I’d Rather Be Riding
I was just looking at my 1999 Kawasaki Concours a few minutes ago and it’s amazing. It’s so clean and shiny! So totally unusual.
I’ll admit it: I am not fanatical about keeping my bikes clean. A lot of guys keep theirs spotless but I’m pretty nearly at the other end of the scale. The way I see it, I’d rather be out riding my motorcycles than cleaning them. Especially when, after you spend all that time cleaning, the next time you take it out for a ride it just gets dirty again.
I broke down on Saturday and spent about an hour and a half thoroughly cleaning the Kawi because after this last trip to Arizona it was just too filthy even for me. And even now it is not as clean as a lot of guys insist on getting their bikes. Despite serious efforts, there are still bugs firmly bonded in places and I just gave up on them. My wheels were just caked with dirt and I got rid of most of it but not all.
The bottom line is, it’s not spotless but it’s a heck of a lot cleaner than it was. Call me lazy if you like, but I figure that’s good enough. And even now, with my less than perfect cleaning job, I look at the sky and see possible rain and am reluctant to take the bike out for fear of getting it all dirty again. That’s just wrong.
Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
The non-cruiser guy’s cruiser: Vulcan 900 Classic LT demo ride
Biker Quote for Today
If you don’t get wet once in a while you are not riding enough!
Tags: motorcycle
April 18th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
Just hose the big chunks off and keep on gittin’ up.
It’s like mammoth 4x4s or SUVs: when I see one that is spotless, with no dings or scratches in the paint, I know I’m looking at a ‘shiny do-nothing driveway truck’.