I’ve been having an on/off relationship with my Sportster. It’s on the road, and seems to be running ok, but the handlebars have been souring the deal. The pullbacks leant you right back in the seat so made for a really uncomfortable riding position. I changed them for cheap eBay flat bars. They were comfortable but too short. The grips protruded inches over the ends of the bars. I bought the dearer ones from a reputable Harley dealer. These are long enough, but the groove in the bar, where the wiring runs, necessitated a the bars to lean down a bit and the angle of them made pulling the clutch lever in a misery. It really hurts your wrist. I’ve been chugging in the wrong gear to avoid pulling it in.
I went out for a spin yesterday to keep the battery charged. By the time I’d got back I’d had enough. I spent several hours looking for a new set. It’s not easy because I specifically need 1″ diameter bars, with the wiring groove. I think the later models (mine’s 1991) have 7/8th” bars and no grooves. I finally tracked down a second hand set of genuine Harley flat handlebars from a 1993. My model ran 91- 95. Only £23! Perfect! Then I saw that was a conversion from dollars as it was from the States. Which was £56 postage. And probably import taxes. I was going to do it. Then I noticed the seller had put up a video of the bike running before they’d stripped it. It looked a perfect position. Then I looked at the bars on their own. They were the same as the ones I have on my bike. Huh? I went out and loosened the bars and moved them to the right position. This meant the controls, because of the wires, were twisted around into an unusable position. I loosened them off and pushed them round. The wire stays in the groove. It must just pull some slack in to work. The bars are now comfy and I can pull the clutch from a natural position. It’s been raining so I’ve not tested it on the road, but I think that’s the biggest bugbear fixed. For free. So that’s a win, but how bloody embarrassing. All that time, all the different ways I tried to get around the problem, and it was just a matter of twisting the controls to the correct position.
Another free win came after I worked myself into a frenzy. I was obsessing over a new bike with a fairing for winter commuting. It started with lusting after a Triumph Tiger 660 Sport.
It’s a lovely bike, with a fairing, 80bhp (so 16 more than the Bonnie) and it’s a triple which is fun. I’d talked myself into it. It’s Goldilocks. Triumph, not too much power, not slow, all weather, pretty. Unfortunately they’ve only been making them for 3 years so it’s over £5k. I was getting proper fixated. But without huge interest on a loan or HP there was no way I was getting one.
Then I started looking at the Honda Deauville.
It’s not exciting. It’s a sensible mid size tourer. Shaft drive, low revving, (although, when you look at the power and 0-60, it’s actually a smidge quicker than the Bonnie). It has the nickname the Honda Dullsville. And you can get one for less than £2k. I was frantic, literally couldn’t sleep. Finally I had an epiphany. The Bonnie screen isn’t much smaller than that. It’s the same power. Both of them will give me wet feet. So really it’s down to which bike I’d prefer to ride. It’s the Bonnie every time. I’m going to start wearing my waterproof boots, combat high, to see if it will keep my feet dry, and whether I can work in them all day. And for proper winter I’ll fit my bar muffs to keep my hands warm. With decent waterproofs that should well do me for just a 25 miles a day round trip commute. The Bonnie has the advantages of being very low (so I can keep my feet down to get out of our lane in the snow) and has no heavy fairing to make it top heavy or to smash if I drop it.
Two big wins, really. The Harley is back on the table as a viable bike, and I don’t need to sell the Triumph and/or get credit to buy a bike I wouldn’t want as much.
I wish I could find bike peace. Some people buy one bike and keep it for decades. Imagine. I tell myself it’s always about finding the Goldilocks bike, but if I did I know I’d want something less Goldilocks-ey within weeks.
On the subject of dealing with my mental health problems, social media is a bin fire lately. Last night was particularly bad. I decided, seeing as they didn’t give me a shift today, I’d do a 20 mile run to clear my head. It went pretty well. The first 14 miles were surprisingly easy, but then it got tough all at once. Did it. Now the top of my foot is really sore. That’s odd. As I was stretching off I noticed the foam strip that makes up the sole was hanging off, so that’s another old pair of trainers retired to the bin.