Recently purchased off of Facebook Marketplace, this TDub was acquired as a learning tool for both myself and my wife as she starts her journey into motorcycling.
I always had a soft spot in my heart for the little Tdub, but never had any reason to add it to my stable until recently. After realizing it was the bike that took me through the MSF class, and as quoted by our savior Ryan of F9 "Nobody is afraid to drop one of these... off a cliff" I knew it would be perfect for the task.
The list of mods the previous owner installed was quite tasteful to my surprise. Bark busters, Yamaha Banshee rear shock, heated grips, replaced the death wing front tire, handlebars with risers and LED turn signals and headlight, FMF exhaust, upgraded ignition coil and about half a dozen holes in the air box. Best of all, a very well tuned carb that start at half choke in 25 F weather.
As for the experiencing of buying it, that was probably the most effective and trust worthy marketplace experience I have ever experienced. It started at my local Enterprise Commercial rental facility. Here they hooked me up with a brand new, and I mean 5 miles on the odometer Chevy Express van. I could think of no better vehicle to pick up my Tdub than a van that has gone unchanged since 1995. It was a perfect match.
It was a solid 2 hours of highway with 3 left turns to get to the pick up spot. Textbook break-in for a new vehicle...
The seller had a few other bikes in some sort of re-assembly. An ATK600 was the one exception as this was the main workhorse of the group. An NX125, DR350, Buell Ulysses and probable a few others I missed. We discussed the history of the TDub, how he originally purchased it for his girlfriend of the time to learn to ride. We loaded it into the van. Well half way into the van until we realized that the mirrors were too tall to fit under the roof. After awkwardly holding the bike half up the ramp, the mirrors were removed, bike loaded then went off to a local automotive repair shop in town to meet his friend to get the title notarized and signed over.
So it's 8:30 on a Friday night, I have a man I have never met before next to me in a van I rented earlier that day, in a neighborhood I have never been to with a pocket full of cash meeting a "friend" at a car repair shop. To keep it simple, there was a moment or two where I was a little more alert than normal.
Obviously all parties proceeded as planned, or I would not be writing this post. There was a great deal of trust and a bond over all things two wheeled, stories of previous moto adventures, and cool Toyota trucks. We made the deal, traded the money for the title, drove back to his place together, dropped him off, and after a bit of a heartfelt goodbye to his beloved TDub, I started the 2 hour drive back home.
It was a smooth journey, the bike made it home in one piece, the van was returned without any extra fees, and the title was mine free and clear.
This is the beginning of the story for this TDub, as I will do my best to share all my experiences, both emotional and mechanical along the way. I am not as brave as the wonderful C90 adventures, nor can I provide the insight like the amazing TDubsKid, but will do what I can from my home base in NE Ohio.
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