More Intimate Admissions I Probably Shouldn’t Share
Well after a winter of complaining about riding in the cold, it looks like warmer weather is finally creeping into Raleigh, NC. And with some gentle persuasion from my Burgman riding buddy Charles, who pleaded with me by text to get the Burgie ready to ride, I’m getting her ready for the road.
Now I admire all the DIY Burgie riders out there and love the many videos but I have to admit, while I loved to work on cars in my younger days, now that I’m cornering 50 I’m no longer in love with crawling around on a cold concrete floor to work on stuff. My version of getting the Burgman to ride involves my good friend, the dealer.
Friday night I wanted to make sure the scooter was ready to fire up after months of sitting. I put the key in and pressed the starter button, The lights dimmed and I as I was expecting a weak battery but I was ready and plugged the battery charger in and connected it to the bike for an overnight charge in anticipation of a Saturday morning ride to the dealer. In the middle of the night I woke up laughing when I realized that the reason the Burgman didn’t start was because the side stand was still down when I tried. Doh!
Luckily my Suzuki dealer is about 6 miles from me. Thank you! And I really have to give them a 10+ rating, as compared to other places I’ve taken my other bikes for service. Saturday is their while you wait day, if you ride in early they will do the routine stuff while you hang out in the one chair and one sofa warehouse sized waiting room.
After a full night battery charge, and taking the scooter off the side stand, it fired right up after months of sitting in the garage over a chilly and wet weather North Carolina winter. I backed the bike out of the garage and felt back at home again as I headed out the driveway.
It felt amazing to be back on the road and not in layers of cold weather gear. It was freeing, liberating, wonderful. I knew I should take it easy on the Burgman since it had been so long since I’d ridden but somehow I just naturally felt myself accelerating again, just like I had before I parked it on that cold winter night last year.
Logically I knew I had to be very aware of being back on two wheels again. I don’t want to be one of those spring motorcycle accidents of people unprepared to be back in the saddle again. I already had my Doh moment with the side stand and I’d take that embarrassment rather than a ditch ride.
Traffic was light as I headed towards the dealer, or was I just passing everybody? No, it was light, which was good. The Burgman felt wonderful, just as responsive and it made me so freaking happy to be back on the road again.
The guys at the shop wanted to know if I wanted to wait for it. I said I’d give them till Wednesday so they didn’t have to rush the complete service. I wanted to give them time to do a complete safety inspection and fluid replacements. You see, I need the scooter as serviced and safe as possible because spring is here baby and I’m getting ready to ride again, all the time. Amen.
(5 votes, average: 4.60 out of 5)
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Hey, glad to see you on the road again. I live in East Tennessee and our winters are not so bad. I continue to take the Burgman out about twice a month, even if it is just around the neighborhood. I think it’s a good thing to keep the battery charged and everything lubricated well. This past weekend the weather was a windy 70 degrees, so I spent the day Saturday just cruising around the area. I envy those in the deep South and SouthWest who get to ride year-round. Ride safe.
Hey,steve i was so glad to hear that you dropped off your burgnman at the shop,It will soon be time to plan our next ride .I know once you got back on the saddle the riding bug was going to bite you.