Buying problems

They say buying used is buying someone elses problems. To this date, it has been 100% true. Every used motorcycle Ive bought has been littered with various problems of neglect, abuse and other hidden surprises. Sometimes the deals seem worth it, usually not in my case. A poorly written craigslist ad that essentially read "bike in a box". The price was almost the value of scrap metal. Sure enough it was a bike in a box. The story was told about the issue and at the time I didnt care, it was that cheap. I love putting things together, winter was setting in so why not. 

My kind of puzzle!

A nice paperweight. 

The reality sets in. The backstory was clearly a lie. Stripped and rounded fasteners everywhere. Liquid gasket slathered around. Okay Ill finish the rest of it instead. 

Without the engine, the rolling chassis has a value. I really hoped to get it running just as an accomplishment. If the backstory was true, I probably could have. 

Well nevermind. Broken metal and shavings everywhere. I lost my patience and unloaded it for cheap. It was fun putting the rest of it back together but I think I am done buying used without a very intense inspection. After having gone through the problems with so many different bikes I have a keen eye for such, its now more of a matter of being patient and not buying a bike just because I want it. Perhaps another revelation of age. 

Littering aint so bad

The action of littering is rather disheartening and quite often reflects a persons true colors. Ive never been surprised by someone who willfully throws their trash anywhere and happens to be an overall crappy person. With that said, I noticed a consistent amount of beer cans on the side of the road on my walking route to the gym. It really didnt trouble me to grab them on my way back home. Before I knew it, I looked forward to the walk because of the free money I brought home with me. I was walking anyways so why not. I turned this:

Into this:

It still makes me chuckle. Someone(s) is consistently drinking and driving, tossing their trash into the environment while I easily convert it into useful tools. Ultimately their loss my gain.