I had a little vacation last week, not from you my adoring fans, but from work and it was a much needed bit of time off. Didn't really do a whole lot on that time off, except drink, hangout with friends, drink, workout, motorcycle course, drink, party and then re-cooperate.
Really not too busy, but I had a good time.
What? The what course? Oh, that.
I decided to get my motorcycle endorsement while on vacation. No real particular reason, except that I have always wanted to be able to ride a motorcycle and in the state of Florida, you now have to take a rider safety course to be able to get your endorsement on your license. That is the law as of 2008. You can still get a bike and ride without the endorsement, but me and Murphy; the one the law is famous for, go back and I would most likely get popped for not having the endorsement on my license.
It would be my luck.
Now once I passed the class; which was on a Wed., I could go get a new license. Which I did on that Friday and oh boy, was that a fun time. In Florida, if you are getting a new license or renewing for the first time this year of 2010, you need to be prepared to have a few things: 1. birth certificate or passport. 2. something with your social security number on it. 3. finally, two proofs of residence. Now once you have all these items and sit at the DMV for an hour and pay your dues and get your picture taken, you get a new license. This new fancy license looks like the old one, but now you have a gold star at the end of your license number.
I feel so special now, like I was back in the first grade.
Now after that, I was now legal to ride a bike. Legal being the operative word there, mind you the only real seat time I've had on a bike has been when I was in elementary school and my Uncle picked my up on the back of his in the third grade maybe, tearing around my grandmothers yard on a scooter during Christmas one year; of which I wrecked and ended up breaking that scooter, and the class itself.
So not a lot of experience there for me on a bike, especially while it is under my control that is.
You know when you get an itch and you scratch it, it feels good for a little while, but then it comes back with a vengeance? That is what happen to me after getting the license.
I wanted a bike. Not some super custom monster and not a wee can-barely-move-out-of-its-own-way little thing either. But a decent bike that was under 800cc but at least 500cc. That is not a whole lot of wiggle room to say the least, but with where I live, that is enough to get me out of the way but not too much to get me killed prematurely.
As far as the style of the bike, it was gonna be a cruiser. My rotundness was not going to be getting on the back of any sort of rocket, crotch or rice included. No way, no how.
So I started looking; well to tell the truth, I had already been looking, but really went to it at this time. I knew that I didn't have the cash to buy upfront on a decent used one nor a new one to say the least. Financing would have to be it. After all, I will be helping the economy, right?
So after looking through craigslist and seeing many bikes that were not near what I wanted to pay or out of the years that I could possibly get financed, I noticed a few that did catch my eye. Two were Yamaha Vstars and the other was a Kawasaki. All three were at the local Yamaha dealer and I went to look on that Saturday.
Unfortunately for me, I got there as they were looking to lock the doors.
Damn Murphy and his law.
Monday came, I went and looked at the two that were left; which was an 07 Vstar and the Kawasaki. The Kawasaki was gonna be too old for me to be able to finance, but the Vstar wouldn't be. Not too mention you couldn't beat the price of around five grand. Especially with a bike that is the high end model of the 650s with aftermarket pipes and engine guards, so I think I win.
Got approved for the financing and they delivered it that day. Which was a early Monday evening around 7 pm.
Mom was not happy.
Oh, when they tell you it should have a full tank of gas, double check by trying to fill it. I thought it did, when it didn't and kept wondering why it kept dying on me only a mile down the road.
Live and learn.
