It was a frantic morning. The tow truck driver called 5 min ahead of his arrival. The truck came. The bike was loaded and strapped. He drove away and I walked home to attend an interview.
While the whole send off was unceremonious and emotion less, I was heart broken nonetheless. Just didn't have the time to grieve.
For a partner that had literally cruised with me on the magnificent Pacific Coast highway scores of times, and helped me get through some highs and lows of life, I felt I was being ungrateful.
"I am sorry! I promise, it's not you... It's me... It's this world."
4 years in CA with over 30k miles and no speeding tickets.. 1000 miles in WA, 2 tickets, a broken 5th gear and frustrating weather.
Now I get why, most motorcycles I saw on the roads in WA were either, cruisers with hip hop blaring, or hordes of squid mobiles with mo-hawks and skull etched on them.
Everyone around neatly fell into a bucket or a kind.There were set unwritten & unspoken protocols on how they should act. How to fit that mould, and any detractors were outcast because they weren't unique enough to be a part of the "elite" club. See the irony?
If you get the feeling, I am no longer talking just about motorcycling, you are not completely wrong.
I have always believed that for the kind of lifestyle I have worked hard for, I hit a jackpot in CA. It doesn't get better than the Bay Area. Yes, the chai lattes and constant overselling of "distruption" in technology can get annoying. Not to mention the general trend of increasing costs and homelessness is heart breaking. But, it is also a place that genuinely promotes creativity and individuality.
From a motorcycling stand point, the Pacific Coast highway, the loops around the Rockies, the racing in AFM, MotoGuild and just the, "gear up, shut up and ride" culture. I mean this is a place that has statistically proven that lane splitting reduces the motorcycle fatalities and legalized it.
So yes, my friend and partner was perfect. While it did weigh a hefty 575lbs; with a low center of gravity and enough power and torque to kick start a mini planet, the K1200S was the perfect GT motorcycle. I remember those crazy winter rides on New year's Eve, yet my hands would be warm thanks to heated grips that never failed me.
While the electronic suspension wasn't as advanced as the new ones that changes the compression and rebound 10times a second, it made just the right amount of difference in each setting. When in sport mode, you better make sure to load the front before you tipped it in, otherwise, you gonna feel it drift and not stick to line. Switch it to rain and I can remember twice when it saved my ass when the heavens opened up.
We travelled together over 35,000miles across 3 and a half years. Saw most of the west coast of America and it helped me discover so much about the land and myself.
I am still in denial about the departure. I haven't had the time to fully grasp the void that is there in my garage and my heart. But I am sure it's a matter of time when the guilt will overwhelm me.
Maybe I could have kept it a little longer.. fixed that gear and things would have been okay. Maybe I get to start riding and enjoying my rides again. But at the moment I was keeping it trapped in a cage with a heavy heart and the guilt of not setting it free.
As I said before .. "it's not you... It's me"
I'll miss you friend. I really will.
