Well the hunt is over and to the victor goes the spoils. Who would have thought that having a Yamaha sales man as a forum member has its advantages? But our friend G-squared (Gary) reads our stuff and he was kind enough to notice this thread. When Gary learned that I was in the market for a 2014, he immediately went to work. While I was shopping every 2014 lead I could find from coast to coast, Gary was doing his magic close to home for me.
On Thursday, we communicated by email and I learned that he found a 2014A model at a neighboring dealer and if I was interested, he thought he would be able to get it for me. I wanted to trade my bike in, but without looking at it, Gary was not prepared to make an offer. He gave me a ballpark that sounded reasonable and I agreed to ride it the 70 miles over on today to see what we could see.
The plan was to agree on the sale, trade my ’05 in, and allow Gary to order my new bike. Prepared to wait weeks (or even longer) for my new bike to arrive, I asked my friend Redfish Hunter to meet me at the dealership and give me a ride home, to which he readily agreed. MikeP1300 came over Friday afternoon and we de-farkled Ole Blue. I slept peacefully, but excitedly as I was eager to see what the next day would bring.
In typical fashion, the dog woke me up right on time about 6 am Saturday morning, eager for her breakfast. I checked the radar and noted scattered showers on the slab between me and Baton Rouge. I put on the overpants and packed a microcloth towel and an extra t-shirt. About 7:00 am, I pulled out the driveway and hit the slab heading East. Under the helmet, I spent the hour reminiscing about how much fun I’ve had on my trusty Gen I FJR. In about 4 years, we’ve ridden 58,000 miles together. We’ve taken 23 trips over 1,000 miles and many more day trips throughout the Gulf Coast. We’ve ridden in snow, deluging rain, ungodly heat, and incredible winds. We’ve ridden in 20 degrees and 100 degrees, and seen plenty of sunrises and sunsets. We’ve camped, cooked, gotten lost, gotten found, overlooked, discovered, and adventured. We’ve met dozens (perhaps hundreds) of other riders and shared many miles and smiles together. I fell off her once, just after I bought her. I thought about giving up riding all together, but she’s a hard thing to let go and thankfully I persisted.
And through it all, not once did my big girl ever let me down. Not once did she fail to start. Not so much as a flat tire. What a faithful horse – just push the button, pull the clutch, and on command she takes me to the ride report. Every time, without fail. I’ve had many motorcycles and other toys in my life, but to be quite honest, Ole Blue was something special.
I get to the dealership a little early. Surprisingly it didn’t rain on me, but the road was wet and you only get one chance to make a first impression. I stopped at a gas station and used a faucet to grab some water and wipe my bike down. I pull into the dealership right around opening time and surprisingly, Redfish and his dad (Mr. Redfish) pull up at the same time. Seems odd that they show up so early, but I was glad to see them. Gary greets me warmly, and he grabs my keys and brings my bike to the shop for the evaluation. Redfish senior, junior, and I start chewing the fat with anyone that will listen. I’m not paying real close attention because in the back of my mind, I’m hoping things are going well in the shop. It seems like it is taking a long time, but I am not overly concerned.
Gary excuses himself and walks away from us while we continue our beak flapping. About 5 minutes later, I hear a motorcycle engine from the front door of the showroom. This motor sound is undeniable – I know this sound very well. I turn around and Gary is riding this beautiful red machine straight into the showroom toward me.
Completely surprised, I asked Gary what was going on, and he replied “Just thought I’d show you your new motorcycle!” Speechless, I turned around and Redfish Junior exclaims very confidently “Guess what – we’re not going to be bringing you home after all.”
Those two jokers were planning this all along. Gary made arrangements to get my bike ahead of time, unpacked it and had it all ready for me. I spend my whole life planning things and being situationally aware of my surrounding – it’s really hard to surprise me. But they did it – and oh my - was it cool.
At this point, I prolly would have given my left nad to take that puppy home. But being the professional that he is – Gary stayed true to his word. He offered me the fair trade for Ole Blue and an hour or so later, the rest is history.
With a dark cloud looming overhead, I didn’t have time for long goodbyes. I thanked everyone at Friendly Yamaha, along the Redfishes, and I went on my way.
I hit a moderate shower almost immediately, but within 5 minutes it was over and I enjoyed the hour ride back to my house. I resisted the temptation to play with the controls. Rather, I was concentrating on trying to be safe with a new ride. As you can see, I was not overly leaning or pushing in any way – there will be plenty of time for that later.
Back at the house, I wiped off the new road dirt (and a good bit of droll) and sat down with a couple of beers to reflect on the great day.
Let the new chapter in the adventure begin! Yee Haa!!!
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