New Baybeh!

It’s still nine days until my motorcycle course begins (not that I’m counting down or anything), and yesterday I acquired my first bike! I’ve been looking on Kijiji.ca, which is a super site for finding local stuff for sale, or free, or jobs or whatever. I saw this bike not too long ago, and put it on my "watch" list. The seller was asking a little too much for it, for my budget, so I just kind of had it in the background. I looked at some other bikes, went to Norm and got him to check them out on Kijiji and give me his opinion. And this past holiday weekend, I went to look at one in Halifax.

Aside: I had gone into the city the evening before to take #2 Daughter out for her 19th birthday. 19 is legal drinking age here in NS, so I took her for dinner and bought her a couple of drinks. I had a great time with her, as always. I love my kidlet.

So, on Canada Day, I went back to the city to check out a little Honda, which didn’t fit me quite the way I had been hoping it would. You remember Norm and PG had me trying out Y’s bike and checking out the fit–so I did the same things with this one. The Honda had a pipe running down the left just under my left knee and I would have had to get a heat shield or ride with my leg turned out. In fact, when I put my hand down, the pipe blistered the top of the middle phalanx of my index finger. Not nice at all. All I could see was falling over to the left with that landing on my leg and burning it to the bone. So…not what I was looking for.

Then I went to hang with Knittingwomantoo for a bit and went to the Powwow to check out vendors. Turns out A was there selling drums but I didn’t see him. Hope he sold a few. He makes nice drums and has a little Native heritage, so it’s all good. Came home to K’ville, and during the course of Canada Day met a fella where there was a little mutual spark of the DND variety and ended up breaking that long, dry spell of no nookie. Of course, that’s how my friendship with R started–all hot and steamy and then real friendship grew. I have a date with this fella tomorrow night, and we’re on the same page so far. He’s pleasant to be around, satisfies what I need satisfied (and vice versa) and it’s all good. It’s amazing how a little sex between consenting adults can improve life. He works for Parks and Recreation (appropriately enough) and is about my age, has been single for 6 months, and…yeah. Go me! I have a date with him this coming Thursday night (Thursday because I don’t have to be at work until 2 pm on Friday, and I have to work Saturday morning at 8).

Last Saturday, it was gloomy and crap so I didn’t do anything, really. Norm and Paulette had taken Paulette’s daughter and her friend camping in the new trailer, so they weren’t around, and PG won’t admit that Y owns his–well, something or other–so I didn’t even try to contact him. I did go back on Kijiji, looking, and sent a couple of txts out to people to arrange to see some bikes.

Sunday, I went to Windsor to look at a bike there, which was an 81 Yamaha Virago. A little tall, not quite what I was looking for. And then I went to Kingston to see this other bike. The owner said I was the only one to txt her so far, although her ad in Kijiji specifically said to txt to arrange to see the bike. I looked at it, tried it on for size (wearing my kick-ass army boots), and fell in love with it. She was asking $1900 for this 87 Virago 535 which seemed to be in near mint condition, with 54000 km on it. I offered her $1500, and she said okay. I told her I needed my bike guru to check it out, and if he said it was worth $1500, we had a deal. Arranged to come back Tuesday evening, went home, txted Norm to see if they were home yet. They weren’t, so I txted him the next morning, went over and told him about the bike. We looked at it on Kijiji and he has his laptop hooked up to his bigscreen TV so the pics were nice  and big. He agreed to come look at it with me on Tuesday night and miss bike night at the coffee shop in Coldbrook (dozens of bikers go there on Tuesday nights). I also told him about breaking my dry spell on Friday and got a "Good for you!" I love Norm and Paulette. I can be completely ME with them, and that’s awesome!

Yesterday, I went over around 4:30. We talked about PG and Y and how she was trying to invade the workshop. Norm threw out her box of "art junk" which turned out to have random crap in it–short pieces of metal pipe, bolts, part of an extension cord, nuts–the most random crap you can imagine. Norm and Paulette and I just kind of went "Huh. WTF?" Then Norm and I took off the handmade labels she had made for the shelves she had organized, and pretty much removed all traces of her presence from his workshop. That tickled me. She’s driving Norm and Paulette insane, and PG will let her come over because she owns his balls, as far as I can tell. Norm had PG come over yesterday morning but told him "It’s guys only today" to keep her away. The whole thing is terribly amusing to me, and although I feel for PG, he needs to reclaim his cojones and take a stand. He had dropped over on Monday when I was there, and when I asked what he had done for the holiday weekend, the reply was, "Fought and argued, and went fishing." Takes two to fight, ya know what I mean?

Anyway, back to the story–we had supper and I got a txt from the bike owner, Robin. She wanted to know if we could come at 7 instead of 6:30, and that worked out well for us, because we were just having supper. We talked about the bike, and Norm asked Paulette if she would like to drive it home instead of wrassling it onto the truck, and she was game, so she brought her helmet along. We went out there, and Norm looked it all over, started it up and announced that it was running on one cylinder which was easy to fix. It has all kinds of original parts, but the exhaust system has been replaced with something better, there are roll bars on the front, the seat has been redone and is super comfy. It has a windshield, which he wants to lower a little bit and all in all, it’s in pretty pristine condition for a bike its age. Norm’s verdict was that it was a great deal, and I handed over $1500 in cash, got the papers to say it’s mine, and did the happy dance. Norm had got me to sit on it, stand up and rock it between my thighs left and right without holding onto the handlebars, and sit and put my foot on the peg and so on and so forth. The bike fits me perfectly. It’s a sweet bike. 

Paulette backed it out of the garage, and we followed her home along the old highway, and she had it up to 90 km/hr, even running on the one cylinder. They were hoping the second one would kick in, but no joy. That’s okay. Norm told me he’s going to teach me maintenance–how to change the plugs, the oil, et cetera and so forth. Right now, they have a wrecked bike which is the sameyear and model as my new one, which Norm is going to take some chrome from and put it on my new Baybeh, and it’s going to be awesome. I will take pics. The trashed bike is Paulette’s old bike, which she "sold" to a friend (remember Drunk Chick from a prior entry? Yeah, her), who hadn’t finished paying for it when she took possession, and rode it into a ditch. The bike is a write-off. Paulette doesn’t have her money, and it’s all not pretty. I need to check my finances, and I will offer some cash for the parts Norm takes off and puts on mine.

Soooo, I need to go over there this morning sometime and get some pics with me and Baybeh, and then go to work, and foam at the mouth until the weekend of the 15th when I get to take the course. So excited to get on my new bike. And so grateful to have Norm and Paulette as friends. Norm and I share our own PTSD due to childhood abuse, and he told me yesterday if he ever needs a shoulder to cry on and someone who understands when the darkness comes up, he’ll call, and I know I can turn to him for the same shoulder. Paulette is wonderful, and she has a certain understanding, but hasn’t the feel for what it’s like–the old shame and bullshit that you never quite get rid of. Note that this does not mean that there is anything between Norm and me, but we have just clicked. I adore the two of them. They’re so good to me. 

So, I’m off for now. Will be back with more pics. The ones I have on FB are ones I stole from Robin’s Kijiji ad, and don’t do my Baybeh justice.  

Edit: Added pics of Baybeh in Norm’s yard, including one Norm took of me on my bike! Love it!!