Out of all the bikes I've had, it's been my favorite. Hands down. It's zippy, it's comfortable, it's easy to control, and it's pretty.
It's also loud.
Very loud.
When it arrived at the dealer, it was a stock black Triumph Bonneville, and for whatever reason--just because they could, I suspect--the dealership got it a custom paint job (no one else in the world has this paint on their bike!) and they slapped on some highly coveted aftermarket pipes.
These pipes, British Custom Predators, are the pipes a whole bunch of Bonneville owners want. The stock pipes make the bike sound like a sewing machine; the Predators make it sound...louder.
The problem is that I don't like louder. I don't like what it does to my hearing, and I've never bought into the "loud pipes save lives" thing.
They don't. Loud pipes piss off the neighbors, scare car drivers, and damage your hearing, and that's about it.
I surfed around online looking for stock pipes, just trying to get a ballpark idea of how much it was going to cost to buy a set and have them installed. I only found one online store that listed them, and there it was for the wonderful price of $480 per pipe.
Two pipes...that's more than I wanted to spend.
The Spouse Thingy got on the phone to the dealer to get a price from them, but their computer was down and they never got back to him.
So I went to a Triumph specific forum and posted a question there: can anyone give me a ballpark price on a set of stock pipes for the Bonneville?
A couple of the guys there told me to not buy new; that was a waste. People are always taking them off their bikes to put on louder pipes, so I would surely be able to find a set for cheap.
But then one guy posted... he has a set; if I want them, he'll send them to me. There are a couple of blemishes, but mine if I want them.
For the cost of shipping.
That's it.
No, I'm not worried about getting ripped off; he's a long time member of the forum and I doubt he's been hanging around there waiting to pounce on someone. He's also shipping them first, then telling me how much the postage is.
Seriously.
This morning I got email from another Bonneville owner. "I had to replace my stock pipes. It was $820 plus another hundred for install and remapping."
So. Wow.
Talk about generosity.
I will find a way to pay it forward.
5 comments:
Did the giver want your fancy pipes in exchange? That is almost too good to be true!
That giver sounds like he needs an Internet Hero award :-)
Nope, he already has other pipes on his bike. I would have swapped if he'd wanted, though...
I like your bike. I have had a fantasy for years about owning a motorcycle but it will never happen. I am too old and too infirm now as well as too broke to every have one. Enjoy yours while you can.
That guy is way cool.
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