Weather, history, zombies and can I borrow some money?

I had hoped to put up my totally true - although made up - story of the Zombie attack for the Blog Like It's the End of the World celebration a few days ago, unfortunately for me real life kept me busy (I fear that I may be a workaholic)...so I guess my true story - although completely fictional account - of how I saved a school bus full of children from the Zombies using nothing but a wiffle ball bat, a can of Raid and my Burgman will have to wait for next years until the next end of the world blogging event.  That is, of course, if the Mayan's don't have it right. 

No, the real lightening

It's also been a week of strange rides as I ply the streets of Tampa.  The last few nights I've been blessed with riding home dry where all around me there is rain.  It is both magical and scary as hell as I ride into the gathering storm, watching lighting arch across the sky.  Sometimes quietly, sometimes not so much. 
Darkness does not so much as surround me as envelops me in it's grasp.  The night air is warm and inviting and calls me forward to ride more, but I keep an eye on the sky...I've been lucky so far but I know that my luck will not always hold out.  I recently learned that "Tampa" is a deviation of an old Calusa Indian word "Tanpa" meaning fire stick and spoke to the amount of lighting strikes in the area.  Or perhaps it means simply "place to gather sticks".
I've seen first hand what a lighting strike can do to a oak tree...I've no desire to become a human lighting rod. 

Weather.com generally does not fail me, but today the 10% chance that I had to get rained on ended up having the decimal point in the wrong column.  At first it was rather pleasent to feel the cool rain, then drive again into the heat...cool down with a light burst, then feel the humidity climb again.  Then I road right into the full downpour, which lasted for a full 10 minutes.   It's hard for me to resist the need to turn the throttle up and escape the rain, but I know additional speed results in additional risk and I still do not feel that comfortable on the bike in less than perfect conditions.  I rode in however knowing I would get wet for that very reason.  Learning never ceases.

In other news.  Can you loan me $2100? 

From Cycle Exchange - Tampa

I was owed a free oil change by my friendly motorcycle and scooter mechanics due to their screw up with the brake caliper a few months ago and well there fell absolutely head over heals with a Suzuki Savage.  It was not a bike I was familiar but it had the clean lines I like.  It was unusual enough due to it's  four-stroke, single-cylinder, air-cooled, single overhead cam engine, sometimes called a Thumper.  It was a 650 cc powerhouse which would give me the power I needed when I need it.  Other than the aftermarket saddle bags it could have came off the showroom floor somewhere in the early 90's.  It had only 1300 miles on it and is listed as a 5 speed.  However for a 13 year old bike I had to question the price.  The Savage is still produced today but as the S40 still though would I be able to get parts for a 13 year old bike and considering I'm a drunken monkey with a gun when it comes to anything mechanical this bike would not have been a good choice for me.  Still though, lovely looking machine.