Sunday, September 16, 2012

No, I'm NOT Jack !

Last week after I made arrangements to view my `new to me` R1200R, I arrived at the previous owner`s house and this was my first view of THE BIKE sitting in the driveway

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I parked my V-strom on the street by the curb and started to awww and ooooo at the bike and snap a few photos. Shortly, the owner arrived after walking his dog, we discussed the bike and talked about the details of what came with the bike, its former history, how long he owned it and when it was serviced. His name was Jack

I made arrangements to purchase the bike the next day and he agreed to ride it over to my place, and I agreed to drive him back home as he lived about an hour East of Vancouver. This would save me a lot of time as then it would have left me the problem of retrieving my bike from his place.

It took me a day to get the bike ready and check everything out before I actually rode it. You know, check the tire pressures and bring the battery back to full charge. After I got the insurance I decided to ride my new `R` to work, and after work I went to 2nd Gear to see what farkles I could muster. I ended up at 2nd Gear where I had purchased things for my V-strom. 2nd Gear is a Twisted Throttle distributer and I find it easier to just pay and order from Dave, then to order it myself. I need to install a top case but I don`t have the topcase rear rack.

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Dave was busy with another customer so I patiently waited and eventually I got to call him over to see my `new to me` `R`

The first words uttered from Dave`s mouth was "Is this Jack's bike ?"

I couldn't find an aftermarket rear topcase rack for my "R", which would also fit the original OEM BMW sidecases, so on Saturday I decided to visit my local Beemer dealer in Richmond. I had to bite the bullet and pay the premium price for the BMW part. I have been to this dealer many times to look at their R1200R's and also the Tiger 800.

The first thing that I did was to enter the building and show off my "new to me" R1200R to Stuart . . . and the first thing

he said to me was "Did that bike belong to Jack ? "

Jack was just here the other day . . .

I went to the parts department and we negotiated a deal for the combo sidecase/top case rack which replaces the sidecase strips that I have to remove. The new combination rack comes with the top case attachment plate. I should have this in about a week. I had already check pricing at two dealers in Seattle and I received a close price match

This was the first time that I had ridden my "new to me" R1200R on the highway, and I must say that it has lots of power, the engine is nearly silent and you can only hear the sound of the wind. At speed, the speedometer seems to be indicating much too much, as it is showing much higher than what I imagine

On Saturday, I usually find myself at Rideaway Motors to have lunch and keep Benny company for an hour or so . I arrived earlier than usual but I notice that Benny has already bought his lunch. I sit down and we chat for a few minutes and then a customer comes in the front door . . .

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My "new to me" R1200r, with its previous owner, Jack


I don't believe my eyes !! It's JACK . . .

He's the previous owner of my "New to me" R1200R . Imagine that I am in the back alley behind the Mcdonalds Restaurant, over an hour from where Jack lives in Coquitlam, BC and he notices MY "new to me, but his previous" R1200R parked in the lane and decides to come in to find me

He is also hungry so I offer to buy him lunch

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He also doesn't believe that I am here so he phones home to tell his wife and I manage to say a few words to her using his phone. I can't believe that we just happened to meet "by chance", in such an unlikely location. I watch as he walks down the lane towards his bike (Honda VFR), which is parked around the corner

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It just seems that he is following me wherever I go . . .







26 comments:

  1. You should get a sticker saying I'm not Jack!

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    1. Sonja:

      that's the problem when you have the rare Biarritz Blue colour. It is too recognizeable. The bike rides like a dream, easy to handle, very light and has tons of power. I am afraid to go back to my Vstrom, I may not like it

      Delete
  2. lol - funny how those things happen.

    How about "MY "new to me, but Jack's previous" R1200R" sticker.
    Congratulations on the new bike! Very nice and may you have many happy miles!

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    1. BlueKat:

      Vancouver is a very big city. There is no way I could have planned to meet Jack even if I had given him directions to meet at a specific time. He showed up moments after I had just arrived, in the back alley

      Another thing which I didn't mention is that we are living in a parallel universe. We both started riding at an early age and when we started families we both stopped riding for many years. I stopped for 17 years, and he stopped for 20 years. He is retiring from teaching next year, and I won't be far behind. We have both owned over 30 bikes, but he more recently than me. He has a sports car, a Nissan 300ZX convertible but he prefers to ride his bike

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  3. I agree with Sonja> Any sign shop can make you up a sticker for your topcase saying "I'm not Jack!". I thought I saw a scooter in Jack's driveway. Is it a Kymco? Congratulations for driving a shrewd deal at BMW! I guess even they will take a sale for parts over a loss to Seattle pricing.

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    1. Chris/Scootard:

      Sharp eyes you have. That is a Honda Elite 150cc. He is going to ride that over the winter.

