I received word from Mark a couple of weeks ago that my seat was back and ready to see how the height was now. So, I made arrangements to stop by when I was going to be in Fondy for a hair appointment on March 29th. They weren’t able to trim much off of the seat without compromising the comfort, but it was enough to at least get rid of the sharp edges along the sides and I still couldn’t get my feet totally flat, but at least the balms of my feet were. I practiced a little bit before I left with rolling the bike while standing along side of it and while on it, but it was way too chilly to ride.
On April 5th, although it was only going to be in the 50s, I asked Mark if I could come to take it for my first spin. He had already taken it earlier in the week for a ride to make sure everything felt good after finishing the set up, and he was very pleased with it and said he thought I was really going to like it.
When I arrived, I was quite gun-shy about it and even asked if he’d take me on it to the UW parking lot since there was some reptile expo at the fairgrounds, and he said… “just get it on it and ride it!” So, I practiced a few stops and starts in his driveway and then off I went. Since I was near Linda and Ray’s, I stopped by to show it to them and luckily they were home. After that I decided to head south out of town towards Eden, but it was very chilly and then my hands were frozen. Should have brought my leather gloves. So, I didn’t do a whole lot of riding when I got back to town, but felt as though I had a pretty good feel for it.
Unfortunately the tank bag I had bought was the wrong mount, so I ordered a new one directly from CF Moto in Shanghai. By the following weekend it had arrived and it was going to be in the low 60s, so I asked Mark again if I could come to see if that one would work and to get some more seat time, practicing stopping and starting, and he said “yes.”
This time I didn’t go out of town, and also stopped by my friend Lisa’s to show it to her, and then some more riding around the southeast side of town before heading back to Mark’s. And this time I felt completely comfortable on it! No problem as long as I remember to put my feet down behind the foot pegs. In fact, this bike feels like it takes off better and certainly maneuvers way better than my Hyosung.
Although I ordered the specific tank bag for my bike, it still was a little off, but Mark said he could adjust the plastic bracket to make it work, and on Sunday April 13 he sent me a video and photo of my new ride… ready to go!
So excited for motorcycle adventures this season!
