My alarm goes off on weekdays at 6:20am, and I generally groan, mumble, pull the covers over my head, and maybe get up by 7:00. This morning I woke up at 6:00.

"It's too early, it's your day off, go back to sleep," I told myself. I did, and woke up at 7:00. Same routine. Then I woke up at 8:00. I gave up trying to sleep in, and just let myself get all anxious about getting my Low Rider.

My best buddy wasn't going to be picking me up until 10:30, so I putted around the house cleaning things - always a good way to work off nervous energy. Finally he arrived, and we drove the hour down to Capka's to get my bike.

There it sat on the floor of the shop, shiny and as anxious as I was to get out into the sunshine. Karl wheeled it out of the shop (with a very practiced twist of the handlebars to maneuver it out the front door), and took it over to the nearby gas station to fill it up for me.

When he was back, we checked all the lights, the oil (added some), the tires (added air), all that stuff. We shook hands, and I took off, my friend following. Now, I could have headed straight for the Interstate, but A) I was chicken to ride such an unfamilar bike on a demanding road and B) it's a lot more fun to take the back roads!

I headed north on Chambers Rd., getting the feel of shifting up and down for the lights, remembering where to put my feet (they wanted to find the mid-bike pegs instead of the forward controls, a few times), and thoroughly enjoying the rumble of the pipes. They have a very sweet sound, not all blatty-sharp like some, not quiet like the stock pipes. Just your basic rumbly Harley sound.

I caught I-70 for one exit, went north towards the new airport, got off at Tower Road, then west on 104th. The whole time, I was really wishing for a tach, because I couldn't remember what gear I was in! The power of the bike was very addicting. I had a hard time keeping within 10mph of the speed limit, even with the cops around.

North on Hwy. 85, I took her up to 80mph, and laughed out loud for the sheer joy of having some power underneath me. My Kawasaki (750cc) is really happiest at 50mph. The Low Rider seemed to be very happy at 70mph.

My friend was still following behind, to make sure I made it home without mishap. I waved him up to the lane next to mine, and made a "click" motion with my finger, and he got the camera, and took a couple of pictures of me on the bike. If they turn out, I'll scan them and put them online for you to see.

Most of the ride home was on easy, low-speed roads, so I didn't really get to zoom around much. That's okay, I was trying to remember to put my feet on the forward pegs, enjoying having a bike that actually would slow down by just downshifting, watching the mirrors (not that it did me any good over 45mph) and generally getting the feel of the bike.

Once I was home, I thought about tomorrow, Christmas Day. I'm usually the one who accumulates all the presents from far-flung relatives, to take to whichever house we're doing Christmas at that year. I looked at the big pile of presents on my livingroom floor, and thought about how I reeeeeeally wanted to ride tomorrow, too.

So, I pulled out my brand-new T-bag (from my buddy, whattaguy), and started stuffing presents into it. I figured I could take a load of stuff over to my brother's house today, show off the bike, get in some riding time, and then take the other presents tomorrow morning.

But first! I needed a lock for the forks. I had gotten a lock for the garage door yesterday (the old one was painted shut 20 years ago and missing the key anyway), so went back to the lock shop for a padlock once the bike was loaded with presents. I also wanted a copy of the ignition key for the Low Rider.

We tried and tried, but the copy keys would never fit into the ignition. Something was squirrely with the key, and it couldn't be duplicated by the locksmith. He suggested I go up to the dealership and ask for a key. So I did.. went to the dealer in Longmont.

What a waste of time. They'll make a key, but it has to be ordered, and you have to have the number of the key. The guy there suggested I go back to the locksmith and ask for a key made from a Fiat key blank. Well, I didn't have time for that today if I wanted to get back home before dark (and freezing), so I rumbled on to my brother's house.

I hadn't told my brother that I was buying the bike, so I thought it would be a surprise. However, I'd told a different brother, who called while I was loading up the T-bag. He called my local brother, (I have a bunch of them, they're hard to keep track of), and spilled the beans. So my sis-in-law said to my brother as I rode up, "I hear a bike. Amanda couldn't wait until tomorrow to show it off!"

Well, I wasn't exactly showing off, I was delivering presents. Really. :)

My nephews (2 and 3 yrs old) dutifully admired the bike, I unloaded presents, guzzled some water, and headed back home, the boys waving to me from the livingroom window as I roared down the block. And then the sun went down. Brrrrr!

Man oh man, the temperature drops quickly here when the sun goes down. I took the fastest way home, even though that meant riding on Hwy. 52, which has the worst stretch of asphalt I've seen in a long time. The tire ruts are potholed, and there's a ridge in between them that I kept sliding off of.

I was crossing I-25 and noticed that the traffic was pretty light, so I decided to take the freeway 5 miles south to my exit. What a wonderful difference those extra 600ccs make to my ability to accelerate!! I went through the gear changes quickly, and in no time, was up to the 75mph that everyone else was doing.

Eventually, a long open stretch of road appeared in front of me, with no cars in it. I just barely touched the throttle, and was up to 90mph with no effort from the engine. Ahhhhhhh, bliss! I was shaking my head over how I had managed (just barely!) to keep up with a crowd of Harley riders on my way up to Sturgis, on my Kawasaki. How did I manage?? Sheer persistence, I guess, because it sure wasn't from any engine power.

I quickly caught up to the next bunch of traffic, so backed off until I hit my exit, about a half mile later. As I slowed, I could finally tell what was in my mirror. And what was in my mirror, you ask? A cop.

My heart sorta went >thunk< and I was thinking of all the ways I could get out of my 90mph-in-a-75mph speeding ticket. "I just picked up the bike today, I was just trying to see how it accelerated, there was no traffic, please-oh-please, (insert sweet winsome smile), can you just give me a warning??"

Maybe he hadn't noticed me speeding, or maybe he didn't care, because he just followed me for about five miles, then went away. Phew! I spent the rest of the ride home thinking about what I would write here, how I could possibly convey the exhilaration, the nervousness, the joy I was feeling.

I'm sure I haven't managed to convey what I wanted to, but I also know that most of you have been where I was today, so you will just have to think back to your first ride on your new bike, and grin at the memory.

My conclusions about my new ride:

• I *love* the additional pickup
• I appreciate how I can use the engine to slow, without the brakes
• I really, really miss a tach
• It's heavy!! I was very nervous about dropping it while I was maneuvering around getting air, getting in and out of driveways, etc.
• I'm nervous about having to stop fast - it definitely takes a longer stopping distance (greater weight!) so I'll have to practice in a parking lot somewhere.
• I'm still fumbling a bit with the forward controls
• I'm wondering where I can park her where she'll be safe while I'm at work
• I desperately need to do the fluids changes on her, before I go too many more miles
• I'll have a *much* easier time keeping up with the rest of the group on my next long ride.

Amanda
AH100
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"And forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."  --Kahlil Gibran

"The mountains are calling and I must go."  --John Muir