Page 5 - Andy's Vision Experience

March 5, 2008
An Attempt To Describe The Impossible:
Describing The Feeling Of Riding

The Vision had a bath today.

I didn't say I gave it a bath, but it was detailed stem to stern.

I'm one of those riders who refuse to be a slave to my bike and to polish it every time I return from a ride. Don't laugh, I know guys who do this. I'm sure you do as well.

One of my old riding buddies had a customized street Harley that was lowered, featured a new deep-maroon paint job with personalized detailing, polished mesh cables and enough chrome to blind someone if they were standing at an angle from the sun. It was gorgeous. Even the camel-colored seat was moisturized after every ride to keep it like new and to prevent future cracking. His bike was always immaculate. Not just regular clean, but anal-retentive clean. He also used to freak out when riding behind others through the back roads of Tennessee and always followed at a longer than normal distance. If a bike would propel a pebble his way, he would take evasive maneuvers. I can only imagine him shouting, "INCOMING" and he bobbed and weaved out of the path of a potential scratch on his bike's fender.

After every ride, he used to put on cloth gloves, remove any hint of grime and then, wait for it...take a Q-Tip and clean between every crevice. The wheel spokes alone had to take him at least an hour. This was not a once in a while thing, it was an after every ride regiment. I remember calling him for rides and getting that "I need to clean the bike today" answer. He was the type of guy who, when not riding, wore starched shirts, creased pants and a perfectly knotted tie. Biking was his getaway from his business and, I want to tread carefully here...his home life. His gated community did not allow motorcycles and he kept it in an air-conditioned storage facility when not in use. Yes, it always looked great, but that's not my style. I enjoy riding, not cleaning.  Yes, I always keep my bikes in strong working order, but to me, this was a bit over the edge.

I'm divorced and don't use my bike as an escape as I have a pretty good life as it is. I wish I could explain why I enjoy riding. Even with all my long-winding commentaries, it's something that I haven't attempted to put into words. 

Maybe I'm a control freak and it's the feeling of being at the helm and the captain of the ship at all times. But I don't consider myself a control freak so maybe that's not the answer. But there's something that only riders will appreciate about taking the bike out for a ride. Whether it's a local jaunt, a weekend cruise or a cross-country ride, there's something unexplainable about riding motorcycles. Yes, I know it can be dangerous as my loved ones have constantly reminded me. That's a topic that most riders don't even want to talk about. We know we're mortal and there are some crazy drivers out there. We know that if we do something stupid, we could pay the ultimate price. Personally, I try to ride in a "bubble' and accelerate or decelerate to keep myself out of blind spots. I can only hope that tactic is as good as it sounds.

There is no comparison to pressing the gas pedal on a car and rolling-on the throttle of a well engineered, big bike.  It doesn't matter if you're driving a sterile Mercury Marquis or a firm-suspension Ferrari Testarossa, they simply don't compare to riding a heavyweight, sturdy, well engineered, high-horse-powered bike. Leaning into a turn and knowing that inertia and centrifugal force are keeping the rider and the bike propelled forward and upright is a feeling that's incorporated into the soul. We are a part of the bike united as one single body of force. We're not rocket scientists, but we know the basics of movement and balance. It's more than the wind in your face or being exposed to the elements, it's a feeling of...well, control. We slow before curves, start our lean and accelerate at the apex of the turn. When you're driving a car, you steer and press a pedal. Although we are riders, we are truly driving and controlling the bike with not only our hands and feet, but with our bodies as well. When we see the curve meld into a straight line we roll-on the throttle, straighten up and enjoy the feeling of catapulting through space into another dimension. All this is performed without thought or contemplation. It just happens. It's natural.

On the highway, it's another story. We enter the ramp and start looking for an opening in the traffic. Riders are more aware of their surroundings than most drivers for one simple reason: We have to be. There's no competition between a bike and a car as in a confrontation, we will always lose. We know the facts and the risks and stay focused and use our throttle to place us in an exact spot. It's art in motion. Because we can get to speed faster than most cars, we are in control of pinpointing our bike in the desired location at the correct speed. There I go again, I said the Control word.

