Modern Classics and Warm Weather Impulses

I suppose it’s safe to say that the weather is at least partially to blame for the tedium that riders in my area have been suffering with of late. We had a cold rainy summer followed by a fall that was equally dreadful. It’s not quite hide indoors to keep from getting frostbite that we’re expecting in a few weeks, but it isn’t exactly ideal riding weather either.

As such with a late November week of daytime temps in the 60s and clear skies, strange things are happening with members of the riding-population all over town. There’s been a small rush to the local dealerships with swipe-happy credit cards and non-spouse approved highjacking of checkbooks. It’s almost as if we sense the urgency in squeezing out the final few moments of a pretty uninspiring riding season before the real hibernation hits.

For many it’s a simple matter of last-minute maintenance. It seems like everyone I talk to is having oil changes performed, chains adjusted, belts replaced, and OEM mufflers downsized to aftermarket specifications. For a few, however, this is the end of the season both literarily and in terms of the model year so deals on last year’s stuff is luring them out of hiding toward the bike shops, like so many rats inexplicably caught by the musical notes of the pied piper.

Case in point, my friend Charlie who, despite appearing normal moments prior by family and loved ones, went out and traded in his Vulcan Classic for a Royal Enfield G5 Classic on a complete whim. Now if you’re anything like me, the first thought that comes to mind is what the heck is a Royal Enfield G5 Classic? Only unlike me, you’ll probably do a quick search on Google and be done with the whole thing.

Being naturally inquisitive, coupled with a keen sense of journalistic responsibility, I arrived to Charlie’s driveway upon hearing the news before his wife could so much as throw her spatula at him for getting rid of their lone two-up touring rig without even hinting to his devious ambitions.

Upon physical examination, the G5 Classic turned out to be quite different from what I envisioned. In fact the styling, which in this case intends to mimic 1955 imagery, was surprisingly attractive to this motojournalist, who generally favors bikes with curves seemingly inspired by The Running Man to anything involving the word retro.

It turns out Royal Enfields are imported to the United States from India and come with a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty. The chrome was a bit much for my “less is more” ideology but in all honesty, I was pretty darn impressed with the bike’s simple lines, hand-painted pin striping, and general vintage flavor.

When asked what prompted the spontaneous trade-in, Charlie shrugged without looking up from the deep black tank he had been carefully polishing with a microfiber towel.

“I’ve always been drawn to the look and simplicity of 1950s motorcycles but got tired of barely getting to the end of the driveway before something would break. I’ve been meaning to replace my Velocette for a few years now but imagined I would do so with an equally ratty Norton or Triumph. When I found out about this brand new 2009, I knew it was time.”

Hard to argue with that logic. In fact, had I carried that type of cash on me, it’s possible I would have been unloading one into my own garage later that evening as well. So just how much scratch were we talking here anyway? The dealer was asking a hair over $6000 for it but let it go for $3,800 after the trade.

“Not bad,” I said with a genuine smirk of admiration. “Plus if Lisa really gets upset that the Vulcan’s gone, I notice a pair of passenger pegs back there that look just her size.”

I took the G5 Classic for a brief cruise around the block and found it to ride pretty much as expected for a machine designed to reproduce the ergonomics and experience of motoring back in the 1950s. The 500cc single-cylinder provides an even beat to march to and 19-rear wheel horsepower pretty much sets the tone of the bike as a backroads cruiser rather than a cross-country tourer. Besides, I detected quite a bit of vibration as speeds surpassed 65 MPH, so I imagine Lisa’s going to frown upon highway exploration if she intends to keep her filings. About the biggest difference between the G5 Classic and a real classic came in the form of the brakes, which actually managed to slow things down in the type of hurry that we modern motorcyclists have come to expect.

Charlie and I said goodbye and I realized while pulling away that there was some definite logic behind his reasoning. It’s tough to argue against the charms of yesteryear when combined with the reliability of today. To him the Royal Enfield was more about recapturing a moment of his past without all of the associated hassle that accompanied the real thing. That and it was the type of day that you could almost believe was spring if not for the fact that it was dark as midnight by quarter after five. The air was electrified with an odd sort of energy that had birds singing, chipmunks dashing about, and motorcyclists spending money.

The next day I came implausibly close to pulling the trigger on a brand-new leftover 2007 KTM Supermoto from a dealer out in California thanks to the logic-altering affects of lurking around on eBay. Thankfully, at least as far as my wallet is concerned, I was outbid at the last moment. Truth is Charlie’s enthusiasm had apparently worn off on me and I probably would have come back and placed one more bid if not for the sudden and daunting reality of New York State and their endless red tape (and fees) associated with putting anything on the road. By the time the KTM would have received her plate, after having been crated and shipped to NY from CA, it surely would have been just as the snow started to fly. The last thing I need around here is another battery to trickle charge before the snow gets too deep to open the shed.

I suppose the good news is that the weather has been deteriorating steadily since that rare warm spell which means that solid decision-making is again prevailing around here. The urge to scour eBay for late-season steals is fading away with each dark cloud that rolls in from Canada. I suspect this will continue to be the case so long as Charlie doesn’t go and do something stupid like ride past my house.