It was all about motorcycles this weekend. On Thursday Bill got a text message from Dorian at Bayside Harley-Davidson and Ducati (mentioned in the Raincheck blog). The Desert Sled Scrambler Fasthouse edition was in if we were still interested. So we planned on heading out to Portsmouth on Sunday and ride on Saturday.
When we went over to my parents’ house Saturday morning, we found my younger brother and brother-in-law hard at work bending the flashing that was to repair the porch roof. Bill, who once worked in construction, keenly watched the process. When I came out of the house, he was to be found in the backyard still observing. He first just helped by holding the ladder as my brother climbed up; it was wobbly on the left side, so Bill started looking around the yard for something to help stabilize the ladder. I went inside for a cup of coffee and a visit with my Mom while Bill helped. When I next checked on him, he was on the roof, trowel in hand, applying the tar.
So I, for the first time, got to move my bike out of the garage and head out solo for my practice. I loved it. Not that I don’t love riding with Bill. But I loved being able to handle the bike, choose my route, and set off on my ride. I headed over to my dead-end street to practice stops and U-turns—no problem. I went over to the park and was lucky to find no one in the parking lot for some gravel practice. I rode around practicing for half an hour, then headed back to the house to check if Bill was ready. He was out front with my Mom and brother-in-law, so I kept cruising.
Heading out again, I did my lane change practice, went by the school and did my bus lane slalom, did S-turns, and then cruised around. I went over to the Ferry Plantation House and rode in their gravel lot. There was a slight chill in the air but I enjoyed it, letting it cool me off. After another half an hour, I headed back to find Bill finally able to gear up for his ride.
We were off for a beautiful ride. Not long into the ride, we were heading up a curved road with a truck coming towards us from the other direction. The truck was in the middle of the road, and it was obvious the driver didn’t see us. So I saw Bill reach out his gloved hand right at the window of the driver and wave to make him aware, however belatedly, that we were there. There were a lot of people out—driving, riding bikes, and walking. We even passed a church having a holiday event. It is one of the pluses of the rides now, in addition to the spectacular fall foliage, getting to see the fun Christmas decorations.
In fact I had thought to write this mostly about the gorgeous colors we see on the different maples—burgundies, bold reads, pastel orange and pink, bright yellows. That was my plan until Sunday came and we headed over to Bayside. We got to enjoy the fall foliage on our drive as we take the no tolls longer route. We arrived at Bayside watching the MSF course in full swing. Dorian was busy chatting up potential customers, and there was an older lady dressed as an elf walking about.
Inside there were the usual sodas and beers on offer, but there was also hot cocoa and cookies. We looked about for the Fasthouse but didn’t see it. So we waited a few minutes for Dorian to become available, and he took us back into the storage area where new bikes are unpacked to see the motorcycle.
The Ducati Desert Sled Fasthouse edition number 683 of 800 is a black motorcycle with red piping. It is an aggressively gorgeous bike, and I liked it way more in person than I had the pictures we had looked at online. Bill asked to see it in the daylight, and Dorian obliged by rolling it outside. I was given permission to sit on the bike which I did with relish. At first I was banging my shins on the foot pegs but with an adjustment back on the seat, I was fine. I was able to flatfoot with no problem even though the seat is slightly higher than my G310 (an inch difference, 32.9 inches versus 33.9). We weren’t able to start up the bike as the battery wasn’t in yet.
We didn’t buy the bike then. We went home and compared the Fasthouse to the original Desert Sled Scrambler which is a pretty blue. But I like the look of the Fasthouse, I like that it looks like a real motorcycle, and I like how tough it looks. So after reviewing some videos on both Scramblers, the decision was made. Bill texted Dorian that he would be in Tuesday to complete the paperwork and next Sunday, we would pick up my second motorcycle! And we got it earlier than the 600 miles on the BMW.
Flutterby Biker 