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[Twolanerider]

This is blasphemy, but a Victory would also be a possibility. 

Thought of you yesterday as I was about five miles south of town here.  At a county road intersection and facing me came a herd (gaggle, lawyer, group, cadre, mess?) of Victory bikes.  Nine of them.  Had never seen that many together in one place before.  As they all came by me I could almost hear them..... 

[porthole]

Nine of them.  Had never seen that many together in one place before.  As they all came by me I could almost hear them..... 

Must have been at least 20 lined up last year at Bald River Falls - looked like a convention.

[Midnight Rider]

Thought of you yesterday as I was about five miles south of town here.  At a county road intersection and facing me came a herd (gaggle, lawyer, group, cadre, mess?) of Victory bikes.  Nine of them.  Had never seen that many together in one place before.  As they all came by me I could almost hear them..... 

Can't get past the look of the Vision, but the Cross Country Tour is not a bad looking bike, IMO.  If you put a Stage 1 exhaust on them, they don't sound half bad.

That Ducati Diavel Strada has a lot of nice features for the money and it will FLY with 150HP.  They have also tamed the low RPM behavior, pulled the handlebars back, lowered the seat height, heated grips, Sachs suspension, heated seat, electronic driving "modes", 15K valve adjustment intervals (doubled from 7500).  That much power in a <500lb bike would probably get me killed though.

Perhaps a Vespa?  I could get my short bus helmet out of mothballs   

Honda has just released a new bike...CTX700.  Interesting concept, and projections are that they are going to expand the lineup to include larger versions (more cc's) in the near future.  A 1000cc version of that bike with paniers and some kind of small fairing might be interesting.  It is similar in design to the Duc Diavel.

One thing is pretty certain...unless somebody dies who has me written into their will that I don't know about, a new CVO is unlikely to be in my future.  This move to BFE Alabama has changed some things, with more to come.  I may die here, but it won't be by choice...this place is stuck in the early 60's.  Have never experienced anything quite like it since growing up in B'ham in the 50's.  Very, very different, and since I'm "different", it's not a real good fit thus far.

[ultrarider123]

Terry, visiting my mother in Autaugaville is always a step back in time for us.  Not a bad thing, just different.  I wasn't raised in B'ham but the Scottsboro area was/is still the same as when I was there in the 60's/70's.  Haven't been back to that area (N.E. Alabama) in quite a while and fine with me.  Just pass through on the way south.

The Ducati, no matter what model, is a bit high the saddle for me (like BMW's) but they ride/sound great.  That Strata in the picture sure does look tempting, though.....

[Midnight Rider]

Terry, visiting my mother in Autaugaville is always a step back in time for us.  Not a bad thing, just different.  I wasn't raised in B'ham but the Scottsboro area was/is still the same as when I was there in the 60's/70's.  Haven't been back to that area (N.E. Alabama) in quite a while and fine with me.  Just pass through on the way south.

The Ducati, no matter what model, is a bit high the saddle for me (like BMW's) but they ride/sound great.  That Strata in the picture sure does look tempting, though.....

That particular model has a bit lower seat height than some of the others.  I think it's 30".  That's not too bad for a bike that only weighs <500lbs, so holding it up isn't a big problem, even on the ball of your foot.  Backing it up is a little different story though.  The '05 Multistrada I had was at least a 32" seat height....I just had to slide my butt off to the side a bit when riding two up and coming to a stop...or slide forward a bit and just stand up over the bike.  What appeals to me about Ducati is the uniqueness of it...the sound, the Italian design character, and the features you get for the money.  And they are a blast to ride in the twisties.

I know what you mean about the Scottsboro area too...the thing it's got going for it, and the Guntersville area, is the lake, which draws people, which in turn draws more things to do.   A lot of "stuff" happened here in Selma, and people here seem to be holding on to it and instead of growing from it, have become lost in it.  Not everybody, of course.  But it's more prevalent.  It just takes some period of adjustment, that's all. 

[LovemyCVOgirl]

That particular model has a bit lower seat height than some of the others.  I think it's 30".  That's not too bad for a bike that only weighs <500lbs, so holding it up isn't a big problem, even on the ball of your foot.  Backing it up is a little different story though.  The '05 Multistrada I had was at least a 32" seat height....I just had to slide my butt off to the side a bit when riding two up and coming to a stop...or slide forward a bit and just stand up over the bike.  What appeals to me about Ducati is the uniqueness of it...the sound, the Italian design character, and the features you get for the money.  And they are a blast to ride in the twisties.

I know what you mean about the Scottsboro area too...the thing it's got going for it, and the Guntersville area, is the lake, which draws people, which in turn draws more things to do.   A lot of "stuff" happened here in Selma, and people here seem to be holding on to it and instead of growing from it, have become lost in it.  Not everybody, of course.  But it's more prevalent.  It just takes some period of adjustment, that's all. 

