The Lucky BMW Spanner
For unknown reasons, it had always been my intention, if I ever managed to pass my bike test, to buy an old BMW R80 motorcycle. I used to hate these, they're ugly I thought. However, I realised I was wrong, they're beautiful, in a strange German way.I love German engineering. I had a VW Camper for years and now have an old Mercedes and I appreciate the design, the over-engineering, the fact that everything is well thought out and logical to work on.
Anyway, I was wondering around a car boot sale last weekend and kept seeing BMW things - keyrings, badges, stickers. I was feeling pretty low about my lack of motorcycling success and these things seemed to be taunting me - "You'll never get a BMW motorbike, you loser, because you'll never pass your test" (quite nasty). Finally, rumaging through a box of old tools I came across this BMW spanner and it hit me that actually I wasn't being taunted, I was being asked if this was what I really wanted - to pass my test and buy a BMW - and so I accepted this, bought the spanner (10p cheers) and it became my lucky spanner.
Therefore it was fortunate that I didn't realise that my lucky spanner was in my other jacket until I came to look for it when I needed a spanner to remove the L-plate attached to my rear number plate this afternoon after I passed my motorcycle test.
posted by john h @ 6:09 pm
2 comments
Johnny H.
2 Comments:
Well done on passing your test - now do us all a favour, and don't kill yourself!
Born again bikers like yourself give all bikers a bad name. With your cliched Hardly Movingsons and a chip on your shoulders about not being young anymore, you are a wooden box waiting to be delivered.
Sorry if you feel this is personal, it isn't as I don't know you from Adam. However, please post this comment so all your failed middle management readers can understand you can't buy a biker badge.
Being a biker is more about attitude and less about chrome and leather - that's just fashion.
Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for your comment - I do take your point, but I think there is room for all of us.
The point about doing this now was learning to ride properly.
When I was 17 I was riding a bigger bike than I have now, I'd had no training at all and didn't really have a clue.
The training I've had now was partly about being confident enough to ride as quickly as the conditions and laws allow.
I'm certainly not intending on killing myself anytime soon.
I can't really see what your problem with 'born again bikers' is. Surely with all the threatened new legislation from Europe, the more active bikers on the road to fight it the better.
...oh and I never said I wanted a Harley! couldn't afford one anyway, I'm not sure that wanting and old BMW is much of a fashion statement.
(also - I don't have a chip on my shoulder about being old - I'm quite happy about it!)
But having said all that, thanks again for your comment and please feel free to reply.
Post a Comment
<< Home