The Start

My Scooter Broke down the other day and i was left stranded by the side of the road for almost 2 hours. It was in the early morning on the way to work that i suddenly lost my throttle control and the bike just went kaput.

Thinking to myself of all the possible troubleshooting a person can do with a Gerber Pliers and a few mismatched size wrenches. I just stood there with almost all of the body panels off just sitting next to my ride and staring furiously at the engine. SparkPlug is working, so no problem with the electrical. Opened up the fuel line and carb and the fuel is getting there. Noticed that when i crank up the starter, white smoke came out from the breather hose and i can confidently say that there was no compression. Piston movement was ok . This is definately the valve. Either it is stuck or the valve arm must have broke . Maybe its the rocker. Last time i checked, the rocker seat was almost to its life cycle. Oh no, this could seriously be another engine buildup.

As you see, i had this problem a few months back when my piston jammed up to a complete halt, due to insufficient engine oil . Learned that mistake the hard way . A hefty amount to drop the engine and built it back completely. When the mechanic told me that i need to buy new parts for each and every little item in the engine. I made a mistake for asking him to do a quick fix and not to bother with changing the rest. But a quick fix/cheap fix had cost me almost about RM 1k. And the notion to think about a full engine restoration will cost me about 2.5k including workmanship. For a bike that cost me 4k? I think i'll be using it for 6 months or so till i can get enough money to fix it up speedy.

Back to the present day today.I now have a broken bike in front of me and i am late for work. Called the office and waited for my wife to come and pick me up. The bike? i couldnt push it up the Damansara climb as the bike was damn heavy. So i parked it in a nearby Hotel for safe keeping. 2 hours and i was already in my office just thinking about how to get to work until my bike is fixed.

Its time to think of other alternatives for transportation. Maybe a new bike?. I contemplate it for a moment discussing it with my wife. You see, I am very attached to the old scooter. It has already been in service with me for more than 2 years. Happily go wherever i want to go. Being a scooter, just crank and ride. A few glitch with the battery and a few no start mornings, but im not complaining.It has been loyal to me. Plus, my mom bought it for me as a gift.

What i need now is a reliable mode of transportation. A car? Well i already have one and buying a new car would not be a problem. but by the end of 5 years, i will be spending more money on Tolls, Traffic jams and fuel. I need another bike, but none of the small CC ones. I want a bike that i can treat like a car , where i can go long distance and which is comfortable for my wife if she decides to tag along. A tourer. Price will be a problem as new bikes comes with a price tag of 40k and above.For a tourer, it will cost me 60k and above.
Second hand bikes? I wouldnt want to inherit the problems that comes with it. and most used bikes within my price range is either more than 10 years old or it is in a bad shape.
So here will be the beginning of the search for the perfect bike.