Is there a possibility that you and your wife could move again?  Reads like you are in a really depressed area  . Life is to short to stay in one place Terry.   

[spydglide]

Good to hear that you're gonna stick around some TC.....would miss hearing from you if you left altogether.  spyder

[Midnight Rider]

Is there a possibility that you and your wife could move again?  Reads like you are in a really depressed area  . Life is to short to stay in one place Terry.   

Yea, Judy...that was one factor involved in deciding about the bike...so that we can focus all our attention and resources towards changing a few things and see if we can get back towards Birmingham, at least.  I'm glad to be rid of the house in Birmingham, as I'd been there since '87, through two relationships, job losses, etc.  It was time to move away from those bad vibes and regroup.  Now we're setting new goals and the bike being gone will help us get there faster.   

As Arnold said "I'll be Back"   

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Yea, Judy...that was one factor involved in deciding about the bike...so that we can focus all our attention and resources towards changing a few things and see if we can get back towards Birmingham, at least.  I'm glad to be rid of the house in Birmingham, as I'd been there since '87, through two relationships, job losses, etc.  It was time to move away from those bad vibes and regroup.  Now we're setting new goals and the bike being gone will help us get there faster.   

As Arnold said "I'll be Back"   

There is no doubt in my mind Terry that you will be back.  . Sometimes in life we have to regroup and start over. That's not a bad thing.., just a part of moving forward.

[1sharprdkg]

Hang in there Terry! We will be here waiting for your return. I hate to tell you but a lot of Alabama in stuck in the 60's. Our best friends bought a little place on Weiss Lake in Center Alabama, we all went to dinner, was surprised when I went to pay they did not accept debit,credit cards...cash only. Which was a problem cause I don't usually carry very much cash. So now when we go to Alabama I take some cash.

[Midnight Rider]

Well, the SERGU is officially gone.    The couple that bought her arrived from Champaigne, IL Saturday at 2:25PM on a Southwest flight into Birmingham.  I rode the bike up to Heart of Dixie HD (where it was purchased), parked it and we picked the couple up at the airport.  Nice people, even if they are yanks.    Got back to the dealership and went over the bike, showing all the mods and how to get the Legends dialed in.  They were happy campers.  They are seasoned riders, so appreciated all the things I had done to the bike.  Kevin has joined this site under the handle of Kevin Cooper (his name), and his BSR is Diane.  I have encouraged them to participate in some of the GTG's here, so perhaps you will meet them at some point in time.

I had written a detailed Bill of Sale since there was a payoff, and balance due, then title transfer.  The title is being overnighted by HD Finance to me today and we will overnight to them upon receipt.  So to make everybody feel more comfortable, I got the Finance Manager, Pat O'Bryant, to witness and notarize the BOS.  I will have to say that for the past 3 years or so, Heart of Dixie HD in Pelham, AL has changed their attitude and are very customer service oriented...very different than they were back in '06 when they were gouging people on CVO bike sales (I bought my '06 SEUC from a dealer 200 miles away for that reason).  Pat invited us all into his office, helped with the paperwork, even offered to call HD Finance and speed up the title release (we had already accomplished that).  Of course, it helps that I have bought 2 CVO's from them since Pat became Finance Manager.  But he was super nice.  He even gave Kevin and Diane two free T-shirts.  He did all this for free, and he didn't have to do that.   

Heart of Dixie is now a MSRP dealer on CVO's, so if anyone is looking for a bike, contact Pat. 

After giving them directions to a good BBQ place nearby, we left and headed home.  They posted on Facebook from the BBQ joint and afterwards posted from a biker friendly bar nearby. I assume they spent the night in or near B'ham.  Next day they posted from Nashville, TN, then from Louisville, KY, so they are making a nice little ride back home.

That final ride to Birmingham from here, which is only about 80 miles, was bittersweet, but the bike has a good home now and will be ridden as it should be, and appreciated. This is their first CVO.

[porthole]

That final ride to Birmingham from here, which is only about 80 miles, was bittersweet, but the bike has a good home now and will be ridden as it should be, and appreciated. This is their first CVO.

You have to stop doing those final rides - they always make you second guess

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Sorry to see her go Terry but I'm sure there are better things down the road for you.

[Jock]

That final ride to Birmingham from here, which is only about 80 miles, was bittersweet, but the bike has a good home now and will be ridden as it should be, and appreciated. This is their first CVO.

While this may be their first CVO I know this will not be your last. 

 

[Midnight Rider]

While this may be their first CVO I know this will not be your last. 

 

    It's kinda' hard to go backwards, ya' know?  I'll wait a couple of years and things will be better, and maybe HD will have the water cooled heads perfected by then on the newly designed Road Glide...