it has been a while, but what an awesome last 3 days.

sat - 3 weeks ago, i got a motorcycle. it's my second bike, and it's new to me. 3 years ago i sold my first bike, an '02 sv650 that started life red, was crashed by a buddy, then got painted flat black. what a sexy bike. 3 weeks ago, i wouldn't stop surfing craigslist and lilit told me to just get a stupid bike because my obsession was getting on her nerves. so, i did the logical thing - i got another sv650.

the SV is a cult bike. it literally does everything well - beginner bike, girl's bike, sport tourer, commuter. i'm definitely a beginner, so in that sense, a good choice. but anyone that knows me knows that i love motorsports and there is no way i would be satisfied with anything that didn't handle well, stop well, and have lots of room for me to progress in my "skills".

the other thing the SV does well: put more powerful, faster, expensive, pedigree bikes to absolute shame. the corollary in the car world - something like an Evo, though it would have to be an Evo even less expensive than the current prices for used Evos. it's like an Evo in that it has surprising potential for it's price point, but in terms of maximum capability, probably more akin to something way further down on the food chain, like an S2000 or a Cobra mustang. nonetheless, low on cost, an acquired taste, and easily mistook for a poseur. it's potential is far from the surface, known only to those who discern potential through research and real understanding, and extracted only by those with the patience and the drive to delve deeply into the character of the machine (if machines could have things like character, or soul).

for a bike, it's not very fast in straight lines, though fast enough to require some real courage to ride it the way it should be ridden. but to those who have a clue, it's a respectable choice - it's not for faking it, or being a "squid". btw, i most definitely was a squid on my first bike - tshirt, flip flops, chicken strips, and focusing on stupid stunting summarizes my first go-round with motor sickles.

it was a logical choice, most of all, by cost. $2400 friends. i couldn't have even built the Evo's motor for $2400. i could have put a bunch of parts that would have made good gains, but in the end, the Evo is already about 200whp too fast for what makes sense on the street (which is still really good fun btw). in the end, the lessons i'm learning about traction management, balancing the good sense of "slow in, fast out" with having the balls to actually try new cornering techniques has really kept me on my motorsports toes. and for that alone, $2400 is incredibly cheap. on top of getting a bike made in japan, meaning that it won't break itsself just because i didn't put the cover on when there was a light fog on a tuesday night with a full moon on a odd numbered day in june (such as a ducati or a harley). i'm also getting 47mpg despite lots of "experimenting". for those familiar with motorsports, the likelihood of getting a good quality thing at a low price is almost zero. i feel like i've struck gold.

so, the highlight of saturday: i scuffed up the toe plate on my left boot. this is old hat to many real motorcycle folks, but brand new to me, and even more of an accomplishment considering it took 3 weeks to do it after having been off-bike for about 3 years. i'm really quite happy.