When behind a truck on a breezy day, we know that there might be an air pocket or two that can buffet and shift our bike beyond our will. But we're prepared so we don't just stay behind, we rocket forward. There's something about down-shifting and opening it up to quickly and efficiently relocate that monster-sized Peterbilt from our front, to our side to our rear view mirrors. Then, when at a comfortable distance we allow our bike to return to a normal speed as we shift into overdrive and hear the pipes sing its baritone mode.

We have to be much more aware of our surroundings than drivers of automobiles and we know that one false move and we are in compensation mode with our minds operating at warp speed to calculate our options. There is no margin for error. We have to think one step ahead and know that the moment we start to tire, it's time to take a break. We keep an eye out for erratic drivers and are prepared to make the proper maneuvers to keep ourselves out of harm's way.  We see drivers with a cell phone in one hand and the other on the steering wheel. They are focused on talking, we are focused on keeping them out of our path and maneuver to stay out of their blind spots as there are no second chances and we know that. We know we have to keep a strong eye on any variation of unaware drivers as they are most likely focused on something other than driving.

This, to non-bikers is what I call exhilarating.

Maybe that was the adjective I was looking for: Exhilarating. Riding a bike is exhilarating. Whew, that felt good even typing the word. So, if I had to describe why I ride, it's exhilarating. But it's so much more than that. It's also camaraderie among other bikers. While owners of some bike brands think they are above it all, they really aren't. We are members of the same fraternity and in a way, are a brotherhood. A family...a group of people who know there's something out there and we're living it each day we press the handlebar mounted starter, pull out of the garage and head out for a journey. Whether we're heading towards a specific destination or just riding for pleasure or freedom, we are taking life to a new level.

So maybe someday, I'll try to describe why I like to ride motorcycles. I'll see if I can find the proper words.

One of the features I appreciated when I first saw the Vision was instead of metal everywhere, the body features ABS Plastic that seems to be much easier to keep clean and doesn't show water spots. If spots do form, it appears they simply wipe away and don't require a Q-Tip. My Goldwing was that way and it was simple to keep clean. I was never a slave to my bike nor did I ever take it personally that it wasn't immaculate every time I took it out. If someone said, "you missed a spot," I would laugh it off. Yes, bikes are feats of engineering and designed to be great to look at, but first and foremost, they are built to perform, ride  and deliver a lifestyle that is simply unexplainable. The best view is not from the side while parked on its kickstand, it's when under movement and looking straight ahead towards the place you want to go.

Bikes should be about fun, not work. That's why I'm saying I refuse to be a slave to my bike. Yes, I like it clean, but for whatever reason the Midnight Cherry finish is good at not showing road grime...even after a long highway adventure. The aluminum insert on the front of the fairing does catch some bugs, but that just shows it is doing its job. The bugs that form on the fairing are our combat scars that are soothed with a smile by that nurse in the form fitting uniform. But in my experience with the Vision, all it requires is a moist cloth to wipe it clean. Imagine that, having a bike that can be effectively cleaned with Windex! Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?

So I didn't bathe my bike today. Someone did it for me. I'm fortunate that I live in an area where a guy stops by each week to earn his living washing cars. I'm happy to support his entrepreneurship. Today when he appeared at the door with his fully-equipped mobile car wash station, I asked if he washed bikes. He grinned and said, "Let's take a look."

And boy, does it look great now.

If the clouds weren't rolling in, I'd be riding it right now.  But, my riding time is cutting into my golf time. Riding or Golf? That is becoming my question of the day.

Life is good.

As a note of appreciation, allow me to jump off topic for a moment and add a thank you to a true bike enthusiast:

My friend Ty emailed me a few days ago after reading the blog and pointed out that I occasionally used the term "driving" when addressing motorcycling. He kindly informed me that bikers are "riders" not "drivers." Thanks Ty. Instead of going back to correct the record, I'll keep my mistakes for all to see. After all I'm only human.

