Well as my last couple of picture updates have noted, I traded in Bonnie Chan for a Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200L, who is now known as Quinn. I do not regret my decision at all. This is something that I planned to do since about a week after I took my motorcycle license class. I realized that I should have purchased a motorcycle instead of a scooter then, but it was too new to trade back in for a bike. I had to wait a while in order to make the trade, and last week I was able to work it out. It was quite a change going from a 1 gear 250cc engine to a 5 speed 1200 cc engine, but I have adapted to the change rather well if I do say so myself. It will be quite a while before I am at a point where I will take a passenger out on it, but I am much happier with the motorcycle.
I am running into the part now where that I need to decide what all accessories that I need to add to the bike. Some of the ones that are at the top of the list are forward controls, which allow for a more stretched out riding position, engine guards, which help protect the engine if you drop the bike, saddle bags, to carry crap, and a sissy bar, to be used to add a touring bag to, or give a passenger something to lean back against. I have a spreadsheet already figured out with costs and options to budget out when I think I can make the additions to the bike. I also plan on listing some stuff on ebay soon to help with my bike accessory purchasing. I think one of the first things to go will be my Starship Troopers jumpball suit. I should easily be able to add forward controls from it, or possibly saddle bags.
A couple of my coworkers ride now, and there are a couple more who are about to buy bikes, so that will be nice to have a group of people to ride with. I am ready for it to not be raining every frakking day during the week so that I can ride more though. I am not quite ready to be riding around in the rain. I still need to get used to that extra torque first. Here is a better picture of Quinn than the one I posted from my phone.