God Worked It Out

One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 8, verse 28: "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." To me, this means that God, who is ultimately in control, loves us. For those who put their faith in his son Jesus Christ, that passage is a promise that God can work good even through bad decisions and circumstances.

While we have free will and can and do make bad choices some times, if we seek to follow God's will for us, He will work things out for our ultimate good, even if we can't see it at the moment.

So how does this apply to my life, as it relates specifically to motorcycling? Glad you asked ....

Much of my life has been controlled by fear, and even as a (relatively new) Christian, fear can still creep in. If our faith in God was perfect, we would have no fear. But, I don't think any Christian has perfect faith. We're human, therefore not perfect.

I'll admit I was very nervous about buying my 2002 Harley Dyna Wide Glide. Yes, at first, I was more nervous than excited about it. Even though Roland, an experienced Harley guy, helped me check out the bike, I was still fearful I was about to buy a lemon, since I couldn't test ride it due to poor road conditions where the bike was for sale. After talking to the owner, though, my gut had a good feeling, and I decided to buy it based on his word that the bike shifted and rode well.

Even after I completed the deal last Saturday, I feared, "What if the bike turns out to be stolen?" Since the bike had an out-of-state title and was newer than 10 years old, my state's registry of motor vehicles requires a V.I.N. check at a police department. I had fears the V.I.N. would come up stolen, the bike would be seized and I'd be out nearly $8,000. Yes, my mind sometimes tends to think of worst-case scenarios.

Monday, we had a good, soaking rain, which washed whatever salt remained on the roads where I live (the snow had melted several days earlier). My plan was to go to the main Rhode Island registry and get a temporary registration plate, so I could then ride the bike to a police department for a V.I.N. check. Then, I had a few weeks to register the bike and pay the sales tax.

Usually, I am in and out of the main registry within an hour, but for some reason, the place was mobbed Monday. I pulled ticket #693 when I arrived at 11 a.m., but they were only on #430. I went out for lunch and did some errands, but when I returned around 1:45 p.m., they were only up to about #530, so there was clearly no chance of them getting to me by the time they closed at 3:15 p.m. So I wasted a trip, and was in a funk the rest of the day. That was the result of my plan.

Now, this is where God's plan came together where my plan failed:

• First, I had received a check for $500 on Monday for some previous plumbing work I had done (an amount that nearly covered the sales tax).
• Second, I went to the registry branch in Middletown, R.I. this morning and had only a half-hour wait.
  
• Third, the female clerk who waited on me and issued a temporary plate was very helpful. She suggested I come back today, get the V.I.N. check at the Middletown Police Department, which was right next door, and then pop into the registry branch again, where I would not have to wait since I had been there earlier in the day.
  
• Fourth, by the time I got home from my first trip to the registry, the sun and wind had dried the roads, which had been wet from the day before.
• Fifth, I got to ride my bike for the very first time, and it ran as well as the seller said. I did not break down in the middle of the Newport Bridge, as my fear factory of a mind had worried. Nor did I get pulled over by any police.
  
• Sixth, there was no problem with the V.I.N. check (the civilian employee was friendly too).
• Seventh, I returned to the registry, paid the sales tax and completed the registration. I even remembered to bring all the correct documents!

My maiden voyage on the Wide Glide was a blast (details on that to come in another post), and the weather was ideal for mid-winter around here ... 45 degrees, sunny and no salt on the roads! God created the perfect conditions, and a window of opportunity for me to take the bike out. I never imagined I would be able to get THREE transactions done in one day: get a temporary plate; get a V.I.N. check; and register the bike. Just learning that the bike is not stolen and runs well took a huge load off my worried mind.

Yes, God's plans are better than any plans we could imagine! I need to learn to trust Him more!

How I Came to Ride, Part 3 - My First Motorcycle

By December 2008, I had my motorcycle license. My goal was to save enough money to buy a used Harley-Davidson Sportster for somewhere between $4,000 and $5,000. That was a tall order, seeing as how I had gotten laid off from my job a couple of months before due to the bad economy.

I saved every bit of money that didn't go toward paying bills, even rolling coins. I put off things like eating out or movie tickets. I scrimped and saved, and got odd jobs here and there. Meanwhile, I scanned motorcycles for sale on Craigslist. In early February, some of my fellow CMA/Romans 8 Riders members and I attended the Northeast Motorcycle Expo, my first big motorcycle show. Several used bikes were for sale, and I sat on my first Harleys.

