h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My bike (part 1 and 2)

Posted Jun 26, 2004

So, there I am with a very nive 125 Virago. I bought it for £600 and spent around £200 getting it up and running. It had been standing in a garag for nearly 30 months so it did need some work. It turned out to be a great bike. Clean, tidy and a proper head turner. I.m not worried about speed, it was used mainly to go to and from work, and I'm never in a hurry to get to work.After owning it for just over a year it was attacked. One of my sons and me had a row, and he set about the bike with a garden spade. Sh** was the first thought I had, then insurance the second thought I had. After about a month of being without my own transport, the insurance company came up with a figure of £1400. Considering I only insured it for £1500, I thought I got a good deal there.

Now all I needed was another bike. I'd cut the odds down to a choice of 3 possibles. Virago, Drag Star or Intruder (if pushed I might have gone for a Shadow). The advert on Bike Trader just jumped out of the screen.
"2002, 125 Drag Star, 827 miles, excellent condition, £1999."
I rang the guy and said I'd buy it without seeing it. He sent me a couple of larger pictures of it and that was what sold me.
I picked it up last Sunday (20th June). The pictures just don't do it justice. I could easily get away with saying it was a new bike. It's one of the best examples I've ever seen of this bike. There's not a mark or spot of rust anywhere. (There soon will be if Wimbledon doesn't finish soon. We should never, ever under any circumstances buy a bike during Wimbledon fortnight. It always rains).

I loved the Virago but this is something different. It's more comfortable, it handles extremely well, it's got about the same top end of 60-65ish. It looks a lot bigger and it's got a far more mellow, growling sound to it. I'm more than pleased with it. And then I had the cheek to ask if the guy would knock a bit off. I knew before I asked he was never going to do that, and I don't blame him.

So that's how I've got an almost new Drag Star for a total outlay from my own pocket of £1400.

There's a bit of a post script though.

My son took me down to collect the bike and we stopped to have a drink on the way back.

"You know dad," this is a crippler, "I did you a bit of a favour there".
To make it worse I agreed with him. I hope he don't do me any more favours though. Ones enough to be going on with.

Hope you all enjoy reading this.

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Latest reply: Jun 26, 2004