Motorcycle Ads

I often amuse myself
looking at the motorcycle ads
on Craigslist.
This time of year you can find
some pretty good bargains.
The riding season is about over.
Motorcycle owners are thinking
about moving up to a bigger bike,
or quitting riding altogether, or
selling that bike they got for their wife
who never really rode much,
or clearing out their garage.
Occasionally, you can see a
motorcycle for sale at too low a price.
You wonder if it is misprint, or the
owner is uninformed about the
Kelly Blue Book values.
I usually set search parameters
of $2500 maximum price
and 500 minimum cubic centimeters.
I get nice cross selection of
Buell Blasts, and Yamaha 650 V-twins,
Honda Shadow 750s,
or Vulcan 800s, and the occasional
older Harley Davidson 883 Sportster,
or Suzuki 650 thumpers,
and a few other older assorted
barn finds and choppers and
cafe racers and rat bikes.
"Thumper" is a nickname
for a single cylinder engine
so named because of their
distinctive sound, a throaty,
rhythmic pulse. A cafe racer
is a stripped down minimalist
motorcycle made lighter to
run faster while a rat bike is a bike put
together from assorted other cycle parts.
I'm pretty satisfied with my
ten year old Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD,
though, with its 34 horsepower,
and windshield,
and saddle bags,
but like to daydream/windowshop
for that bigger, better bike out there.
Motorcycle riding is about the
closest you can get to flying
without leaving the ground.