Can't Believe You're Really Gone

By: Jeanette Tran

In this economic slump, dramatic times call for drastic measures, but who would have thought I would actually sell one of my children for some spending money. Okay, so it is not really my child, but still, my bikes are my babies, and for me let one go felt as if had lost my own limbs. When I told my friend about how much I love my Ninja 250 and how sad I was to be putting it up for sale, she asked me "If you have 3 kids you're not going to put one up for adoption right?!" It was pretty shocking to hear that because I realized that that was exactly what I felt like I was doing.

If there were a word to categorize people who are afraid to sell their motorcycles due to attachment and sentimental value I would definitely fall under that category. Or maybe it's because I am a girl and girls tend to get too attached to things. Either way, I always thought that I would never sell my little Ninja 250, especially since they have a reputation of being bullet proof and everlasting. Putting my bike up for sale was probably one of the hardest things for me to do. Ever since last year, I had the intention of selling it but never actually got around to it. Excuses such as 'the rainy season is a bad time to sale' kept popping up and never got around to putting the bike up for sale. Now that the weather is looking a lot better and the economy seems to be getting worse, I ran out of excuses to hold on to all of my bikes and it was time for me to let one of them go. So the next hard part was how do you put a price tag on something as priceless as sentimental value? It was easy enough to find the Kelly Blue Book value for the bike, but I found myself tacking on another hundred dollars here and there for all of the memories and experiences I have had with my bike. Eventually, I came to realize that my asking price was just another excuse to hold onto the bike a little bit longer. In the end, my best friend had convinced me that the best thing to go was to take a reasonable offer and just hope for the best for my bike and its new owner.

Almost immediately after I dropped the price, I got a phone call and set up a meeting time for the person to come look at the bike. Next thing I knew, I was being handed money in exchange for the bike key and title. It happened all too fast and I feel like I did not even get a chance to say goodbye. I just stood there, speechless, watching my baby being loaded up into the back of the truck. Then it finally hits me...she was no longer mine and my life will no longer be the same from here on out. Isn't it amazing how everything in your life can seem to change all in a blink of an eye?

As I was watching my bike go, I felt like I had a huge void growing inside of me replacing everything that had apparently made me feel whole. From here on out, that bond and relationship that I had developed over the years will no longer be the same. My life will continue on but all I can really do now is look back and remember the happy memories and all the good times we had had together. It does not matter to me if it is my first, second, third, or only "child", because no matter what, if it found a way to my heart, it will always be in my heart. Even if one day I find myself thinking about getting a fancy new Ninja 250, it will never be able to replace all of the memories I have had with my first one.

It is a shame that that chapter of my life is now closing but at the same time I know that it is going to be okay. So I dedicate this message to you my indestructible one, wherever you may be now. I am sorry I had to let you got, but for obvious reasons this is the way it has to be. I will always remember the first ride that we had together going all over the place, not wanting to go home and me telling myself "Well we're here already so we might as well keep going!" And how could I ever forget that time when I ran out of gas on the freeway and learned to appreciate the reserve switch. Not to mention the first track day we did together was such a blast...Now I am probably just rambling on like I always do, but I just wanted you to know that you are irreplaceable to me, and will be dearly missed. I <3 my ninja 250! =)

Published: Mar 20, 2009

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