So here we go...
This whole thing started in the fall of 1979 when I was stationed at Ft. Ord, CA on the Monterey peninsula. I had been riding motorcycles for only a few months, but was part of the post club called "the Fogbusters". I was fortunate enough to find a friend in James "Suntan" Cobb. One night Suntan and I were in Seaside, the little military town that was just five or six miles south of post. I remember that I had forgotten something and I told Suntan that I was going to have to go back to post to get it. When I stood up, Suntan threw the keys of his 1978 Goldwing at me and told me to take his bike. I could hardly believe it and was flattered that he trusted me that much. I mean, this was a relatively new bike, as he had it maybe 6-8 months. Well, I fell in love with the Goldwing before I even got back to post and when I did return to Suntan and tossed him his keys back, I called him a few choice names. He smiled and asked if I liked the ride to which I perhaps protested too much, but swore that night that one day I would have a Goldwing.
Also during that time, I had a bunkmate in the barracks (whose name I now cannot remember, I'm sorry to say) that had a brand new Yamaha XS-1100 Special. Still one of the most powerful bikes I've ever ridden as its powerband was outrageous. That thing would leave you standing at the intersection if you twisted the throttle and didn't hang on.
Over a three day weekend, he did something called the "Three Flags Classic". It is a long distance ride put on by the Southern California Motorcycling Association.
That dream remained through 2 fine sons, 3 marriages and sad to say, just as many divorces, a couple of health issues that my first wife had, 8 years of putting the dream aside long enough to skydive (expensive sport!) and money that while could have been saved to get a 'Wing, it was spent on the needs and wants of the family. Granted, I made some poor choices and had to spend a lot of time and effort to get to where I am at, and yet, still, that dream remained with me.
So move forward to April of 2010. I'm marking time with my last divorce, in pretty good shape financially, but wasn't really in a good place with my credit score. But the 'Wing kept calling me. I had heard that they had stopped making 'Wings in the US after the 2010 run and that they were retooling the production line back in Japan, so there would be no 2011. That was when I was planning to buy my 'Wing, so this was not good news!
I had been trolling the ads on eBay for weeks, just looking to see what was available when I saw a listing for a new one in Cherry Hill, NJ. I thought that perhaps I could try for a loan and with high hopes, but not a lot of confidence, I filled out the application online. It was a very long two hours before I got a call from Mark at Cycle World and I told him that while I was hopeful, I was not optimistic that Honda was going to approve the loan. His response was "Mr. Sanders, you don't understand - You've already been approved!"
When those words came across the line I thought I was going to pass out. I was speechless, dumbstruck and completely knocked back off my feet. I actually had the opportunity to get the thing that I've been wanting for over 30 years!
Had to wait a few weeks to go pick it up as I was committed on the weekends at the time. Finally, after four weeks, I went to pick up the bike. It was (and still is!) gorgeous. I had taken small, short rides from time to time on friend's or family member's bikes, but this was serious money. So, like any new bike being ridden for the first time, but with 30 years of not riding in any real capacity, after getting the keys I sat on the bike, put my helmet and gloves on, turned the key and said out loud, "Please don't let me f*** this up!"
That was May 22, 2010 and as of this writing, "Red Sonja" has nearly 20,000 miles on her. Over the summer I completed all of the Grand Tour of Virginia, travelled thru PA, NY, MD, DE, MA and continue to use the bike as much as the weather allows to commute to/from work in downtown DC.
1 comment:
Awesome story buddy. I have been considering a bike for a while now, and seriously for a year. That trip sounds so inviting. Not sure if I would be ready for it by July if I got a bike tomorrow though.
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