Posted by Joel on September 05, 2002 at 23:31:47:
Here's how it happened: wife's parents road their Fatboy halfway across the US from Atlanta Georgia to Abilene Texas to visit. Father-in-law (FIL) wants to hit the local Harley shop in town to pick up a new shirt (FIL has a Fatboy, Softail and one custom, all new.) We went, checked out all of the new makes & models and forgot all about t-shirts; I pointed out the '02 Savage and told FIL that's what my brother started out on, way back in the '80s. Oblivious to the sky, and all around me except for the new Marauders, Harleys, etc, FIL tells me, "Yep, that'd be a good starter bike..." He asks one of the salesmen the price, and then asks me "So, ... you want it? If this is a good thing, if you'll ride it, we'll walk out of here today with it!" Completely dumbfounded, I picked my jaw up from the floor and told him, "Aw, no, you can't do this, are you serious? I mean, after it's said and done, this thing's $4500...I don't even know how to change gears! I love it, though, it sure would be nice!" FIL simply says "one down, four up...you'll learn." I was ready to cry, the salesman had dollar signs in his eyes CH-CHING!! and FIL told him, "throw in a helmet, and I'll pay cash for it."
$4500, a $164 dollar helmet cut down to $90, and one free HD t-shirt later, and FIL was riding my new bike home. He took it to my house, I rode it one-half mile for starters, and then rode to work, about 4 miles. I couldn't believe it. Everyday I ride it, and wipe it down afterward, still awestruck. Imagine having a lifelong (only 30 years of lifelong, but still!) dream to be able to ride a bike come true in one hour worth of time well-spent with your in-laws. Pulling off in first gear is still a bit tricky, especially when stopped and turning left/right. Anything above 60 mph scares the daylights outta me (I'm 5'9", 125 lbs...anything faster than that and I feel like I'm gonna blow off the back!!), after 350 miles on the odometer, I've got the clutch/throttle combo down, and (ahem) I'm ready to go get my license! The $5 Radio Shack keychain recorder works great for figuring mileage, big thanks for such a cool idea. I've gone through 80% of the posts here and I'm almost ready to start customizing a bit, after I find a Clymer book.
The wife loves it (and of course wants to ride it now that I have my own vehicle), the 2 year-old son sits on it and says VROOOOM!!, and FIL told me later, they had planned the whole thing before they left Geogia.
What an incredible month it's been. I finally know what it feels like, that whole cliche wind in your face freedom FTW relaxation feeling. "Piglet" as I've affectionately called her is a lot of fun. I've only been cut off twice, and almost forced off the road once (lane change...dummy, don't ride in their blind spot next time!) Thanks for being here, for the outstanding pool of knowledge and for letting me share my story with you.
Joel,
a.k.a. B1Vaporhead,
USAF in Texas