It’s hard to know what to feel, I loved that bike, it was too small for me, old (18 years), bits kept falling off, but the engine was sound and never stopped going, it always got me where I was going.
One time I was riding to work, going about 60 mph, and went to change up a gear. The clutch lever was missing. I had to get it to work, and stop it without stopping, without a clutch, and hopefully without falling off. Shifting up gears without a clutch isn’t an issue, shifting down is more fun. Stopping it while in gear is also lots of fun. For the record, I got to work, and parked the bike up without incident. That’s the sort of bike it was, always challenging.

The MOT expired recently, I haven’t had the money to fix the bits that need fixing, like a bent handle bar that stops me turning right, or an exhaust with a hole ripped in the side making it blow louder than a motoGP bike. I was surprised when I went out for work this morning and it wasn’t there. Who would steal this? It’s 18 years old, has scuff marks on it, and needs a bit of attention. As I was standing there, I realised it’s true what the comedian Jesse Joyce says, you get confused, and you find yourself standing in the spot where it should be, wondering why it’s not there, and not quite believing it’s gone, despite the evidence.

So, that’s it. I don’t have money for a new bike, the insurance payout will be pitiful at best, so 6 years in, my life as a biker is on hold indefinitely. Here’s hoping it’s not too long before I’m back in the saddle.

To the scum that nicked it. The Right handlebar is bent, the bike doesn’t turn right properly. I wonder how you’ll end up finding that out…