Seasoned bikers told me the best deals on bikes were in the winter, and prices would go up in the spring. I had abandoned all hope of getting a Sportster, since there was no way I'd save up enough in time for spring, still being out of work. In fact, I began to worry if I'd even be able to get any kind of bike. Realistically, I'd only managed to save about $1,500 by late February, and from browsing online, there appeared to be few decent bikes in the $1,000-$1,500 range.

Then, a few people from Romans 8 Riders suggested I call Frank Rider, who owns Rider's Motorcycles, a repair shop in West Warwick, R.I. Frank, who is also a Christian biker, also sells motorcycles on consignment. I called Frank and he had a 1987 Yamaha Virago 535 for sale. The owner was asking $1,500 for it. So I went down and looked at the bike, which was very clean for an older bike, plus it had very low mileage (3,000). I didn't get to ride it, but Frank, whose shop had done the recent maintenance on the bike, assured me it ran very well. Since it needed new tires (it still had the original tires, but they were dry-rotted), I offered $1,000, and the owner accepted my offer. Frank's shop ordered and installed new tires, and a few days later, I picked it up in my van. I believe God had reserved that bike for me. Someone else was about to buy it shortly before I did, but the deal didn't go through.

After getting an insurance policy, the next step was registering the bike. At the registry, I got an unwelcome surprise - I couldn't register the bike because I owed taxes to two towns for my van. I'd moved so many times since I'd bought my van that I never got any late notices. I found out I owed $500 to one town, and $400 to another. This put a huge crimp in my budget, and the bike sat in the garage while I scrimped and scraped enough money to pay the back taxes, sales tax and registration fees. I even had to sell off some tools. Finally, in mid-March, it was registered, and by that time, the snow had melted, so I took to the road, cold be damned - I was too excited to wait for warmer weather.

At first, I stuck to roads in my neighborhood. Then, after a few days, I went on two-lane roads with more traffic and traffic lights. Then when I was comfortable with that, I drove on four-lane roads with higher speeds. Before long, I was riding on interstate highways.

The Virago 535 is a good beginner's bike. It is well balanced and easy to handle, has enough power to ride on the highway, and is fun to drive around town or on back country roads. I've had it up to 95 mph, although once you get past 55, the engine is buzzing pretty hard. The suspension leaves a lot to be desired, especially on the lousy Rhode Island roads; the bike feels like it bottoms out a lot and the ride can be jarring. The stock exhaust systems looks cool, but makes the engine sound like a sewing machine.

I found out that Virago 535s - which have kind of a cult following in England, Europe and parts of Asia - have a lot of quirks, such as a gas tank that is underneath the seat (the seat actually swivels up to access the gas cap); a fuel pump; an electronic fuel reserve switch instead of a petcock; and a sticky starter button that may cause your headlight to go out (there is an easy fix for that).

I've had newer cars and trucks the last several years, but I quickly found that owning an older bike means you either learn to be a mechanic, or else be prepared to constantly pay a garage for repairs. I chose to do my own repairs, since I used to work on my own clunkers in high school and well into my 20s. I replaced a throttle cable, changed the oil and filter, adjusted the valve clearance and changed the fork oil on my Virago so far. This summer, it left me stranded a few times when the main fuse blew. I think it may have been a bad ground connection. I cleaned the ground connection and it's been okay since, so I'm hoping that was the problem.

The bike has no saddlebags or windshield, so it's not really suited for long rides. Your butt gets numb after about 45 minutes on the bike.

Still, for all its shortcomings, it was fun to ride, and stylish to boot. I put 6,000 miles on it between March and November. I've never dumped it while riding. The only times I dropped it was when I parked it and thought I had the kickstand locked in, but apparently it wasn't. It broke the left rear turn signal and dented the rear fender a bit. Another time I had to push it off the road after it broke down. I lost my balance on some grass, and the bike fell over and broke the right mirror.

In late September, while riding on the highway, I began noticing the bike would not go faster than 65 mph, even if I buried the throttle. I suspect a faulty fuel pump, but haven't had time to really troubleshoot it. But the bottom line is I have outgrown this bike, which weighs just over 400 pounds. Even before the possible fuel pump issue, I had been wanting for more power and acceleration. Basically, it's just not a Harley ...