Yesterday was a pretty event-filled day, for a Saturday. It started off with picking up a few things around the house, taking the puppies out and having left over pizza for breakfast. Sarah and I had been talking about getting her fitted for a helmet for the past few days and decided to make a trip to KC Powersports (great showroom, sales personnel and atmosphere btw).
So we go out and about yesterday afternoon and make our way to KC's... We start off in the showroom and she immediately asks for me to show her a Hayabusa.... they don't have any in stock.... But I do show her a nice Katana 600 and she seems quite impressed by it and started to imagine herself on such a bike.... Before we get carried away we head into the accessories section and start looking for lids..... She spies a few, thinks the modular ones are cool, and starts trying a few on (while I hold her purse in as man-ly a way possible). I think that's when the bug bit....
After we tried on a few more helmets for her to get an idea of the size she was and which lids fit her best, we walked back into the showroom and stood beside the Katanas again.... One of the sales reps came over, we talked price, MSF, and other random stuff... but ended up walking out the door (quickly to turn around as I had left my sunglasses on one of the helmet racks :yikes: )
So on our way to the shop and from we've seen bikes left and right, it was a beautiful sunny day out and everyone was enjoying the weather..... I asked what she thought of the helmets, the bikes, and the experience... She said she enjoyed it......... a few minutes later....
"Why don't we just go get that bike?" Which one?"The one you were looking at..."....Don't tempt me....."No....seriously.".....Woman you better not be playing.... Cause I know they have the one I want in a crate in the back...."No.... let's do it."
And it started.... I made a quick call to the shop in Fayetteville, yes, they still had it in stock... no penalty for early payoff of financing.... and then I said those words.... " Get her ready for me...... I'll be there in about an hour."
We dropped by the house, grabbed my helmet and let the puppies out in the yard for a few, and I was already getting butterflies...... I was about to finally have the bike I've been dreaming about since I first started riding..... With the necessary prep done (and puppies put away!) we started the trip to Fayetteville.
We showed up just before 4PM and they were working like mad to get her built out from the crate. The battery was on the charger and the bike still had foam on the exhaust, plastic on the seat when I first saw her..... and I got felt a tingle roll down my spine. There she was..... and I got a remark of approval from Sarah (and one of the dealership reps who hadn't seen the black/grey in person).
While we were there waiting on the bike to finish up and paperwork be drawn up and prepped, Sarah tried on a few more helmets and found one similar to that she was liking at KC's..... So we grabbed that and a tank protector.... I looked at the mesh jackets they had, but of course, nothing in size "HUGE!" for me..... luckily I did have my leather jacket in the car!
After a few more minutes of talking with the staff... asking about break in, PM cycle, and a few other basics.... it was time to get down to the paperwork..... Surprisingly there was less paperwork than I expected.... I signed for a lot more when I bought my truck! Frank (my sales rep) came in while I was finishing up and actually handed me the keys and informed me that it was ready and out front for me.
The butterflies immediately returned. Was this a dream? Was I just given the keys to my own dream machine? If it was, I definately didn't want to wake up. Sarah watched, listened, and waited while I finished the documentation.... then asked to see the keys...which she quickly turned and placed in her purse... she said I had been fidgiting with them too much... okay, fair enough... I was nervous.
Finally... it all came down to one last dotted line.... DONE! and DONE! The bike was now mine..... A walk out to the car to get my lid and jacket, then a walk over to the bike where Frank and the guy who built her out were there watching... a quick warning on how slick the tires are, a handshake, and a "Goodluck and come back to see us again!" and that was it.... Sarah was in her car leading and got ready to pull out of hte parking lot while I got the feel for the clutch, throttle, and breaks....and then we were off....
I was a bit nervous, it'd been a bit since I'd riden, but it all came back to me quickly. I took her very gently onto the pavement and then accellerated... .My GOD it felt good..... and I was shocked at how quickly the power came..... every bit I ever wanted, right there when ever I wanted it.... I got settled into position and just started crusing, Sarah in front of me. I had so missed being on two wheels...... but within about a mile I knew there was trouble. The sun was setting and guess who didn't have any gloves.... yeah... yours truely.
What was a beautiful day began to turn cold quickly..... But I was still fine, it wasn't TOO cold, yet. We made our way back home from Fayetteville, cruising along and when I felt a bit bolder (ie-no vehicles/LEO's around) I would sprint her up a bit.... I hit 90 without thinking about it.... Yes. she's that quick.
The trip home was mostly uneventful, other than the cold.... but we made it in decent time. When we pulled into the drive, Sarah got out of the car and came to me, just about as giddy as I was..... we talked about how the bike was acting, how she was surprised how quickly I had passed her (then I told her I was pushing 90), and let her feel how cold my hands were (and that's why you wear gear folks!). So with that done, I began backing the Hayabusa into the garage where she is sitting now.... 31 miles from the dealership home (32 on the bike!). All in all, I only have one complaint so far about the Hayabusa....
The speedometer is a bit difficult to read sometimes.... course I guess you'd expect that when they have to fit so many numbers in such a small space.
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