Well I made my little pilgrimage from Rockville, MD to Cherry Hill, NJ and picked up the Ride this past Saturday from Cycle World of NJ.

I'd been planning for this little adventure all summer and couldn't figure out how I was going to get up there at first as I didn't want Robin to have to make the trip given her reluctance in me getting the bike. Then I figured out that I could do a one way car rental for about a hundred bucks. Lady luck was with me as the rental outfit I used had an office literally across the street from the dealership. I made it to Cherry Hill and had the car dropped off before the dealership had even unlocked their doors. Oh yeah, I was like a kid at Christmas.

The guys at the dealership were great. I've been an obsessive website viewing wingnut for the past 3 months and sent inquiries to them a number of times over the past month and they patiently responded to each of them. This is a far cry from most of the dealerships that I'd dealt with around my area. I was floored when I walked into their dealership - what bike would you like. I kid you not they had more bikes on the floor than any 3 dealerships around me. They even had a brand new 2004 Rune sitting on the floor - what a beauty.
Not only did the sales guys treat me well but as a born again rider needing EVERYTHING their service guys also did an outstanding job. On Thursday morning I found out that the jacket I had ordered over the web was back ordered. In a bit of a panic I called the dealership and Brian actually had a guy at their distribution warehouse who was able to locate another jacket for me, which was fantastic given that I needed a 2XTall. Then Friday I got a wild hair up my rear and called them asking if they had engine guards in stock. Not only did they have a set of Cobras available they were able to get them on for me before I picked up the bike.
If you're in the market for a new Kawasaki, Honda or Suzuki these guys are well worth the drive as their stock of bikes is staggering.

The drive back was interesting to say the least. Other than a buddy of mine and I renting Harleys for a day I hadn't been on a bike in over 20 years. So now I found myself getting ready to pull out of a parking lot on a brand new 800 lb. beast. I kept praying that I'd just get out of the dealership without dropping this behemoth. Luck was still with me as I got her up their driveway an out onto a pretty busy 4 lane road. Of course I didn't get a block before I realized that I hadn't adjusted the mirrors and that I was staring down at the rear wheels. Time to pull into a parking lot and test the brakes.

I then proceeded to get back on the highway leading down to I95, which I was so not looking forward to. But I kept a wary eye out and remembered to keep reminding myself that no one could see me. Of course in reality my bumble bee jacket made me stick out pretty well. Although it was a hot, long and for a first time ride, more than a little intimidating I did manage to get it home without incident.

OK, so here's my new baby.