The Strangest Thing...

In my quest to get equipment for my new motorcycle, the biggest obstacle is, as one would imagine, the cost of parts and gear.  To that end, being a motorcyclist requires a great deal of patience when it comes to getting the look you want for your bike.  And, as a motorcyclist, it seems to be a requirement to customize your motorcycle to be exactly what you want it to be.  Granted, this isn't a requirement that others tell you about, oh no.  This particular part of owning a motorcycle is almost as inevitable as breathing, and comes about just as naturally.  None of us get into motorcycling for the express purpose of buying a bike just to customize it... well, maybe some do, but most of us don't, it just happens as soon as you hop on the bike the first time.

Usually, it starts like this, "What can I do to make this a better ride?"

As soon as that thought crosses your mind, you're already infected and there is no cure for this, and the only treatment is to start modifying the small things.  It quickly gets out of hand.

Seriously, not a day goes by that I don't spend at least a few hours thinking about motorcycles.  It's a problem, sort of.

A few weeks ago, my mother asked me to help out with the religious education course at the parish she works at.  Seeing it as a nice thing to do, I agreed to help.  Mom was a bit excited to introduce me to one of the other teachers for the program, as he is a fellow rider.  Last Tuesday, I went to Pelham for a brief orientation for the teachers and I got a chance to meet Chuck.

Chuck is a very nice guy.  It turns out that his current bike is a Road King that took him at least a season to get used to.  All things considered, it does not surprise me, as the Road King is a beast of a bike (kind of like a barcalounger on wheels) and would probably take anyone a while to get used to.  In the course of our conversation, we got to talking about his previous bike, which was a Yamaha Road Star for which he had purchased a custom seat and saddlebags.  He then asked what bike I had (and while I don't have it yet, I will soon) and I told him that it was a Yamaha Road Star.

It was shortly after that we got to talking about the modifications he had for his Road Star.  He had a custom ostrich leather seat made with a gel pad (which, as anyone who has ridden all day can attest to, is a Godsend; the gel pad, not necessarily the ostrich leather) and a custom set of ostrich leather saddlebags.  Those are not cheap, but that just serves to reinforce my point.  When it comes down to modifying a bike to suit you, it is understood that you will have to work for it.

Then the damndest thing happened, he also offered me a bed to stay in at his cabin on Lake Winnipesaukee for the Laconia Motorcycle Rally.  Granted, I won't be there for the whole week, but to offer someone you just met a place to stay, that's pretty cool.  It is not the first time I have heard of this kind of generosity between riders, but it is the first time it has happened to me.