OK so I haven’t written a blog for a couple of weeks (though I guess the Border Run one was long enough to make up for a month’s worth of blogs…) anyway… I got to thinking about Jimmy.  So I thought I would write a little story about Jimmy.

For those of you who might be reading this and haven’t known me all that well Jimmy is (was) an ‘03 ZX6R.

My ‘95 ZX6R (Miss Ninja) was getting a little long in the tooth and I had decided that the ZX9R was to be my next bike.  I found the “perfect” one out at CMC in Fyshwick - in the mica colour with green stickers… actually the same as Robyn’s (the black one featuring in the border run photos).  I had already been to the bank and due to refinancing my existing personal loan and a stuff up on the banks part meant that I had about an extra $2,000 in my pocket than I had thought…

Anyway so I had arranged with Frank of CMC to have a test ride of this ZX9R.  I got out there, found it in the line of bikes and was checking it out.  A dude came out and I said I had arranged to have a ride of the 9.  As he went back in to fetch a sales guy, I started wandering up the line of bikes.  And came to a halt in front of a thing of pure beauty… a bright green ZX6R. Frank came out and I said to him ”I’m here to ride the ZX9R”.  He looked at me, looked at the ZX6R and said “OK but you are also taking the ZX6R out”. 

So I signed my life away, gave them the keys to Miss Ninja so they could work out a trade in price for me and I set off on the ZX9R.  I was a little disappointed to be honest.  It didn’t really feel much different from my 6.  Anyway did a bit of a ride and got back.  Right, now it’s time to ride the ZX6R.

Took off out of Fyshwick and the grin just grew and grew… I didn’t want to get off!  Had an absolute ball.  Got back and it was sold.  Well I pretended that I didn’t want it all that bad and got a ventura rack and heated grips thrown in or something like that. 

The following Monday I attended at CMC Fyshwick, paid by EFTPOS!! and then the beautiful green machine was mine.  I tentatively rode it home as I hadn’t arranged insurance yet and took a couple of happy snaps.

Newly arrived!

Newly arrived!

Here “she” is!  Had a Leo Vince slip on, and otherwise was bog stock.  Had 12,800km on the clock.  I couldn’t stop staring at this bike!!

I promptly hit eBay to start looking for “bling”.

The next day, Tuesday, I wasn’t so sure that I had done the right thing.  My wrists were hurting just on the commute to work and I was finding it very uncomfortable.  I was missing Miss Ninja!  I thought perhaps a proper ride would sort us out, so I contacted James and Wedge and we arranged to go for a ride to Malua Bay on the Saturday.  I was working Saturday morning so I arranged to meet them at Bungendore at whatever time.

The ride out to Queanbeyan was painful.  I hurt.  But then once I got out the otherside of Queanbeyan it was like the bike morphed.  At a bit of a higher speed it was just awesome and I remembered why I liked it to much in the first place.  Got to Bungendore grinning from ear to ear.  Had a ball down the Clyde and even felt like I had to wait for ages for the boys to catch up (now that doesn’t happen often!).  

First coast trip

Ok so now I was in luuuuuuuuurve!

A couple of weeks after I was on MSN one evening and had cracked a can of Jimmy and was really enjoying it, so I changed my display name to “Mel <3 Jimmy”.  A friend (Dan) came up and says “Oh is Jimmy the name of your new bike?”.  It is now!  So now to lose the habit of referring to him as a “she” which I eventually mastered.

I had grand plans of all these blingy things to get for the bike… I started off with covering up the CMC logo on the tank protector

First bling!

My first “big” trip on the bike (and which I was a little unsure of given the much more sportier nature of this bike) was Mel & Leen’s Excellent Adventure (or the long way to the GP).   I can’t remember now the dates we left, but we had two weeks of going through Victoria and into South Australia then back through Victoria and to the GP.  We did some 5,000km in those two weeks and had an absolute ball! 

Jimmy goes to SA

I had never been to SA before so this was a bit exciting (even if this sign was actually on the return to Victoria LOL)

The next bling was a fender eliminator, rego tube and green lensed integrated tail lights.

Bling

This wasn’t a very successful mod - on a ride shortly after the fender eliminator snapped, and the number plate and rego tube holder got wedged between the tyre and the hugger… at a bit in excess of the speed limit… some dude behind me made me pull over and it wasn’t until I started slowing down that I could smell the rubber (I had felt a kind of thunk but when it felt fine after that I just kept going, thinking it was something on the road).  OK so then I was riding around Victoria with no number plate one… woo!  at least I didn’t lose it.  The indicators ended up only working sporadically as well.

I had also planned to get the flush-mount front indicators, some fancy mirrors, a dark double bubble screen and a seat cowl.  I did end up getting a seat cowl but in blue and never got around to getting it painted, and the rest all got forgotten about as I started spending all my money on riding it instead of blinging it.

Over the 2007/2008 summer there were many trips through the Alpine areas of NSW and Victoria.  It seemed like every second weekend we were in Bright. 

Near Mt Selwyn, November 07

That picture was taken on our way to the 4M’s ride (I was with Tess, MStevo and Andy on his R1).  The fog was so thick in places that I could barely see Tess’s tail lights in front of me.  The bourbon at Tintaldra was so worth it though (why does bourbon taste better at Tintaldra?)

Mt Buffalo

Took this photo on one of the many Bright weekends when I went up Mt Buffalo with Daniel.

I also fit in a camping trip up to Coonabarabran for a few days over the xmas break and the Swim Ride.

