A Betty Saga

OK, so I sold my GS500F over a week ago now. I was expecting my lovely new
SV60S would be ready to pick up on Friday of last week.

Nope.

The dealer took pity on me - I had already arranged to visit my ex-neighbour
in Sydney after his quadruple bypass, and had no means of getting there
after selling Gus. Lovely Greg Dahlitz (ahlitz Motorcycles, Queanbeyan) let
me take a courtesy bike - a 1990 GS500E with 71000kms on the clock. Didn't
look like much, but a lovely little commuter.

It didn't like my highway speeds, though. In the pre-dawn blackness, about
20kms on the Canberra side of Goulburn, it started making "I've run out of
fuel" moves. I pulled over, twitching, and cut the engine. It was a bit
scary (and cold and dark!) but I knew damned well it had a full tank. After
a few minutes it started up again, and got me to Sydney ok, albeit in icicle
mode...

Coming home it did the same weird fuel-starvation thing, but if I knocked it
down into a low gear and rode on the shoulder at about 50kmh for a while, it
recovered... So I nursed it home...

And yea, verily, on Monday my new bike had still not arrived at Dahlitz
Motorcycles, but Greg did say "worry not, keepeth the Banger - thy bike will
be here soon!"

So I kept the Banger. I still had the bloody Banger this arv... the guy who
transports the bikes for Dahlitz left Canberra late this week (last week he
left Sydney early, so he missed my order..... timing, tming....)

I have developed a weird affection for the Banger, despite its bad behaviour
on the weekend, and despite the fact that it leaked oil on my pristine shed
floor.

What I couldn't forgive, though, was the clutch-cable snappage on the way
home from work this arv. As I rode along I was trying desperately to
remember the aus.moto thread about clutchless gear changes - but failed
miserably. The Banger carked it at a very busy intersection full of Canberra
drivers who whizzed past me without slowing as I struggled to get the Banger
off the road.

Couple of phone calls later I was picked up and taken to Dahlitz
Motorcycles, where Greg gave me yet another bike to ride until my SV turns
up (hopefully tomorrow, if the truck guy gets his shit together!)

So - right now I'm riding a Hooflung 250 cruiser - and it has reinforced
every prejudice I have ever had! No guts, brakes are crap, doesn't corner,
doesn't stop.... all it has going for it is that IT'S BETTER THAN BEING
BIKELESS! And of course there was my inexperience and ineptitude
contributing to it all - I kept trying to put my feet on footpegs that
weren't bloody there - it was awful! Liked how low the seat was, though
<grin>

Coming home was a bit surreal - took Sutton Road because of the lack of
traffic around peak hour - and wouldn't you know it, came across my
nemesis - GRAVEL - along the way! I was nearly peeing myself laughing, and
wondering how many more of my worst nightmares would come true before I got
my new ride.....

It's been a helluva day - oh, and as an aside, totally OT: I was woken at
2am today by Oscar, one of my cats. He was being very persistent and poking
about on the doona. In my half-awake state I kept telling him to rack off,
and then suddenly his persistence kicked my brain awake...

Surely not - it couldn't be - I turned on the light and lifted a corner of
the dressing gown I had laid over the doona last night for a bit of extra
warmth.

A long mousy tail tried to wriggle closer to me. My homicidal cat's pupils
dilated, and he prepared to pounce. I slammed the corner of dressing gown
back over the mouse and tried to think straight (at that point I'm afraid
my thoughts were restricted to "****, there's a mouse in my bed; ****, my
cat's trying to kill it; ****, I want to go to sleep!")

Somehow yon mouse was liberated (hope like hell it doesn't put in a
reappearance tonight) <snigger>

I stopped off at the Bottle-shop this arv - and think it was a good move!

betty, on #3 for the evening
Holy dooley, what a day!

 

Just repeat the following mantra:

"It could have been worse...it could have been worse...it could have
been worse..."

That won't make you feel any better of course, but at least it'll keep
you busy.

Oh, and by the way: all of those traps that I set in the caravan at
Funkytown netted me 2 little mousy corpses. That'll teach them!


BTH

 

Bummer Betty but at least you're getting experience on other bike styles
... think of it that way.

 

Gawrsh; what travails!!
Nothin' like a warm rodent to snuggle up to on a cold night eh?
I can see clutchless-riding-101 coming up at GP time.
Cheers ..... Clem

 

<giggle> Yeah, despite the stress (and what felt suspiciously like very
little chest pains on the way home) it was a bit of an adventure really!

