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Friday, April 10, 2015

Saturday April 11, 2015

(Odd, I edited the date from May to April). - There are a few things I want to do this Saturday.  I need to go and get a hair cut, need to work in the yard around my house as the weeds are starting to take over my front yard.  I have tickets to the Rowdies season opener later day.  It's going to be a full and busy day.

I also want to drive over to my local Honda dealer and take a look at their stock.  I love my Kimmie but it's been three weeks since I last ordered a part and I'm told it will be at least another week for the gasket to be in stock.  Kimmy is also starting to suffer from an electrical gremlin hiding somewhere under her plastic.  She is not turning over at all right now and since I replaced the battery it's got to be a short somewhere, but to get that resolved I would need to have her towed up to the mechanic and it makes more sense to wait on the part (See the link here).

So here I am, thinking and seriously considering buying new.  Is it better to get a new bike or just repair Kimmie?  Is this a one time fix or is she going to cost me more in the future?  These are unknowns.

My credit is good, actually its in the best shape it's been in a long time, I have a good job and make decent money.  I also have a nice cushion in savings.  Taking on another debt at this time is possible but I'm not exactly known to be a spender.

If, and that is a mighty big if, it would depend on the trade in value of Kimmy and if it makes sense in my budget.  I only have 20 to 25 years to retirement after all and frankly saving for that is important to me...and times flies by.

The same issues that I had in buying a bike before still plague me.  At 6 foot even (1.83 meters) and 210 pounds (95.25 kilo's) I'm a solid man.  Ergonomics matter to me, even though most of my riding is back and forth to work I want to be comfortable.  Storage matters to me as well as it's not uncommon for me to have to pack my lunch, maybe a book or two and laptop away with me - so can I get saddlebags?  Or does it make more sense to get them from a place like Motorcycle House?



I guess I'll never know till I'm actually up on the Honda CTX and see how it feels.  Right now though the thought of a new bike appeals to me.  We will just have to wait and see.

5 comments:

SonjaM said...

Are you thinking May, as in the title or shall it be April 11th? Just wondering, as you seem to have given the whole new bike purchase quite some thought already. However, I am very much looking forward to your ramblings about possible options.

Canajun said...

I love being in a position where I'm looking at new (or even new to me) motorcycles. The search, while frustrating at times, is always fun. I mean what better way to spend a lazy Saturday than hanging around motorcycle dealers? Good luck with the search. (And go for factory bags if you can - they just look and work better than after-market.)

David Masse said...

Rob one really nice thing with scooters is carrying capacity. The bag hook is an amazing feature that no motorcycle offers.

Looking forward to see which way you go.

Trobairitz said...

So....did you make it to the Honda shop? We saw a bike like what you have pictured at one of the motorcycle shows. They are nice looking machines.

I like the reliability of buying new. If you can find one a year or two old that is brand new at the dealer, just a holdi over, they can be great deals. They sit while people want the newest. That's how I bought by 2009 new in 2011 for 2k less than msrp

Deb said...

Have you considered the new Yamaha SMAX? It is an awesome new scooter just over here this year.