Some eye candy for 1st Gen lovers

[7 lakes]

Hi Everybody,

 

I thought I'd share some photos of the bike that made me fall in love with Ventures. I bought this '83 in 2004, sold it in 2005 and regretted it ever since. I had sold off some bikes including the Electra Glide that my wife liked to ride on, and she announced that she wasn't gonna be gracing the rear end of any of the naked bikes, so if I wanted her to go with me she was gonna need a touring bike. A big touring bike. Not one to argue when I'm instructed to look for a bike, I was in the market for an early gold wing to rehab when I saw this '83 on craiglist. I had a hard time believing the description of its condition but after refreshing my memory of what I'd read about the Venture I went to take a look.

 

Like any 21 year old bike with the original tires on it this one had a story behind it. I bought it from the original owner who purchased it in '83, along with his best friend and riding buddy who bought a matching one on the same day. They had been like brothers since they were kids, had learned to ride together, and bought these bikes planning on a long cross country trip. I don't know how long it took him to put the 8,725 miles on it but just before they planned to make their trip his buddy was diagnosed with cancer and passed in a few months. The bike was put in the garage and never ridden again.

 

The PO told me that he had nearly every year, never more than two years apart, trailered the bike down to the dealership and had them get it ready for the season, telling himself he was going to ride it. But every time, it he warmed it up then put it back in the garage with tears in his eyes. Come winter it went back to the dealer for winterizing and next spring they took it out of mothballs. He said it became a kind of ritual and he didn't know how to stop. Finally he decided he was ready to let it go, that the best way to honor his friend was to let someone else make memories on the bike the way they had wanted to. We fell in love with the bike, I couldn't believe how nimble it was for a big bike and the missus felt more comfortable on the back of it than any other bike we've ever had. But ... you know ... a year later I sold it for something else I was drooling over. A mistake I won't let happen again, the '84 is a permanent addition to the collection.

 

I sold the bike in 2005 to a nice guy from Georgia, if I remember correctly, who came all the way to Seattle to check it out and have it shipped home. Heck, chances are real good it was someone from here, did you buy this bike from me in 2005?

 

These photos show the bike as found. Not wanting to ride 2 hours on the freeway on 21 year old tires, I trailered the bike home Saturday and new rubber went on Monday. I took these photos after washing the bike Sunday morning, this is how it looked after nothing more than a quick wash to get the road dirt off. Enjoy.

 

Tim

 

[gmarshall]

WOW, looks brand new.

[cecdoo]

Beautiful! If you look hard enuff, they are still out there. Great find, enjoy it.

 

Craig

[Kretz]

Congratulations! It's Beautiful! Hope it gives you (& your wife) many years of fun & enjoyment.

[AABBCC]

OMG I can see MYSELF in the reflection. So are you going to tell us how much you paid?

[Chaharly]

Absolutely gorgeous and I am TOTALLY jealous! I could never own a first gen like that though... I'd be too afraid to bugger her up!

[BlueSky]

Wow! Fantastic Condition! What a find!

[Du-Rron]

hi everybody,

 

i thought i'd share some photos of the bike that made me fall in love with ventures.

 

wow!

 

[7 lakes]

Congratulations! It's Beautiful! Hope it gives you (& your wife) many years of fun & enjoyment.

 

Thanks, but I sold the bike 13 years ago, was just sharing the story with you guys and thinking maybe the current owner was a member here.

[7 lakes]

OMG I can see MYSELF in the reflection. So are you going to tell us how much you paid?

 

I gave $3800 for it in 2004 and sold it a year later on ebay for the same amount.

[Kretz]

Thanks, but I sold the bike 13 years ago, was just sharing the story with you guys and thinking maybe the current owner was a member here.

 

Ooops! My bad! Reading the posts I think more than just me thought it was a recent acquisition.