I’ve owned a few KLaaR's over the years. (A few meaning 4)
My last one was stolen in 2017 — eight years ago. It was recovered a couple of days later, but the thieves crashed it, and insurance promptly declared it someone else’s problem and scrapped it.
I had just become a father at the time, so instead of replacing the bike, I replaced sleep, free time, and disposable income. Motorcycles quietly moved down the priority list.
Three months ago, I got a call from a salvage company that sounded genuinely offended by my existence. Apparently my KLaaR had been occupying space in their yard for the past eight years and they wanted it gone — immediately. I tried explaining that insurance paid out long ago, but facts were not welcome. So off I went to collect a bike I hadn’t owned since Obama was president.
I then spent the last three months rebuilding it myself. It now purrs like a kitten — an expensive kitten.
(For the record, it would absolutely have been cheaper to buy a decent second-hand KLR off JunkMail.)
Today, I got my son his first 125cc pit bike for his birthday — so he can ride with me.
Somehow, after eight years, it’s all come full circle.
It’s been a good year.
My last one was stolen in 2017 — eight years ago. It was recovered a couple of days later, but the thieves crashed it, and insurance promptly declared it someone else’s problem and scrapped it.
I had just become a father at the time, so instead of replacing the bike, I replaced sleep, free time, and disposable income. Motorcycles quietly moved down the priority list.
Three months ago, I got a call from a salvage company that sounded genuinely offended by my existence. Apparently my KLaaR had been occupying space in their yard for the past eight years and they wanted it gone — immediately. I tried explaining that insurance paid out long ago, but facts were not welcome. So off I went to collect a bike I hadn’t owned since Obama was president.
I then spent the last three months rebuilding it myself. It now purrs like a kitten — an expensive kitten.
(For the record, it would absolutely have been cheaper to buy a decent second-hand KLR off JunkMail.)
Today, I got my son his first 125cc pit bike for his birthday — so he can ride with me.
Somehow, after eight years, it’s all come full circle.
It’s been a good year.
