Let it not be said that Doug’s only pastime when not at work, is dreaming about cutting down all the trees in his neighbourhood… And scaring the bejesus out of that shady cat of his…
This morning I opened my mail to find the following waiting for me… Simply entitled, “IT’S ALIVE…!!!”, his email read as follows:
“Hiya Ronnie!!
Looks like the Big Fella is none the worse for all the wear!
No oil light, no warning light, no ABS light. I initially started him up and the ABS light was on and a yellow triangle with an “I” in the middle…
Drove about 10 feet and the ABS light went out…………drove over to St. Clair to fill it up with gas and the yellow triangle “I” went away. Got it up to 100 km p/h over and back and it felt really good. Smooth as butter….”
Naturally I was delighted to hear this piece of news, because it also meant that the rear drive was back in business… Either that, or Doug can run bloody fast holding the back of the bike up off the ground…!!
I let Doug know how grateful I was for all the work he had put into the bike, and asked him to take it for a ride whenever he felt like it…
“Take the Big Fella to work once in a while if you feel like, show him around…” I suggested. “And don’t learn any of his bad habits, like ignoring speed limits… But remember if you do, that they can’t write you a ticket….!! On the Big Fella, you are exempt…!! Tell them the Gypsy Biker said so…!! They will have heard that before…”
To which Doug replied,
“Thanks Ronnie. It means a lot to me that you trust me with Big Fella…………….but there is no way in hell I would ride that bike for anything that was not most necessary. He will be nice and happy being pushed out and started once in awhile.
If you had bought a new GS1200 from Hermy’s, and left it here till next spring, yeah, I might take it for a spin or two…………but Big Fella is irreplaceable. My eyes were the size of saucers and I was nervous as I could be, just going to get gas. You know, the kind of riding where you get in trouble by being too cautious…”  Â
That made me smile, because the Big Fella had gotten my eyes the “size of saucers” a few times over the last few years too…!! I have come to realise that it is his way of showing who exactly is in control, and that I am merely there to point him in the right direction and suggest that he get me there without mishap…
The next day, Doug was tapping away at his keyboard again…
“Hiya, Buddy!!
Just finished reading your last post. Outstanding…………….as we’ve all become used to . The factory looks good. Glad you’re busy.
I was able to pretty much get the Big Fella finished up Thursday/Friday. Theresa is putting together a photo album to send you with around 85 or so pictures. Since I was hoisting the panniers up and down, on and off, I took the liberty of removing the contents and storing them in two containers. When you see the pictures, the left pannier contents are in the brown container, and the right contents are in the blue container.
I am going to have to get a lock for the one pannier top latch. It fell right out. No big deal. I’m quite the Hepco/Becker specialist at this point…
I know you drove Big Fella around the world in almost 3 years, in all sorts of weather conditions, but are you comfortable with your registration plate only being held on by those 3 plastic tabs?? If you want me to, I would gladly drill the four corners and secure it with some nice, black plastic fasteners. Let me know.
One other thing…………………..
Take a look at the pics and e-mail me with any questions.
Take care, friend, and we’ll see you before too long.”
True to their word, I have duly received 85 photos from Doug and Theresa, detailing the progress he made with sorting out all the odds and ends that needed replacing and repairing on the bike… Just looking through the photos had me shaking my head at the huge effort my friend had made for me…
I have no idea how I will ever be able to repay him for his kindness… All I can promise is that someday, we will take a long ride together, destination unknown for now… I look forward to his company, and continuing to build on the bond we already share…
Thanks again Doug and Theresa, you are both very close to mine, and the Big Fella’s heart…
You join the legions of amazing people I have met on my journey around the world, and are part and parcel of the reason I was able to fulfill my dream…
And the dream lives on… I am not nearly ready to wake up yet…!!
©GBWT 2012
PS. I am in the process of selecting photos that Doug and Theresa have sent, to add to this post, and as soon as I have them edited, I will drop them in…
Hi Ronnie,
Its been a great journey for you and for us here sitting in our lounges willing you along to the end. A great story, a great out come with many more adventures still to live out. I look forward to something I could have on my coffee table one day. I hope you get the time and energy to complete that book perhaps?
You certainly have the once in a life time photos and one liners for the book already!
Wishing you the best for Christmas and New Year.
Cheers… Murray
Never let your dreams die………..