Cafe Thinking
This morning I picked up a new battery for my daughter’s Yamaha Vino scooter. Traveling mechanic — it’s what dads do. Waiting for the battery to arrive allowed for a leisurely stroll around the collected Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda machines and imagine a road life with them:
- A tedium of smooth roads and highways passing by faster than a brain can process with the Goldwing.
- Backaches and hip cramps with the sportbikes.
- The stink of chrome polish with the cruisers.
- Mending bones and physical therapy with the dirtbikes.
Honda Ruckus
And then, glistening like a perfect, wet sand dollar on a remote beach stood the Honda Ruckus. Shiny and black with a simple splash of red, the Ruckus promises uncommon experience to anyone courageous enough to abandon their ego and fear of how they’ll look to other riders.
In my dreams I have a Honda Ruckus. It’s on my list. There are rides in my head.
Dreams are a powerful part of being human yet I hear little from others about their dreams. Lost are the open and excited conversations from childhood where we would proudly exclaim, “I’m going to be a cowboy!” or “I’m going to be a baseball player!”. Somewhere the confidence to express dreams has been smothered by adulthood. Perhaps it lies beneath Henry David Thoreau’s thought that “Men lead lives of quiet desperation”. Perhaps our dreams have been squelched by expectation, fear and the need to conform.
Like any thought entering consciousness they can’t be controlled and should not create anxiety or guilt. They are after all just thoughts. So it is with dreams — just more organized and powerful stories our minds concoct to imagine our experience in life — possible or not. I’ve imagined lives as musician and athlete, artist and writer, rich man and poor. And I’ve imagined life with a motorcycle. Many motorcycles. But there is one that stands out at the moment. A BMW K75.
Dream Bike — 1992 BMW K75
There is a page saved in Evernote that contains a listing for this motorcycle offered by MAX BMW Motorcycles in Connecticut. I have a dream that one day there will be one in the garage alongside the Ruckus and the Vespa — a riding option for a need I do not know or understand.
Rationalizing dreams leads to the death of youth and the enslavement of adulthood. Or so I think at this precise moment as fingers tap on keys. In ten minutes the thought would be lost lest I write it down. If someone wonders “Why blog?”, perhaps an acceptable answer is to try and remember dreams.
Dreams are medicine and hope rolled together but they’re not universal. My dreams are not yours and sharing them is an act of faith because there are many adults in our midst that strive to bring a dreamer back to reality. I do it myself though I try hard to accept the dreams of others. If I can’t, at least I can try to keep my mouth closed. There is a time for critique and discussion. Just not when dreams are on the table. Husbands and wives, friends and relatives, parents and children — take heed and respect the dreams.
I wonder how life would have been different if I joined the circus…
I must admit the selfie of you at the header of this posting is perhaps the best phpto of ypu Steve that I have seen in a long time.
That noted, dreams be they during the waking hous or when asleep are “only” ours to enjoy or perhaps dread.
Have seen a number of Honda Ruckus machines around here. Thhey are singularly different and as such might fit be ole me.
That BMW K75 is similar to the machine one well know cigar consuming columnist Jack Reipe infrequently mounts and then scribes his experience of..
That’s me lost in thought while typing the post using Omniwriter — it has a little noise generator built in to help filter away the din of noise in the cafe while writing. I seldom take a laptop out in the world instead resorting to pen and paper. I like writing tools like Omniwriter and others.
I’ve not mentioned to Mr. Riepe this particular K bike since I haven’t talked to him in a couple weeks. But he knows I’ve had my eye on one.
Apart from agreeing with Bryce Lee on the photo I have just one quick comment: Keep with Aerosmith and Dream On, Steve!
Hah — an Aerosmith theme in my life!
Greetings,
Ahh, the “brick” – the K75 was so much better than the K100 -the need to go liter and beyond is perplexing- ’tis one of the Tao’s suggestions for contentment -“Make the small the large”, mentally, of course. Say it with me; “less is more”.
BMW thought they would be able to discontinue their boxer when they made this K introduction to compete with the uber-successful Eastern offerings. The owners cried foul and history of “Oilhead”, “Hexed” and now the “Water-boxer” marched on. Much like Porsche’s attempts at retiring their air- cooled, rear engined boxer 911 when debuting the 928 inline water-cooled 4cyl -beautiful car but again the cult cried “foul”. ‘Guess the “heart wants what the heart wants”.