On the Australia Day long weekend Tess and I were to meet up with Skuffy and Co. at Mt Hotham for a night of fun.  Unfortunately Stevo couldn’t join us as he and his bike were a bit broken.  This was when the ignition played up - filled up at Hume, got to Adaminiby and couldn’t get the key out of the ignition, it wouldn’t turn from “on” to “off”.  Eeek!  The dude at the servo tried to pick the fuel lock but failed so we turned around and went back to the bike shop in Cooma where the dude diagnosed the problem as a worn key, and pointed out that I could get the key out by turning it to “park” (which unfortunately left my tail lights on…)  anyway we made good time to Hotham, only about half an hour behind scheduled time and to be honest, I’m glad we were running late…

Mt Hotham

The Victorians had ridden through this hailstorm (it looked like snow on the road).   Jimmy spent the weekend with the key in the ignition turned halfway between “on” and “park” so as not to run down my battery by leaving the tail lights on.  Got home, the spare key didn’t make any difference whatsoever so I took to leaving the seat a bit loose-ish and just disconnecting the battery every time I parked up. 

Shortly after James (being a locksmith) offered to take a look, so we attended at his workshop and we pulled Jimmy to bits to get to the ignition - pulled it off and the steering lock mechanism was stuffed - that was my problem.  Basically it needed to be replaced - we removed a spring and it would be somewhat problematic but usuable once again.  Awesome.

In February I did my first FarRide on Jimmy - with James and the Fuelstorm as well.  The lunch was at Nambucca Heads and we rode up to Taree after work on the Friday night through some truly atrocious weather and then did the Oxley Highway and Waterfall Way to get into Nambucca Heads having done 1097km to get to lunch.  I got very sore in the right wrist on the way back (we were due in Sydney at 9am on Sunday morning so kept going after lunch) but some Panadol fixed that.

Jimmy & The Fuelstorm at Walcha

We went to the Superbikes and one of the days Mick C dinked me out to the track on Jimmy and he took this awesome photo of Jimmy with his namesake

Jimmy & Jimmy

In late February I was in Sydney with my sisters and had ridden up and on my way home I had my first experience with someone on the back fo Jimmy… just out of Sydney there was a bike pulled over on the side of the road - I started to slow down to pull over and they waved me down - they were out of fuel (it was a dude with his partner on the back).  He left his girlfriend with their bike and hopped on the back of Jimmy - and this just reinforced how much I dislike pillioning!  Especially dudes who are a lot bigger than I am…. anyway dinked him down to Pheasant’s Nest and then he asked if I could take him back up to his bike… sure… but how about YOU ride and I’ll hold the petrol LOL yes I let a complete stranger ride Jimmy.  Anyway got them sorted and headed home. 

We did lots of riding together over the next few months - the annual Tintaldra/Bright ride, Halls Gap with KSRC, the Failed Moree FarRide, Putty Road and the CR Girls Weekend.  In late June KSRC had a Gingers Creek ride so I went along with Gos and Carl (who was on a ZX9R then) and James came along as well on the Suzuki… which shat itself at Long Flat (well just Long Flat but he managed to limp it back into Long Flat).  With my dislike of having someone on the back and James’ dislike of being on the back it made more sense for him to ride Jimmy with me on the back and that is what we did.  It was… interesting.  I had never done any real distance on the back of a bike so it was a bit of a learning experience for me as well as for James, who had barely any pillioning experience AND he was on a strange bike… he did really well though, even in the dark up the Oxley.  The next morning we all headed back down to Long Flat and put a different battery in the Suzuki and it ran OK but we couldn’t locate a battery for it so we stashed it in a shed there and back to Canberra, me still on the back.  OK I loved you Jimmy, but NOT from the back.  That trip was hell. 

The whole reason James had bought that bloody Suzuki was to do the longer trips on - especially the Border Run which was on 2 August.  A few factors all contributed to James not being able to do the run… “next year we’ll do it” he says.  Then he says “well you could always do it by yourself…”  So I did.

I left Canberra on Thursday 31 July and headed over to the SA/WA Border.  I then took the long way home, I went to Uluru and up just past Tennant Creek to Threeways and then east to Mt Isa and making my way back to Canberra through QLD and NSW.  Jimmy performed faultlessly throughout this trip. 

Jimmy at Uluru

I love it out there!

Got back to Canberra and battled a bit - I really didn’t want to be back.  Perhaps I could blame that for my decisions?  I started to think that maybe it was time for a new bike…

Jimmy and I still had a few rides and milestones left together… there was another Putty Ride and then my Iron Butt ride - I did the SS1600 on Jimmy on 12/13 September 2008 ending up at the Tottenham FarRide/Far Cairn Rally.  And I took out longest distance ridden by a female too! 

I only just realised that that was really my last real ride with Jimmy 

I got a really nice photo at that rally - a dude was walking around taking photos of people with their bikes (actually I had a few people wanting to take my photo with the bike that weekend… “you rode what?  How far??”) but then this dude printed them out and laminated them and sold them back to the riders for $20 - all proceeds going to MARI which the rally was fundraising for…

I really started thinking about an upgrade and I finally settled on either a ZX7R or an SP2.  There was an SP2 out at CMC Fyshwick which I ultimately ended up buying, so Jimmy was sharing the car port with the SP2 for a little while (and not being ridden a whole lot - though the few times I did ride him before he was sold I was very sad - he always felt like coming home).

In October I listed him on eBay and he was sold to a very nice young man called Gavin who was upgrading from an F model ZX6.  He gave me $5,000 and I gave him Jimmy.  It was a very sad day.  I think I managed not to cry but I feel like crying now just thinking about it!!!

So Jimmy was gone. 

And that was the tale of Jimmy.  I have thought about trying to get in contact with Gavin and trying to buy Jimmy back… but I think it’s best to let him go… and just keep him in my heart LOL

Mel <3 Jimmy