Tuesday 21 March 2017

In my defense, I was left unsupervised.

Although I wish it was so I can’t claim credit for this quotation; I saw it on a tee-shirt and have appropriated it for this post (and to be used as a future motto).

I imagine the “left unsupervised” defense would get little traction in a proper court of law, but in most motorcycle households I expect it is frequently utilized, with varying degrees of success.

Exhibit A, yer honor.
Do what you want

And this is where having a loving and understanding spouse/partner comes in, or at least an iron-clad pre-nuptial agreement that recognizes one party’s two-wheeled compulsion as being paramount, not to be superseded by any amount of eye-rolling, teeth-sucking, yelling, or tears. This understanding is important because we can’t be supervised 7/24, the internet is always on, and the temptations are just too many.

Now just to be clear, I am not speaking from personal experience here, having both a loving and understanding (usually) spouse and a pretty solid, if verbal, pre-nup agreement. But even with all that there is still an understanding gap when it comes to all things motorcycle.  For example, if I had $10K burning a hole in my pocket I’d be at the dealership seeing what I could get for it. The spousal unit? She’d be booking a vacation trip to some far-off land with lots of historical sites (or rubble piles as I prefer to call them). See what I mean? A gap.

But, on occasion, the gap gets closed and we both get what we want. In an unsupervised moment a few weeks ago I was browsing the interwebz and came across a pristine 2014 Road King. After several emails and photos were exchanged (the dealership is 5 hours away) I was convinced. A brief family discussion later (See? Understanding!) and a deposit check was on its way.

And that’s how I ended up with my new-to-me Road King last week… while the missus plans our trip to Europe in May. 

14-hd-road-king

16 comments:

  1. Pretty sweet looking ride! Congratulations on the new addition.

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    1. Thanks. Looking forward to getting rid of the last of the snow and ice so I can actually ride instead of just admiring her.

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  2. Nice looking bike. Too bad you couldn't have talked her into a two-up motorcycle vacation!

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    1. Scott - Expect that may be in the cards for later this summer. Been talking about doing the Cabot Trail for a couple of years now, so perhaps.

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    2. The Cabot Trail is magnificent, but if you go down that way, extend the trip and do Newfoundland too. I can't comment on Labrador, but Newfoundland is just much too good to miss.

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    3. Pat - Agreed. We visited Nfld a few years ago and had a great time. It's on our list of must-return-to-one-day places.

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  3. Nice bike! I am headed to Europe for my first time in June. Will you get to ride a motorcycle while there?

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    1. Thomas - Sadly, no. But I'm thinking about a trip over to rent one and follow some of the routes Gary France (Tour1) covers. The roads look amazing.

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  4. Congrats! To the new addition to the stable as well as to the understanding spouse. Curious, what are your (her) travel plans for Europe?

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    1. Thanks Sonja. We're flying into Frankfurt and then spending about 10 days driving up the Rhine Valley (and back, of course). It's a part of Germany I haven't seen before, except Frankfurt Airport as a hub.

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    2. How about you let us know your itinerary, and we see if we can bump into each other ;-)

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    3. Great idea. Sent you an email.

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  5. You get a new bike, she plans the trip to Europe....... sounds like a win win.

    Congrats on the new bike. She looks petty.

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    1. Brandy: I guess that's what partnerships are all about, finding the win-wins. And I assume you meant "pretty", which she is. Thank you.

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  6. Nice looking machine, riding days will be here/there before you know it. A +1 for Newfoundland as well.

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    1. Coop - Thanks. As for riding days, we have 2 inches of fresh snow on the ground this morning and it's still coming down. Mother Nature is not being helpful this year.

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