but I wish I had. I used to gig him about taking a Break my Wallet instead of his SP on his last long trip.
Always had a smile in his posts.  Had to be a fine guy, for sure.

[Jim Rich]

Dave,
That EVT in blue is the most beautiful Guzzi I think.  I saw one come for repairs at MPH one Saturday years ago and was really impressed by it.

Things I miss; friends and family that are gone.  A whole lot of them had 4 paws and wagging tails.

[Dave Swanson]

Dave,
That EVT in blue is the most beautiful Guzzi I think.  I saw one come for repairs at MPH one Saturday years ago and was really impressed by it.

Thanks Jim.  The blue was an acquired taste, but I came to really like it.   The hydro motor was very impressive.  A Guzzi with a super quiet valve train is weird, but very nice.  And that thing really pulled!

It would be crazy, but if another that wasn't too far away and just as nice ever surfaced I would probably have to get it.

[twowheeladdict]

i don't miss a bike.  I miss the memories created with some of the bikes. 

What I miss are the multipurpose bikes that could go from full touring with bold on parts to cafe bikes. 

Bikes today are so specialized. 

[JukeboxGothic]

The bike I miss the most is my 81 Laverda Jota. I still have dreams I'm riding it. Sold it to chase my Austrian girlfriend around Europe 25 years ago. We are still friends though and keep in touch from opposite sides of the planet. A good Jota is a wonderful thing but a bad one will bite you. Apart from that I miss my 69 Fender Jazz bass I stupidly sold more for fashion than anything.Stupid. I try not to have regrets in my life. 

[Tusayan]

I miss only one bike, a '92 R100GS BMW that I sold in about 2001 with 17,000 miles and in mint, as new cosmetic condition.  I got restless and somebody offered me $2K more than I paid for it.  Now it's virtually impossible to replace with the same quality, and I wish I still had it.  I ran across the guy I'd sold it to 15 years later and he said it had been his best bike purchase ever.

Otherwise I've spent a long time buying bikes that I like for the long haul, selling only those that don't quite measure up somehow in the real world.  What's left is what I want, new bikes on offer now are of little to no interest to me, I only look at them as potential throw away utility bikes.

[Shorty]

Lots of desirable vehicles passed through my hands over the years. There are a few I'd like to have back for the fun factor. I'd gladly take the increased cash value of any of them.  Most are GONE. Take a lesson.

 But, the life experiences are what have the value. That giggle as you crested the mountain at dawn, smelling smoked ham and wood fires, and a possible whiff of sour mash.  The blonde hair whipping you from behind as you cruise through the fall colors. Seeing the heat rise and create illusions of liquid on the highway ahead, while dust devils follow you and tumble weeds cross your path. Feeling like a moto ace because you did NOT drop the bike on that rain slicked road.  Laughing with your friends in a beer joint parking lot because you DID drop it.  That vertigo you get when there is a bend in the road, you can see off in the distance for 20 miles, and no apparent way to complete the turn because the road has disappeared. I have a million more, and so do you. These are the treasures that last, as long as you are in your right mind. Never become too old to collect more.

[izzug otom]

Nobody mentioned the Yamaha XT500 here yet, I'm surprised, but that was mold time fav that I still keep wishing I had one out back, especially for city riding. Mine was a 78 model, but when I got it it was 3 or 4 years old. I'll try and put photo up. 

[Nic in Western NYS]

Bikes? The one I miss most now is the Sport 1100.  But I had a bike that I sold, regretted, and bought back the Bandit 1200A.

Missing?  My parents.  My father missed meeting all my kids - a wonderful man, father, business owner, leader of an extended family, role model.  My mom just passed a year ago - strong, pioneering woman.  She's the one who told me, 'remember, the lawyers and accountants work for you, you don't work for them.'   

[Chuck in Indiana]

These are the treasures that last, as long as you are in your right mind. Never become too old to collect more.

Good stuff, there, Shorty..

[drbone641]

Two bikes, I regret selling. One I had no choice, as it died. A 1969 Kawasaki Trail Boss 100. Had a funky 10 speed tranny, and would climb like crazy.
The other, my 1982 Honda CBX. My dad found it NOS, and we bought it together. I kept it and rode it, as he was a Harley guy, but it was ours. I sold it after he died, because it 'hurt' to see it. Now I kick myself for not keeping it as a reminder of him.

[willowstreetguzziguy]

My '08 1200 Sport.  Wait, I still have it!

Yes, I would miss it more than any bike I've owned!!!

[JohninVT]

I tend to miss bikes that were projects.  I have a lot of fond memories of my ZRX1100.  I keep buying TW200’s over and over because I stupidly sell them after I spend six months modifying one to get it exactly the way I want. 

There are quite a few bikes that I should miss but don’t.  I had an immaculate 1993 900SS with a 944 kit and flatslides.  It handled nice and looked amazing.  I wouldn’t mind having another one just like it but I don’t miss it. 

When it comes to material things that I no longer have my attitude is more, “gee, that was fun while it lasted” than, “Oh my god I never should have sold it!”.  Except for my mid 50’s, nearly NIB Browning Superposed.  Selling it was stupid, stupid, stupid.  I got four times what I paid for it and I still feel like a moron. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Except for my mid 50�s, nearly NIB Browning Superposed.  Selling it was stupid, stupid, stupid.  I got four times what I paid for it and I still feel like a moron.