My two Beemers were boxers. For me, the fact that the opportunity to do your valve adjustments on a whim, in just a pinch of time, was far too tempting to make the move to modernity. It has been posed that the need for continual actions of “making small clearances smaller” is the physical evidence of the need to control our little place in a beyond-our-control world. Possibly. Ok, guilty. Cheap therapy.
I too have admired the Ruckus -the GS of the scooter world? Honda is contemplating their “Bulldog” model coming to market…….the “Venti” version of the Ruckus? Maybe the early 150 Ruckus was the place where satisfaction lived. ‘Hard to find one of those owners willing to part with their love.
Thank you for the opportunity to happily go down this rabbit hole-
Cheers,
T
It’s always interesting to consider the history behind the evolution of machines. Your examples of the Airheads for BMW and Porsche just one of them. Sometimes the evolution brings needed development and others times you just wonder who let the marketing people in the engineering meetings.
The “Big Ruckus” — a 250cc machine is coveted by those who ride them. I’ve only seen one for sale here in ten years and they’re seldom on eBay. Strange looking machines but pure function to them. Same with the 50cc Ruckus. I could see a 125cc version but much bigger and the who character would change. Maybe that would be good though.
Always glad to help someone venture down a moto rabbit hole…
Dreams of youth vs the Reality of adulthood and such an aptly named by the way: tyranny of adulthood.
I can only add: Barriers are usually self-imposed.
Absolutely. On close examination I impose a lot of barriers. Like shaving and haircuts along with many others.
Don’t know what, exactly, it is about the Ruckus but I too have coveted one for a while – and it’s about as far removed from my Harley as you could imagine. It just looks like it would be fun, a vehicle with which one could, in fact, create a bit of a ruckus.
The Ruckus definitely is special. Perhaps because it has that Jeep/Humvee do anything feel to it.
I dream of all of the motorcycles (and scooters) I’ve owned and ridden in the last 45 years. . . the ones I wished I had kept, and all those that I have not yet owned – but would like to. Aaah, the dreams of an old motorcyclist. . .
I have that with cameras but unfortunately not yet with motorcycles and scooters.
For me it is the /2 R69, that is the bike I most dream of. I remember the first time I saw a K1 to me that was and still is sex on 2 wheels. Before I bought the Burgman I had a brief flirtation with a K75LT. and to be honest I could again. My wife has been riding with me lately but she has had multiple neck a back fusions. The Burgman’s pillion seat is a little to harsh for her I keep looking down the list of bikes that might suit her better, Lt’s, RT’s, Big Cruisers. Maybe an older touring bike like a Cavalcade of Venture . I keep coming back to the Wing and somehow I just can’t bring myself to it. I am open to suggestions.
With neck and back concerns to factor into a choice it seems the bigger, heavier machines will offer a smoother ride. Or maybe just a custom seat on the Burgman? I know a lot of bikes you wouldn’t want to try…
Not all selfies are silly. Some, like the one you shared, are awesome. There’s such scorn against selfies thanks to the multitude of narcissists who abuse them, but the selfie really CAN be a great tool.
As for dreams… in my opinion, people tend to keep their dreams to themselves because others are so quick to judge. Not just attitudes like, “Don’t be silly, you can’t do that.” There are also people who think others are bragging when they talk about things they may one day do. Envy is an ugly thing.
I’ve been making selfies — mostly in mirrors and other reflections — for 50 years. You can learn a lot about yourself with them. Do it enough and you can see yourself age.
Judging and envy are pretty negative spaces. I try to avoid them but I can fall into the trap if I’m not paying attention. Dreams are fragile. They wilt quickly in the wrong environment. Usually best not to share them maybe?
For a brief period Honda made the “Big Rukus,” a 250 cc. There are a couple on Cycle Trader for “Big Bucks.” Kissell had two of them, I believe. Sold one and kept the other. Yea, I know, I’m being pragmatic and overlooking your philosophy.
He had one I was interested but it sold before I could get to it. The Big Ruckus is unique. But I’m partial to the little one.
My philosophy might work for me. Maybe. I wouldn’t suggest it for anyone else though.
