The two for one deal

…gone South.

Those of us that are afflicted with ‘VBD‘ (get your mind out of the gutter, it is not a sexually transmitted disease…it’s Vintage Bike Disease) seem to have a hard time resisting finding a way to sneak some weird, obscure, oddball motorcycle into our garage without our spouses noticing. I have tried it a couple of times and trust me, it never works. I don’t care how many sheets or blankets you try to hide it with, she knows.

Oh sure, she may pretend that it’s not there, but when the time comes that she wants something, like a new sofa or airplane tickets for her mother to come visit for a month, she’s going to pull the cover off that 1960 something Triumph basket case, smile at you, then go book the flight and order the new sofa. You my friend have been outwitted yet again. When are we ever going to learn?

Everyday, I spend my early mornings scouring ebay, craigslist and countless other sites looking for parts for my projects, parts for friends projects, bikes for friends, and bikes I would like to have. It’s much more entertaining than watching the local news. Every now and then I come across a motorcycle that I really would like to add to my small collection. I show it to my very understanding and tolerant wife, she smiles and says “sure, go ahead and get it, but you have to sell two of the bikes you already have first” and then walks out of the room. Practicality has never been the strong suit of anybody afflicted with ‘VBD‘.

A few days ago I found a bike that a good friend of mine (who happens to be the type that will buy a bike on a whim and then six months and two thousand dollars later, on top of the price of the bike, will ask “why did I do that?”) that he has lusted after for the past forty years. I sent him the link and the next thing I know he is bidding on ebay for the bike. I quickly sent him an email asking what he was selling in order to buy this bike? “Nothing” he says, “I’ll just buy it with money I have tucked away, stick in the corner of my shop and then pull it out in about six months”. I told him that his plan never works but he was sure it would…this time.

The very next thing I get in my inbox is this picture along with this message, “if my husband buys this bike you will be responsible for this happening to him”.

I’m guessing that he forgot the two for one rule, that and his mother in law is coming for a visit.