Falling In Love Again

[Brixmis]

Spring is here, the deer are back in the garden scrounging, the air is filled with the sound of baby spadgers squawking for their grub and now the snow has buggered off it was time for my first ride of the year, with my MOT up next week.

Have to say, I had been dreading it (due to age and infirmity taking a grip over winter - the first winter that I didn't even sit on my bike, let alone move it) but once I got over the shock of the freezing tank on my knackers, that huge grin reappeared. It's funny, I keep pondering selling the Fazer, due to aforementioned age and condition (mine, not the bike...) but every time I go for a buzz I just wonder how I could be so stupid as to even consider it.

It's the only bike I've had, where I haven't been wondering how any other bike would be, or yearning after some younger, sexier bit of kit - because there isn't anything sexier than Felicity (my Fazer....). If you ever played Elite: Dangerous (I play it in Virtual Reality and it is gobsmacking) you will know Felicity Farseer, the engineering expert for engines, powerplants and frameshift drives (for warp jumps). Very suitable, I thought.

Unfortunately, there was still a lot of sludge and salt around the roads and the traffic was spraying it all over Felicity - so a very enjoyable ride ended with a back-aching scrub and polish.

This machine is 14 years old - 14! Yet not a single hiccup, from twist of the key to jacking the stand. Yeah, I'm definitely in love all over again.

I wish you all a very happy year on your Fazers - it's time to start your engines 

[nick crisp]

Good to hear, Brixmis.


I haven't touched my Fazer in about 5 months, a first for me too. Unfortunately, it needs a new front tyre and I can't even really afford fuel anymore. But I can't bring myself to sell it. It has taken me to too many great places, with associated great memories, and has mods that I'm never likely to get around to doing again.
And like you, since riding these bikes (my first was in about 2005), I haven't been much interested in anything else. Tried a Street Triple for a bit, to see what all the fuss was about (alongside the Fazer, not instead of)...ok, fun little bike, and I thought it was very good, but it couldn't replace the Fazer. And having ridden that, then sold it so I could afford to put more miles on the Fazer, all the bikes I thought I would like to try have just disappeared off the radar, even had I the money for them.
I read so often how people aren't quite happy with their bikes, how they wish it could do this, or was like that. Makes me quite smug, knowing I've found the bike that suits me perfectly.
5th one on the trot now. Each time I had to sell one due to circumstances, or the time when one got nicked, as soon as I could, I went straight out and got another, without even considering anything else.


I will sneak it out again, before the tax and insurance run out though. Let the bank pay for one more tankful. The front tyre isn't quite shot, I'll squeeze a few more miles out of it, just one last time.