Everywhere, in all barns ...

The motorcycle market for modern engines has such a constipation that my son, who is studying veterinary medicine, would immediately give the owner of a horse with such a colic the recipe for horse beef in cream sauce with onions.

From the private sector there are countless providers of neat engines for neat prices that are tired after three years of advertising at a once reasonable price. The supply is large, the demand considerably less. And last week an oldskool motorcycle business owner said: “In twenty years there will no longer be a motorcycle market. Then there are only fans of classics. "

In the regular motor trade it is still the workplace that keeps the ship afloat. But when your local motorcycle shop owner was recently told by his youngest daughter: "Daddy, what is that actually" chocolate "?" Then you realize that he does not cherish all those motorcycles in his showroom out of greed.

From that point of view, Wim had long been fascinated by the oldest advertisements on Internet sales sites. He was searching and had formulated his requirements in the sense that he wanted a nice motorcycle that could not cost anything. He decided to act proactively in accordance with current marketing and sales methodologies. Neuriën he placed a free call in some local newspapers: “I have no midlife crisis and I am not looking for a Harley. But if you have a motorcycle that you no longer ride, do you want to contact me? "

A week later 21 responses arrived. The majority of them wanted to help a Honda CB 500 or 550. The condition of the machines varied from 'There are about four boxes full of stuff and I also have the frame somewhere.' To: 'After the death of my husband the engine has been under 31 for years now under a rug in the boiler room of the House."
There was also someone who offered an Imme. Someone with a BMW R60 / 7 standing in the way.

Someone who thought he had an old motorcycle in the back of a shed and Wim offered that motor if he wanted to help him empty that shed.

That sounded like the better boy's book work. The barn was large, rundown and full. It was not until the second weekend that the end came, and the motorcycle that had been discussed was in sight. It does not happen every day that you get a complete but very dusty Velocette Venom as payment in kind as a cleaning aid.
The thing was after 40 + years of sleeping in a dry sanding corner in a somewhat sad but undamaged state. But the buddy had been moped by mice and the tires were crunchy.

Wim forced a suitably gloomy look. The owner of the now empty barn misinterpreted Wim's camouflage can. "Yes. The thing is indeed even less than I remembered. But it has been fifty years since my father put him away. You know what? I give you 50 euros and a crate of beer for help and delivery. And I still have some old photos of it. You can have that too. Wim has since ordered and paid for a brand-new Suzuki V-Strom 650 and has purchased a BMW R60 / 7 for refurbishment. The V-Strom hibernates at the dealer whose daughter finally knows how chocolate tastes. The BMW is on the lift that he also bought from the proceeds of the Venom. Doing well.

Oh yes: help your neighbor clean up the shed.