September 1, 2013 was a momentous day for us. It was the day we decided we needed a motorcycle. Eric and I had talked over the years about how when we retire some day, it would be fun to get a motorcycle and travel together around the country. We have ridden a tandem bicycle together since college, and saw this as a natural progression as we got older. It was our silly joke/dream for the future. Little did we know that our plan would come true well before retirement.
On Saturday night, August 31, Eric and I were just hanging out at home, trying to think of something fun to do on Sunday since it was Labor Day weekend, and our son Corey was off to his first year at college, so we had a weekend to ourselves. Every once in while, I hop on Craigslist to see if there are any cheap campers for sale. We love to go hiking and camping, but I'm kind of done with the tent, so I was hoping that maybe I'd find a bargain camper with an air conditioner. :) When my search gave me no results, I decided on a whim to look at motorcycles. A couple of Eric's work buddies ride Harleys, and Eric had been talking wistfully about his friends' bikes lately. We have been saving for our future "fun" vehicle for while, but didn't quite have funds in place for anything expensive since we weren't planning on making this kind of purchase for a few years. This all changed very quickly when I stumbled on a post for this bike, located right here in Ozark, only a couple of blocks away from our house!
It even had a trailer that went with it. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a motorcycle trailer! The owner was retired and could no longer use the bike because of health issues, and it had a price on it that was right in the budget of what we had saved up for so far for our "fun" vehicle. At this point, I nudged my hubby and said, "Hey Honey, what do you think about this?" He didn't know what I was doing, so when he saw a motorcycle on my computer screen, he instantly perked up. :)
For the next two hours, we poured over Craigslist looking at postings for Goldwings. We were open to any kind of bike, but we both had a hunch that this would be the best kind for us as a couple. We found another bike in our price range that was also close by and looked like it was in good condition. It wasn't nearly as pretty as the red one, but it still had potential.
We realized at this point that our motorcycle dream could actually become a reality, so Eric sent both listings to his friend Chuck who happens to be a motorcycle instructor and rides a Goldwing. Chuck said the price on both was great and said either would probably be good, but mentioned that the red one was loaded with extras. Even though it was older (a 2003), he said it was definitely worth considering. He gave us a list of questions to ask the owners, and wished us luck. I always tell Eric that I want him to learn to French braid my hair, so I jokingly said, "If you learn to French braid my hair, you can get the motorcyle." He hopped on You Tube, and here is the result. It's amazing what a guy will do when motivated. ;)
Eric called both owners and made appointments for us on Sunday to see both bikes.
We visited the red bike first. I think we both knew the instant we saw it that it was bike for us. Dave and Fay, the current owners, were very nice retired farmers from Iowa, and they spent an hour telling us their biking history as a couple. You could tell they loved riding and were very sad to be having to give up the bike, but due to health concerns, they couldn't use it anymore. We let them know that we had another bike we were considering, and told them we would let them know soon what our decision would be.
We traveled to Pleasant Hope to look at the gold bike. The owner was a retired military guy who also could no longer ride due to health issues. He was also very nice and helpful, and the bike was good, but it could not compare with the red one. Eric and left and headed straight to Ozark.
On our way, Eric called Dave and asked if we could have a friend test drive the bike for us. You have to realize, Eric had never ridden a motorcycle before and did not have a license. His friend from work, AAron, kindly agreed to test the bike for us. AAron gave it the thumbs up, and that was all Eric needed to make the final decision. We arranged to have Dave drive the bike to our house on Tuesday when we could get him the cash since the bank would be closed on Monday for the holiday. Needless to say, we were very excited about our new adventure that was about to begin!
We spent Monday shopping for accessories. We went to every motorcycle store in Springfield. We even went to the Harley store and sat on one of their touring bikes to make sure we had made the right decision on the Goldwing. We did! It's much more comfortable and affordable. Our accessory hunting was successful at the Cruisin 66 store in Ozark. The owner, Nan, was very helpful and got us outfitted with all of our gear. Tuesday couldn't get here fast enough!
On Tuesday evening, Dave and Fay delivered the bike to our house. We were so excited, and you could tell that Dave and Fay were glad that we would be the owners of the bike they had loved so much. Dave actually teared up when they left! Such nice people! Eric and I were now the proud owners of Big Red!
On Saturday night, August 31, Eric and I were just hanging out at home, trying to think of something fun to do on Sunday since it was Labor Day weekend, and our son Corey was off to his first year at college, so we had a weekend to ourselves. Every once in while, I hop on Craigslist to see if there are any cheap campers for sale. We love to go hiking and camping, but I'm kind of done with the tent, so I was hoping that maybe I'd find a bargain camper with an air conditioner. :) When my search gave me no results, I decided on a whim to look at motorcycles. A couple of Eric's work buddies ride Harleys, and Eric had been talking wistfully about his friends' bikes lately. We have been saving for our future "fun" vehicle for while, but didn't quite have funds in place for anything expensive since we weren't planning on making this kind of purchase for a few years. This all changed very quickly when I stumbled on a post for this bike, located right here in Ozark, only a couple of blocks away from our house!
For the next two hours, we poured over Craigslist looking at postings for Goldwings. We were open to any kind of bike, but we both had a hunch that this would be the best kind for us as a couple. We found another bike in our price range that was also close by and looked like it was in good condition. It wasn't nearly as pretty as the red one, but it still had potential.
We visited the red bike first. I think we both knew the instant we saw it that it was bike for us. Dave and Fay, the current owners, were very nice retired farmers from Iowa, and they spent an hour telling us their biking history as a couple. You could tell they loved riding and were very sad to be having to give up the bike, but due to health concerns, they couldn't use it anymore. We let them know that we had another bike we were considering, and told them we would let them know soon what our decision would be.
We traveled to Pleasant Hope to look at the gold bike. The owner was a retired military guy who also could no longer ride due to health issues. He was also very nice and helpful, and the bike was good, but it could not compare with the red one. Eric and left and headed straight to Ozark.
On our way, Eric called Dave and asked if we could have a friend test drive the bike for us. You have to realize, Eric had never ridden a motorcycle before and did not have a license. His friend from work, AAron, kindly agreed to test the bike for us. AAron gave it the thumbs up, and that was all Eric needed to make the final decision. We arranged to have Dave drive the bike to our house on Tuesday when we could get him the cash since the bank would be closed on Monday for the holiday. Needless to say, we were very excited about our new adventure that was about to begin!
We spent Monday shopping for accessories. We went to every motorcycle store in Springfield. We even went to the Harley store and sat on one of their touring bikes to make sure we had made the right decision on the Goldwing. We did! It's much more comfortable and affordable. Our accessory hunting was successful at the Cruisin 66 store in Ozark. The owner, Nan, was very helpful and got us outfitted with all of our gear. Tuesday couldn't get here fast enough!
On Tuesday evening, Dave and Fay delivered the bike to our house. We were so excited, and you could tell that Dave and Fay were glad that we would be the owners of the bike they had loved so much. Dave actually teared up when they left! Such nice people! Eric and I were now the proud owners of Big Red!
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