Hello Guys,
I've been looking for a long time to get back on a bike; and after 2 years svc in the big Iraq sandbox '03-'05 (1 yr voluntary, 1 yr extra nice invite from Uncle Sam to stay 1 more...ha ha) made me want to even more. I can't tell you all how many bs sessions went by with my troops on the type of bike. Of course, out there the PX had a program to buy a Harley. Many guys signed up for one including me (started with a Dyna, but changed the order to a Softail Deluxe).
Well, then I got wounded 2 days before getting back home and had to pull back on plans due to finances and getting back to my civilian life. Had to cancel the Harley order. In the meantime I have been studying all kinds of bikes and came to some general consensus.
1. I'm not going the crotch rocket route. Some of them look good, but those days are a little bit behind me. I like the upright position.
2. I became concerned about the quality issues of the Harleys. Pretty bikes, but something we didn't know much about overseas is that you don't get to look at the bikes or try them in person. It's just catalogs with great pictures and there's not a whole hell of a lot to do with your money right then--wheels don't fit too well on the haji camel.
3. I like the classic look of bikes and want something to enjoy to ride and do some regular, but not heroic or overly expensive maintenance on from time to time. I still think Harley's are nice and I won't knock anyone who has one. I can respect an individual's decisions.
4. While looking a dealer's used Harley for sale, I happened to see a T100. I sat on it and it just felt right to me. It was not something that I had considered before, but when I first began my riding career over 20 yrs ago, I did it on my older brother's 350 (huge!! ha ha) Honda. Those classic shapes of the Bonnie and the Scrambler sure brought back a lot of good memories. I really started thinking that maybe I have been looking in the wrong direction. And of course, any of the classic Triumphs are a hell of a lot less than just about any Harley!
This brings me to the events of a couple of days ago. I found a 08 Bonnie T100 with very low miles, in the great black and red colors. Unfortunately, I was working out of town.
I called the shop that had it and the sales guy confirmed it was there and in great shape. Well, I got there as soon as I could break off work today and found her, sitting there just beautiful! Unfortunately,..there was a sign on the handlebars saying "I'm sold--don't sit on me"!!!! The sales guy told me that a guy came in that morning and put a down payment on it. He is supposed to come by in the middle of next week and pay the rest.
He said there may be a chance that the guy's finances don't come through and he took my name down just in case. They had a lot of Yamahas and Hondas (Sabres, etc..) for really good prices too, and I am sure they would run fine and be trouble free, but they just don't seem to have the soul of that Triumph. It just looks right, and your don't see a whole lot of them out there on the road.
And so fellas, I'm going to keep an eye for another Bonnie, or maybe Scrambler out there. I am just looking to get back into some short mileage rides, maybe the most 2 or so hours out and back. It would seem that the Bonnie or Scrambler would fit that bill. I am hoping that the guy with the downpayment will experience an economic downturn and wake up to find the stock market has eaten his savings, so that I can come in a grab that T100. Ha ha, but I won't hold my breath. I think that I will start looking for T100s and Scramblers out there.
The sales guy told me that many folks bought a lot of bikes when gas went to $4/gal. but had no idea of what riding a bike was like. Therefore, you are starting to see a lot of bikes with 75 to 500 miles on them coming back on trade or for sale. He said that sometimes they do run across them. So I am hoping that I can get a run of luck and not be out of town next time. Harley sent out an email trying to get people to buy Sportsters and will give 100% of the msrp back towards a larger Harley purchase if done within a year. I went to the Harley shop, but I still kept thinking a lot about the Bonnie.
Sorry so long of a post guys. I will keep plugging away and I know I will find the bike that I am looking for. I have enjoyed reading this forum and I do like how you guys don't bust a lot of balls like SOME sites do (you know which ones ha ha) Looking forward to riding!
I've been looking for a long time to get back on a bike; and after 2 years svc in the big Iraq sandbox '03-'05 (1 yr voluntary, 1 yr extra nice invite from Uncle Sam to stay 1 more...ha ha) made me want to even more. I can't tell you all how many bs sessions went by with my troops on the type of bike. Of course, out there the PX had a program to buy a Harley. Many guys signed up for one including me (started with a Dyna, but changed the order to a Softail Deluxe).
Well, then I got wounded 2 days before getting back home and had to pull back on plans due to finances and getting back to my civilian life. Had to cancel the Harley order. In the meantime I have been studying all kinds of bikes and came to some general consensus.
1. I'm not going the crotch rocket route. Some of them look good, but those days are a little bit behind me. I like the upright position.
2. I became concerned about the quality issues of the Harleys. Pretty bikes, but something we didn't know much about overseas is that you don't get to look at the bikes or try them in person. It's just catalogs with great pictures and there's not a whole hell of a lot to do with your money right then--wheels don't fit too well on the haji camel.
3. I like the classic look of bikes and want something to enjoy to ride and do some regular, but not heroic or overly expensive maintenance on from time to time. I still think Harley's are nice and I won't knock anyone who has one. I can respect an individual's decisions.
4. While looking a dealer's used Harley for sale, I happened to see a T100. I sat on it and it just felt right to me. It was not something that I had considered before, but when I first began my riding career over 20 yrs ago, I did it on my older brother's 350 (huge!! ha ha) Honda. Those classic shapes of the Bonnie and the Scrambler sure brought back a lot of good memories. I really started thinking that maybe I have been looking in the wrong direction. And of course, any of the classic Triumphs are a hell of a lot less than just about any Harley!
This brings me to the events of a couple of days ago. I found a 08 Bonnie T100 with very low miles, in the great black and red colors. Unfortunately, I was working out of town.
I called the shop that had it and the sales guy confirmed it was there and in great shape. Well, I got there as soon as I could break off work today and found her, sitting there just beautiful! Unfortunately,..there was a sign on the handlebars saying "I'm sold--don't sit on me"!!!! The sales guy told me that a guy came in that morning and put a down payment on it. He is supposed to come by in the middle of next week and pay the rest.
He said there may be a chance that the guy's finances don't come through and he took my name down just in case. They had a lot of Yamahas and Hondas (Sabres, etc..) for really good prices too, and I am sure they would run fine and be trouble free, but they just don't seem to have the soul of that Triumph. It just looks right, and your don't see a whole lot of them out there on the road.
And so fellas, I'm going to keep an eye for another Bonnie, or maybe Scrambler out there. I am just looking to get back into some short mileage rides, maybe the most 2 or so hours out and back. It would seem that the Bonnie or Scrambler would fit that bill. I am hoping that the guy with the downpayment will experience an economic downturn and wake up to find the stock market has eaten his savings, so that I can come in a grab that T100. Ha ha, but I won't hold my breath. I think that I will start looking for T100s and Scramblers out there.
The sales guy told me that many folks bought a lot of bikes when gas went to $4/gal. but had no idea of what riding a bike was like. Therefore, you are starting to see a lot of bikes with 75 to 500 miles on them coming back on trade or for sale. He said that sometimes they do run across them. So I am hoping that I can get a run of luck and not be out of town next time. Harley sent out an email trying to get people to buy Sportsters and will give 100% of the msrp back towards a larger Harley purchase if done within a year. I went to the Harley shop, but I still kept thinking a lot about the Bonnie.
Sorry so long of a post guys. I will keep plugging away and I know I will find the bike that I am looking for. I have enjoyed reading this forum and I do like how you guys don't bust a lot of balls like SOME sites do (you know which ones ha ha) Looking forward to riding!