March 8, 2008
Cooler Weather, GPS and Politics - Strange Bedfellows

The weather here has been strange lately. Some rain, some wind and a temperature range that fluctuates between the 50s and the 80s. But after seeing the massive snowfalls across the country today and cars sliding out of control across ice covered roadways, I'm not complaining. I'll save my weather bantering for a few months when the Florida humidity kicks in.

This afternoon the temperatures hovered in the mid-60s and the skies were clear, so off I went for a ride.

I found a route I like that's a 65 mile round trip using all back roads. Because it was windy with some large gusts, I thought that would be the wise decision. When I moved 30 miles North from my old neighborhood, I didn't realize at the time how close I'd be to some great back road riding. I had some things to do today and as I was getting ready to head out around 1pm, I received a call from the decorator that she wanted to deliver two carpets. By the time she left it was around 4pm and the temperature was beginning to fall.

While I was waiting for the rug delivery I did some surfing around various bike sites and stumbled upon a thread about Harley's new Cross Bones. In the thread, people were drooling, but I have to say that two words came to mind when I first saw the photos: FUGLY and Uncomfortable. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To give proper credit, the photos came from motorcycle.com. I'm glad I wasn't the lucky guy selected to cover this unveiling. Am I alone, or is this one FUGLY bike? What was Harley-Davidson thinking?

Like the Vision, I guess it's a love it or hate it style. But let's get real, after seeing the Vision's massive console, how could anyone go back and ride this thing?I guess I can understand the adversarial comments I hear about the Vision from folks that love this bike. To me, I think I won't waste any more words attempting to describe my feelings on this bike as you already know my thoughts. I'm writing this post just before dinner time and I think I'm losing my appetite just thinking of it. The phrase "Coyote Ugly" comes to mind. Could you imagine riding this bike at highway speeds? The Human Parachute! 'Nuff said? C'mon Harley, you're a great American co mpany....you CAN do better than this!

Okay, maybe I have one m

ore comment left. Let's compare the view from the saddle just one time. You be the judge...

Now I can say, 'Nuff Said?

Today, I was heading to a Starbucks in Jupiter...not the planet, the city. Yes, the Vision looks like a spaceship to some, but it really doesn't fly...at least not yet. Maybe the 2025 version will have a retractable wing that will lift us off the ground and let us zoom over traffic. Maybe not. 

While waiting for the delivery, I removed the Garmin 2820 GPS from the bike and brought it inside to program a few new routes into memory. Tomorrow, I'll be taking my first group ride with a local Victory group. They are starting around 50 miles south of me and I'll be joining them at a designated meeting point at 10:30am. I hope everyone remembers to leap their clocks forward or I'll be hanging around for an hour.

Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be clear, but unseasonably cool with the temps hovering in the low to mid 50s when I take off at 9am and it might make it to 70 in the afternoon. So, it will be a bit crisp in the morning and perfect in the afternoon. I'm giving myself some extra time as I'm traveling to an uncharted area for me and don't want to keep the others waiting. I'm really looking forward to meeting some other Victory folks and talking it up during the lunch stop. While I don't know the exact route, I'm to understand we'll be circling Lake Okeechobee. For those of you not familiar with Florida, that's that large blue dot on the map in the South Central area of the state. If my calculations are correct, it should be around a 200 mile ride day...or around 5 gallons of fuel. I'll bet there are some SUV owners who would like to make that claim.

I programmed the route to the meeting point and then took a few minutes to set some way points so that I could keep track of the progress during the ride. I also programmed today's Starbuck's route as again, I was taking some new back roads. The programming process on the Garmin is relatively easy...if the final destination is in its memory. The location for tomorrow's ride meeting point, for whatever reason, was not available in the 2820, so knowing the cross streets, I went into "map mode" and selected the meet up point. To be safe, I found a Chevron station near the point that was in memory and placed that in the favorites folder. As I've stated previously, I have a lousy sense of direction and a GPS is a necessity to me. Back in my old days of riding, it wasn't strange for me to pull over and check the map to make sure I was headed in the correct direction. Okay, I have a lousy sense of direction, but I can write. I guess I can't have it all.

