On the 17th I was supposed to go for a test ride on the bike and also close the deal. However, the Seller called me a few days prior to let me know that a good friend of his had died and he needed to go to a funeral on that date. He wanted to set up a meeting on Sunday the 18th to do the test drive and strike a deal, but this would not work for me because I had arranged for a mechanic to give the boke a once over and the mechanic did not work on Sundays. So, I suggested that he let his mother show me the bike on the 17th and we give me on the 18th to close the deal. He agreed.
I was a little late getting there on the 17th, it'd been a long time since I had been to that area of Indiana and had forgotten how far away it was from Fort Wayne. When I got there I met Seller's Mother who was very cordial and took me out to see the bike which was in her garage. The bike sat there covered in a light layer of sawdust but looking very much like the pictures the Seller had sent me. I dusted off the seat, and put the cover back over the battery. It did not start on the first try, the battery was a little weak so I removed the cover and put it on the charger. A minute or two later she started right up. After replacing the battery cover again, I sat down on the bike for the first time. The fit was perfect.
I donned the rest of my safety gear and backed out of the garage then took off down the alley. The friction zone was perfect, and even though I'd never been on the bike before I never stalled it out. I had to drive several miles to get out of town but the traffic was light so it was not too nerve-racking. When I finally did get on the highway, I rolled her up to about 60 miles an hour and cruised there for a little while to see how she sounded. It was awesome. After driving to the next little town, I turned around and headed back towards the bike dealership that was going to give the SilverWing a once over.
The mechanic made quick work of the inspection and I was back on the road with a verdict of "Damn fine shape for its age". From there, I just cruised. I did a bit on the highway, I did a bit on country roads, I did a bit to the city. At one point a GoldWing came up from behind me, waved and then rode along side of me for several miles down the highway. I would loved to have gotten a picture of it.
60 miles later I returned the bike. She was going to be my first bike, if I could make the deal I needed to.
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