My First Bike
I did a little searching before I took the BRC classes, to see what was possible. I’d originally hoped for small and cheap, like $1000 for a 250cc. But I quickly discovered I wouldn’t find such a thing anywhere but the roadside. And since I know beans about bikes at this point, it would be a pig in a poke. My new price point suddenly jumped to 3 or 4 grand. Maybe used, maybe new. I sat on a bunch of bikes to see what might fit and what felt comfortable. I was terribly disappointed to discover that a bike I have loved from afar was a no go instantly. The air cleaner hits me in the knee. Bummer as I’ve liked the look of Honda Shadows for years. Turns out this isn’t an uncommon problem. The Harley’s did the same thing. But the trip to the Harley shop got me turned on to Buells. I’d read about them some years back, but they’d slipped off my radar. So, my pre-class poking around got me two candidates: the Suzuki S40, a cruiser style bike, and the Buell Blast, a standard bike that looks like a sport bike.
After passing the class, I spent another day looking everywhere I hadn’t previously been. I was briefly, but seriously, tempted by the Triumph Bonneville. Very, very sweet! But it’s beyond my budget and a bit too big for a first bike. I’d rather have a standard than a cruiser. So in the and there was only one bike for me. I bought a leftover brand new ’07 Buell Blast.
No insurance and no registration, so I had to drive it home in the back of my pickup truck.