However, when I finally took off and headed towards the far away Starbucks, it seems I might have made an error in programming the way points as it was trying to take me on a slightly different route than what I had selected. I'm hoping this was "user error" and will work on that later. Maybe it's time to read the instruction book.

I remember reading a message board thread about someone stating on a Wish List that the Garmin had a battery so that he could remove it from the Vision and take it to a hotel (while traveling) and program the next day's route. Hmm, this is strange as my unit included an AC adapter and all I had to do was remove the GPS from the bike, take the GPS inside and simply plug it in. It's a relatively small AC adapter and would be simple to pack away in a crevice. It's small enough that I'll probably lose it in the near future and will be searching Garmin's website to find a replacement and paying a premium for the privilege. Maybe that rider didn't know there's an AC adapter included in the box as that would have solved his dilemma.

While I was programming the GPS, I had MSNBC on the TV and was listening to the commentaries in the background. I must be a glutton for punishment as I've grown weary of all the political banter. Get this election over with already! I'm waiting to hear the total amount spent by all the candidates and will bet it reaches a billion dollars. This is very sad to me. I'm wondering what the candidate's constituents are thinking, knowing that their elected representatives are not spending any time taking care of the business they were elected to perform. One day, maybe someone will create a law that states that if someone wants to run for a higher office, they have to vacate their existing position so that the people are not left without proper representation. That will never happen as that means the losers will be unemployed. I guess the politicians take care of themselves before others.

Even sadder is the state of the elections in Florida. You know, Florida...the state better known for Hanging Chads than it is for great weather, tourism, citrus and fresh seafood. The new election controversy in Florida has to do with the Democratic Primary and how that Florida lost all its delegates as state Democrats broke the DNC rules and moved its primary to be earlier in the process. I am to understand the reason they did this is that they thought that the election would be decided before Floridians had the chance to vote in the primary. Since the Democrats broke the DNC's rules and moved the elections, they lost the right to have delegates. What? Really? Yes! Truth is stranger than fiction in Florida. Now you know where Carl Hiason gets his research for his Florida-based novels: The newspaper.

The bottom line is the Democratic candidates did not waste time campaigning to get voters in my state.  You might think this is a good thing, but these primaries and the general election generate income for every state in the form of advertising, entertainment and other related items. Did you read that story that showed Hillary spending a million dollars on pizza the previous month? Nah, there's no waste in government.

Now, since it's a neck and neck political race, the politicians are talking about having a second primary election. What? And of course, the Democrats say they'll pick up the tab for this expense. Right! I'll hold my breath on that one as I watch my property taxes rise again. Our tax dollars at work. But, I digress...

While returning from Starbucks, the sun was starting to set and the temperature was dropping. Okay Northerners, I must have thin blood as it was a bit cool for me at 50 degrees. But, being the Gadget Guru, this was my first opportunity to test the seat and grip heaters and I jumped at the opportunity. I set the grip and the seat heat on low and within minutes the seat was at the perfect temperature, but the grips were just slightly warm through my lightweight, padded leather gloves. I pressed the toggle to high and within a few minutes I came to appreciate the heat dissipating through the grips - it was really nice and reminded me on stories I had done on snowmobiles in my TV past. I had the windshield fully raised and I have to admit, it was quite comfortable. I experienced some gusts of wind along the route and am still very impressed with the Vision's handling characteristics.

When I was at Starbucks, I was disappointed that my favorite Barista Babe was not in attendance. This was my second trip where I did not get to make small talk with her. On my last trip, one of the guys working there has a sport bike parked in front and spotted my Vision when I pulled in. Since the Babe was not there, we struck up a conversation that was centered around the fact that he had heard a lot about the Vision, but this was the first one he's seen up close and in person. He really liked it and wanted to know all the details. Today, we were talking about the weather and he commented that it was very windy when he rode to work a few hours earlier. I asked how his sleek sport bike handled in the wind and he waved his hand in a gesture that mimicked moving side to side.

