So back in 2006 I was living in Romford & working in The Nam...Dagenham. I had purchased a NX650 Dominator from my dodgy car dealing brother & was using it go to & from work.
I had been bike less for some years mainly due to finances so this was a nice cheap way to get back into things.
Then I decided to move, as soon as me flat went up for sale the first person to look at it made an offer I couldn't refuse...Full price !
So the hunt began for a new pad. I went to look at a few places on the NX & soon realised that if I was going to carry on commuting by bike, my sore butt from the plank saddle & strained shoulders from the riding in the wind position...the NX wasn't going to cut it.
So the hunt was on...for a house & a more practical bike...Well when I say practical, I do have some taste so no boring commuter bikes for me...
I looked around 1st at 600's, R6, ZXR that sort of thing, couldn't find anything that I really liked. Whilst at one dealers that I knew quite well, they had a Red Storm tucked away from the newer shiner 2nd hand bikes.
I did a bit of research, including finding this forum, & had a look around on line for Storm's re the prices & wot not.
I also started looking at TRX850's as out of the two I liked the look of the TRX over the Storm.
In the end I went back to the first one I saw & as it had only 9k on the clocks & I got a blinding deal re the trade in & I bought that 1st Red Storm I had seen. August 2006.Pretty much bog standard, 98 on the T, 5 PO none of whom seemed to have done much if any mileage on it.
I went to pick it up one lunch time from work, leaving the NX there at the shop. My first ride a short 4 to 5 miles back to work...
I bloody hated it !
Maybe the completely different riding position, maybe the massive engine breaking I don't know, but I seriously thought I'd made a huge mistake...
Any way over the next few weeks & months on the daily commute I got more & more used to it, venturing out for longer weekend rides as well, me & the Storm started to bond.
In November I moved down to Grain & 'Ole Red had a new home as well.
Now I can't say that I used 'Ole Red every day to go to work, but it wasn't far off it, rain & shine Nov '06 till Aug '07... 70 miles a day round trip, fill up every third commute. To work, home, to work fill. Home, to work, home fill. From Jan '07 till the end of June I bought £998 of fuel...
Something had to change...
In September I started a new Job with a company vehicle...No more commuting at my expense HOORAY!
'Ole Red was now for fun only.
Now up to that point I had bought a few bits of bling, DB, seat hump, tank pad but mainly spent big on servicing & consumables, tyres chain & sprockets ect.
So the serious unnecessary modding began, all that cash I was saving on the commute...
Things began to change, 'Ole Red was mutating ...FrankenStorm to some still 'Ole Red at heart.
Has it been fun ? Yes.
Has it been reliable ? One by vapour lock after filling up. One by non starting episode caused by Muppet me managing to dislodge the vac pipe, ironically enough on the morning of a workshop day...which I missed Doh!
Then one day, misfortune struck, a painful sorry end to 'Ole Red, my mistake, my pain, my loss.
I loved my BIKE...
'Ole Red is dead, stripped bare & already being recycled & will live on in various small ways on various Storms across the forum & across the world.
Would you do it all again ? I am already, plans are afoot. A new Storm is rising in the MacCave as we type...
What started as this...
From Monsieur le Drooper ...Will soon emerge a different beast...
TBC
I look forward to the rest. So when does Drooper get a hard on. 
