Saturday, September 12, 2009

Epiphanies – Grand Schemes – Preparation ~ Lock and Load

Mosquito bites have a way of swelling up and this one was no different. As I was thinking about the FJR, it dawned on me I have a Kawasaki Nomad sitting outside that has been for sale since April. I have gotten calls and some people appeared excited by the prospect but as soon as I mentioned the bike has 48,600 miles on it, you would think it had AIDES or some venereal disease. The phone would go silent and then they would say, well I have a few more calls to make and I will get back to you. Over and Over and Over again.

The EPHINANY –I could trade the Nomad in on the FJR. Simple enough. The Nomad plus a little cash and Brockton Cycle would be happy, I would be happy, but I doubt this would have little effect on Middle East peace, or the war on terrorism. These will have to be solved at another time. I got some research to do




The GRAND SCHEME – Quick check to NADA and KBB (Kelly Blue Book) makes trading for my Nomad for the FJR very feasible. Quick search on the internet about FJR’s and I sign up on the FJRForum, start researching tip over bars, how to mount a Streetpilot GPS to the bike.


Now I am getting excited.

One problem, I have to ride the Nomad down there and a couple of weeks ago the battery died. I have to push the Nomad back to where I live from the Getty station. So I don’t run into problems I start researching where to purchase a battery from. Wow, batteries aren’t cheap, this sucker gonna cost a hundo (HD term for $100).


OK with paper in hand using the High Retail on the Nomad and the low trade-in value on the FJR, Brockton Cycle is going to owe me money. Quick call to my friend Steve to see what is a reasonable method for calculating high mileage deduction, since it is not spelled out on the NADA / KBB. He says $.10/mile. Ouch. The Nomad for the year and CC’s is supposed to have 25K and it has 48.6K, quick math $2,300 mileage deduction.

The plan is to get a battery by Friday, put it in the Nomad and head to Brockton Cycle on Saturday the 12th.

PREPARATION – It’s Saturday the 12th, it is pouring out and I don’t have the battery. I am feeling a tad guilty about not going to Stowe for the NER Birthday Bash, but I do have this riding malaise thing going on.
Left the house about 9am heading for Auburn to the Interstate Battery store on RT 20. They have an exact much, however it needs to be energized (put the acid in it) and charge it up. Head to Upton to the garage to see if my battery tender will be go to go for a slow charge on the battery. Mark, John and Steve are there heading for the Rose Garden. I got time for one beer.

I left the Rose Garden about 3 hours later and still have the battery in the box. Home to N Uxbridge. Bring the battery up, take the battery out, read the instructions like 5 times, once in each of the languages (struggled with the Japanese ones, since I don’t know the symbols). Get the juice emptied into the battery (they actually make this very easy and minimize the chance of spilling the acid all over the place), wait the predefined 20 minutes for it to flow from tubes to the battery, and take the battery into the hall, hook up the battery tender, plug it in and go watch a movie

The next morning I wake to see the light on the battery tender has gone from yellow to green. Get out my meter, read the instructions on how to test, test it, PERFECT.

Downstairs with the battery and put it in the Nomad. Goes in like a charm. Get all the connections hooked up, turn the key on, WrrrBRRRRRR (the fuel pump winding up) and press the start, WrrrrWrrrrW rrr PudataPudataPudata, SUCCESS.

Brockton Cycle is closed on Sunday and Monday, I have a training meeting in Chicopee Tuesday, so Wednesday I will take the day off to perform EXECUTION.

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