Imagine that, the Vision handles better than a sport bike in windy conditions. Will wonders ever cease?

March 9, 2008
Car Dealerships vs. Bike Dealerships

I gave Alexis some grief yesterday and I think it was a wakeup call...either for her or for me.

The problem was simply a communication error in the method that information is disseminated via the dealer's website. But, who am I to tell a dealer how to run his (or her) business? After all, I'm just a customer.

Would I go into a car dealership and offer ideas on how they could sell more cars? Probably not. So why am I taking it personally when I see mistakes that a specific Victory dealers is making?

I think the simple answer is: Selling Bikes and Cars are different experiences. Buying a car is...well, buying a car. The entire process is about the dealer trying to separate you from your money. An educated consumer in this market is a car salesman's worst nightmare as with a few clicks of the mouse and navigating to the right website, we can see how much they paid for a specific vehicle as well as what's a fair price to pay. Car salespeople despise educated consumers and view us "time wasters." We waste their time as we know the exact vehicle we want BEFORE we step into the dealership. We waste their time as we don't need to negotiate as we already know how much we are willing to pay. When they ask the age old question, "What's it going to take for you to purchase this vehicle today?" we already know the answer. We know that dealer and advertising fees are highway robbery and as refuse to pay them we watch the salesperson trot back and forth pretending to plead your case to that invisible manager. The only thing we might ask is to take a mere 15 minutes of their precious time is to take test drive to see if the car is as good as the ads says it is. And during that ride, we have to turn up the radio fairly loud to drown out the persistent sales pitch about the tires, seats and of course, the radio, which is keeping the bantering to a minimum while we're checking out the ride. And, when we hear a squeak or spot a flaw, we listen while they change the subject.

Probably, the only time we will return to the dealership after a purchase is for service and many times our cars will come out with a new problem that didn't exist when it entered.

Yes, we love to hate car dealers. This is not the case with the type of relationship we desire to have with a motorcycle dealership as we will most likely go back numerous times after the purchase to shoot the breeze, check out what's new and most likely happily drop a few bucks for some gear or accessories. We'll shoot the bull talking about bikes and experiences and we'll make new friends while we're there. These new friends will become riding buddies and at some point we'll break bread and share more stories.

I've learned many more life lessons from my riding buddies than I've learned from various golf pairings. The main thing I've learned is that it doesn't matter what you do for a living, how much money you make, the size of your house or the price of your car. We don't hear complaints about work, idle gossip, what problems the kids have gotten into or how the spouse is making them crazy, as when we ride, those things are temporarily forgotten. What we have in common is a love and freedom of the open road and that alone can fill up months of conversations. Each ride brings new stories and the circle continues.

When was the last time you told a car salesman about a Saturday drive you had through the curved roads? How about the exhilaration you felt when driving their vehicle? Most likely, never. If you do have a conversation with a car salesperson after the sale it's most likely about a falsehood that was told during the sales pitch. That's another thing that I've never understood about car salespeople: Why is it that we can become informed buyers by simply taking an hour on the Internet, reading about a car, check some reviews and end up knowing more about the features, options and functions than the person trying to get a hold on our credit report to learn if we are even qualified to purchase its vehicles? Poor management I guess.

On the other hand, we enjoy our relationships with our bike dealers and in most cases, they return the favor by setting up rides, events and and in some cases, meetings and social gatherings. Our relationship with a specific dealer leads to a feeling of "community." We can talk about things with the folks at the dealership that our friends and co-workers will never understand. It's a brotherhood (with a few sisters), a friendship, a fraternity and a community.

This is why I had to give Alexis some grief today.

