Triumphant answer to prayer…

Many of you don’t know this, but as of May 2007 I became the proud owner of a 1996 Triumph Sprint.  At $3500 this became the most expensive vehicle that I have ever purchased!  It was a huge answer to prayer on multiple fronts.  Not only had I wanted a mojo-cycle for years, but I wanted one with the hard saddle bags so that I could store my gear on it.  The bigger answer to prayer was having my wife say that she was “okay” with it.  That was the biggest miracle of all! 

A friend of mine at 24-Seven Ministry Center found the bike on Craigs List and I made arrangements to go see the bike.  The night before I lay awake praying that God would make it plain to me what His will was because I didn’t want to buy something if I was going to end up dying on it.  As crazy as this may sound, I honestly sensed that God told me to offer the guy $1000 less than what he was asking and that if he took I would know that it was His will.  Sure enough the $3500 was $1000 under the asking price and obviously the guy took my offer! 

While I have thoroughly enjoyed having the bike, I am a complete novice when it comes to bike mechanics (and any mechanics for that matter!).  When we moved out to New Haven, CT last month we put the bike on the ABF Trailer with all of our other stuff.  [HERES WHERE THE STORY TAKES A MAJOR TURN!!!!] Upon pulling the bike off the trailer here in Hamden, I was notified by one of the home owners that motorcycles were not allowed on the property (and no pick-up trucks!).  I could hardly believe my ears!  Later that week I received a hand delivered notice about the rules pertaining to motorcycles and sure enough they are not permitted!  (When my mother found out about this she was rejoicing!)

Needless to say I put the bike up on Craigslist in hopes that it would sell.  While I had a couple of hits, no one was pulling the trigger even to come and look at it.  One guy wrote me with strong interest while I was in Australia and the day I got back he notified me again saying that he wanted to see it.  I was sick as a dog for two days and on the third day when I called him he told me that I was a day late, that he had just purchased another bike.  But he talked to me for a while and told me about a couple of Yahoo! Groups that I may consider positing it on.  So I took his advise and posted the bike on there. 

Within a couple of days I received a reply from TriumphJoe stating that he had read about my situation and that he would be willing to store the bike for me while I was in the process of selling it.  I was given until tomorrow (the 25th) to get the bike off the property.  What a nice guy!  How generous to offer a complete stranger the opportunity to store his bike!  I thanked him profusely and told him that I was hopeful that it would sell in time.  Then on Monday of this week a neighbor came ringing my bell telling me that my bike was leaking fuel everywhere.  I ran out and sure enough the bike was dripping fuel profusely out of the gas tank.  I was able to get it to stop, but the next day it happened all over again.  Later that day (Tuesday) I drove the bike to a shop that TriumphJoe had mentioned in our communications.  Upon arrival, gas dripping everywhere, I go to the head mechanic and he notifies me that they don’t work on Triumphs.  WHAT!!!!  Then he told me that in its present condition that I should not even ride the bike one more foot!  He handed me the card of a tower who told me that on Thursday he could tow the bike down to a Triumph certified dealer.  So I emailed TriumphJoe to tell him my situation.  When he heard the word, he informed me that he has a truck that can easily haul bikes around, but that he would like to take a look at it.  We made arrangements to meet at Willow’s where the bike was today at 4pm.  Upon arrival Joe moves into action and we loaded the bike up on his truck (I had assumed that we would try to do the repair their).  We get to his house and I am pleasantly surprised as Joe opens his garage which contains two Triumphs (one for him and one for his wife) and a Buell (which he is selling).  All over the walls is Triumph paraphernalia and tools.  It is evident that this guy knows his stuff! 

One of the hardest things about moving from Seattle out to New Haven, is that we don’t know a soul here.  It is hard to lose your network of friends and resources that you’ve built up.  Earlier this week when the frustration started hitting the fan, I stopped and prayed that God would lead me to someone who could assist me during this time.  TriumphJoe is an answer to that prayer.  Ultimately I would love to hold on to the bike and enjoy it for years to come.  And with it in Joe’s hands, I know that it will be safe and sound!  I thank God for TriumphJoe!  God used him to show me His Grace yet once again!

Posted by matthew gamble on July 24, 2008 at 04:22 PM
Filed Under: | 5 Comments | 0 Trackbacks