YOUR CORNER
A compilation of stories submitted by our readers.
Long Lost Love Found! Submitted by Sloop
Not much of a story teller but here goes. In 1974 I bought a 1973 Yamaha TX750. This model was infamous for its top end being starved of oil as it was the fitted with an "omni -phase balancer " on the crank that eliminated vibration. This was unlike any other "thumper" at the time but because of the fact that oil was beat into a foam and the the pump could not pump it thru to the innards and top end the TX was doomed for a bad rap.Lots of problems with bearings and so on.
Well on with the story part in 1978 I got married and moved into my house but money being tight I decided to trade the TX for a 72 MGB which I sold and with the proceeds I bought a brand spanking new chesterfield set and stereo with the flashing lights. Boy did that look good in me new house. 20 odd years passed and I was just gettin into the internet thgingy one nite I decided to look for a pic of the TX750 model and with the click of the mouse "there it was"
Well mid life crisis set in and I began to wonder bout "my" TX and so I ran a check thru the MRD because I still had the original "bill of sale" and lo and behold it was still registered to a guy in Bay D'Espoir.
After contacting him I discovered that the bike was in a scrapyard in Milltown so one bright wintery day self and wife made the journey to Bay D'Espoir and I bought er back for 100 bucks. Loaded it aboard the truck and brought her home. After arriving home and realizing the state it was in I took engine out and stored the frame behind the shed as I figured anyone sees that they'll say I'm nuts. Oh the stuff that was missing or just too crappy to use the rust ,neglect, but being the trooper I am I said it will run again!
It was off to Ebay and surprisingly I was able to get all the parts I needed to bring a piece of Yammy history to life. I used that bike for 2 summers before I stripped it for a rebuild which I am still in the process of finishing. Hopefully I will ride the "ol beaster " again soon.
Labbat's Lite vs Black Horse Submitted by Jody "Nine Finger"Warren
Now this is a debate I have had a million times over the years, and all in good fun I might add. Just about every time I stood at a bar with my buddies, some of them would order Black Horse, their favorite beverage. Of course I could never stand the taste of Black Horse and besides, I had close relatives who worked at Labbatt brewery, therefore I had been programmed to drink ‘good beer’. I’d always comment to the boys, “Still drinking pony piss boys?” They’d have a come back ready every time. ”Let us know when you are all grown up, we’ll buy you a mans beer.” This went on for years and years.
Not long ago I saw one of my old drinking buddies for the first in a while at a function. We found ourselves in the same place we would have so many nights years ago, stood at the bar. He ordered a Black Horse and said to the bartender “got any girls beer for my buddy here?” We both chuckled and I chirped in with “Labbatt Lite please.” Good natured ribbing I say, it was going on for more than 20 years.
So, what does this have to do with motorcycling? Well it’s quite simple really. As long as I can remember there has been a Harley VS Metric debate. I personally take the Harley side of the debate as that’s the product that I prefer, just as I prefer my beloved Labbatt Lite. I do have buddies however that prefer the Metric bikes, so we rib each other all the time. You know the story, “marked her spot with oil again did she?” “Isn’t that rice coming out of those pipes?” It goes on and on and will likely continue long after we are done riding.
Friends rib each other all the time about their ‘brand loyalty’ issues. NASCAR vs F1 or CART, Chevy vs Ford or Chrysler, muscle car vs sports car, cruiser vs sport bike, and so on and so forth. So with a new website and a new forum I just think it’s important for us all to remember that inside the ribbing there is often a mutual respect for the preference of the other guy or gal. We should all be a little light hearted about this stuff and try not to take ourselves too seriously. Besides, all the ribbing is based on a common interest and let’s face it, it’s that common interest that we build our friendships.
Be safe out there
Nine Finger
Reflections Submitted by Jason Cornick
It's strange how people are afraid to just be themselves. The social and monetary aspects just seem to contort exactly what people want to be. For example as I might have said, when the season permits, I get on my bike at the end of the work day and ride. All I have is myself and my machine. All I have to do is concentrate on keeping on the throttle, the shift, the clutch, and keep it upright. The awareness of the cars around me and the line of road in front of me. As long as I can keep that road rolling under me I know all is right in my immediate world. That is truth, I control it. No one else can control that part of my life. I am master. The sensations, the smell, the feeling of the pressure of wind on my chest, ripping the troubles of my day into the background of the black ashphalt behind me. I feel sorry for the troubled masses that I pass. They look blank and uncaring, staring aimlessly headlong into the mass of glass and steel that seperates them from the true experience that is to travel to a desitnation without the confines of restrictions of safety and normality but just to live your life with the full exuberance of the moment. Within this space of time, you have the ability to be your true self. Nothing you are or own matter. Only the space you occupy. Only to exist and ride.
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