Sticker Shock and Other Puzzlements

Puzzling Economic Thoughts

Having a head full of 1980s prices leads to endless shocks when paying for things. Doesn’t matter if it’s a ribeye steak at the grocery store or a new pair of jeans from L.L. Bean. Thankfully I seem to be insulated and unconcerned about the price of gas at the pump. No doubt buoyed by fuel stingy two-wheeled machines and an insignificant number of annual miles on our four-wheeled vehicles.

Wandering around the past few months shooting film costs money compared to the mindless triggering of digital images. Even processing Tri-X 35mm film myself costs $0.55 each time I press the shutter button. For some reason I don’t flinch. But there are a few things lately that have strained the economic area of my brain.

Sticker Shock

The W650 had been hard to start. I blamed the cold weather. Then the battery as it slowly lost its charge while trying to crank the bike to life. Maybe the carbs required some work. And while looking the bike over I checked the DOT codes on the tires and realized they were pretty old — seven and eight years of aging rubber. So I called the local Kawasaki dealer to schedule a time to have the bike serviced.

A quick check on Revzilla revealed the tires would be expensive. The dealer quoted a price that was nearly the same for the two Bridgestone Battlax tires I wanted. In keeping with my growing desire to have others do the service and maintenance I abandoned old habits of trying to save twenty or thirty dollars by supplying the tires. Dealers need to make money to stay in business. I want them in business. And I have the cash. But letting go of old habits doesn’t erase the thought patterns.

So off it went for the following work:

• PA Safety Inspection
• Oil and filter change
• Chain maintenance
• Adjust the carbs
• Two new tires, new tubes, plus mounting
• New battery
• Adjust the clutch and brake cables

A lot of work. Going over the invoice line by line I nodded my head at the price of each line item. I knew the time involved and was grateful that I wasn’t doing the work. The final total still startled me — $1306.30.

My brain was balancing that number against the numbers stored in my head from 30 and 40 years ago. I need to upgrade the system.

Other Shocks

The W650 runs like a dream again. Starts instantly even on cool mornings. The idle is perfect and all the controls feel positive. And the tires are things of beauty. I’ve come to accept the cost of maintenance and am grateful someone is available to do it and the cost for me is not prohibitive. I want to ride and safe, well maintained machine. I no longer want to wrench. Even though I could. It’s taken some time to embrace the idea that just because I have the skill to do something does not mean I have to do it. And to also release financial fears from years ago when chasing checks to the bank at the end of the month was a frequent sport.

As someone suggested recently, I could put the $1306.30 in cash on the driveway and set it on fire and it would have absolutely no effect on my life. I wouldn’t like doing it but it brings things into perspective.

And the brings me to our 2011 Honda Fit with 48K miles on the clock. It has become our primary vehicle for now because our Toyota Sienna van is in the shop. Needs new head gaskets. If I thought the cost of the W650 was shocking the head gasket repair feels like assault.

Riding into a New Perspective

Riders everywhere talk about the therapeutic effects of riding motorcycles and scooters. It’s one of those ideas built into riding mythology that it’s easy to embrace a slogan without ever embracing the effect. For me, the therapeutic effect of riding is in how it creates an awareness of the things I am suffering. Could be money, the weight of health issues, too much to do, or just plain negative and destructive thoughts and emotions. Riding pulls the curtain aside for me. But, and this is the big but, if I don’t change my behavior it is empty therapy.

Take the estimate I got for replacing the head gaskets on my Toyota Sienna — between $5K and $6K. *cough*

Despite my desire to respond thoughtfully my emotions get there first. WTF?? The damn van is only worth $12K. I’m going to have to get a new one.

Riding to breakfast on the W650 I was asking myself if it made sense to fix the engine. I understood the costs. The Toyota book time for this engine is notoriously high — 28 hours. Engine removal. Two heads. Intense work.

Assuming the work is done well I would end up with a vehicle in great shape in a body with no rust. And to replace it with something identical, if I could find something would be $12K. And probably more with no guarantee that a head gasket replacement would not be in my future.

So I gave the OK for the repair. And repeated the thought experiment of burning $6K in the driveway. Painful yes. But it would have no effect on my life.

Food for Thought

Dining alone at Bonfatto’s Italian Market & Corner Cafe offered the space for me to intellectually make peace with my emotional response to the repair quote sticker shock. I’ll be ok spending the money. And even if it turns out to have been a bad choice, an expensive lesson, I’ll still be ok.

Riding home I had a better idea of what riding therapy does for me — it reminds me of what’s important. I want peace in my life and that I can take actions that lead in that direction. Or I can let the anxiety, fear, and anger swirl making me miserable.

The choice is mine to make.