The Joy of Getting Eislin Back on the Road

[go cytocis]

It's interesting how technology spoils us.

I hadn't ridden this antique in 3 years so I'd really begun romanticizing what it was like. Once I got it fired-up after a winter of labour making it roadworthy again, I hadn't even pulled out of the driveway before I began saying things to myself like, "oh yea, the choke, where's the choke?", "1st gear sure is tricky to find", "man, are those valves supposed to be that loud", "when do these drum brakes begin to, you know, actually stop the bike?", & "where is that smell coming from, am I on fire!?".

I'd become so used to to the seamlessness, almost invisibility, of today's bikes that I'd forgotten the pure mechanical folly I'd been missing.

As much character as our XBs have, they simply can't match the quirkiness, personality, & idiosyncrasy of an old airhead.

My 9 month old son even came out to the garage & had a look. He was mesmerized by the chrome, the exposed machinery, & the sound. I've not seen him study anything quite so inquisitively before.

Thank you Eislin, you patina'd old airhead; I promise never to neglect you again!

 

[thrstrmech]

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[DSHUMAKER]

That is a great looking bike!! What year is it?

 

[Cooter]

Super awesome^^^^[up]

Old cars too. I tried to explain to my wife why no one names new cars. The old stuff just has character, and it's because they are 'flawed'. All the little niggly bits (thanks Jeremy Clarkson) matter. Even when they frustrate you and leave you on the side of the road, it's just another story that makes them part of the family.

Everytime I see a new car with safety air bags, that brakes automatically, parks automatically, radars the perfect cruise control speed, and insulates us perfectly from the outside world with heated and air conditioned seats, I think of all skills that will never be needed again, and that makes oblivious drivers, who feel so safe they can tailgate the crap out of you and not even know enough to care.

How about all the great road trips that people will never, ever, get to do! What about the smells, or the cold mountain air leaking through the wing windows (remember those??), or even the hot desert heat making you stick to cheap vinyl? I remember watching the highway pass by through the floorpan of my dad's VW bus as it shot super heated desert air up my pant leg, and the stink coming from the leaky engine cover when I would sleep back there.

We are a dying breed, Go Cytosis. The people that CHOOSE the difficult path because it's more rewarding. The people that APPRECIATE the skills needed to build, and ride, cool old stuff. Thanks four the inspiration, I'm going out to the garage now...

 

[mrlogix]

^^ [up]

 

[go cytocis]

What year is it?

1972; kind of an odd-ball year for the /5.

The so-called "toaster tank" became an option that year, thanks to Bob Lutz, to try reviving sales. It's still the cause of a lot of love/hate chatter amongst owners. I personally love it, but man, stylistically it was about a decade too late!

It was also the year that they went from a short wheel base to long, by simply welding an extra 2" section into the swing arm. This happened mid-season so if you've got a '72, it's important to know if you have a SWB or LWB, especially if you're looking for replacement shocks!

It was ultimately the succeeding model, the /6, that brought Beemer back from the edge of being shut down, but most of that model was pioneered by the /5.

 

[go cytocis]

I remember watching the highway pass by through the floorpan of my dad's VW bus as it shot super heated desert air up my pant leg, and the stink coming from the leaky engine cover when I would sleep back there.

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[heagachongoose]

They just don't make 'em like they used to!