What's on my kitchen counter?
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January 3, 2009
It's that time of year again.
To look on the bright side of winter, I get about 3 months to heal my body
from the other 9 months of racing. I also get some down time to restore my
aging fleet of dirt bikes to competition form. This winter is the first in 4 years
that I have all my worldly possessions under one roof, making it much more
comfortable to disassemble my KX250 down to its frame. It's a lot more fun
to do this in a 2-car garage whose interior temperature only hits freezing when
it's 7 below zero outside (and that's nothing a kerosene heater can't take care
of). No way do I miss that storage unit in the Chicago 'burbs.
So after 3 years of racing the KX250, it was time to clean and inspect every
component. Most of this had already been done, leaving what my
brother-in-law Brian described as a "motorcycle in a box":
To look on the bright side of winter, I get about 3 months to heal my body
from the other 9 months of racing. I also get some down time to restore my
aging fleet of dirt bikes to competition form. This winter is the first in 4 years
that I have all my worldly possessions under one roof, making it much more
comfortable to disassemble my KX250 down to its frame. It's a lot more fun
to do this in a 2-car garage whose interior temperature only hits freezing when
it's 7 below zero outside (and that's nothing a kerosene heater can't take care
of). No way do I miss that storage unit in the Chicago 'burbs.
So after 3 years of racing the KX250, it was time to clean and inspect every
component. Most of this had already been done, leaving what my
brother-in-law Brian described as a "motorcycle in a box":
I don't normally put more than 3 seasons on a dirt bike, but I've sworn off all
major purchases until I no longer own real estate in Chicago. That could be
awhile, so I'm prepared to go another year with the KX250. And why not? The
bike has been flawless (wood being knocked as I type this).
What's left is the complete engine resting comfortably on my kitchen counter,
slated for a thorough cleaning and inspection this week. And why do that
inside the garage, when my kitchen counter is so convenient (and warm)? I'll
tell you why: it's a rented apartment. There is, however, a flipside to this
logic. Right now there's a guy in Chicago, renting a sweet condo owned by
yours truly, who may just be thinking the same thing.....
major purchases until I no longer own real estate in Chicago. That could be
awhile, so I'm prepared to go another year with the KX250. And why not? The
bike has been flawless (wood being knocked as I type this).
What's left is the complete engine resting comfortably on my kitchen counter,
slated for a thorough cleaning and inspection this week. And why do that
inside the garage, when my kitchen counter is so convenient (and warm)? I'll
tell you why: it's a rented apartment. There is, however, a flipside to this
logic. Right now there's a guy in Chicago, renting a sweet condo owned by
yours truly, who may just be thinking the same thing.....