During my first visit to my dealer as well as other phone conversations and email exchanges, I asked about group rides and was told that not only were there rides, they held chapter meetings in the store. I liked that concept as my friends these days don't ride, they play golf. I was getting back into riding after an absence and reminisced about all those great rides I used to attend with my old Nashville buddies. To me it was a selling point having a dealership that provided this type of activity and was thrilled they would send out emails notifying me of upcoming events. After all, they inundated me with emails prior to purchase, why would I doubt they would not notify me of upcoming rides and events so that I could become part of the local riding community? Maybe I'm the bad neighbor, Nah, can't be that. Maybe I insulted them...I really don't think so as all our conversations have been pleasant and productive. Maybe I treated them like a car salesperson and beat them up too much on the price. I know for a fact that wasn't the case as when I made the decision to purchase I specifically told the Owner that I followed the economy and I knew this was a tough time to be selling high-end bikes and I made a deal.

My deal was I'd wouldn't attempt to negotiate price with him, but I expected to be treated fairly when it came time to add some accessories or perform service my new pride and joy. The dealer has so far lived up to his end of the deal, so, that couldn't be the issue.

Let's face it, other than in a few locations, most Victory dealers have facilities that pale in comparison to most Harley-Davidson stores. Victory is still a new franchise and hopefully as the dealers become more successful, nicer surroundings will be constructed. But that didn't matter to me as after a single test drive of the Vision and seeing the quality of other Victory models on the showroom floor, and comparing this line of bikes in my mind to my past bikes, I knew that Victory was manufacturing superior products. How did I know this? Because they had to. They couldn't just throw out any bike and slap a Victory badge on it and expect it to sell. They were competing with an 800 pound Gorilla who that had a worldwide following. Most people have not yet even heard of Victory, but based on the bike's I've seen, this will soon change. Many of the Victory dealerships are operating on a shoestring budget and the most of the staffers are doing double or triple duty as that's the norm when you're dealing with a smaller company that is still relatively new to the market. It would be bad business to spend your money on things that are considered overhead before the profits start to roll in.

This is the case with Alexis as she wears many hats.

Don't get me wrong, she has been fantastic to deal with and her follow-up has been second to none. The important part of her job, making sure the bikes are properly registered and licensed, is so smooth you don't even realize it was accomplished. There's only one bone I had to pick with her and it was that I wasn't being notified of rides or meetings.

Before I get to the rest of that story, it's time for me to go a bit off topic. A few years back, when I lived in the South Beach area, I had two bikes: A Harley Road King and a Yamaha Scooter. I was traveling so much that during many months, I might spend just a few days in this, my vacation home. One afternoon, when arriving back from a long trip, I decided to head out on the scooter to grab a late lunch on the beach. When I got to the garage, I see my Road King, but my Yamaha was suspiciously absent. It was strange as both bikes were chained together and secured to a concrete support beam. The chain was a commercial weight model and was promised to be nearly impossible to cut. The lock was one similar you'd find to secure the back of a FedEx truck. I thought they would be safe. Both bikes were cloaked in protective covers to further deter theft or vandalism.

The strange part was, while the chains security had been breached, the thieves only took the Yamaha Scooter, not the Harley Road King. Go figure? The H-D was worth much more than the scooter and would surely bring a larger price on the stolen goods market. Of course a Police report was filed and I was told the probable reason they took the scooter and not the Harley was that the scooter was easier to fence. So I contacted the insurance company and a few weeks later I received the check to purchase a new scooter. I opted to purchase the exact same model and the color as the one that was stolen.

Now, let's fast forward a few months and I had moved a bit north on Miami Beach. I had sold my Harley back to the dealer as the chrome was pitting and no matter what they did, it continued to deteriorate in the salty ocean air. Instead of getting another Harley, I opted to purchase a Honda Helix. For the type of riding I was doing during that part of my life, a scooter made more sense. The Helix was a great scooter and I enjoyed riding it around and slipping it into the tightest of parking spaces. The trunk was ample for my beach gear and it was a pleasure to ride.

