It's all over but the crying......
Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:05 am
Yesterday I bailed out of work early, hitched up a trailer to the Big Dodge (ever loaded a streetbike into the box of a 4X4 with a 6 foot ramp? Don't) and went bike shopping.
When I left home, it was 32*F, snowing, and 45-50 MPH winds. Perfect bike shopping weather...
I brought my helmet, my snowmobile gloves and jacket and headed out. When I got to Edmonton 2 hours later, it was 40*F and almost no wind... much better.
I had 3 bikes lined up to look at after hours on the phone, weeding out the junk.
1. '90 FJ-1200
2. '89 FZR-100
3. '84 Interceptor
The FZR sold as I was driving to the city, so that was crossed off the list. I went and seen the Honda. 10 000 miles and in great condition. But the tires were old and cracked originals, and the owner was not very willing to deal. "Here's the bike, here's the price, your lucky I am deeming you worthy to buy it" attitude left me cold, and it was more than I was going to spend by very little, but I had my back up by that time, and he wasn't going to deal, so I left it sitting on those chitty tires and left.
I drove over to see the FJ-1200. This was the most expensive bike of the bunch. The owner was much more willing to deal, so we did just that. The test ride revealed the bike to be in very good condition and nice and strong. So I rode it back and commenced to dealing. The asking price was $3800. I got him down to $3100, with a nice, big Teknic tankbag, service manual, spare oil filter and spare bulbs, spare valvecover gasket and toolkit. The bike was just tuned up, carbs balanced, new airfilter and a full tank of gas. Also, this guys garage was Operating Room clean, and that speaks well for how he looks after his stuff.
SOLD
So I loaded it up, spent 45 minutes trying to figure out how to tie it down... dam fairings.... and bid my new friend Jerry Goodbye. I will have to see him again sometime soon, he left his garage door opener in the tankbag
It was now just about 8 pm, so we went looking for a new helmet for Lana, my wife. Hhhmmm, thursday is 'open late' night, isn't it? Not for most city bike shops it seems. They are open till 9 out here in B.F. Nowhere, but close at 8 in the city???? Scona Cycle was open late though, and I have always had good luck shopping there, so off we went. Lana had found that she hates full face lids earlier, but she found a Z1R Metro she really liked. I wouldn't care for it, but she's the one who has to wear it, so....... and it was cheap at $99. I got a helmet bag thrown in for free and 15% off the price, so it was hard to beat. I bought myself some new warm weather gloves to boot.
The salesman was helping a young family find some offroad gear for thier little boy. The kid was maybe 3-4 and they had EVERY stich of FOX kids gear out and asking questions and being real jerks about the whole thing... you see the salesman getting more and more pissedoff. They had been there awhile and he was fed-up with the whole thing. So when I asked what kinda deal for the lid, bag and gloves he would give me, he made sure to say, At this time of night, for an easy sale like this (I had fitted Lana's lid and my gloves while he was busy with the spoilt kid).... $156 tax included..... retail was $193 before tax. I whipped out the cash and paid the man in front of the other gong-show folks.... and the salesman commented, not-so-discreatly, "That's how it's done."
So it was off home. I got home and put the bike back together (I had to take half the thing apart to find decent tie-down pionts) and it was 1 am by this time. So I went for a short...ahem.....illegal ride around the neigborhood and parked it in the garage for the night.
Insurance and plates today...... and Away We Go....
I am just the tinyest bit excited........
When I left home, it was 32*F, snowing, and 45-50 MPH winds. Perfect bike shopping weather...
I brought my helmet, my snowmobile gloves and jacket and headed out. When I got to Edmonton 2 hours later, it was 40*F and almost no wind... much better.I had 3 bikes lined up to look at after hours on the phone, weeding out the junk.
1. '90 FJ-1200
2. '89 FZR-100
3. '84 Interceptor
The FZR sold as I was driving to the city, so that was crossed off the list. I went and seen the Honda. 10 000 miles and in great condition. But the tires were old and cracked originals, and the owner was not very willing to deal. "Here's the bike, here's the price, your lucky I am deeming you worthy to buy it" attitude left me cold, and it was more than I was going to spend by very little, but I had my back up by that time, and he wasn't going to deal, so I left it sitting on those chitty tires and left.
I drove over to see the FJ-1200. This was the most expensive bike of the bunch. The owner was much more willing to deal, so we did just that. The test ride revealed the bike to be in very good condition and nice and strong. So I rode it back and commenced to dealing. The asking price was $3800. I got him down to $3100, with a nice, big Teknic tankbag, service manual, spare oil filter and spare bulbs, spare valvecover gasket and toolkit. The bike was just tuned up, carbs balanced, new airfilter and a full tank of gas. Also, this guys garage was Operating Room clean, and that speaks well for how he looks after his stuff.
SOLD So I loaded it up, spent 45 minutes trying to figure out how to tie it down... dam fairings.... and bid my new friend Jerry Goodbye. I will have to see him again sometime soon, he left his garage door opener in the tankbag
It was now just about 8 pm, so we went looking for a new helmet for Lana, my wife. Hhhmmm, thursday is 'open late' night, isn't it? Not for most city bike shops it seems. They are open till 9 out here in B.F. Nowhere, but close at 8 in the city???? Scona Cycle was open late though, and I have always had good luck shopping there, so off we went. Lana had found that she hates full face lids earlier, but she found a Z1R Metro she really liked. I wouldn't care for it, but she's the one who has to wear it, so....... and it was cheap at $99. I got a helmet bag thrown in for free and 15% off the price, so it was hard to beat. I bought myself some new warm weather gloves to boot.
The salesman was helping a young family find some offroad gear for thier little boy. The kid was maybe 3-4 and they had EVERY stich of FOX kids gear out and asking questions and being real jerks about the whole thing... you see the salesman getting more and more pissedoff. They had been there awhile and he was fed-up with the whole thing. So when I asked what kinda deal for the lid, bag and gloves he would give me, he made sure to say, At this time of night, for an easy sale like this (I had fitted Lana's lid and my gloves while he was busy with the spoilt kid).... $156 tax included..... retail was $193 before tax. I whipped out the cash and paid the man in front of the other gong-show folks.... and the salesman commented, not-so-discreatly, "That's how it's done."
So it was off home. I got home and put the bike back together (I had to take half the thing apart to find decent tie-down pionts) and it was 1 am by this time. So I went for a short...ahem.....illegal ride around the neigborhood and parked it in the garage for the night.
Insurance and plates today...... and Away We Go....
I am just the tinyest bit excited........
