Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of .... Sorry, must have been channeling The Stones.
Anyway, this my first post on this site and I wanted to say howdy!
I got my first bike back in 1969, it was a well used Bridgestone 100, and was a lot better than my bicycle for delivering the papers. I had a series of small bikes and finally moved up to a Honda 550K back in 1979 and then to a 750F. When my wife and I moved to Virginia about six years ago the old 750 didn’t make the move and I have been without a ride ever since. I thought the monkey was gone for good. Hah!
About a month ago I started to notice motorcycles more than the usual lookout for bikers in traffic. I started noticing brands, colors, styles, etc. At first it seemed like something to do while on long trips. Then, I started noting the location of dealers in my area and how they always had some promotion going.
I should have recognized the warning signs; spending lunch hour in some dealer showroom (just looking), picking up model specs brochures (just going to read them in the can), searching the internet for info, and finally, buying a motorcycle magazine. Yeah, I should have seen the warning signs, but when you are in the fever, warning signs don’t mean squat.
OK which bike? How much? Been out of the loop long enough that make/model didn’t mean much, to me anyway. Rice burner? All pretty and fast. Harley? Not my style. Big cruiser? No, the wife is not going anywhere on a motorcycle, period. Man, I was stuck.
Read about every post on this site the started with ‘New biker, need advice’ and tried to weight the pros and cons of each selection. None really made the decision any easier to make but sure brought up a lot of good information. This wasn’t my first bike and I did not want to get into something too small that would have me making the same decision 9 months down the line.
Well, one night it hits me. What I wanted, is what I wanted when I was 16. I wanted a DUCATI. There wasn’t anything in the world like it back then, and they haven’t lost anything over the years. OK, now what? Ducati dealer had some great stuff, but although I was bitten by the bug, and I would have my ride, I wasn’t going to drop 10 grand to get it. I got the fever; I aint stupid.
Found the following online, on ebay, and since it was a local sale decided to go for it!
2004 Ducati Supersport 800
971 miles
Got it for $5100.
Take a look. Just brought it home.
It has a small amount of damage on the right side where it went down at a slow speed. It is nothing I can't fix, already ordered the paint, reducer, and clear coat to match. There aren't any other flaws on the bike.
That's it. Gotta take my MSF course, let it lapse when I moved, in one week. That gives me time to do the paint, get my helmet and riding togs, and explain to the wife just what the heck is that doing in the garage. After 30 years, one more night in the doghouse just don't mean much.
If anyone here is in the Richmond area, let me know. Can't wait to get it on the road.
