Back in the Spring of '03, my neighbor brought back a Triumph brochure from a Carlisle PA car/bike event. I found it on top of a stack of magazines in his garage and immediately fell for the America.
I had a '96 Firebird Formula that was for sale at that time, but with no takers. I sign up for the old forum and begin gathering info to make a used purchase. I remember my first post referred to the bike as the "Bonneville American". Someone pointed out, I can't remember who now, that the bike is just an "America".
Shortly after signing onto the old site, I found my America for sale on Ebay, but the auction ended with reserve not met. A few weeks later, I have a bite on my Formula and the bike gets relisted. I call the owner, who is surprised someone from Maryland would travel two hours to see the bike. He apparently has the reserve at $6,500 but the two auctions only bring $6,300 and he won't sell for a penny less than $6,500. The bike is showroom with 1,200 miles on it and a lot of accessories (windshield, pipes, back rest, light bar, luggage rack, floor boards, clock).
I show up one beautiful August afternoon for a ride and to meet the owner. He's an older guy who is into vintage planes and seems like a real nice guy, who owns a small body shop. He bought the bike a year earlier, put on all the accessories and than blew a motor in his Cessna. A plane motor rebuild is about $15k, so he's selling his toys to pay for it. He really didn't ride the bike, it only has 1,200 miles on it.
He's also unhappy with the bike because it is popping big time on deceleration and the pipes are blue/brown. I know from this site, that a good running bike is only a few turns of the air/fuel screws away. I think the guy was afraid I wasn't coming back, I was gone so long.
I tell the guy the bike is sold as soon as I complete the deal on my Formula. He says I can use his tag to ride the bike home, if I need it.
I haven't had a bike for 20 years and go to DMV to get my learners permit. They look at my license, laugh and point out that my bike certification is still listed. I've lived in WVA and PA, but apparently, when I came back to MD, they reinstated my bike license. I determine that's Karma and tell my wife the deal on the Formula is going to work out. Sure enough, the guy buys my Formula on Sunday. I call the America owner and tell him I'll be there Monday evening.
We take my brother-in-law's truck but I'm aching to ride the bike. By the time I get to the bike (Allentown PA, near Hermey's), it's dark and the clouds looked a bit threatening. I decide to bring it back in the truck and the guy loads it using his roll-back. We head home on I-81 (which at the time was under heavy construction thru Harrisburg). As soon as I get on the interstate, the clouds open up and it's raining so hard, I have to pull over in the truck. I would have been in deep trouble had had I been on the bike and would have had no way to get it into the truck bed, with my ramps and just my wife.
We get home safely and the next day I have the carbs adjusted in about 10 minutes. 35,000 miles later, I'm still smiling.
Here are some pix from the first time I saw the bike and the night it came home, in July of '03:
