[Invincsum]

Tomorrow we pick up our new blue '04 400! The dealer found one in Scranton. PA and drove to pick it up last night. :blob:

So now we can ride together (rather than one riding and one following behind in the cage at times )! And I've got a week off this coming week so I'll have the new bike for it! Lynn gets the silver one, all lovingly broken in. :love4: She's going to take a day off so we can do a day ride together. Woohoo!

Can't wipe this grin off my face (or Lynn's),

Bryna

 

[Analytical]

Congratulations!!!

Now if Ivan will just stay away so that you can ride this weekend. :roll:

 

[pauljo]

Byrna,

I'm glad to hear that you are getting one of the "faster" blue ones! :wink:

Enjoy it!

 

[Invincsum]

Thanks, Bruce! Yeah, we're hoping!

Paul, yeah, I suspected the blue is the faster of the colors. :lol: So is this a true navy or more like a slate gray-blue? I've not seen it in person. Am trying to figure out which color leather to get for the conchos.

Bryna

 

[BobG]

Congrats to you and Lynn!

Enjoy!!!

 

[CINCNORAD]

Sooooooo envious of you guys.

My girlfriend just told me she wanted to take the MSF course. Hopefully I can get her hooked on a Burger as well!

 

[Invincsum]

Thanks {Bob}<--cyber hug

We've very excited. We never dreamed we'd have two Burgies this year! We were thrilled with one, but the Suzuki financing made it possible.

CINCNORAD: I hear you! That's so cool that she wants to learn. The MSF is well worth taking. Even though we're never likely to ride a regular clutch motorcycle, it's good to have the skill and we got a lot out of the course that helps us with the Burgies.

I can now do a very nice U-turn in a tight space. 8)

May I invite her to check out a forum for women riders? (You're welcome too) It's called http://www.ridemyown.com There are a lot of great tips for women and a free forum called Women Who Ride. I guess was elected a full member of a private cyber club called Rumble Sisters Biker Sisterhood, which is an offshoot of WWR. And these women do not smirk at Burgies. In fact, they're very complimentary of them, as Sushi and I have found.

Hope you too become a two-Burgie family!

Bryna

 

[allwalk]

Congrats Bryna and Lynn on your new acquisition. Riding is going to be so much more fun for the 2 of you now. Enjoy your week off and especially your day trip.

 

[NormanB]

Thanks {Bob}<--cyber hug

[snipped]
May I invite her to check out a forum for women riders? (You're welcome too) It's called http://www.ridemyown.com There are a lot of great tips for women and a free forum called Women Who Ride. I guess was elected a full member of a private cyber club called Rumble Sisters Biker Sisterhood, which is an offshoot of WWR. And these women do not smirk at Burgies. In fact, they're very complimentary of them, as Sushi and I have found.

Hope you too become a two-Burgie family!

Bryna

Sounds good to me if not a tadge ambiguous. :wink:

Hey ho the double entendre - lets have more thats what I say!

 

[billmeek]

Congratulations Bryna. Great timing getting the 400 right before vacation. Only problem is it will be harder to go back to work after spending so much time on the new toy. Are you expecting to take the new blue in for the 600 mile service the first week? :wink: Have fun riding your new Burgman!

 

[Invincsum]

Bill, I just may need to take it in after the first week!

I got to sit on it tonight. Sweet! I love the navy blue--though I'll have to put some hi-viz tape on it (black tape that shines white at night). Do you have any concerns about the dark color at night or is it just me being a worrier?

NormanB: It is so svelte! :lol: Blue should be the new black!

Thanks, Allan!

Bryna

 

[pauljo]

I love the navy blue--though I'll have to put some hi-viz tape on it (black tape that shines white at night). Do you have any concerns about the dark color at night or is it just me being a worrier?

Byrna,

I don't worry about my blue 650 much, but I don't often ride after dark either. If I did, I think I'd add some reflective tape along the base of the machine on both sides in back.

I saw Magyver's 650s at scootercade - he did a nice job of that. Used white tape on one machine - red on the other one. he bought the tape at a truck stop. I think I preferred the look of the white. Mounted along the base of the rear body panels, it looks tasteful.

Maybe we could get him to put a picture or two in the Gallery - or provide a link if they are already there somewhere?

 

[billmeek]

Bryna,

I don't worry too much as the Joe Rocket jacket I wear is pretty noticable along with the reflective decal on back of the helmet. I still watch out for idiots on the road tho.

 

[Invincsum]

Yeah, always keeping eyes on idiots--and what a variety to choose from!

Good info, Paul. White might be nice. And I could get white-and-turquoise conchos for her! Or white and navy.

Bryna

 

[pauljo]

Yeah, always keeping eyes on idiots--and what a variety to choose from!

Yes, and they have been out in force the past few days here in Omaha. An exceptional crop of them!

