An expensive rear light – column

Because I exchange blades with an acquaintance these days, I know that motorcycles are still being made. They sometimes have six cylinders, disc brakes and wire wheels, just like before. Sometimes they have 200 horsepower and about twenty electronic control cousins ​​that can even let you safely hurtle through the Ardennes or Alps at full throttle while you are brain dead, half paralyzed or otherwise unwell. And of course on such a bike you have a radar that looks both forward and backward. The electronics limit the power and torque in the first two or three gears and the top speed is very cleverly set at 299 km / h. Because 300 km/h is clearly too dangerously fast.

In addition, new motorcycles are expensive. Very expensive. And not just in purchasing. In Motoplus, for example, attention was paid to a rear light glass from a recent motorcycle. It was broken and had to be replaced. "Cost that?" That turned out to be € 450. Plus a few workshop hours to disassemble and replace the stuff. The importer had the modern approach to sell parts, but not parts of parts. So the rear light glass included the whole party including LED lights, cables and plugs.

And then you look completely endeared in your own garage. There is a brand new rear light waiting for transplant. Such a BMW R80 G/S light box is identical to the rear light of the Hercules 125 BW. We are talking about Rückleuchte, ULO-248. Gekra Motors is located here in the village. And there I was allowed to take such a rear light for € 17,50. Gerrit also has extra strong rear frames for the G/S-Gssen. They do not break and cost € 249. His BMW link arose when he bought a batch of ex–Danish R65 GSSs. The Danish soldiers learned to ride off-road with these army bicycles. They never got past third gear.

Back to modern times and its dangers. During a track day, two motorcyclists had a lot of fun. One rode a highly supersport thing, and he drove it fast. With the full support of traction control, slope 7 corner ABS, his quickshifter and the anti-hopping clutch, he effortlessly set very tight times. The other motorcyclist had a very difficult time with it. Because getting a Laverda Lota three-cylinder around quickly requires the courage of a rodeo rider, craftsmanship and a lot of experience. The two men were highly interested in their mutual toys. They got the bad idea to swap partners. Long story short: the GSXRRR or waddannook pilot crashed on the Laverda. After a few warm-up laps he went wild. And then it went wrong. Pre-programmed by all his electronic aids, he certainly set his first braking point much too late….

Fortunately, everything ended well because the men had at least taken out track insurance and because the one-time Laverda driver was more than sympathetic to put this story behind him as soon as possible.

Later an Old Motorcyclist grumbled to himself: “It would have been better for him to take some extra driving lessons than to buy such an expensive thing”. Of course there is something in that. Because with an average annual mileage of less than 4000 km, you can never grow together with your motorcycle. And then you do indeed become dependent on all that electronic genius that is the norm these days. Despite all the power, perfection and genius, modern motorcycling seems to me a rather sad phenomenon.