What does it mean to love your motorcycle? Do we grow attached to the bike or the act of riding it? The places it takes us and the memories we made while using it or the physical machine itself?
Although I only put 10000 miles on the Versys I will always have a soft spot for it. That bike awakened something in me I never knew was there……the desire to partake in the human experience. To experience life not just participate in it. When I think about what I want others to remember about me it’s no longer my job or my house or the truck I drive……I want to be remembered as being as adventurous as possible. I accept the fact that my life cannot currently support the “full time RTW traveler” lifestyle but I have found a desire to chase that as much as I can until I catch it. So that brings me back to the same question….did I love the bike or the places the bike brought me to?
From strictly a practical viewpoint the answer would be I loveD the bike but now I have a newer, bigger, better one and the old one is…well….old now. The shiny bits of a new bike will always help us justify the purchase. It wasn’t NECESSARY to replace the Versys but traction control, rider modes, ABS, and 160 horsepower are hard to say no to.
And from a nostalgic viewpoint it’s obvious that the attachment is to the memories. I will forever have fond thoughts of the Versys when I think about the trips it took me on. I can draw up a perfect picture in my mind standing outside a hotel in Fairbanks setting up a photo with a guy that was a complete stranger the day before. And in that picture will always be the Versys. I have painfully detailed memories of riding to work and going up the ICE road to the shop on street tires…..sure the bike I have now would do that better but I did it on the Versys. I will never forget riding onto the scene of an accident that killed the fellow rider I had just met at lunch…..I have an incredibly vivid memory of my dash riding away from the scene. While that’s a sad memory it will ALWAYS bring a picture of the Versys into my mind. The bike will be present in all those memories like a piece of furniture is always present in a room…..It exists and the room requires it to be considered a room. You will grow to love the piece of furniture and feel like its the only one for this particular room…but….any couch will do really. What happens in the room is whats worth remembering.
So to make a strange and rambling attempt at an insightful story short: While its easy to feel attached to things we have spent money on I think it’s more important to view it as a tool. A motorcycle… ANY motorcycle can be the tool you use to experience life outside the norm. Get on, go somewhere, see things, meet people, and cherish the memories for the rest of your life.
Incase it wasn’t obvious from the collection of words above….I sold the Versys today. She’s off to make new memories with a new owner on “a farm upstate”. I’m kinda sad about it but I’m not entirely sure why.
I think I’ll post a few of my favorite pictures of the Versys below.
