Many Many More Motorcycles
Here's Part two of a life in motorcycles from Spence
Part Two
1998, new year, new motorbike...
1998 saw me buying a New 1998 Suzuki TL1000R in canary yellow after a lot of longing for another bike. What a bike it was though, I soon realised that if you didn't remember to grip the handlebars tightly, with harsh acceleration the bike would try to escape from under you and it succeeded on a couple of occasions where I was fighting to lean forwards to get hold of the handlebars before I crashed! I quickly learnt to respect it a lot more, and realised that with my 29" leg sat on a 32" high seat, saving it wouldn't be an option. This bike spent the whole of its three years in my ownership on its wheels, never sliding down the road without me!!! Haha, I did sell that though to a guy who I thought was completely mad, coming all the way from Scotland not having seen the bike, other than a small photograph in the printed Bike Trader section in Auto Trader magazine. Just because I described it as completely "Mint", he drove all the way to Cheshire. However he was overwhelmed on arrival with my promise that it was in good condition and didn't even want to haggle! He paid full price in cash, he thought it was that nice!
A guy I've know all my life, as we lived as children in houses next to each other, was selling his Kawasaki Ninja 900 (see photo) but although he kept his bikes in great condition like me, I just couldn't get along with the Ninja. It was a hard ride with really stiff suspension, whilst testing the boundaries of being caught speeding on the M62, a few times, due to the slight subsidence of the M62 out of Manchester, on a couple of occasions it threatened to chuck me off, raising me well out of the seat. Also is was a bit of a screamer in revs terms, not like the bikes I had fed on previously in the years gone by. So, the Ninja didn't last too long either. I don't really even remember selling it to whom or where, that's how much probably I didn't like it?
2003 fixing it...
In 2003 I didn't just have a longing for motorcycles, I also wanted to fix what I had broken in 1995 by getting together again with the best friend and companion in my life too. I managed, with loads of good luck, to be reunited with my ex-wife again. I was a self employed jeweller, so my partner, after our reconciliation came to work with me and we've succeeded to be happy ever since, spending virtually 24 hours a day of the last 19 years together. She no longer will ride pillion though which is probably for the best.
Enough about personal issues, back to bikes. Haha !!
Pension pot...
In the past 6 years I renewed my motorcycle passion using pension funds, since I have lost too much from companies liquidating with my paid into company pension schemes. Ouch that hurt! So, I decided to buy into my sorely missed passion once again and enjoy motorcycle ownership while investing, as most classic bikes are appreciating in value in these days.
2015 another power house...
In 2015, I wanted to buy another power house and found what I wanted in Chester. It was a nice example of a 2000 registered Suzuki TL1000R, in blue and white colours. (See Photo) It came with blue flame cans, stickers, the incorrect paint style on the rear seat pod, black alloys and a double bubble screen. Now it's restored to original specs. These are a machines which should be given a lot of respect, if you don't they will throw you off!
NB
I must add that in my opinion TL1000R's have an inherent fault. I found this fault by having an MOT done again at the same place I have used for five years. The guys there know me and the standard of my bikes, so are extremely careful with them. But while brake testing the TL1000R last year 2020 I heard a metal crack sound. The MOT guy Steve continued to brake test the rear brakes he did this three times. I have Road Racetec RR tyres on the front & back which in dry road conditions are one of the best tyres for levels of grip. As you will know the rolling rollers used at the MOT stations have a gritted roller for grip. But on this occasion the force used on the rear brake was too much, he was unaware that the calliper had gripped the brake disc which the calliper then began rotating with the rear wheel. Being forced to rotate this ripped the calliper torque bar out of the rear swing arm. I rode the bike to the MOT but had to have the bike recovered as it was no longer roadworthy. That cost me with a second-hand swing arm £460.00 to fix. The point being in this was, the torque bar in the swingarm is subject to bolt corrosion between the steel bolt and the furring of the alloy of the swingarm mounting point. This creates a hairline crack in the welded dome of alloy from internal pressure on the swingarm mounting dome which the bolt is fitted through. With the forces the rear calliper is subjected to on the brake tester it can pull the torque bar, which in turn breaks the hairline crack of the torque bar mounting. In my opinion, this as stated is systemic, as the replacement swingarms that I was trying to buy all of them had the hairline crack in the dome bracket on the swingarms, so the one that I purchased had to be repaired first before fitting to the TL. The swingarm off mine that broke has also now been repaired with a billet of alloy which is stronger. Then the arm as with the one fitted, has been vapour blasted. so it looks like new.
I still have the bike.
Then in 2016 I added a Honda CB250T Dream to my collection, I had originally bought, as described above, a one new in 1978. This one too I stripped into many boxes and re-built from the ground up with a nut and bolt restoration. It proved to be an expensive motorcycle to restore as most of the parts needed were not available in the UK some have even come from America (see Photo)
I also still have this Bike too
Thanks so much again for the great story and the pictures Spence!
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