3rd bike

_Cool car
Decided to utilize my real estate after failing to sell the house in 2009. I planned to increase the vehicle : garage space ratio. I shopped for 2005/2006 Lotus Elise and other cool wheels and was turned off by their potential maintenance cost.

_Tree hugging
I became noncommittally environmentally conscious after reading _Farewell, My Subaru_. I considered going green and looked into hybrids and electric cars. For environment benefits, it felt hypocritical to acquire a 2nd car given my existing 4-cylinder TSX gets 32-mpg highway.

_Electric bike
Researching electric car led to electric bicycles. Assuming 500 combined watts, I could theoretically pedal to work at Lance Armstrong speed.

Finding a suitable electric bike was a frustrating experience. The law required preprogrammed shutoff--I was actually slower on electric bike than on my road bike. Defeating the firmware was not guaranteed and probably voids the warranty; cyclists reported unexpected rolling resistance beyond 26 mph. I didn’t like the idea of doubling current bike weight. The price tag was similar to a small motorcycle.

_Electric motorcycle
I ditched the idea as soon as I saw the cost of replacement Li-ion batteries.

_Kawasaki
I’d wanted a Ninja since high school. Timing seemed right. I had covered parking at home and at work. I’d fantasized about convertible since my California days. I wanted to get one before losing all my hair.

_Bridging the gap
The hassle of becoming street legal wasn’t horrible.
Completed a motorcycle course during 7/17/2010 weekend. It was typical Texas summer weather in a typical Dallas parking lot. Wished I thought of this during spring. I wrote it off as Badwater training.

Took the written test in DMV a few days later.

_Shopping
Checked out used bikes in local shops and on ebay. The first plan was to get a small, cheap, and droppable used bike for a few months to learn exactly what I want. Dave Guadiz, who went through midlife crisis decades ahead of schedule, warned me against small engines. Tim Denning convinced me 500+ cc’s were safer on highway. I learned a few months of ownership were likely to cost $1000.

Found a black Ninja ZX-6R at Town East Ford dealer through ebay. Advertised to have < 500 miles and look brand new. I went to the dealer and saw it was obviously dropped. How dumb did car sales people think bikers were?

I learned about a rebate for 2009 Ninja 650R. After 10 min of haggling with the 3rd Kawasaki dealer I contacted, I paid bike and helmet’s MSRP. The dealer absorbed taxes, fees, and 3 yrs of maintenance. This is the first time I walked out of a motor vehicle dealer without feeling taken. The upside of a down economy. The 2009 motorcycle was cheaper than my 2005 Quintana Roo Lucero.

I was a little insulted with the motorcycle insurance rate. Statically I belong to the demographics of predictably boring.

_Ownership
The lime green toy works as advertised. 47 mpg. Easy to park. 0 to 60 mph in no time. Tons of fun. I even enjoyed the apparel shopping.

Maybe I’ll take it to do something cool—like jumping out of an airplane.