anyone wants to buy my chaly?

…though i’m still in doubt whether to sell.

on one hand i love it very much as it is a very old bike… kind of  antique already  and it is a small short (low) bike, just nice for a small short person like me, but lately it had given me a lot of problems, hence i am thinking of getting a new bike.

however, i think… if i get a new bike, it’s a waste to sell of my antique chaly! you rarely see this type of bike around now.  many times while i was out on the road with chaly i had a few men approached me to buy chaly… but they wanted to buy not to use it but to keep it (or to modify it?).

second point is, if i get a new bike… very difficult to find one that will suit me. one that is low enough for shorty me. the normal honda cub 70 is a bit high for me.

so i’m kind of in a dilemma – dunno to sell or not.

as far back as last year, chaly started giving me problem. difficult to start and engine always died off when stop. sent for check/repair but still same problem surfaced. at first the mechanic said maybe the carburator not working well and to change it, it is quite expensive. then about a month ago, after check-up again, the mechanic found out something wrong with the contact point and the petrol switch (my chaly has a switch for on, off, reserve of petrol).

after that change, chaly seems to be working fine but suddenly i found it difficult to start again. strange thing is but when the mechanic was called when i can’t start, he managed to start without difficulty. then he told me, i should not pull the petrol clutch too much. he said it is very easy to start my bike and he started it a few times for me, true enough. well i try in front of him, and i can start it too but then when he was not around, i can’t start it!

lately so many times when i was out on the road i can’t get it started. i stepped and stepped and stepped until my legs so tired and yet can’t. so have to wait a while. sometimes after wait, can start but sometimes can’t!

well yesterday it happened again. when i was out at my favourite koay teow th’ng stall at king street, i can’t get it started. try so many times until in the end i approached someone to help me start it.

first person i approached was a young chinese man after he talked on the phone. he told me “sorry i’m in a hurry can’t help”. cheh! in a hurry but why talked so long on the phone! then 2nd man i approached was a elderly chinese man, he said “oh this type of bike very difficult to start one. i know. why don’t you push your bike to the bike shop nearby?” cheh!! if i want to do that, i will do that, no need he to tell me. anyway i know it is not because my bike something wrong, so why push to the shop. as my mechanic had told me, it could be i’m not strong enough when i step on the pedal, so i need a man’s strength! very disappointed these 2 men i asked no want to help me.

then i saw a young malay man approaching his bike and i asked him and he at once helped me!! true enough, after he try a few times, chaly came alive! while he was trying i told him that i did managed to start it but after i step on the gear, it died again. then he was so nice lah.. after he started it, he asked me to get on chaly, step on gear to see if it can die. after i step on the gear and it didn’t die, only then he left. of course i said  terima kasih to him before he left.

well i was at bishop street just now, so i then went to beach street in front of standard chartered bank to do some banking. after i finished my business to time to go back… and again when i wanted to start chaly, chaly refused to budge! grrr!! this time i decided not to ask chinese for help as fed up already. well later i did see a malay coming to get his bike so i asked his help. again… after a few times he try, he managed to start it! why for me, after so many times i try, cannot!! this malay man was kind too. he even explained to me what i went wrong… that i must slowly ‘buka minyak’.

oh boy, right now at home, already 12 hours or so after i try so many times to start chaly, my legs still feel the ache. i should get a new bike… one with electric ignition so that i don’t have to worry about having no strength to step on the pedal! but i had been using chaly for over 20 years – no problem of no strength to step the pedal. aiya… susah lah. really don’t know what to do. to sell or not to sell?