Jim and Motorcycles
I've had an infatuation with two-wheel machines most of my life, but have only turned to motorcycling recently in the spring of 2000. My first motorcycling experience was as a child when a friend of my parents' put me on her trail bike (brand, model, and displacement completely unknown to me) and drove me around their yard. I loved it.
I grew up in Laconia, NH, home of
Laconia Bike Week and the
Loudon Classic. As such, every year our town would be taken over by motorcyclists My mother was always horrified, but my father told me, "Most of these people are just like you and me." I would go down to Union Avenue and watch the parade of motorcyclists come in. When I was old enough to ride my bicycle up to Weirs Beach, I used to check out the crazy crowd down there. And so it went until a job after college.
While working at Software Tool and Die in Brookline Massachusetts I met up with Kit and Gayathri, both avid riders. They knew I loved bicycles, and pushed me towards motorcycling, rekindling the feelings I'd had so many years before. Kit helped out by requesting my aid in push-starting her bike (purple, perhaps a CB-1) one cold day. An inauspicious re-introduction, but the flame was lit again. But I was dirt-poor and could not afford a motorcycle, so nothing came of it right away.
Fast forward until 2000. My employer at the time had an IPO nine months earlier, and I finally could consider the possibility of owning a motorcycle. One MSF BasicRiderCourse later and I was completely, hopelessly hooked.
In mid-April I bought my first motorcycle, a Suzuki Intruder 800, and two weeks later attended the Blessing of the Bikes on Martha's Vineyard, an annual event put on by local Harley Davidson riders. There I met Paul Fox, who introduced me to a crazy association of riders called the New England Denizens of Doom. (Later I would become member #2207.) I fit right in.
Unfortunately it only took a couple of months to discover that the Intruder was not the bike for me; I was already dragging hard parts commuting to work. With the help of NEDoD I started looking around for a new bike. The Suzuki SV650 was cheap, a fun ride, and very highly rated. But I really wanted a fairing. Luckily Suzuki had decided to import the sport version, the SV650S, in October of that year. I put a deposit down sight-unseen and six weeks later picked up the bike that would be my main form of transportation for six and a half years.
I sold the Intruder the next spring, and in 2003 re-entered the cruiser world part-time with a used Vulcan 800 when a good deal came by. It was laid back and fun to ride, but I didn't really have time to ride it and it wasn't a competent commuter or touring bike like my SV650S. So mostly it sat in the garage eating insurance payments until one day the previous owner said, "Are you still riding that? I know a new rider who might be interested in buying it." And off it went to someone who would give it quality time.
The SV650S, who eventually told me her name was Veronica ("You can call me anything you want, but my name is Veronica"), served me well commuting day-in, and day-out, through bitter cold, Boston summer humidity, and everything in-between. I rigged her for touring but really only did a couple of multi-day rides a year. She was a city girl.
Alas, as I enter middle age the younger things are catching my attention. And so it was that I bought a
2007 Triumph Daytona 675. She's beautiful. She's a bit wild. Her song is incredible. And she has already told me her name is Tabitha, The Little Witch.
A Few Motorcycling Links
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