I wanted to start a forum wherein people of Puget Sound, and maybe, eventually a much larger area, could read about and discuss options for personal transportation, which ultimately use less oil and gas [or maybe none at all], so that we can retain more of our personal and family funds for other needs [college funds for our kids? Retirement?], but also so we help minimize our impact on the global environment. This should also help drive the development of alternative transportation, such as electric cars and motorcycles, and hybrids with even better mileage.
I will be researching the location of, and products sold by, various existing transportation dealers, as well as companies who modify existing transportation, such as the Toyota Prius, so it can get around 100 mpg ! I will be conducting interviews, taking HD video of products, and hopefully testing many of these vehicles and posting my reviews, and pictures and video, and well as pricing, and information about these companies, their hours, and some of the main contact people for each of the companies.
To get started, I wanted to recommend a book that first got me interested in Motorcycling when I read it for the first time about 25 years ago: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig. I am now re-reading it for the third time.
So, indulge me a bit while I give you a little history on my motorcycle ownership and riding. I puchased the 1989 Honda CBR600F in 1989. It is now 21 years old - a classic. I've also owned a 1989 CBR1000, and a 1991 Suzuki GSXR750. I sold those other two bikes, and kept this one. This is my favorite. I paid $4,200 for it in 1989, and I've recently been offered over $5,000 cash for it.
I had been coveting various bikes over the years, but had always thought they were too dangerous. When I turned 30, I decided it was now or never, so I jumped in an purchased my CBR from University Honda [when they were still located in the University District]. The salesman who sold me this motorcycle, was the best salesman I've ever purchased a motorcycle from, and certainly, thinking back on it, a great teacher and friend. He had been a State Patrol Motorcycle officer for 20 years, and before he took my money, he lectured me for over 20 minutes about the seriousness of motorcycle owenership, and the possible dangers. He said that unlike driving a car, when riding a motorcycle, everyone and everyone around me on the road would now be "trying to kill me". He didn't say this to scare me, but he said he wanted to impress me upon me that if I took my attention off what I was doing for just one second, I could be rendered severely injured or even dead.
He said that if I was willing to understand all the things he was saying, and take them to heart, and promise to ride intelligently, and with awareness, and responsibility, he would continue to take my money, and finalize the sale. I did promise, and the CBR600F was mine. That talk has never left me, and it is why I am alive to this day. I've probably ridden well over 150,000 miles on motorcycles, and consider myself a very safe rider. Later on I hope to get a HD helmet cam, and make some videos for ridership traffic awareness and safety and link to them on YouTube.
