From the very first day, whenever we worked on the bike, people would stop their cars in the parking lot to ask what kind of bike she is, how old she is, etc.  The other day I was coming back from a walk and I saw a teenager and his father walking in circles around the bike, looking at it.  I went over and told them what the bike was, and answered a couple questions.  As I was finishing up with them, another man came over and asked “Is that a 1970s BMW?!?” to which I replied “You’re close.”.  He used to own BMWs back then, apparently, and recognized the engine, styling, etc.  He had several questions and generally seemed pretty fascinated with the bike, then eventually headed off to run some errands.  As I was about to finally head inside, a little boy ran up with his mother in tow, yelling “Look mommy, it’s from Indiana Jones!”.  I explained to his mother what it was, and told him that yes, it’s the same type of bike that was in those movies.  He seemed really excited, but his mom pulled him away to go to lessons of some sort.

We don’t even have to be near the bike for it to get attention.  A couple days ago, Marc and I were sitting out on the balcony.  Marc heard a child’s voice from the parking lot below say “Look mommy, a motorbike with a sidecar!” and he yelled down and said “Neat, isn’t it?”.  Turns out they live in the apartment below us and the little boy really wants a spin around the parking lot sometime.

If this is what it’s like when it’s in the parking lot, I can’t believe what it will probably be like when we’re out on the road.  I now believe the answer given on Soviet Steeds for why so many folks recommended a modular, flip-up, or 3/4 helmet over a full-face:  people roll down their windows to ask questions all the time, and with a full face helmet, you can’t answer them without taking the helmet off.

We didn’t get the bike because we wanted attention, but it does feel kind of nice to have random people take an active interest in what you’re riding.  Especially since these bikes require so much TLC, it feels good to have the product of our efforts so recognized.