      I did my homework first. I was going to mention it on the blog but decided not to but . . . I called a couple of Seattle BMW dealers as I am going to be in Seattle next Friday anyway. It would have been easy to just "pick up" this part but Cdn and US pricing is not much different. I was happy to pay a little premium to buy it here in Canada. I offered them the choice and told them what I could get it for. This is probably going to be my "home" dealer and I have purchased things here before, and I am already in their computer. I bought a new Yamaha bike here about 10 years ago and often attend their dealer BBQs. I have a Youtube video of a bikini bike wash taken a few years ago, at this dealership. They are washing my prev Suzuki SV650 . . . I think you may like to view the video.

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  4. Dear Bobskoot:

    And so it begins. Like the taste of the Koolaid? Welcome to the club. Now to get the most out of this machine, find a local BMW riding club and join the BMW MOA. I hope you have a nice 25 years riding your new bike.

    The world belongs to Jacks.

    Fondest regards,
    Jack/reep
    Twisted Roads

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    1. Jack:

      I have already checked into the BMW MOA just for the anonymous book. I may join next year before my trip. I hope to be near your front door before you leave for Salem. I already get the newsletters from both BMW dealers, but as I haven't owned a Beemer until now I never gave priority to attending their seminars.

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  5. OK, I'll pile on...

    It appears that you've been 'jacked!

    Some people don't know Jack....but you do!

    License plate suggestion: !jack or notjack

    Dom

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    1. Dom:

      I still can't get over the fact that "Jack" walked in. So we had a pleasant lunch of hamburgers and got to chat a bit. I am sure that soon we are going to go for a ride together. Every dealer in town must already be familiar with "Jack's bike"

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  6. I'm with Dom - If anyone ever told you "You don't know Jack" before you bought the bike, you can definitely tell them that "yes, in fact you do know Jack".

    I am glad you are enjoying the bike.

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    1. Trobairitz:

      Many years ago in the early 1970's my cousin bought an Alfa Romero Guilia Spyder convertible sports car. He had it for a few years and I told him if he ever wanted to sell it, to let me know. One day I got the call that he wanted to sell it. So I ended up buying it.

      For all the time I owned it, It was always "Denny's car". My cousin's name was Denny (Mrs Scoot'c cousin). It was never MY car, always "Denny's"

      The bike is awesome. I wished I could bring it over for you to try it out. You would fall in love with it right away. Just as easy as riding Max, so quiet and flies with the wind.

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  7. Then again, you could simplify the world and change your name to JACK.

    Nice that you managed to talk the dealer down on the rear rack. Are you planning on just moving your top box back and forth between the two bikes? Have you checked the speedometer with your GPS? I suspect that it does indicate faster than you are really travelling.

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    1. Richard:

      I don't want to swipe parts from my V-strom. I just wired up a car socket but I don't have the RAM mounts to mount the Garmin Nuvi, plus I still need camera mounts. So until then I don't know how accurate the speedo is.

      I want to buy a slightly larger top box than what is mounted on the "Strom. But I currently have a Givi mount but a Kappa Case, so I could swap if I needed to. I may buy a SHAD as I like the idea that it can be latched but not locked, so I don't need a key everytime I want to access my camera. It all depends upon the price and whether I want to keep it original with BMW specific top case with ignition keyed lock. I am leaning on a Givi so I can lock the box when in for service and know that the dealer doesn't have the key so I can keep my stuff private

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  8. Bob, that's just too funny. What are the odds of everyone knowing the bike and a chance meeting? What an odd coincidence.

    That's a nice looking ride, congratulations!

    Erik.

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    1. Erik:

      That's precisely what I was thinking. Everywhere I went they knew it was Jack's bike and then Jack suddenly appeared. I still can't believe it.

      I've been eyeing the R1200r for a couple of years now. I needed a more highway capable road bike.

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  9. Hey Bobjack - although a beemer doesn't suit me, did I ever tell you how much I appreciate the quiet 'zzzzinggggg' sound of one as it passes me?

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    1. Karen:

      tsk tsk, you should know by now that I would NEVER pass you. You must admit that I followed you for hours . . .

      it is such a quiet bike and so smooth on the highway

      Delete
  10. I went the other way from RT80 to V-Strom. I had my BMW for 10 years and I break into hives just thinking about BMW's but I must admit that is one sharp looking bike, and much the better bike than the one I had. I hope it treats you well.

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    1. David:

      from the forums, lots of riders have gone from BMW to something else. Problems with driveline failures, ABS failures on this particular model too, but also many have not had any problems. So I hope I managed to snag a good one. I wanted something more highway capable and lighter than what I have now. I also had my eye on a R100GSPD / R80GS but I think I would rather have something newer with FI and good brakes. Thanks for visiting

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  11. You forgot to mention that you had to INSTALL THE WINDSHIELD before taking it for a spin around the block... ;)

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    1. Lori/SteelCupcake:

      I didn't want to mess up my hairdoo, and I prefer a windshield for safety reasons.

      Delete
  12. Wow, what a weird, but awesome, coincidence!

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    1. Kathy:

      I didn't believe it myself. In the middle of Vancouver, down a back alley in a non-descript warehouse, in walks JACK ! It's hard to believe . . .

      even if we had planned to meet there on purpose, it would have been difficult to co-ordinate our times

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