Did something I haven't done in a long time. Went for a motorcycle ride. My bike has been broken for years. Too much money to fix it for what it's worth. But, the very same day I bought my bike, Sept. 2003, my buddy bought the same bike, just a different color. I rode the hell out of mine. All over the state and to Sturgis and back twice. My buddy however decided early on that bikes weren't his thing.
Fast forward to now and my buddy hears I'm having some difficulties. We talked for a bit and he said, "I've still got the bike. Do you want it?" It is in pristine shape as he kept it well. 3800 miles on it. Looks brand new. Tossed in a new battery and we're off. It's been more than 10 years since I've been on a bike, so I'm a little rusty, but I went for a ride today. I forgot how fast the grins come.
Still need to replace my riding gear as my old stuff no longer fits. Musta shrunk. Keeping my eye out for some saddlebags, too. It feels great to get back in the wind. Now when I get wound up or upset, I can hop on my frown destroyer and put myself in a better mood!

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The best I can with what I got

I know the feeling of wind in your face after many years of not owning a bike.
After injuries to my ankles, I sold my bike as I couldn't shift gears.
Then along came a Spyder. Now the Can-am Spyder is a three wheeler , but I still get wind in my face.

The nice thing about those Can-Ams is plenty of area for a custom paintjob!

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The best I can with what I got

lihpster, that's a good buddy, for sure. God bless, stay safe, stay upright, and have fun!

VAROOOOM!

Ah, I remember it well.

Reno has lots of places to take off to, like Lake Tahoe, Truckee Calif, Topaz Lake, Susanville or just up the hill to Virgina City, to the Bucket of Blood Saloon.

It gets a little noisy in town during "Street Vibrations" and the rib cook off and hot August nights, but a lot of us just "Dig it".

Have many great days of dry pavement, with that new ride.

So, your old buddy gave you a motor cycle? Be sure to send him a Christmas card.

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No baby we aint

Well, I did give him one of the muzzleloaders that my father made, along with a horn and bag, but he's on my list for sure!

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The best I can with what I got

…and now considering another one.

Those who have ridden a motorcycle will usually feel the urge to throw a leg over another one.

One more Miami to Key West ride in me. We shall see…

Be safe.

We're gonna need pics, lihpster! Let's see that grin machine.

I got my motorcycle endorsement the end of September last year, rode for about 2 weeks then put the bike up for the winter. Anxious to get riding again but I've sold my house, closing on May 15, then I'm making a move to Arizona. Don't dare to ride until after the move, can't afford to get hurt with all this going on! Good thing is once I get to AZ I'll be able to ride year round!

Congratulations Lih. Welcome back to the fold.

I’m 63 and still going a little too fast.

Evidently down hill as well. lol. I seldom get pics oriented correctly. But you get the message.

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Congratulations lihpster. I get it, I was out on mine early this morning for a ride to Sonic Drive-In for a breakfast burrito.

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Live long and prosper

Ah. so, a rice burner.
I have to mention this, since it is etched into my brain.
When I was in my late 20's , we did not think much of this "Type" of ride
until one day a friend and I swapped bikes, on the way out of town.

When I hit 3rd gear, the Tach jumped and it felt like the front tire, jumped, 36" up, off of the pavement.
"I got a Tiger by the tail" !!

I was just glad that I was not on the interstate and was able to
get contol of this wild machine.

Lots of interresting times, back then.

Glad to hear you are baaaack enjoying riding again. Good.
A friendly left hand low wave to you, sir!
I know exactly what you mean about the frown destroyer thing. I ride to the office every day I can. My suffer threshold is lower than it used to be, but I get out a fair amount. I get very cranky when snow & ice cramp my style for multiple weeks at a time. A bad day is erased pretty quickly on my ride home.

Ride safe guys, watch out for the idiots.

Someone asked for pics, so, here's a quick and dirty shot.

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The best I can with what I got

Actually it's a spaghetti burner. Most Ducatis for the American market are made in Italy. Bright red and fast. Looks like a 2 wheeled Ferrari.

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The best I can with what I got

You still have time. I knew a guy once. Old guy. 68 years old. Walked with a cane. And he took his Hayabusa to Bonneville and ran 175.

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The best I can with what I got

I would love to ride around the Lake Tahoe area. Just stunningly beautiful.

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The best I can with what I got

I'm almost 81 and about the only thing that seems to melt away a few decades is when I ride. After years with a Goldwing I had to switch to 3 wheels because I just couldn't handle the 900 pounds of the Goldwing. I bought a CanAm Spyder and love riding it. Giving up leaning in curves was more than made up for by being so stabil and secure. And because I did not want to give up the 2 wheel ride totally, I bought a new Royal Enfield Hunter 350 which is a total fun ride and only weighs 400 pounds. When I ride I feel 41 instead of 81.

"There's a smile on my face
for the whole human race.
Why, it's almost like being in love."

~ Brigadoon

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Yendor, here it is right side up.

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The best I can with what I got

Congrats, and welcome back! About 4 yrs ago, after getting some health back, decided to ride again. Am not the fastest, but with all the lakes we have some very fine riding roads up here. Being retired is also huge bonus in avoiding traffic. Unfortunately am very lucky to get a 6 month season.

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Very nice looking scoot! At least half the year you're "stylin' and profilin'."

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The best I can with what I got

Here's mine, picked it up this winter and it now has .4 miles on the clock. I rode it to the end of my driveway and back the other day while I was prepping it for shipping to Arizona!

My mom spends the winter here in Florida, and I spend as much time as possible with her. I do get in a ride thou. She flew back to Cincinnati today.

I plan on going on my 4 county ride in multitudes possibly starting tomorrow. It's a 167 miles ride if I take the long way. Most scenic thru the farm land, along the river, and usually end up at the beach near house. I stop at a lake near my place sometimes if nobody's fishing off the little dock.

Mike, I have mentioned it before but that is an insanely cool color scheme.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

That is what sucked me in, well that and the dealer knocked 2k off the price. It was a left over 2022 and in '23 and up they went to a matte finish paint. I like Shiny!

I can see many hours on it once I get relocated.

Yes, that does seem to be in order. I haven't heard of such a thing since a good friend in my gun club, moving to a less gun-friendly state than MA, gave me an H&R USRA pistol with a few unusual features. I hope his progeny are still enjoying the rest.

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Formerly Model520Fan

Congrats on your "new to you" ride! I bought my bike new in 2010 (2009 model year) but seems every year there's something "new" (no pun intended) I have to work on, which sucks. This is year it's the starter switch, finally gave up the ghost. Boy, is it not fun to order/find parts for a 14 year old bike. I told my wife I'd like to get a new bike but her response was "fix yours". I love taking off for a week or so and traveling but, at least with this bike, those days are coming to an end. I'd hate to be a couple states away and be stuck in the middle of nowhere. Oh well, here I wait until the parts come in.

Enjoy, as you know, there's nothing like it!