Sweet Dream Baby

The motorcycle show came to Seattle this weekend. We went down to see what was new on Friday evening. Having learned last year that there is only one food vendor at the show and that reheated microwaved pre-cooked burgers aren't near worth the vast price charged, we stopped at Wendy's, where our burger was at least grilled and hot off the grill, fresh made just for us. Actually, I opted for chili, never having believed that finger-in-the-chili incident in the first place.

Here's the first thing I fell in love with:



It's a Stallion Trike. I had to Google the price when i got home. $32,995.00, which is why they didn't post the price at the show and would not let anyone sit on it. But I love the way it looks.

Here's the second:



You know that's a big ol' Harley, and this year for the first time, Harley is selling a trike! I was afraid to ask how much it cost.

Here's the third:



This is a Ridley and it's an automatic. While climbing aboard I whacked my head on the very sharp edge of the windshield and left skin behind on the windshield. Ow, that hurt! But I still like the bike, mostly. They put the transmission cover right where the left floorboard goes and there's not enough room for your foot and the frame of the bike is a tad wide for me. It would have been simple enough to fix the footboard in the design process I can't imagine why they didn't. The reason I have that expression on my face is because a wily salesman has me at his mercy.

All these bikes are not sized right for me...too wide for leg comfort and too long from seat to handlebar. But I still liked the looks of them. There was another brand of trikes there, Darn Nice Trikes, but for some reason we didn't get any pics of them. I liked those too, but they only build on the big Harleys and Suzuki's. There again, you're spending upwards of 30 grand.

But this next bike was Just Right:



And we checked out this next one for our friend Brett, who was trapped at work by his evil employer and could not go with us after all:



That one is Suzuki's new TU250. Fits Ray quite nicely!

There were also lots of scooters, some plug-in electric scoots too, an MP3 this year, an odd looking 3 wheeled commuter car and a Can-Am Spyder too. Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiasts had a nice display of old bikes. I'm always surprised they are so shiny, like the chrome is all brand new, and lovely paint. It looks like none of them sat outside by somebody's woodpile for 20 years, but I bet some of them did! Many of the VME members work hard on restoring their bikes.

I also got to grouch at the "head Yamaha guy" about the mystery of the missing MBC's for my scoot. He frowned and declared, "That doesn't sound right." He's telling me? I know THAT. Why is such a nationwide shortage occurring, is what I want to know, and when will it be over.

He gave me the number for "Customer Satisfaction" and said I should call those people. Are they going to satisfy me with the expedited delivery of a shiny new Master Brake Cylinder to grace my right handlebar? Who wants to bet on that?