Two stories from one ride this week:

I was behind a very old lady, approaching a traffic light. There was a long cement divider just before the light on the left - and another cement divider delineating a turn lane on the right. She stopped about 50 feet before the light. Carefully lined up her car, and crept between the two dividers at about 3 mph. Perfectly centered between the two dividers. Good Job! The light turned green, and she eventually realized that... She then cranked her steering wheel hard to the left, and lurched right over the cement divider! When she stopped bouncing, she proceeded down the street at about 12 mph. I only had about 2 blocks to go, so I just followed her - no way I was going to have her behind me! :shock:

I pulled into a small strip mall, parked my scooter in the parking lot, and went into a small barbeque joint for lunch. After eating, I came out and was standing by my scoot putting on my riding gear. The parking place on my right was empty. There was a big SUV parked somewhat carelessly in the space opposite the empty one, with its front bumper overhanging into the empty space about 2 feet. Another elderly lady comes wheeling into the space next to me and slams right into the front of the SUV - hard enough to make both vehicles shudder. Puts her car in parking gear, leaving her bumper pressed right up against the SUV. Gets her purse and her cane, gets out of the car, and hobbles off to a store. Never looked at me - never gave any indication that she had just done anything out of the ordinary. Scary! :?

I took the Interstate directly home and put my scooter away. Enough is enough!

 

[billmeek]

I took the Interstate directly home and put my scooter away. Enough is enough!

I hear ya Paul. I might have taken a taxi home if it wouldn't have meant leaving the Burgman unguarded from the idiots. :?

This might be a touchy subject since many of our forum members are past retirement....but what do ya'll think about mandatory driver retesting? I know for a fact that some members of my family drove well past what I would consider safe. I would like to see retesting for everyone at least every 10 years or so. And if you fail the test after having your license, you can lose you license until you pass the test or you may sign up for a driver training course that allows you to keep it until passing the training. Thoughts?

 

[Invincsum]

OMG, Paul! :shock: Watch out for the 3rd one! (Bad things come in 3s) She'll be a doozie!

Did you consider stopping her or calling the police? I kicked myself for not calling the cops on a guy I saw whilst in my cage one morning. He veered across two lanes of traffic, cut off a van in the left lane and nearly ran into the center median. Wish I'd gotten his licence. At first I thought he was an early-morning drunk...I looked at him and now suspect he was just ancient. :shock:

Bryna

 

[pauljo]

Did you consider stopping her or calling the police?

Briefly. I detest people that have that kind of disregard for other people's property. But my past experiences with people like that indicate that they are a nasty breed, tend to be unintelligent, and are very unresponsive to any suggestion that they assume any responsiblity whatsoever for their actions. That's regardless of age. I did not get the impression that this women was infirm from age - more of a troll, actually.

There was no serious property damage done (the vehicle bumpers seemed to have dealt with the impact), and I had no clue where the owner of the SUV was. I could guess that they probably were not on a much higher level than this woman, judging from the careless way they had parked - overshooting two feet into the next parking space.

It took me maybe ten seconds to consider these thoughts, and decide that intervention would likely be a lose, lose proposition. If there had been visible damage done to the SUV, I would have felt obligated to call the police. But without damage, what would the police do? Basically, nothing.

 

[pauljo]

This might be a touchy subject since many of our forum members are past retirement....but what do ya'll think about mandatory driver retesting? I know for a fact that some members of my family drove well past what I would consider safe. I would like to see retesting for everyone at least every 10 years or so. And if you fail the test after having your license, you can lose you license until you pass the test or you may sign up for a driver training course that allows you to keep it until passing the training. Thoughts?

Loss of mobility is a major issue. I sure don't relish the day when I cannot hop in my car, or get on my scooter, and go where I wish, when I wish.

Some folks are still capable drivers into their eighties or nineties. Some folks are not capable drivers in their forties - even younger. The reasons can be due to deterioration of mental or physical capability - which can strike at any age via various diseases. To suggest that someone over 70 must retest, and that someone in their forties does not have to, is blatantly discriminatory.

I am not against retesting. But if retesting is implemented, it should be for ALL drivers, at ALL ages, every ten years (or whatever interval is deemed appropriate). There would obviously be a cost to that which we would bear via taxes, registration fees or testing fees. Perhaps it would be worth it.

The other thing, is that if you look at the highway fatalities that have occurred in my area over the past couple of years, there is a very high percentage of youthful drivers involved. Many more youths that old people. And the kids have just passed all of the tests! They are physically at their peak. They are not, however properly mentally conditioned for the responsiblility of driving. They are at the stage where they feel invulnerable, drinking is cool, and showing off to their friends is commonplace. There is nothing in the driver training programs that adequately teaches them the handling limits of a vehicle either - that comes with experience to those that survive. And I'm well qualified to say that. I was hell on wheels when I was a teenager. Fortunately, I got past that without harming anyone else, or myself.

You are right Bill, that it is a controversial topic. But you solicited thoughts, so of course I felt obligated to respond. :wink:

 

[DonRich90]

I agree with Paul 100%!
Don