Wednesday 16 April 2014

Failed motorcycling in the Netherlands

So Stefan the taxi driver mentioned that he wanted to sell his wife’s motorbike, would I be interested?  He said it was cheap, so I said I’d take a look; he turned up one night unannounced with this goofy-looking bike, like a midget Harley that had been squashed. Anyway, I took it for a short ride but it felt quite strange, besides, it had a single seat with embroidered flames shooting out the rear, which Nikos will tell you is just not desirable.

Not the actual bike - but still goofy
This did, however, prompt me to look for a better bike, after a bit of looking around I found this great little bike shop out in the sticks, run by a father & son they had kept every bike their family had, plus accumulated an extensive collection of bikes, all for sale. Amongst them was a really nice Suzuki GSX1400, a bike I had lusted over for several years but never found a nice one. A little negotiation and the deal was done, it took a couple of days to arrange the bank transfer in Euros, but last Tuesday I turned up at the shop, complete with new kit, to pick it up. All we had to do was to register it, which was (allegedly) a five minute job, I had of course forgotten about the Dutch love for bureaucracy; in the UK we fill-out a form and send it off, here I had to go to the vehicle licensing board and produce a whole raft of documentation to prove that I live in Holland – documentation that I did not have. I then went to the town hall to get a resident certificate, but when they told me all the papers I would need, I just gave up. We talked it over, but with no other option they agreed to refund the money and I went away dejected.

Not the actual bike, but the same colour

This was the final spur I needed to bring the Triumph over to Holland, so last weekend I cleaned and checked the bike over, packed some stuff in the panniers and set off to ride down to Folkestone to catch the Eurotunnel train through to France, then up through Belgium into Holland. After 30 or so miles, my right hip seized up. I stopped to stretch, got back on, another couple of miles and agony set in. Another stop and the realisation set in that I wasn’t going to make it – damn you old age! I turned around and drove slowly home, no tears but a great depression, what if I have to give up riding? Happily, with a couple of days to reflect I’ve decided the solution may just be to find a bike that’s taller and more comfortable for me, so the Triumph’s up for sale on e-bay and the search is on for a good used BMW GS. Fingers crossed!

11 comments:

  1. Welcome to the European Union, where local bureaucracy isn't just dead yet.

    Sorry to hear about the recent health issues while riding. I am sure it's the bike, not you. Keeping my fingers crossed for a quick sale, and a new good find for more two-wheeled adventures.

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    1. Sonja, I'd already experienced some difficulty registering at the local town hall when I first arrived, but this took things to a new level! Almost makes local government in the Uk look reasonable.
      I'm also hoping it's the bike not my old bones ;)

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  2. El D:

    all those upgrades you did to your Triumph . . . all lost . . . But it is what it is.

    You must be TALL. I tried a GS but I could hardly reach the ground. Hope your bike sells fast

    The riding season is just starting

    bob
    A weekend photographer or Riding the Wet Coast

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    1. Bob, working on the Triumph was fun and kept me occupied at a time when I was going through a....we'll you know.
      And I always knew it was too small for me - I can get my feet flat on the ground on a GS with the seat in highest position - I'm nearly as freakishly tall as Nikos!

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  3. Double damn!! Bad enough the Suzuki fell through but then the Triumph bit you too.

    Fingers are crossed it is the bike and not you. I know the Bonneville used to hurt my hips because my legs were too long for it. Hope you can find something taller and with lower pegs.

    Take care of yourself and keep us posted.

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  4. What about a Honda Africa Twin? I have just acquired one as a"project". You are welcome to sit on it when you come to Knutsford.

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  5. I'll bet if you ride on over to your local Triumph dealer, they'll have you on a Tiger 800 before you can put your kickstand down.
    Not that the BMW isn't a nice bike, but you know how Rogey got when he went from Triumph to BMW. ;)
    A friend of ours is very tall and stepped up from a T100 to the Tiger 800, then after 28k miles stepped up again to the Tiger Explorer. If you are looking at used, the older Tiger 955 is a great bike too and quite tall.
    I look forward to reading of your test rides and your new bike.

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    1. Troubadour, you were correct - Triumph dealer nearly bit my hand off! Could be a Tiger 800 in my future

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  6. El D ... age is just a number as long as the bike fits. You will find one that suits who you are now!

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    1. Vstar lady, finding the bike that fits is the hard bit, the age thing comes naturally!

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