| Author | Message | ||
     Branebanger |
warning: ranting, whining, and moaning to follow for the third day in a row my day started off like crap. my head was pounding, and the alarm was driving nails through my brain. maybe I had too much vodka .. or maybe it was the rum .. or maybe the beer .. or maybe i just need new friends to hang with? i was lifting up the phone to call in sick, anything to avoid another train ride. again. for the third day in a row. Jezuz I hate the !@#!@$!@#!@# train. to be honest its not just the past few days that have sucked its been more like a crappy few months. Other than the 1 hour each morning and evening that I get to ride my bike, the rest of my day pretty much sucks donkey ••• in one way or another. I remember that today's the day to pick up my bike. so I get up and go to work. its 9:15, i get in late, my boss comes over ... blah blah blah blah... 11 am i'm staring at my screen ... 2:00 pm., i wakeup and realize its time to pick up my bike. its the end of the day and i'm on the train ... again ... but this time i'm on my way to the dealer, to pick up my bike. Its the first buell i've ever owned, ridden even, and after about 12k miles and a cross country test ride, the past 3 days had been the longest I'd not ridden the Uly in the 3 months since I'd bought it. as the train lumbers on I stare out the window. its a bit chilly, but the sun's out, theres no frost, and the sky's blue - great riding weather. As I'm day-dreaming about the farthest place I know to get a good beer and a bite to eat, my phone jolts me back into the rumbling train. crap. without even looking I know its my fiance - oh well no long ride today. but its not her, its the shop. Im puzzled for a second, and i answer. a voice tells me, "bad news .... (an eternity passes) ... we dropped your bike ... during a test ride ... ", or something like that I don't remember the specifics. Its not my stop, but I get off the train. I'm pissed. I'm about as pissed as I think i would be if someone called and said " er... we smacked yer girlfriend around .. ", ok well maybe not that pissed, but pretty dam close. Two words did pop into my head: ebay, and beer. People are giving me concerned looks as I rifle my way straight through the crowd, cursing and mumbling to myself, to the first deli selling beer that I could find. I'm waiting on line to pay and before the cashier has enough time to give me my change, one bud's in the trash and I'm starting on the high life. The next train arrives and I've calmed down quite a bit (note: beer will do wonders when you are stressed and an alcholic) I finally get to the dealer and after a few checks with the powers that be, they stripped some parts from a "brand new bike" in order to get me back on the road. that was pretty cool. gave me a list of all the parts they were going to replace and after a proper washing, sent me on my way. I stuffed all my belongings into my brand new scraped up luggage, and along the way managed to pick up a few cases of beer which i distributed evenly accross the two saddle bags. As great as the bike's been (handling wise) after ~12k miles, its even smoother with the bags on. The bags definitely make the bike less "flickable" but man does she ride smooth. even with two cases full of sloshing beer. you know, as bad as my day started, by the time I got home, I had a grin from ear to ear. I think i'll forget ebay for now, and take her to mexico and see how it goes. well thats my rant for the day branebanger | ||
| Leftcoastal |
I know it's probably none of my effin business, but since it's a "brotherhood of Buell owners and riders" here, Maybe it's time to back off a bit on your alcohol consumption - especially while riding! We value you and your input here and we'd hate to lose you to some avoidable mishap. I've lost a few friends and riding partners that should still be here, due to the false sense of "I can handle it" macho attitude that a few drinks always seems to create. If I recall, it was VERY difficult for the rest of us - their friends and families - to "handle it" at the funerals. You may not have noticed, but your post above talks as much about drinking as it does about your bike and riding. Drink all you want when you get where yer goin' - After you park the bike for the night. Well thats MY rant for the day AL | ||
| Cluckcluckpush |
beer makes bikes fall down | ||
| Jon |
Branebanger, Your piece read like Hunter Thompson, a hard edged almost tragic laugh...but he's dead. Like has been said...back off the beer bro, if you're really putting it away like that. Now...sounds like the dropped bike is the stuff life is made of, but your human dealer is taking care of it. Let us know how it all turns out. | ||
| Burnmyheartdown |
it's been said in the three prior posts, so I won't repeat it, but it should go without saying. | ||
| Blake |
Besides, beer will make you fat. Have a happy Thanksgiving all! We should all try counting our blessings more than the other stuff. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
Drop the Booze, especially if there is a chance of riding!!!!! | ||
| Branebanger |
I know things happen, I was just ranting - and it felt good to do it. no offense meant to anyone, just letting out some steam. If this is not the place to do this sort of thing, let me know - won't happen again. you are all right about the drinking and driving thing, and there's never a wrong time or place to bring it up. I don't drink and drive, but I have to 'fess up - I put myself in a bad situation that day, and all it takes is one lapse in judgement and its all over. (im lucky that a few hours actually passed before I rode away) too late on getting fat, I'm fat. too late on falling, it fell. and unless the guy who dropped it was drinking, it wasn't the beer. at least the guy is not seriously injured. dealer is going to replace everything. the guys at the dealer are great people, post wasn't about them, just my crappy day. | ||
| Cataract2 |
I'm fat too, but that can be fixed. I began working out to lose weight. I began about mid Sept. and have lost 34 lbs since then. I'm not 276 lbs from 300 lbs. Feeling better every day. | ||
| Ted |
good for you Cat2 ! It must feel great not lugging that 25lbs around ! Keep up the good work. | ||
| Crusty |
Every seven pounds that you lose is equal to gaining one horsepower. Pretty soon you won't be able to keep the front end of that City X down  | ||
| Iamike |
B.B.- Look at the bright side, now if you drop the bike you won't be so P.O.ed. It's already been done. BTW, welcome to the club! | ||
| Branebanger |
good job cat - don't stop. just think of it like a long ride, just ride the mile you're on, then the next, then the next, then the ... before you know it there you are. no worries here mike, after that ride with the two saddle bags sloshing with beer, life is good  | ||
| Bugman |
I like beer too. (A little too much, maybe). June 04 I was riding home from work on my Speed Triple. I wanted some brews so I stopped in the road to turn into the local liquor emporium. (More beers in there than you can shake a mug at.) As I sat in the road waiting for a break in traffic, I was creamed from behind by a blind woman in her Ford Explorer. I was OK, but the bike was totalled. Six weeks later I bought an XB12S. Moral of the story: Stopping for a beer can be just as dangerous as drinking and riding. And I would still be riding the Triumph and would not have bought the Buell if not for the incident. Keep on drinking and riding but NOT at the same time. | ||
| Blake |
Adam, Perfect place to share your frustrations. You've proved yourself thoughtful and considerate. Thanks for that. Such laudable character seems to be a rarity lately.  Thanks, Blake | ||
| Branebanger |
that sucks bugman, I've beent hit from various angles on the bike, and I know how much it sucks. I was once hit on my bike and spent 6 months in a body cast, my phemur snapped in two. had pins in my leg. we can trade scars if we ever get a chance to ride. tx blake, didn't mean to bring down the tone of this normally upbeat site, but call me crazy - my bike is not just a machine. when it gets dropped, particularly not by me, its not a small thing, well not im my book. when it gets dropped by the shop doing your service .. enough said. anyway, I figure i owe it to the sales guy who took care of me when I bought the bike to see how things go, and as soon as my parts come in i'll be going back to have the repairs done. so no harm, no foul. | ||
| Lowflyer |
Brane, I've dropped my Uly three times now. Two of those were entirely my fault. One was due to a homicidal garbage truck driver. All three times, the damage was minimal. Bad days come an go. If you want to drink less beer, try switching to Guinness. It goes down smooth, but hits you like a loaf of bread and it's expensive.  |
