I am now officially a “biker” (as in motorcycle owner and rider). I had been contemplating and talking about getting a motorcycle earlier this year when gas was at an all time high. A co-worker heard me and said he had a motorcycle sitting in his garage he was thinking about selling. We talked and made an agreement. It wasn’t running at the time, so he brought it over in a trailer. I replaced the dead battery and tried to fix the charging system. It took a couple more months to get it running well with help from the mechanics over at Motoworks Chicago. It is now running very well… thanks Johnny!

It also took me a few weeks to get all the title and license transfers done, taking the written and riding tests for an “M” license at the Secretary of State. I also had to buy all my safety gear: helmet, gloves, jacket, pants, saddle bags, bungie net, and I already had the boots!

So, I am finally a fully legal biker with all the recommended safety items. Last week I rode it to work a couple days. I plan to get in a few more times as the weather permits. It’s a really nice size bike. Not too big, and not too small. Easy to handle, quick, and not overly loud nor vibrating too much.

Over the winter I plan to get a tear in the seat fixed, and potentially to replace head gaskets that leak oil ever so slowly. I may also replace the exhaust system.

Loads of fun!