Favorian logic

His real name was Tim, and we met him in Florida, sharing an apartment with his cousin Jack.  He had just been dishonorably discharged from the Army for beating up a Captain, “aren’t soldiers supposed to fight?” and was one of a kind-fortunately.  He had troubles with the English language, among other things claiming Ponce Peon not Ponce De Leon found the fountain of youth, Tubular Bells was Too Many Bells, and earned the name Por Favor when watching a Night Gallery episode with a butler named Portifoy, who he thought was Por Favor, hence his name.  If he couldn’t out think it, he beat it up, hence a trail of broken, bumped, bruised, and barely fixable followed him.  And as we got to know him better, the legend that he would never be a rich favor, but only a Por Favor became evident.

Now Favor was a guy who could find away to do things the wrong way easier than anyone I have ever met.  He had an old 1965 Buick with bald tires, slicks he called them, and would shift his Powerglide unmercifully.  When the car finally wouldn’t stop, he replaced the front brake shoes, by jacking up the front of his car using a bumper jack, replacing the shoes, then racing up and down the street at 60 mph, and slamming on the brakes, locking them up.   When heyh had faded to the point of no stopping, he declared them broken in, Favorian logic.  And somehow it worked, and yesterday meeting up with a group to ride to a funeral, I can tell you Favorian logic is still alive and well-although maybe on life support, and has spread to the west coast.  Pulling up on a press bike, a 2014 Street Triple, I must have looked like the Yuppie in the group.  There were old Nortons, Royal Enfields, /5 and /7 BMW’s, and more old Triumphs that were self lubricating than I had seen in a while.  All reminding me why the Japanese motorcycle invasion only took a few years, and why so many worship at the House of Honda and Yamaha.  Many bikes that I wondered what they had started out as, such as a Triumph Sprint RS with a GSXR fork, and other junkyard bits for a fairing.  A KTM with mesh screen and duct tape covering a hole in a muffler.  One pre-unit Triumph so covered in oil, no chance of rust ever happening here, and low maintenance too, don’t change the oil, add a quart every 100 miles.  Another pre-unit with a leather seat was so worn the packing was worn out too, TT pipes, or their home grown equivalent as they had been sawed off, hacked really, and three, yes three Thunderbird sports, circa 1998, the one like I had that ate tachs every 1000 miles, some so bad they never worked out of the box.  When Triumph found they were bad, sent them out for bid to be replaced.  A Taiwanese company took one, copied it for less, and Triumph bought the bid, and the same tach, doing the same things as the expensive Italian ones.  Favorian logic again.  There was a 1977 BMW R100S, with Dunstall pipes-real pipes, I know because I had the real ones once, and the copies later-again Favorian logic.  Many newer Bonnevilles, with all the good stuff either removed by an accident, or to make it rideable after.  And to a man, friendly, living in their own Favorian world, and even a man on a newer Harley, who answered when asked didn’t he bring his one of his old bikes answered, “this is the only one you can’t kick start, and it is too early to fight with one.”  Imagine that, the Harley being the modern one....

And when it was time to go, a question rose of how we were going to ride, and the answer was another yelling “let’s ride.”  And we did, taking over 25 minutes to go 6 miles..top speed for many I was sure, and immediately I pulled behind an old Norton racer, and inhaled the fumes of racing castor for the ride.  Right next to the BMW with the Dunstalls-I was in sensory overload, on the way to a funeral.  Was it possible I was already among the dead, or had they all been resurrected?

I began to realize I seek more rom riding, and am blessed to get it.  I have ridden in 48 states, and get another 2014 tomorrow to ride, fresh out of the crate.  My 1978 GS1000 is a pretty boy next to my riding buddies yesterday, how would she have felt, no leaks, and still pulls red line in 4th at 120.  I am anything but a Yuppie, I detest them, but can appreciate both schools of thought, the right way and the Favorian logic.  And somehow they both co-exist, all you who think your Co-exist bumper sticker is trendy, try one using the above on one-now that would be cool.  But I seek more, so I ask more questions, read more, and find myself with a group of riders who go fast and know why, who fix things right, and who change the oil rather than topping it off.  And so it is with my relationship with God.  I am glad to thank Him in the good times, not just call on Him when something fails.  I find His promises true, and when trouble strikes, He is more than duct tape and screen to fix my leak.  He deals with the cause, often times me, in a loving way, and draws me closer to Him.  And I am glad to talk to others who are deeper than me, unlike the man who always goes to the parts counter, gets info then off to the junk yard.  No respect for himself or the machine, or the relationship with it, and all the money spent fixing it again,again often adds up to more than doing it right the first time.  Favorian logic...if you can’t out think...you end up spending more and never getting it right.  The old statement of “I rather be riding applies to me,”  and although many like to ride, they rather fix...I rather ride.  And so it is with Jesus, I rather ride. 

Personally I hate it when I am reminded to count it all joy when in various trials.  And they are everywhere, even outside of Favorian logic.  But James is stressing the point that in the difficulties I will see the goodness of God.  So Peter then exhorts us not to look at the difficulties, but look to the cross.  Where the victory over sin was won.  Simply put, if you never got sick, you wouldn’t need the Great Physician.  If not poor you wouldn’t need Jehovah Jireh, the great provider.  If not confused, you wouldn’t need the wonderful counselor.  And if not a sinner, you wouldn’t need a savior, and the answer to all is Jesus Christ!  Yet some choose Favorian logic, their choice when they can’t understand.   I find it easier to go to Jesus directly.  His book states “he never saw the righteous hungry, or their children begging food.”  And as I looked at my new riding friends yesterday, their bikes needed a savior, but so did they, which is why God puts us out among them. 

Trouble with your faith, if you are having difficulties Jesus old us we would have tribulation, see you have works to prove your faith and His words.  Sadly Favorian logic works for a while, why not choose one that lasts forever?  The name is Jesus-the same in all languages, the only name you have to remember.  The true fountain of youth, for we will never see death in Him.  Yesterday reminded me of how some rides never die, Favorian logic keeps them on the road.  I’m glad I chose the road with Jesus on it, like Ecclesiastes tells us, a time to die.  Some motorcycles just haven’t read that part yet, have you?

It also says a time to live....I like that.  Which gives me more time to ride, the fountain of youth.  Imagine if Ponce De Leon had ridden motorcycles?

love with compassion,

Mike

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