The roads still aren't in that great of condition to be fully out and about, so my first ride was just around the neighborhood to get used to my new bike. Of course, as soon as I got home and attempted the first ride, I found out the battery was drained, despite taking it for a test ride earlier at the dealer.
After a night of battery charging, the bike was finally ready for my first ride!
You may remember that I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation basic rider course back in September. Slowly I've been gathering equipment for the last few months, but have been lacking my set of wheels!
I've done a ton of research and had my heart set on a liquid-cooled, shaft drive bike with low miles. I had also grown quite sweet on the Honda Shadow Aero, though I also considered the Honda Shadow Spirit, Kawasaki Vulcan and Suzuki Marauders. Originally, I had looked at the Yamaha V-Stars, too, but they are not liquid-cooled, so quickly fell out of the running. All of my other bike expert friends (Kirk, Mike, Cliff, Tony, Gary, Fred, and Mark) convinced me that my first bike should be in the 750-800cc range. This week my friend, Bill, sent me a few links to craigslist and on ebaymotors.
One particular bike on ebay caught my attention and I called up the dealer to see what they would be willing to sell it to me directly for. Kris and the guys at Maverick Motorsports in Laramie, Wyoming were absolutely terrific, and gave me a great deal on my dream bike!
Without further adieu, here it is: my 2004 Honda Shadow Aero with 2200 miles on it!
I rode it around the neighborhood today to get used to it, and can't wait for it to be my full-time commuter!
