More Details coming soon !!!
This was Eleanor’s very first motorcycle—a bucket list dream fueled by fond memories of her dad riding. Years later, I’d actually get to see his first known bike: a 1961 BSA B40 Star, still tucked away in a friend’s shed like a vintage time capsule. At that point, though, we had no idea we’d one day be dusting off history and talking restoration.
I’d gotten my motorcycle license in June 2009 after plotting the adventure with Eleanor that spring. (The full saga lives under the “2009 Vulcan 900 Custom” chapter if you’re into bonus material.) The short version? Eleanor rode as my passenger a few times and quickly decided she needed her own set of handlebars. She booked her M1-Exit course to grab her M2 license, and I suggested we hunt for a “starter” bike—something used, so we wouldn’t cry if it tipped over in a parking lot. I grew up on dirt bikes, so my loyalty to two wheels was already ironclad.
Enter Bolton, Ontario, where we met a seller who’d bought a Vulcan from a Quebec rider. He’d been cruising with his brother and a Harley gang for a couple of years, decided riding was his thing, and had a brand-new Harley on order. That meant his Vulcan was suddenly homeless. My buddy Walter (a seasoned rider and my motorcycle voice of reason) came along to kick tires and offer wisdom. Eleanor gave the bike the once-over, and it was game over—Red? Check. Loud? Check. Over 700cc? Triple check.
Then came the legendary Negotiation Standoff of 2009. We were only $100 apart, but I held my ground like I was defending a castle gate. Eleanor may have been silently calculating how much of a fool she was dating. I told myself I’d wait until Thursday before caving and calling him, but destiny—or winter—intervened. He rang me on Wednesday, admitting he didn’t want to pay for storage. Victory! (Well… mild, slightly petty victory.)
Walter showed up with his trailer, and we rolled the Vulcan home. Eleanor had just passed her M1-Exit, so the timing was perfect. She now had a motorcycle, a license, and a boyfriend who had proven he could stubbornly hold a line over $100—clearly husband material.
