These first few photos are from the ad I saw on Cycle Trader on early December morning. Nearly spit my coffee out when I saw these and contacted the seller posthaste. Turns out, I was one of what was already a few interested buyers who had contacted the seller in the first few hours since he posted the ad.
I asked the typical questions on the back story and maintenance history and was satisfied enough to send a deposit–via PayPal—while on the phone with the seller. The bike was original paint and miles. The seller purchased the RS from Blue Moon Cycle, rode it home to Illinois and like the previous owners, looked at it parked in the garage more often than riding.
No surprise, when I spoke with the seller later in the day to make pick up arrangements there were some upset and disappointed folks out there who had called back, only to find a deposit was taken and the bike was sold. (Remember this next time you are on the fence about a purchase….)
Here is the the story on this bike, as best as I know. I was told was it was originally purchased and owned by a man called Jim Roche. Next owner was a collector (maybe called Spike?) who rode the bike little, if at all. These two owners had the bike in Florida. Fast forward some time…..John Landstrom of Blue Moon Cycle purchased the bike from the collector in Florida and hauled to his shop in in Georgia. I confirmed this owner history with John after purchasing the bike. Now…here is where the story takes a serendipitous turn in the time/space continuum.
Yes, that is me standing next to THIS bike. My Dad took this picture at Blue Moon Cycle in Atlanta, GA. I was out on the road playing drums with Jimbo Mathis. On our day off, I met my Dad for lunch and a visit to Blue Moon. More on this photo, later.
Back in the time machine and we’ll fast forward to the winter of 2022. Bike is in the garage and ready for a through mechanical reconditioning. Nearly everything needed attention—new steering head bearings, fork rebuild, full brake system refresh and the rear main seal were among the work required.
By March the bike was back in one piece and ready for it’s debut. As with most of my bikes that have undergone a winter refresh—this means a 300 mile round trip from Arkansas to Memphis, TN for a shakedown ride. There were, no real surprise, some issues that came up. Most notable the rear master cylinder was leaking–thankfully not enough to abort the trip. Upon further review–the cylinder was pitted pretty badly, not allowing the seals to keep the fluid in. A new unit was installed.
Now back to that photo from 2005–In the winter of 2022 I was home visiting my parents and just happened to see a box of old photos in the basement. Most of you will remember actual film cameras and the envelope that came back from the photo shop with your pictures. I randomly picked up a pack that said “Summer 2005” and the first photo I came across was me at Blue Moon Cycle standing next the RS I now owned. Absolute disbelief. Remember, the bike was purchased from Blue Moon Cycle, so I was 100 percent certain this photo was indeed of the RS.
The summer of 2023 I started to notice excessive oil consumption. Heads and cylinders went to Leo Goff in Memphis, TN for a once over. Turns out the iron bore cylinders were pitted after years of sitting idle. One valve guide also needed replaced. Rather than Nikasil lining the original cylinders, I opted for the Sibenrock 1000cc replacement kit. This comes with new Nikasil cylinders. Combined with a fresh head reconditioning from Leo, the RS is now back to peak form and function.
