It seems like Americans evolve into two camps, Christmas or Thanksgiving. I’ve always found myself leaning toward Thanksgiving. Although both holidays are about spending time with family and friends, one has become too corporate and wrought with capitalism and greed, and I have naturally pulled away from it because of the stress and emptiness it can leave. As a kid none of that matters, it is food, family and gifts, what could be better?
Even as a child I preferred Thanksgiving at my grandparents house. The chance to see my cousins and go outside to play, or hear tall tales from my grandpa, or weird stories from my uncles and distant relatives always excited my imaginative mind. Flash forward many years later and Thanksgiving turned into Friendsgiving. This was a chance to get all your favorite friends together, have a potluck, drink alcohol, listen to music and just have FUN.
Life does its thing and the circles that we find our living trajectory on end up having us recreate the traditions from our past for new generations. Although they are not the same, they end up passing on memories to others that will hopefully have an impact like the ones that inspired us.
This year I was lucky enough to score a free 1997 BMW R1100RT in early November. The catch? It was disassembled and needed to be put back together. Although I had most of the parts I needed, I still needed to acquire a few more things and tap into the knowledge and skill of some friends to complete my biggest moto-mechanical undertaking to date. Working on a 30 year old motorcycle in a heated garage during the winter months is not everyone’s idea of a good time, but for some it is.
Some say the most expensive bike is the one that is free. While my goal is to spend as little as possible and turn this into a winter bike, the reassembly means a few things to me. First, another learning experience to improve my mechanical skills and understanding of how these old BMWs work. Next is to do my part and save an Oilhead. While these bikes are not looked at as fondly as other years, there is something still charming about them. It might be the ugly duckling appearance or the fact that they are hated on that has subliminally drawn me to them. While the verdict is still out on why, the last reason is what hit home this weekend, friends and community. I knew I would be pushing my boundaries a bit to try and recruit my moto-friends to my house during the holiday months to help work on the bike but looked forward to the time spent together.
Over the years my passions and hobbies have allowed me to build and have amazing relationships with some very special people. The motorcycle community might be the very best example of that. Not only have they ended up being some of my longest running friends, they are typically the first to drop what they are doing to help you get your machine in order. One of the best parts for me is knowing we all have different skill sets and the chance to learn from and help others when you can is incredibly fulfilling.
This past Thanksgiving weekend was the first day I dove into working on the R1100RT. Although we didn’t get as much done as I had anticipated, progress was made and lessons learned. With two friends by my side, with a 30 year knowledge gap between some of us, we all shared what we knew, taught each other something while simultaneously learning at the same time. This is the type of friendsgiving that I want to replicate. When a group meets over a common passion and the moments together become the reward, what else could we possibly need?
Although the project bike still has a ways to go and will most likely need some cash pulled from my wallet, I’m ok with this. I originally wanted to put it back together as quickly as possible, but as I learned this weekend, taking it slowly will allow me to learn more and spend time learning from others. Watching someone work on a motorcycle could be boring to some, but for me seeing how the wheels turn inside someone’s head and watching the methodical nature unfold only to be reasoned with by another is incredibly fulfilling.
If you find yourself feeling lonely, go buy a bike, but don’t stop there. Find your two wheel community and lean in, I’ll bet their arms will be as open as yours if you allow it. Here is to motorcycles as a motivation, friendships that endure, and the combination of both.
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