My friend, I'll call Mr.D was visiting from Colorado and we took the scooters to ride around, enjoy the weather and grab some grub. While riding around, I saw those dreaded blue lights in my mirrors and we both immediately pulled over. Neither Mr. D or I are what you would call intimidating guys and we fully cooperated with the officer. He had pulled us over as, unknown to me, the Yamaha's tag had expired by a month or so.. Hmm, I usually am really good about these types of things, but didn't remember getting the renewal letter in the mail. I was living in a high-rise at the time and the mail worker many times mixed up the mail. At that time, I was living in Nashville and South Florida was my getaway home. So okay, I screwed up by not renewing the tag and was about to accept the ticket. Duane is an Attorney and he was ribbing me about this.

Then, all of a sudden after communicating on his radio, the officer pulled-out his weapon and started shouting out the types of instructions you see on the TV show "Cops." Step away from the vehicle...place your hands behind your head...lace your fingers...get on your knees.

WHAT? Mr. D and I looked at each other and while we obeyed the officer, we had no idea of what was happening. After all, the Officer had a gun and we were just two guys out looking for a fun place for lunch. The officer asked if we knew why we were being arrested. We told him we had no idea. He informed us that the Yamaha is a stolen vehicle and we are being arrested on this charge. I tried to explain the scooter was not stolen and I had all the paperwork...it was in the storage compartment under the seat. He didn't care as the computer said it was stolen, therefore it was. The discussion was futile and Mr. D advised not to rock the boat. The scooter was paid for and it was mine. It was purchased from a local Honda/Yamaha dealership and I wrote the check from the insurance proceeds from the stolen scooter. The check had properly cleared the bank.

Other officers arrived on the scene and we tried to explain the situation. They didn't care. I can't say I blamed them, but still, we were innocent. Meanwhile, enough police cars showed up on the scene to make any passerby think we were major league bad guys.

After we were placed in the back seat of the patrol car, a female officer was in the front seat. Calmly, I told her I had a scooter that was stolen, but this was the replacement. I had given the same info to the other Officers, but it fell on deaf ears. She didn't believe me as well until I asked a simple question: Can you call in on your radio and ask WHO made the stolen vehicle report? She complied and quickly learned it was me. She then realized that a mistake was made as the person who files the complaint is not typically the one in possession of stolen property. Things then got a bit more relaxed as they let us out of the car and allowed me to open the seat compartment and showed them the registration. We were then released. The Officers even followed us home to make sure we weren't pulled over again for the same situation.

Evidently the person at the dealership who was responsible for registering the title on the replacement scooter, screwed up and placed the VIN of the old scooter on the new bike's paperwork. This explained why I had not received the tag renewal in the mail as in the State's mind, the bike was stolen and didn't exist.

This is why I appreciate the "small" things that Alexis does behind the scenes of the dealership. Alexis, I trust you did this correctly as I really don't want to go through this ordeal again! Now back to the Alexis-grief story:

I had learned through a message board there was a group of Victory owners that typically rode every Sunday. This was ideal for me as Saturday is for golf and Sunday is a perfect riding day for me. Yesterday, I received an email from a local group who I had registered with when I made my Vision purchase and asked to be notified of upcoming rides. The email started with a rundown of the meeting held at the dealership just three days ago.

What? I missed my first chapter meeting? Wasn't the dealership supposed to notify me of this? Shouldn't it have been posted on the dealer's website calendar? Yes, it should have, but it wasn't.

The simple answer is: Yes.

When I emailed Alexis about this oversight and my disappointment, I wasn't expecting an immediate response. It's human nature to respond quickly when the answer is positive. However, many people feel uncomfortable addressing a less than positive situation. This is not what happened with Alexis. She responded immediately and apologized. She did not blame anyone other than herself and stated that old Steve Martin phrase, "I forgot."

Hey, an honest person. Alexis, I screw up too and I know it takes a big person to acknowledge a mistake. You have restored my faith in humanity and I'm now a bigger fan today than I was yesterday. She also said she had fallen behind on updating the online calendar of events and before I could even address that issue she told me that has now been corrected.

So thanks Alexis. You're still the best in my book!

In that email from the local Victory group, I learned of a great ride for tomorrow. I hope to take some photos of the folks and with their permission, I'll show you their mugs and their bikes in a future post.

Read More...