2007 Kawasaki VN900 Classic LT
I should put a revolving door on my garage for the bikes that come and go. The previous '03 Kawasaki Concours was a great bike but the wrong one for me this particular time, or so I adjudged. I've been casting about looking for something interesting, something that would entertain to some degree on the shorter rides I mostly do these days. I toyed with the idea of a Harley, even thought about customizing it, but deep in my heart I knew that the rougher ride of the Sporty would not be acceptable to a body that is now paying me back for decades of abuse.
I thought perhaps another "airhead" BMW would be fun, some of the best rides of my life were on older BMWs when they were new, but the airheads I found that I'd seriously consider buying were too far away and a fly-'n-ride or bike shipment wouldn't fit the budget. In the end I settled on another V-twin bike mostly for the nice sound that a v-twin makes: It is real auditory entertainment of the best sort and something no iPod can equal.
I grabbed another Kawasaki Vulcan (stupid model name), this time the VN900. I've had the 1500 Drifter and the 1600 Classic in days gone by and this time I downsized mostly because of budget constraints but also because I'm growing weary of wrestling larger bikes.
A previous owner bought the 900, found that riding wasn't his cup of tea, and sold me the '07 900 Classic LT with just 6600 miles on for $4300. The seller was asking a bit more than $4300 but the bike had been dropped once scraping the front fender so some money needed to be deducted for a new fender. I wasn't going to spend the next six months explaining to everyone that saw the bike that it was the PREVIOUS owner that did it, not me. Also, my clean and orderly bike fetish was not going to be able to endure an obviously scratched front fender either. The new fender has been secured and the old one now hangs on the wall in the garage with a silver Sharpie note scrawled on it saying "I didn't do this." I've dropped bikes before but I'm not taking the razzing from my riding pals for this one.
I found out after I bought it that the bike still has an extended warranty on it to 2011 and that was a pleasant surprise. Buying a used bike is always a roll of the dice when it comes to problems and having a bit of factory warranty left eases the mind.
I've been riding the Kaw around a bit, including the regular Saturday night car and bike gathering up in Scottsdale, AZ. It's riding season now here in central and southern Arizona, completely backward from most of the country, and the nice cars and bikes are out in force. I've put about 500 miles on bike wandering about taking photos, and visiting friends. The 900cc engine lacks the punch of either the 1500 or 1600 Kaw but that's no surprise, just something I miss a little. So for now, the new/used Kaw will serve it purpose, probably at least through this riding season. Then we'll see if I win the lottery next Spring and can buy something snazzier which I'll then keep for six months and sell too.
I'm not hard to please, I just have a short attention span.