Thank guys, good stuff......
I did some honest chewing last night on my issue. I must admit the weak link to the bike is in my mind.
My pride/ego is getting pricked by those who feel their job is to run past me getting off the ferry.
Funny how life works, my youngest son just left mother and I to an empty nest......FINALLY
He landed a very nice job for a national company which does abatement work all over the states. He still had his first car he bought when he got his licence, he just turned 23.
Last week he bought a brand new Mustang with all HP.
I know the temptations of having a fast car when some one else challenges you at a light, etc....
I worry about him, and have shared a lot with him about it...... you can't get any seconds back, after something avoidably bad happens.
So.... it appears I don't heed my own advice, eh
We have a long uphill draw when we exit the ferry, the bikes forte.
I have often ran with the "biguns" as they try and shake me, they can't. I can almost hear their minds, "WTF"
One guy who owns a new 750 shadow that he dumped tons on with pipes, air, etc, was telling me how much faster his bike was with the mods.
Well as chance would have it, one day we were lined up adjacent to each other, we have two rows of bikes, which empty into two lanes of asphalt, but after a quarter mile, reduces to only one lane, all uphill mind you.
Well right off the bat I could tell he was going to "show me" his prowess....
I bit
I won to the single lane pretty easily, he looked at my stock taillight and exhaust the rest of the way of the one lane.
About two miles further up it flattens, and turns to two lanes.... here is where they just love to blow by me, as if I was holding them back.
Of course once in front of them I did drop back to posted speeds, as this strip is easy pickins for the cops, who have written many citations on bikes here (not me, YET
)
So.... upon reflection, I see where I am nut'n but a jerk myself, darn!
Maybe if I had the BIGGER bike they wouldn't feel the need to taunt me (real or perceived doesn't matter, my perception is my reality)...
who knows.
But looking back on circumstance maybe if I did get a bigger bike I would be the one taunting others, eh, seems like my MO if I'm being honest here
In conclusion:
I am keeping her, period.
She has taught me a great lesson here.
Also, I can learn to wrench her and glean the satisfaction of knowing I can take responsibility of my commuting means on my own accord.
And finally, with the money saved I have a great argument to bolster me when I explain to the wife about the new outboard I will hang on the transom of the boat I am restoring
PS: I have a dyna I think I will put back on her today, you know, trick my mind a wee bit, pretend I got a new girl whispering in my ear that I am such a stud with her husky voice
THANKS ALL!