Saturday, June 30, 2012

Misadventures of a Shadow VT500 - Scarlet's 'little' owie

Broken hearted.......I don't think epoxy will fix this.


Scarlet has an owie.  Tuesday night was a gorgeous night for a ride and I decided to go to watch supermoto out at Western Speedway, but then got distracted by the thought of doing a nice twisty road.  On the way out I was happily zooming down the highway into the wind and the right side cover came off and bounced down the highway.  Two dudes in a pick-up honked at me and pulled up really close and it made me a little nervous so I didn't pay too much attention.  I wish I had, they were trying to tell me that the side cover had come off.  I finished my long beautiful ride and when I was putting the bike away noticed the side cover was missing, much to my shock and horror.  I went into the house to tell Motorcycle Man and he said, "How could you not notice it fly off?" Very valid question, but I don't know about the rest of you, but when I am riding I am not looking down at my thigh, my eyes are on the road generally.  Then his next question was, "Where did it come off?" Another valid question and I looked like a stunned deer in headlights when he asked me this and my response was, "I dunno."  So then he asked me where I had been rambling and I told him, "Oh about 83 kilometers of rambling."  I seriously don't do little rambles, ask the Ride To Eat Scooter Crew, I could ride forever it seems without needing to stop.

Off I go to retrace my steps, problem is during my little sortie I kind of got lost on some of the back roads out in Langford.  So how do you find where you got lost too?  I have no sense of direction and definitely need to start using GPS.  Honestly if you asked me what direction I was traveling I would probably say 'somewhere'.  Off I go down the highway scanning the road which is hard when you are supposed to be doing 90k down a very busy 3 lane highway.  I spotted some red bits on the side of the road pulled over and to my disappointment it turned out to be bits of an old broom.  I did the entire loop out to Langford then back up to McKenzie out through Victoria University, down Beach Drive, by the waterfront, through downtown and then to home.   83kms give or take.  When I made it home I was feeling sad and dejected, I have to say it has been a bit of hard go with Scarlet and her little foibles.  I did find a pair of sunglasses on the beach where I stopped and put an ad on Found Victoria to help return them to their owner.  Wednesday night I went and searched the highway again and nothing, zilch, zippo, no side cover.

Tonight I went to look at a mesh jacket that was advertised on Used Victoria and was riding down the Island Highway with Motorcycle Man and guess what we found?! The side cover, smashed to smithereens, but back in my possession.  I wasn't really expecting to find it or find it whole in any event.


Tuesday night after I got home from my misadventure I did an ebay search and found a used side cover and purchased it. I think I am going to add some velcro tabs to it to make sure this doesn't happen again.  I need to go out and have a little heart to heart with Scarlet and let her know that losing her bits is not acceptable.

16 comments:

Brenda said...

Aww poor Scarlet :(

I'm with you, how would you know if your side cover went flying? I know I wouldn't notice it.

I've heard of Shadow side covers going awol before, I dont think they are anchored very well, velcro's a good idea. I know one of mine is very loose, where I keep taking it off to get to the tool kit. I might have to buy hubby a home toolkit ;D

Dar said...

Brenda,

It was weird I vaguely remember hearing a weird sound and looking in my mirror and seeing a flash of red - which I thought was just a piece of plastic, unfortunately it was Scarlet's plastic! At least with your bike it is newer and you can probably get an OEM cover or an actual Honda cover fairly easily. Due to Scarlet's age (she is considered a fossil by today's standards) these are not easy things to come by. There were about 5 of them on ebay, so I lucked out and think I got the one in the best condition, but it is certainly not pristine like the old one WAS. But I am glad that it is on order. I was hoping that if I found the original that it would still be in one piece, wishful thinking here. If Scarlet keeps losing her bits & pieces I am going to start calling her Jezebel - she is becoming a loose woman of sorts......

Shybiker said...

Awww... that's too bad. But don't beat yourself up -- this sort of thing happens to all of us. And, like you, we're oblivious to it until someone points it out.

Good luck with the replacement part.

Troubadour said...

When I had my custom painted side cover on my Scarlet, I drilled a tiny hole in one of the mounts, ran braided fishing line through it and tied it to the frame. This not only kept it from being stolen but from flying off as I once lost a side cover from my '76 KZ900 and had to buy an aftermarket one.
And don't let Motorcycle Man flick you too much, isn't he the one that put it back on for you after the repair?

SonjaM said...

Argh! Sh!t happens. I probably wouldn't have noticed it while riding either, too busy enjoying the trip...

On the plus side it wasn't a crucial part of the bike, and it's an easy fix, too.

The best thing is, you are on the road again with Scarlett.

Dar said...

Shybiker - I have decided not yo sweat the small stuff anymore at all, a new cover is ordered & it will fix the problem.

Troubadour - it was a little upsetting for both of us and I used my verbal filter to not push the point of who put things back together at the time it would have been counter productive. After the proverbial plastic dust settled we discussed the event and all is copacetic.

Pam said...

So sorry to see Scarlet has a bad owie!

Anonymous said...

Same thing happened to me last month and i was forced to order a new cover for my 600. They really should make those more secure....

Dar said...

Sonja - you are absolutely right it is not crucial and we are in moto zen for the most part! I love being back out on the road with Scarlet, she is my moto heart and soul. Sonja you must have been posting your comment at the same time as I was posting my reply to Shy and Troubadour, it missed it!

Pam - Thanks Honey! Are you enjoying your visit with Chunky Monkey? Looked like he was having a good time in the pool!

Anonymous - It is annoying when things like this happen. What year is your bike? See Troubadour's comment above because he has a little solution to the problem of losing side covers.

BeemerGirl said...

Horrible that Scarlet has an owie, but you had me worried that she went down or something!! I'm glad to hear it wasn't anything like that.

I'm happy you found a replacement bit, it just isnt the same feeling though, is it? ;). Meh...after awhile you won't remember it.

Trobairitz said...

Bummer that Scarlet has a boo-boo, but I am glad she is up and running again.

Dar said...

Beemergirl - oh my, sorry to have worried you! You're right it just isn't the same feeling, but I am not sweating the small stuff. I am happy I could find a side cover.

Trobairitz - in the grand scheme it is a minor boo boo & gives her a bit of edgy character.

Gypsy E.T. said...

Long ago, I had a 1985 Shadow 700 that. Would. Not. Keep. A. Right side cover. No matter what. I finally gave in and removed the left one, too, so at least the two sides would match...

Dar said...

Gypsy - hope that isn't going to be a regular situation here! Checked out your blogs - NICE!

ToadMama said...

I like the facelift. That picture scared me. I thought you and Scarlet had suffered that owie together.

Dar said...

Kathy - I didn't mean to scare everyone - oops! I will definitely rethink 'owie' stories and make sure I use the word minor or little in the title.