Remembering certain dreams is important in my book, and to that end I dedicate one to them – a notebook I keep at bedside to reach at a moment’s notice, before details scurry from the waking mind. Dreams are, I’ve been told, the floating detritus of the subconscious mind, though “detritus” seems a bit too dismissive to me…especially given some of the dreams I’ve had of late, a few of which I’ve hinted at in earlier replies here.
On the subject of dream bikes, here’s a few from me:
– BMW R90S: For a really long time, this was the only Beemer (Bimmer? Seems few agree on this one) that existed for me. It epitomized the refinement of the still-novel-enough-to-be-cool café racer/sportbike formula, sans the reluctantly accepted rough edges. Gorgeous lines, enchanting colors (the orange mist does it for me to this very day), muscular-enough boxer mill, its appeal has yet to wither away for me, and I can say that about damned few mo-sickles of my relative youth. The K series was interesting, if perhaps a tad blasphemous to those opposed (heh, pun), and speak to me not about the GSs, even though I had a brief hankering for one of the less-hirsute examples of the 650.
– Honda Hawk: This one’s a bit complicated. When I decided to go for my license again and get a road bike “for real”, the first bike that came to mind was in fact a rather old one: a Honda CB77 Super Hawk, the biggest bike they made prior to their axis-altering 750 Four K0. I figured that it was big enough, and if it was good enough for Bob Pirsig, it was fine for me, and I was mesmerized by YouTube videos by a particular guy who did a spectacular job restoring his 77. But then I got into the nitty-gritty of getting such a bike together for daily-driver duty, as well as certain pratfalls that would be hard to avoid. So I forgot about that machine, and latched onto something thematically similar, but a good deal newer: a 1988-91 Honda NT650 Hawk. This bike was a bit bigger, but not overwhelming, and has been showered with praise as having spearheaded the whole “naked” bike phenomenon. Great, but also problematic: finding a halfway-intact example proved anything but easy, especially since a lot of people used the bike as a racing platform, meaning lots of rad mods and running at the ragged edge. And even if I did manage to come across a largely-unmolested example, there would likely be a host of things to work on, based simply on how old it was…no turnkey purchase.
And, by the time I’d settled on my final choice – a Suzuki SV650 (their take on Honda’s NT, it appears, which were made in greater quantities for much longer, thus increasing my chances of finding a decent example – a little voice said “Seriously, why not get a scooter instead?” This little voice came not from some corner of my subconscious, but from my Significant Other, who agreed to my not actually wanting a PTW, but given our relocating from city to ‘burb, actually needing one, but got more than a little hesitant about my throwing a leg over something that resembles a mechanical bull with wheels. A dream deferred? So it seemed…until I discovered (rediscovered, in fact) the Vespa.
It’s true…if you try, you get what you need, and then some. (There’s your second rock ‘n roll reference for the thread.) 😉
I used to try and write down those sleeping dreams but finally gave up. No more notebooks by the bed. It’s the waking dreams I keep track of now.
The BMW R90S is a beautiful motorcycle — one I could easily be happy with. No doubt. The CB77 Hawk is too old for me to want to use it as a serious ride. Looks great but a nearly 60 year old machine isn’t what I’m after. A 750 Nighthawk on the other hand is a sweet machine. Like the black one. Love the bright yellow.
You can’t always get what you want…
I have found contentment with the Bonneville. 90,000 perfect miles and even the new water cooled Bonnevilles can’t shake me from my scruffy old 865. It took half a century but I found my bike. Which is not to say I mind having two Vespas at my beck and call but the Trumpet is the leader of the pack.
Conch — your Bonneville is a great machine. I’ve always liked them and wouldn’t be unhappy at all to own one. 90,000 miles…
You, sir, are a sage, one of the reasons I faithfully follow your blog. Thanks for once again giving us all a perspective on what’s really important.
Thanks for the kind words. I just try to jot down the things that come into my head and if they seem like they have some reflection on riding or dogs or photography I’ll post them.
Never sure what will come next…
I also have been a fan of the Ruckus. I like the fat tires and the lack of any fragile bodywork. The open frame gives you a lot of flexibility for attaching things. I also know quite a few fans of the K75 though one friend sold his last summer to pick up a dual sport. Around here they are really popular. Even the older R100GS and especially the R80G/S though they are getting harder and harder to find.
That K75 looks too clean…
And you can always make a chopper out of the Ruckus. It’s amazing to see what people do with them. Me — I want it as my little all purpose, go anywhere, slow and sure ride.