Snippets

[kkbii]

I am always tempted by Roadsters. But like you, i need to wait. We both have a bike to ride, so ...priorities.

[Crusty]

WAH - HOO!!!


I just bought a motorcycle!

Details at 11...

[sprink]

That went full circle quickly! Congratulations!

[sportsterpaul]

Wow, why am I not surprised, ha, ha. Happy for you my friend can’t have too many bikes!

[Crusty]

Ah Done Did It!

I’m the owner of a 2016 XL 1200 CX Roadster! Or, I will be shortly. Tomorrow morning at 6:50 AM, I’ll be on a flight to Wichita, Kansas, where I’ll sign my name a few times, then I’ll climb on my new Roadster and take a couple of days to get back to Cheviot. Or maybe I’ll just push on through until I get home. I’ll see how it goes.

I didn’t really intend buying today. I was just going to call and get a feel of whether I might go for it, but I jumped. I didn’t even try to talk him down. The price is fair. I’ve said it before; I’m not a good haggler. In this case, I didn’t even try.

I don’t know why, but this bike is the one that spoke to me. There was a black ’16 in Indianapolis which is a lot closer and easier to get to and it even had fewer miles on it, but it didn’t click with me and neither did the dealership. I guess David was right. He said that when the right bike came up, I’d know it.

It’s funny; I called the dealership around 10:15 this morning, and by 1:30 everything was set. I spent the rest of the afternoon looking at the 10 day forecast for here, Wichita and St. Louis, lining up a flight, booking a room in the Motel 6, then riding over to the Credit Union to get some cash. Once I got back, I packed a small bag that’s got a few changes of underwear and my toilet kit in it and put my helmet in its helmet bag. I’m ready to go.

David’s going to give me a ride to the airport in the morning. I’m getting the Grand Circle Tour. I fly from here to Chicago, then I go to Las Vegas, then I finally get to Wichita by 5:00 PM. There’s a price to pay when you go for the cheap flight.

I’m not bringing my tool kit with me. There’s no way they’d let me take it on board, and I’m not checking my bags. I have a very small Gym type bag and my helmet. I seldom need tools when I’m on the road, but I’d feel a lot better if I had them with me. Oh, well.

This isn’t a completely impulsive purchase; even though it might seem like one. I sat and went over my financial plan and both the plastic and the furnace loan will be paid off on schedule. I won’t have money to burn, but it’s not a totally whimsical purchase. The area that will suffer will be the modifications I plan to make. They’ll be delayed a bit, but only for a bit. As I said previously, I rode the Roadster for a year before I modified it, I can do that with this Roadster. I don’t think it’ll take a year before I start making changes. That’ll start as soon as I get the bike home.

I am Happy!

[sportsterpaul]

Good on you John, may the sun shine warmly upon you and may the wind stay at your back!

[harley506d]

Well done mate!
I'm sure on the ride home, all the future mods will be well thought out.
Enjoy!

[ChinCactus]

Exciting day! NOTHING like a new bike!

[BKB]

Great when a plan comes together, John. Happy for you. Have a safe trip.

[Crusty]

A Quick Note From Lost Wages


I only got 3-1/2 hours of sleep last night. I woke up too early and couldn’t get back to sleep. So my brain is working like my neurons are made of soggy toilet paper. I left the house at 5:00 AM and like the walking vegetable I am today, I forgot to bring my cell phone with me. This means that not only will I not have any tools with me (not even my Leatherman), I don’t have a phone to call anyone, either. I was going to say it’s like tramping in the old days, but I always had tools with me back then.

I’m flying on Southwest because they had the lowest fares. However, it’s going to take 12 hours to go from Cincinnati to Wichita I flew from Cincy to Chicago to Las Vegas; now I get to fly from Vegas to Wichita. I won’t arrive in Wichita until almost 6:00 Eastern Time.

Both Ourdee and Tootal have offered to put me up along the way. I was thinking about how comfortable Greg’s recliner is; last time I slept there I slept like a baby. However, I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get all the paperwork sorted and signed at the dealership, so I don’t know when I’ll actually hit the road. If I get a late start, I might not ride that far the first day. Especially since I don’t have the bike sorted out yet. It just might feel like a medieval torture device that’s been modernized. I’d say I’ll call, but my phone is in Cheviot.

I do have my laptop with me, so if it looks like I might make it, I’ll send an e-mail. That holds true for both Greg and RD.

Las Vegas is a ghost town. The airport is about as busy as it normally is at 3:00 AM. For that matter, there were seven passengers on the flight to Chicago and less than 20 from there to Vegas.

I have an hour and a half before they start boarding for the flight east to Wichita. I’m not sure how I’ll kill the time. I’m almost finished with the book I brought with me. None of the outlets have juice here at the computer benches so I’m running on the laptop’s battery. There’s an outlet over by the gate, but sitting in those seats and trying to type is almost impossible. When the battery gets low, I’ll maybe try that. Or maybe I’ll just wait until I’m in the Motel 6 in Wichita to plug in.

Hopefully, 24 hours from now, I’ll be cruising east on I-70 in Missouri on my new Roadster, thinking about the changes I’m going to make to turn it into the Gentleman’s Express.