OK, this is cheating, but I did venture into motorcycles, or motorsackles as Mom likes to call them, by picking up this starter bike for $700 in 2003.
By that time, the GT Karakoram was collecting cobwebs in the basement and I hadn't yet discovered the joy of running. In fact, things weren't so great in general as I had just gone through a divorce. My way of coping with it was to buy a motorcycle. It probably wasn't the most mature way to handle it, but I suppose it's better than some.
The idea was to learn how to ride and then upgrade into some sort of bigger bike. I had my eyes on the Suzuki Bandit. Then later, I'd trade up again for a Honda sport touring bike.
For a small bike, this fella sure was a blast. It had surprisingly good power range and the five speed gearbox was fun to work. It was also in great shape when I bought it, having only 2,500 miles and no dings, scrapes or rust. Those chrome pipes gave it a nice cruiser look and were remarkably loud. It also got about 55 miles per gallon, so I had that going for me, which was nice. Despite its age, it started up faithfully each morning and required normal maintenance.
By 2006, the divorce crisis was behind me and I had been remarried. Along the way of working things out, I had gotten back into physical shape first by running. Then, I began cycling; even later, swimming. Triathlons and running races became regular events in my life. Indeed, my life had changed quite a bit in a few years.
As a result of all of these changes, the GS250t became the bike collecting the cobwebs. It was time to move on. I sold the bike this spring for $750 and used the cash toward the purchase of the Cervelo P2sl time trial bike. The GS250t was fun for a season, but I don't regret what I traded up for.
Next blog installment: a second life for the GT zr 4000 road bike.
Let me say this about that:
ReplyDeleteI always wanted a motor-sackle, but never quite got around to pulling the trigger. My wife would be semi-ok with it, although she is a little out of practice. I don't think she's ridden a motorcycle since her sophomore year at U.Iowa where she rode on the back of a pals dirt-bike through the basement and up the stairs of the Delta Upsilon frat house. Ah...the 80's....
Speaking of wives and lives, it's completely fair to say that Brady's current health, humor and happiness can be 100% correlated with his meeting, dating and marrying Ms. Katherine.
Without her, methinks Brady may have turned into the mid-nebraska Dungeons & Dragon champ instead of kicking my bu-tox in running, swimming, riding....and writing!
Brady, is your brother Italian?
ReplyDeleteObviously, I don't know you as well as Murphini, but I have to think that even without Ms. Katherine, you would have eventually abandoned that D&D crap and moved on to make a name for yourself as a "Magic, the Gathering" district finalist.
Just my opinion.
Yeah, my older bro thinks he's an Irish thug wrapped in a sexy dark Italian suit like some sort of one man mob. Sometimes it's nice to let a guy dream.
ReplyDeleteOnly Ms. Katherine's piety was greater than my 134th level Paladin she-elf wielding a +5 vorpal rod of might. If not for her strength, I'd still be into the devil's D&D.
This was my first bike as a sophomore in high school, bought it new from Deerfield Suzuki. My first taste of freedom, and it was sweet :-)
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed a sweet bike with a throaty growl. Thanks for the comment Aaron
ReplyDelete