***UPDATE***
Ok, pull up a chair.
So my daughter is home on Christmas break from college. Haven't seen much of her, as she is with Mr. Dream boy...Isaiah. We'll meet him Christmas, oh joy. We will ride tomorrow though, so I don't need help with him....yet.
Marie (wifey) and I continue to ride each weekend. Going here, and going there, having lunch in places we've never been. The weather has been friggin' perfect, lows 40's and highs 60/70's. Took her to Yalaha Bakery last weekend, and she loved it. Had lunch, some sweets, and the long way home. Took her over Sugarloaf Mountain, well, a large hill really, but in Flatistan....it's a mountain.
I told her the other day, that I wanted to go to the EOM meet at the end of September. Of course, she said fine. So I asked her "Do you want to go with me?". She replies " Do you think I could do it?", and I told her yes, she could do it, just not straight up (approx. 800 miles). So she said "Sure!". So now she's excited about making a trip, and of course a strong dose on anxiety. The trip is becoming a enjoyable conversation, with talk of routes, places we'll travel, and such.
Now, my daughter is taking her bike with her back to college in a couple months, so Marie and I started looking into bikes that she might like. Even though she's become quite comfortable on the Ninja 300, I know she'll outgrow it soon enough, and it's not a bike for trips out of state. So off to the dealerships to find a bike SHE will like. Looked at the CBR500, and she liked the way it felt, mainly because it's about the same size as the Ninja 300, and I feel not enough bike. Then we started looking at the 600/650 range. At first she felt these are "really big bikes!", but after sitting on them a bit, she started feeling more comfortable on them. Finally, we narrowed it down to 2 bikes, the Ninja 650 and Yamaha FZ6R. We have been weighing the pros and cons of each bike, you know, the stuff she likes and doesn't like. Basically it's been a push either way, with Yamaha a little more money (Kawi 650 ABS MSRP $7,599 and the FZ6R $7,890). Yesterday we looked at 2 local dealers, and both said they would deal, but we didn't go any further, because of Christmas spending and insurances being due on 3 cars and 2 motorcycles, so we figured we'd wait until February to get serious.
Today, we went to Barney's of Brandon to have a look see. They sell both Kawi and Yami, so she could get on one bike, then the other for comparison. We actually were looking at a used Ninja 650 outside when a salesman approached us. After letting him know we were just "kicking tires", he said he had a new 2014 Ninja 650 on sale for $6,000! Whoa Nelly, didn't see that coming. He tried to reel us in by catering to my wife, didn't work, but liked the effort. We still walked out without any real number crunching, but god it was tempting.
Went back to our hometown to have lunch and talk about that offer. Marie was starting to feel butterflies in her stomach, with the thought of ACTUALLY getting a bike. I mentioned to her that I would call our local Yamaha dealer, that we've visited yesterday, and talk to the salesman who sold me my FJR. I got him on the phone and explained what had happened in Brandon, and was there anything he could do to get me close to that price point. He said he'll call me back. 10 minutes later he tells me he can sell me a 2014 red/white FZ6R for $5,990! Didn't see that coming. Told him I'd call him back, and then told Marie what he said. Her response was, and I quote "
". We got on the bikes and headed to the dealership.
Sooo, this Friday we will pick up her new bike.
