July 1, 2014

Veni Vidi Vinci!

The year was 2009.
Kawasaki just released a bike that would revolutionize the entire motorcycle scene in Thailand. Until then big bike lovers had to either ride 20 years old unregistered Honda SuperFours 400 and Yamaha SR400, or spend a fortune on imported bikes. That all changed with the Thai made Kawasaki ER6n and f. The ER already had a great reputation and thanks to being produced in Thailand, was sold at a reasonable price. Those are the ingredients for an instant hit everywhere and Thailand was no different.

2009 was also the year I was in the market for a bigger bike and I had the SR400 on one side of the scale and the ER on the other. Eventually, financial reasons made me opt for the SR and I definitely have no regrets about that choice, au contraire!
Still, that unfulfilled desire never left me. It lingered and brooded just under the surface, kept down there by my hand brake...eh, I mean my wife.

Lately though, I've been thinking more and more about my old love, frequently scanning English and Thai classified sites. Until (insert heavenly choir here), a short but very interesting ad got my attention: Sell 2009 Kawasaki ER6n with only 69km in showroom condition.
A five year old bike with only 69km on the clock? I can't be true, ...or can it?

Cut a long(ish) story short, the seller (Mr V), bought the bike a few months after its release. Due to a back injury he never rode it further than up and down the road in front of his house. He kept it running once a week or so, to keep the battery alive and the internals working. Other than that, it hardly ever saw the light of the day. I like to think that he kept it ready just for the right time when I would be ready to buy it. These aren't just coincidences...these are synchronicities; perfectly interwoven events that give unexpected results. It is exactly the model I liked (2009-2011), the colour I always preferred and in a condition I've never dreamed of finding. How could I let such an opportunity pass me by, you may ask. Well, I didn't.

So, here I am with my new (old) bike!
Riding it home from Bangkok, I rode more km than Mr V did in 5 years! Quite funny, actually.

Thank you Mr V! It was a pleasure to meet you. I promise I will take care of her just like you did for the past 5 years. I'll ride her more, though. :-))))










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