  If the shoe fits...
I gave my SBS Ithica 20 ga. double to the Kid. Maybe a little early.  Oh well, I found a .410 O/U for the same job.

[Paul Brooking]

1976 Yamaha RD400c.   One of the nicest bikes I've ever owned.   Sold it for a stupid reason.

Lannis

Me too .... bought mine second hand and I basically rode it into the ground for the next 5-10 years. I don't actually remember selling it 

As an aside, I was talking to a fellow biker at the local chicken shop. Id complimented him on his immaculate Z1000 ('78?). As we talked I realized I had met him before. He was a friend of a riding buddy from the late '70s and early '80s. Turned out he had sold me the RD400c
The bike had a very chequered history as it had been raced in a few 3 hour production races on behalf of the local distributor. Never crashed but ridden hard. My Z1000 friend had been given the bike by the distributor after the distributor returned it to 'standard' after the races, and had sold it to me to finance his next race meeting.
Its a small world 

[canuck750]

I miss my hair and 32 inch waist. On the other hand I still am with the one love of my life, together for 40 years.

[Rainrider]

I miss this bike, and once my life is a bit more settled, I'll probably pick up something similar, although possibly a V85 instead.



I sold it to cut a leg off my cat. As I'm sure that makes no sense to anyone (although I suspect for the Aussies in the group it may be rhyming slang for something), I'll explain. Father's day, five years ago—my first father's day as a dad—I was having a pretty good morning. Got to sleep in, had a good breakfast, looked forward to hanging out with my wife and two-month-old daughter. We could hear a bunch of crows kicking up a fuss outside, so I took the girl to see what all the racket was about.

All the racket was about my cat sitting on the side of the road next to the blind corner where he'd been hit by a car. The crows were waiting for him to die; he was in rough shape, but he had other ideas. We brought him inside, and got him quickly to the emergency vet clinic, where they determined that he had a fractured pelvis, a chipped tooth, probably a concussion, and the nerve cluster that controlled his front left leg was destroyed. But there was no sign of internal bleeding or organ damage. "We can put some pins in his pelvis," the vet said, "but we'll have to take the front leg off."
I asked all the questions you'd ask about rehabilitation, quality of life, and, of course, what it would cost to turn my cat into a trike. Turns out the answer to the last question was about the value of my F650. So the part of my brain that simplifies decisions for the rest of my brain says "Would you trade that bike for this cat?" "No! Trade the pickup!" shouted a less helpful part of my brain. Bear in mind that over the previous five years, I'd lost two cats in a divorce and a third cat (this one's brother) to the same blind corner. Much as I loved that bike, and as much as it felt irresponsible to spend that much on a pet when I had a newborn, it wasn't a tough decision.



Five years on, the cat is healthy, happy, and (mostly) able to maintain his line through corners. Maybe it was the concussion, or maybe he understood some degree of how we took care of him, but he's also transformed from a standoffish half-feral kind-of-a-jerk to a real sweetheart. It's been a positive experience for my daughter as well. I know I absolutely made the right decision. I mean, except for not selling the pickup instead. But I do still miss that bike.

[SmithSwede]

Wow.  That's a really cool story.   

Welcome to the forum Rainmaker. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Nice tail  indeed. 

[zebraranger]

What I miss the most?
My 2013 Triumph Trophy SE.

[Paul Brooking]

I miss this bike, and once my life is a bit more settled, I'll probably pick up something similar, although possibly a V85 instead.



I sold it to cut a leg off my cat. As I'm sure that makes no sense to anyone (although I suspect for the Aussies in the group it may be rhyming slang for something), I'll explain. Father's day, five years ago—my first father's day as a dad—I was having a pretty good morning. Got to sleep in, had a good breakfast, looked forward to hanging out with my wife and two-month-old daughter. We could hear a bunch of crows kicking up a fuss outside, so I took the girl to see what all the racket was about.

All the racket was about my cat sitting on the side of the road next to the blind corner where he'd been hit by a car. The crows were waiting for him to die; he was in rough shape, but he had other ideas. We brought him inside, and got him quickly to the emergency vet clinic, where they determined that he had a fractured pelvis, a chipped tooth, probably a concussion, and the nerve cluster that controlled his front left leg was destroyed. But there was no sign of internal bleeding or organ damage. "We can put some pins in his pelvis," the vet said, "but we'll have to take the front leg off."
I asked all the questions you'd ask about rehabilitation, quality of life, and, of course, what it would cost to turn my cat into a trike. Turns out the answer to the last question was about the value of my F650. So the part of my brain that simplifies decisions for the rest of my brain says "Would you trade that bike for this cat?" "No! Trade the pickup!" shouted a less helpful part of my brain. Bear in mind that over the previous five years, I'd lost two cats in a divorce and a third cat (this one's brother) to the same blind corner. Much as I loved that bike, and as much as it felt irresponsible to spend that much on a pet when I had a newborn, it wasn't a tough decision.



Five years on, the cat is healthy, happy, and (mostly) able to maintain his line through corners. Maybe it was the concussion, or maybe he understood some degree of how we took care of him, but he's also transformed from a standoffish half-feral kind-of-a-jerk to a real sweetheart. It's been a positive experience for my daughter as well. I know I absolutely made the right decision. I mean, except for not selling the pickup instead. But I do still miss that bike.

Great story .... great decision .... Karma will grant you a new bike in your future that will be your just reward