Deus Ex Machina

[Pterodactyl_imp]

I suppose I missed the hipster crowd when I arrived at Deus. There were plenty of people inside but none with the classic hipster look. Just regular people, chillin in a café like most cafe's I've been in. Wait a minute ... what if I'M a hipster and I don't realize it?! And all those "regular" people are hipsters too! Oh no ... what's my momma gonna think?

The place did strike me more as a fancy motorcycle-inspired café than a serious custom motorcycle shop. Still, I enjoyed it. The stuff inside was priced out of my reach but we don't have anything like that down in San Diego. It was fun to visit. I'll probably go back again.

TINK, I see that you posted about a So Cal meetup. I'll be over to that thread in a moment. Here are a few pics from my VFR meetup. Would be great to get at least a half dozen CB's together!

Here we have a 2nd generation VFR750 (1986) in the foreground, a 5th generation VFR800 (1998), followed by two Anniversary Edition 6th generation VFR800s (2007); mine being the last one.

[url=http://s51.photobucket.com/user/jamesfontaine/media/102514BeeJasonJohnandMyBikes.jpg.html]

We picked up a brand spanking new 8th generation VFR800 (2014) along the way. It's the all white bike which actually has a beautiful metallic shimmer to the paint. You need a camera (and eye) like TINK's to pick up.

[url=http://s51.photobucket.com/user/jamesfontaine/media/102514Meetup2.jpg.html]

By the time everyone got there, we had 10 VFRs from various generations represented. We filled up on burgers and fries and put faces to screen names. it was a good time.

[url=http://s51.photobucket.com/user/jamesfontaine/media/102514Slaters8.jpg.html]

That '86 is a beautiful bike. To my eye it has the clean lines of a classic sport tourer with the emphasis on sport. Lightweight, a tad over a hundred neddies and setup to travel quickly. In fact THE classic sport tourer. If you have one in good condition then cherish it as they have gone forever. The new 800 Viffers are a credit to the lineage however I feel the emphasis has shifted to touring. Don't get me wrong, the 800/1200 models still handle very well and are great bikes in their own right. Just "different". Tour on a 750 and lightweight is the way to go. With the new big boys you could pack a tuxedo, a selection of tha Napa Valley's finest, a flat screen and someone to wash your dishes. Great photos mate. I would have loved to be there.

As to the other, and critical, question. Have you been bitten by a hipster and become one of the un-read? For a start look between your legs. No not there mate, further down! Yes, that's it, at the motorcycle you are sitting on. Is it a small capacity Japanese grey import bought for next to nothing by a boutique motorcycle business? Has the bike been stripped down to faux rattiness, clip-ons and bar end mirrors affixed? Racing seat in "used" leather? Poor quality exhausts wrapped? Tank polished back to metal and decorated with the business name or maybe a slick slogan (ranging from new-age to "death or glory")? Was it sold to you at a markup that would make the Wolf of Wall Street wet his pants? Do you have the T-shirt, with motif, over blue jeans with rolled up cuffs, heeled boots, and slicked back hair? Garbed like this, do you ride this sorry excuse for a bike, let's call it a "motorsickle", to trendy cafés? Sorry mate, if you answer yes to these questions then a silver bullet and stake through the heart is the only fix. Get a man with a Viffer to do it.

Cheers, and great post.