Francesca lives. Getting there has been a 7-week odyssey in which I have learned the true depths of motorcycle shop incompetence in Los Angeles. I have had to buy $300 in tools, have twice had to order away to Nuremberg for parts, and have bought enough shit from Galfer that they sent me a t-shirt. But Francesca lives. And she's had her 10k km service. And her valve lash is correct. And her throttle bodies are balanced. And her chain is tensioned. And her oil is changed. And her fuel and air filters are new (and her air filter was $130). And the fact that f'ing $8/ft magic Brembo (Brembo: "We're so awesomely Italian that you'll take our 8-day warranty and like it!" Brembo: "Brake light switches are $20 extra!" Brembo: "Oh, you wanted a mirror mount with that? $40!") brake tubing sweats. Call up MCSM and say "your magic $8/ft brake tubing sweats" and they say "oh we've never heard that before!" but you google "brake tubing sweat" you discover that this is just something Ducati fucks put up with because they're the Harley shitheads of Italy and then you have to order EPDM tubing from McMaster Carr. Which still has to go on the bike, which still needs its brakes bled again, but so long as we're re-plumbing the goddamn reservoirs anyway, it's ride-able. So aside from everything else, I'm having a tumbler of Ardbeg Uigeadail. A tumbler I was due to have in f'ing July.
How do you feel about the statement, there are two kinds of motorcyclists, those who have been in accidents, and those that are about to be in one? I am taking notes because this is a salient point my mom will not drop. And secondly, when you drive (ride?) Francesca, do you leave her on the street as is? Or do you always park it in a garage? I'm curious how pervasive vandalism or theft is for such a pretty looking thing.
I think it's reductionist. It's all about your capacity for risk. Someone willing to ride a motorcycle in traffic has a higher capacity for risk than someone who insists on going everywhere by SUV. At the same time, that person willing to ride in traffic isn't necessarily going to do it with the front wheel up while standing on the seat. There are those of us who fully understand that we're undertaking many variables beyond our control when we get on two wheels and by and large, we try to minimize that risk, late night annihilations of Scuderias notwithstanding. Then there are those like the guy who passed me and my wife white-lining the 5 on his Katana, whom we saw a mile later shaking on his seat, mirrors akimbo from getting squished between a semi and a van, whom we saw 15 minutes after that doing the exact same goddamn thing. I know people who have been in multiple wrecks. They ride like shit. I know people who have never been in one. They wear more gear than I do. It's about accepting a level of risk and staying there. The primary reason for motorcycle theft is to carve them up into bits to sell spare parts, or to cart them off across the ocean to sell in foreign markets. In the former case, you want a thriving aftermarket. In the latter case, you want a vehicle that will fade into the background and won't be searched out. Benelli's entire run of TreKs from 2007-2010 was less than 130 VINs. Francesca is one of 7 TreKs in the United States; one of 9 in North America. There's a guy named Joe in Pennsylvania who, as the dealer liason, has the VIN of every Benelli in North America in a manila folder, not in some giant database. It's not an optimal target for motorcycle theft. That said, it lives underground most of the time, and when I park it on the street around here, it's 50 yards from a 2014 Ducati 916 and two Repsol Honda CBRs. And countless BMWs, Audis, Mercs, etc.
Roger. I thought you mislinked comments, I'm reading sound grad school advice and waiting for the part where you dusted a Scu-- oh there it is! For this next spring and summer, I'm working out the final details now so that I can work at a summer camp for the head of maintenance there. He's an incredible guy, the best boss I've ever had and I only worked for him for less than a month this past August. One of his many hobbies is to fix up motorcycles and then collect or sell them. I don't know a thing about mechanical engines (I can change a tire and changed an oil filter, once). I'm going to make it a point to learn as much as I can from him. I can't wait. Not only for motorcycle maintenance, but to learn so much else.
That sounds pretty dope. The nice thing about motorcycles is they're kind of halfway between lawn mowers and cars. You can work on them as if they were real engines, but you don't need bullshit like A-frame hoists and 2 1/2 ton jacks. Set aside some money and get him to help you build something cool. If you like vintage, an XS650 is a great machine.
I'm not sure what I like yet. Is that expensive? The price seems to range from 1200 to 8000, and I wouldn't know which to buy. But thanks for the starting recommendation. When you say set aside some money, how much would be a good starting point?