Show off your recent significant purchases
Feb 9, 2018 15:35:19 GMT -5
90GTVert, moofus02, and 4 more like this
Post by bluegoatwoods on Feb 9, 2018 15:35:19 GMT -5
Here's a pretty significant purchase. Bought it a couple of days ago and picked it up yesterday.
It's a 2014 Yamaha V Star 250. I'll keep legal ownership of it. But it's really meant for my daughter. She's entirely competent on a bicycle, motorized bicycle and on a scooter. But she's been craving a motorcycle. There's already a bit of jealousy and second guessing over this within the family.
But this particular daughter has made immeasurable contributions to the well-being of my family.
This daughter has earned her motorcycle and the nay-sayers can go jump in a lake. After I bought it the other day I came home and I even said to my wife, "I'm a little bit afraid to face you because you're gonna be pissed at me. So I'll just spill the beans. I bought ***** a motorcycle." You shoulda seen her face! She was not happy with me.
But I've known her a long time now and I can read between the lines. She's more on-board with this than she was willing to let on about that day. Though she's not really hiding her feelings now. She just won't come right out and tell me I did a good job. During those first couple of hours while we were yelling at each other over the matter, I could sense her anger cooling pretty quickly at times. Then it would come back. With a vengeance. Then it would cool off again.
By that evening she was being pretty good natured about it, though keeping up a facade of anger and disgust.
She'd pipe up with something like, "She can't ride it until she takes a motorcycle safety course!" (Yeah....right...)
But by the time I picked it up yesterday she was obviously getting downright eager to see it. When I pondered waiting until Saturday to pick it up, she nearly pushed me out the door to go and get it. She's drooling over it even if she tries not to let me see that. I overheard her saying to one of our other daughters last night, "It reallyis a sweet bike!"
The daughter who is getting the bike can hardly contain her excitement at merely seeing it. Unfortunately for her there's snow everywhere plus another winter storm bearing down on us. But winter is winding down and in three or four weeks there'll be days when she can ride.
She's got more maturity than the rest of us in this family combined. She's intelligent. She's gutsy without being reckless. She's even-keeled and she sees far ahead. She'll do just fine with this. One of our goals is to save wear and tear on her car. Then, in a few years, she can buy a bigger bike on her own and, hopefully, she won't have to buy a car at the same time.
Then when she does get a bigger bike, either my wife or I will inherit this one. I haven't craved a motorcycle in a long time. They're simply faster and heavier (plus more expensive) than I need for my two wheel riding at this stage of life. But this one actually would suit me well for the type of riding I do.
I'm accustomed to bikes of the British and Yamaha XS 650 variety. The largest bike I ever owned was an XS 850 Special. That one had a fork that was more raked than those 'cafe racer lite' bikes of the Triumph type. And it had more 'pull back' style handlebars. Yet it didn't really feel all that different from the upright twins.
These cruisers really are a bit different. When I went shopping for this bike the other day, I looked at a V Star 650 first. I thought it was possible that this would be withing my daughters capabilities. But the moment I straddled it I knew it was too much bike for a girl beginner. What's more, that big tear drop style gas tank and relatively high handlebars felt like a big obstruction right in my line of view. I could ride it. But it's just different enough that I'd have to adjust between my expectations and the reality. That bike certainly did not feel like an XS 650 at all.
When I took this 250 for a spin yesterday I picked up my feet on my first take off and very nearly planted them straight into the ground. The pegs were about a foot and a half, it seems, further forward than I'd expected.I found myself thinking, "They're way up there???"
But it's still a beautiful bike and we'll have fun with it.
It's a 2014 Yamaha V Star 250. I'll keep legal ownership of it. But it's really meant for my daughter. She's entirely competent on a bicycle, motorized bicycle and on a scooter. But she's been craving a motorcycle. There's already a bit of jealousy and second guessing over this within the family.
But this particular daughter has made immeasurable contributions to the well-being of my family.
This daughter has earned her motorcycle and the nay-sayers can go jump in a lake. After I bought it the other day I came home and I even said to my wife, "I'm a little bit afraid to face you because you're gonna be pissed at me. So I'll just spill the beans. I bought ***** a motorcycle." You shoulda seen her face! She was not happy with me.
But I've known her a long time now and I can read between the lines. She's more on-board with this than she was willing to let on about that day. Though she's not really hiding her feelings now. She just won't come right out and tell me I did a good job. During those first couple of hours while we were yelling at each other over the matter, I could sense her anger cooling pretty quickly at times. Then it would come back. With a vengeance. Then it would cool off again.
By that evening she was being pretty good natured about it, though keeping up a facade of anger and disgust.
She'd pipe up with something like, "She can't ride it until she takes a motorcycle safety course!" (Yeah....right...)
But by the time I picked it up yesterday she was obviously getting downright eager to see it. When I pondered waiting until Saturday to pick it up, she nearly pushed me out the door to go and get it. She's drooling over it even if she tries not to let me see that. I overheard her saying to one of our other daughters last night, "It reallyis a sweet bike!"
The daughter who is getting the bike can hardly contain her excitement at merely seeing it. Unfortunately for her there's snow everywhere plus another winter storm bearing down on us. But winter is winding down and in three or four weeks there'll be days when she can ride.
She's got more maturity than the rest of us in this family combined. She's intelligent. She's gutsy without being reckless. She's even-keeled and she sees far ahead. She'll do just fine with this. One of our goals is to save wear and tear on her car. Then, in a few years, she can buy a bigger bike on her own and, hopefully, she won't have to buy a car at the same time.
Then when she does get a bigger bike, either my wife or I will inherit this one. I haven't craved a motorcycle in a long time. They're simply faster and heavier (plus more expensive) than I need for my two wheel riding at this stage of life. But this one actually would suit me well for the type of riding I do.
I'm accustomed to bikes of the British and Yamaha XS 650 variety. The largest bike I ever owned was an XS 850 Special. That one had a fork that was more raked than those 'cafe racer lite' bikes of the Triumph type. And it had more 'pull back' style handlebars. Yet it didn't really feel all that different from the upright twins.
These cruisers really are a bit different. When I went shopping for this bike the other day, I looked at a V Star 650 first. I thought it was possible that this would be withing my daughters capabilities. But the moment I straddled it I knew it was too much bike for a girl beginner. What's more, that big tear drop style gas tank and relatively high handlebars felt like a big obstruction right in my line of view. I could ride it. But it's just different enough that I'd have to adjust between my expectations and the reality. That bike certainly did not feel like an XS 650 at all.
When I took this 250 for a spin yesterday I picked up my feet on my first take off and very nearly planted them straight into the ground. The pegs were about a foot and a half, it seems, further forward than I'd expected.I found myself thinking, "They're way up there???"
But it's still a beautiful bike and we'll have fun with it.
