I won't drag this out into some drippy sob story, but there was a recent event worthy of mention on Southern Comfort: Joker, my '08 Nightster, was sold earlier this week, and to a good home. Joker has had more than his share of the spotlight on Southern Comfort, so I figured the least I could do was give him a proper send-off.
I had a lot of damn fun putting Joker together, changing little bits and pieces along the way. Joker became of of those bikes that, when first looking at it, you know it's not a stock bike, but you also can't really tell what, exactly, has been changed. Just a lot of small things that ended up creating a pretty cool bike, even if I say so myself. Joker attracted attention everywhere I parked it. Heck, even when riding, I'd always get a thumbs-up or two. Never failed.
Even this blog got a boost in readership from the Joker modifications. There are lots and lots of links around the web to the 5 how-to articles in Southern Comfort that I wrote while doing the work, and at last count, almost 10,000 readers have checked out these Joker articles.
I'm the first one to admit that it was getting hard for me to ride that bike, so it began collecting a little dust. The lack of suspension travel and the excessive vibration got to be a little too much for me, and yes, that's because I'm getting older. I really have no idea how I EVER rode all those fucking rigid frame bikes back in the 60's and 70's. Joker at least had a little suspension, but I still paid for a longer ride for days afterward.
I rode that damn bike to Mountainfest in Morgantown, WV, a couple years ago, starting out from Alexandria, VA. I made it OK, but I was damn sure not looking forward to the ride home. And after riding it back, I vowed never to do it again! That was a long-ass 200 miles ride, and I was walking like a cripple when I got off!
I sorta figured I'd always keep Joker for a local bar-hopper, but an opportunity recently came along to maybe pick up a place to live down in Daytona, and when talking to the lenders and real estate people, it was made clear that a little extra cash in the bank wouldn't hurt my chances. A survey of my secret stashes didn't turn up much cash, so I had to take a hard look in the toy department, and of the bikes, truck, and trailers, Joker stood out as an easy way to raise some quick money. He was clean, cool, and ready to ride. No excuses necessary when showing him to a prospective buyer, so an ad was placed in Craigslist.
The very first guy to look at Joker bought him. Done deal. I hope Tim enjoys that bike as much as I did. He's a good guy, and I was glad to see someone like Tim get Joker. And it was also nice not to have to BS my way through the sale, masking the flaws. Hell, there weren't any.
Adios Joker. Ride Safe!
Cowboy
PS Here are the links to the other 5 Nightster/Joker posts in order, 1-5
http://cowboyken.blogspot.com/2011/05/nightster-projectbeginnings.html
