Old MS Word File Discovered: "New Motorcycle Decision Checklist."

[James Burleigh]

I was just searching through my old MS Word documents and stumbled across a file I made in August 2005 called "New Motorcycle Decision Checklist." I'd forgotten about that checklist, and certainly did not consult it before buying the 2005 FJR 8 months later in April 2006.

I recall now why I made the list: I was riding a Harley Sportster and was wishing I had a different motorcycle. I was thinking maybe what I wanted was a BIGGER Harley, but I was skeptical. So to be sure I made the right decision, I put together the decision checklist. But at the time I wasn't in a position to buy a new bike, so I forgot about the list.

When the opportunity to pick up the used '05 came along, I test rode it (didn't even know they existed till it was sitting on the floor of California Sport Touring), got a chubby, and bought the sonofabitch on the spot. "Yeah baby! THAT's what I'm talking about!"

So tonight I rediscovered the checklist, and it was interesting in retrospect to consider whether the FJR fit the bill. Judge for yourself:

What I Like About My Harley Sportster:

• The Cool Factor

• The Sound

• The Look

• The Posture (comfortable to ride)

• The Weight (light)

• The reliability

• My dealer

• The size

What I Don’t Like About My Sportster:

• The vibration

• That it lacks acceleration (not fast)

• That it’s low tech

• Uncomfortable on long trips

• Fat grips

• Far reach for front brake lever

• Tube tires

• Limited leaning clearance

• A lot of wind leakage

• Handlebars cause back pain

• Feels too low geared (needs 6th gear)

• Limited gas mileage (small tank)

• Limited instrument panel (no fuel gauge)

What I Don’t Want (or Don't Care About) in a Motorcycle:

• Off-road capability

• Ugly or funky (opposing BMW engine)

• Exaggerated racer riding position

• Type of drive

• A huge ******’ touring bike

• An esoteric European brand

• Status

What I Want in a Motorcycle

• Fast as ****! (Acceleration at low and top ends)

• High tech

• Light

• Aerodynamic

• Comfortable on a long trip

• Attractive

• Reliable

• Near-by dealer

• Upright riding position

• Comfortable for passenger

• Good commuter—narrow profile

• Good fuel capacity

• Good magazine reviews

• Good price-value ratio

• Ability to carry saddlebags

• Wind protection

• Fun in the twisties

• Limited vibration

Jb

:good:

 

[03HiYoSilver]

From the looks of it....you were spot on...it is funny how things work out almost the same way I found mine.

 

[dcarver]

JB, you are a thinking man. Not all your points I agree with, for example sometimes I think low tech is best tech, and off road capability is important to me, but differences are what makes the world go round, eh?

So my black lab just came into my computer room where I type this, and, at day two, he still smells like a freaking skunk. Damn it's bad.

On thread again, I recently came across a manually typewritten letter I wrote my Grandma back in 1975. Sure wish I had done what I planned back then. That's the good thing about written words, non I-net style, they last over time, have persistence. 20 years from now, this fjrforum and data will be long gone. The handwritten letters I write to my young nephews and nieces will (hopefully) be around for years to come.

 

[odot]

And the skunk files live on.......

 

[James Burleigh]

...I recently came across a manually typewritten letter I wrote my Grandma back in 1975. Sure wish I had done what I planned back then. That's the good thing about written words, non I-net style, they last over time, have persistence. 20 years from now, this fjrforum and data will be long gone. The handwritten letters I write to my young nephews and nieces will (hopefully) be around for years to come.

I am actually very mindful of the value of family history and documentation. Last year I completed my autobiography of about 100 pages (it's what I did while living in hotels on the road for years during business travel). It begins with this foreward:



It seems to me that family memory goes back no more than two generations. I know very little about my own parents, except anecdotal family history and my own experience with them. I know even less about my grandparents. And even if I know certain facts, like the fact that we moved to South America in 1961, I don’t know how my parents felt about that move, or how it came about.


 
My parents have both passed away now, and I am left to gain family knowledge from their surviving siblings and family artifacts. But that is never as easy as it seems, and of course other people’s memories pass through the filter of their personalities, experiences, and points of view. So wishing to leave behind a little family knowledge for my own children and their children, etc., I’ve chosen not to take Samuel Goldwyn’s advice that nobody should write his autobiography till after he’s dead.
 
The purpose of this document is simple: to provide some background on my own life for the family history trunk, an artifact to lie among the photos and letters and diaries, available to anyone who wishes to know about the principal events of my life, and in some cases the thoughts and feelings surrounding them. That’s all.

After my parents passed away I discovered a trunk full of family photos, diaries, and letters going back to my grandparent's college days. I have since sorted and bundled those documents, and ever since have routinely placed into the trunk (an updated tupperware version) similar documents from my own family. In particular, one file I've created is hard-coy printouts of e-mail threads, the ones where I update family and friends on significant current family events. Most recently (this week) I printed and put in the file an e-mail to family describing the status of my communications with someone in our Santiago, Chile, office about exploring a three-year rotation to go down there and help launch a new consulting practice. Critical decision factor: condition of touring roads!

Thanks for your post, and sorry to hear about Fido...!