Re your meece corpses (reasonable yield, by the way) - I suppose you, being
a big butch bloke and all, just emptied the traps and re-set them?

betty, who would've chucked the full traps away
and set new ones ;-) there's something so ineffably
sad about a weeny little mouse corpse. And something
so yukky about extracting a dead mouse from a trap.
I hate the way their little necks get flattened <shudder>

 

and you write books - what text; and then guess that there are only a
few around that could relate to it.
At least "when I get older.... " (do people with red hair lose it? - hair
that is) you will be able to sit in a quiet corner and have a long
<snigger> to yourself.

Rockit

 

It's a writer's lot *sniffle* I spoze it's all about picking your
audience... Now if I was JK Rowling.....

Shit I hope not - don't have a lot to begin with!

you will be able to sit in a quiet corner and have a long

Oh, already spend far too much time doing that!

betty

 

Yep; 1990 GS500F vs 1996 GS500F......

 

Crotchless riding is easy, ask Johno...

 

Dammit; that should've read "vs 2006 GS500F..."

 

I thought I had a bad start to Tuesday but Betty wins!

I'll explain mine. I had the day off, first day off in over 6 weeks
(including Easter). I gets a knock on my bedroom door around 9am. It's
our new flatmate. I haven't been here much with all the work, so don't
know her that well, but she seems a bit of an air-head. Went to school
with my other flatmate who I've known for a few years. Anyway Fiona
has an appointment and can't find her front door key (2nd time in a
week she's managed this trick) and wonders if I can leave my key
somewhere outside. (We've only been in this new place a few weeks and
hadn't got around to hiding a key yet). We wander outside and decide
on somewhere to leave a key.

I go to head back inside and Jen's new kitten makes a break for
freedom. I turn around and grab the kitten and of course the front
door slams shut behind me. So there's both me and Fiona outside with
no key. And I've just got out of bed and standing in shorts and
t-shirt and bare feet. And it's frigging cold. 8C or something stupid
like that.

Fiona has her mobile and rings Jen. I organise Jen (who was just
starting a class at uni) to ring a taxi and get the taxi to pick up
her key and bring it home.

So I'm outside holding a struggling kitten freezing my arse off. I
decide to put the kitten in a little shed off the carport but the
doors won't close properly so I stick an old chair in front of the
doors and sit on it as the kitten seems to have enough strength to
push the doors open even with the chair in front.

So I'm sitting there and this woman walks down the driveway. She
doesn't look like a taxi-driver. "Hi. You must be Kevin. I'm Fiona's
mum. Just want to leave this bag for her".

I sort of try to explain why I'm sitting outside in next to no clothes
with a cat trying to claw my back apart through a gap in the shed
doors, but it would take too long. She leaves the bag at the front
door and heads off, probably wondering what madhouse her daughter has
gotten in to, but I guess from the little I know of Fiona, she's
probably used to it.

Finally the taxi turns up and I get back inside, shivering like mad.
Head to my bedroom and turn on my 2 week old fan heater which promptly
goes bang and expires in a puff of smoke.

Needless to say, the day got better from there on.

 

Stuck on GST? (George Standard Time)

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 3 Apr 2008 07:03:40 +1100

Depends hugely on the cruiser.

Some are unwieldy and heavy and so painful to live with. Some are wide
so the low seat doesn't mean feet on the floor (Guzzi California EV I'm
looking at you!)

Problem with many cruisers is they are designed for the American
market. Meaning designed for big men who want form over function.

I'm not a fan of the cruiser[1] style because it's bad for your back
and difficult in the twisties. They can be good for shortfolk if they
aren't too wide and too "hey, I'm a 1940s HD" in shape and braking
power, but as a certified[2] short person I prefer to learn to manage
the more normal bikes.

Zebee


[1] with the exception of the EV which is a horrible bloated whatsit,
Guzzi cruisers aren't cruisers, they are normal bikes with odd looking
seats and long handlebars.

[2] you can take that anyway you like...

 

ewwwwwww... [1]


G-S

[1] Eve went swimming one day, god said...

*Damn I'll never get the smell out of all those fish now!*

 

Hey! You forgot the Harley-Son.

 

Of course! Traps cost money!


BTH

 

It should also have read "1990 GS500E vs ..."


BTH

 

Funny things happen to electical gadgets when one is "in a state"...

At least that's my been my observation...

Onya bike...

Gerry

 

....and we all settled in to a meal of lovely roast kitten!

 

.....and we all settled in to a meal of lovely roast kitten!
--
Clem

<covering eyes and ears>

Lala la la laaaaaaaaa

Erk, Clem - you are pure EVIL!!!!!

Fortunately, I am feeling rather beneficent and unvengeful this evening. I
love everybody - even kitten-roasting evil bastards....

I have my new bike! I am in love!!

betty