Bye, Bye Burgman


 Well, that's it, the Burgman is gone.  Some new owner will hopefully now get some enjoyment out of it.  Since I am now officially ancient, and have a 'Smart Pass' that gets me free travel on both the buses, trains and even some ferries throughout Northern Ireland, I will do the environmentally friendly thing and use this for my commute to work.  This will be good, especially since it looks like I will always retain some degree of home working, so the Burgman would never have been putting in the mileage that it used to.  When/ if I make it to be 65, our government hands out a better version of this pass that gives free travel throughout the entire Island of Ireland, so by that age there may be a few more adventures opening up.  :-) 

So I now have two bikes remaining, and I have to admit that the winds of change may still be sweeping through my garage.  The two bikes are my 1974 R75/6, and my 1961 Triumph 5TA.  The R75 goes Ok, but is a little rough around the edges since prior to the Burgman it used to fill the role of all weather commuter as well as being my first choice for touring.  The 5TA, as I've said hasn't turned a wheel in anger during this century because I stripped it to give it some much needed TLC and we then moved house to a project that kept us busy for years.  I thought I might find time to bring it back to life for its 60th birthday, but unfortunately that didn't happen.

My current plan is that the BMW will be sold too, lets call this the 27 year itch.  It's not that I dislike it, although there is something about the current motorcycle scene that I do react against, merely that I think I have grown bored of it.  I cannot get excited about taking it out or making plans for some great adventure on it.  I need a change, so it has to go.  First though, and merely in the interest of getting a few more quid for it, I will return it to a more standard condition.  This will take a while, so I don't expect to be making the sale until perhaps spring next year.  That of course is unless someone out there has a particular hankering for an ancient BM?

The Triumph will stay, and I hope to finish the refurb job that I started so many years ago when the BM goes and I actually have some space in the garage to make it functional again.  I have made a start on ridding myself of the BM by selling off some of the many parts that I collected and hoarded over the years.  Thus far I have sold about £850 worth of BM stuff on EBay, and there is plenty left.  I hasten to add, that the parts I am selling do not relate directly to the R75 itself.  Rather they have been things like an RS fairing, and the Fournales shocks that once adorned the bike.  Like I said, it will be a bit more original when I eventually sell it.

So there we are, the end of a BMW era, and I may even become one of the leisure motorcyclists who only ride in good weather that I have ranted against for so long.  Watch this space.


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