Monday, August 19, 2024

It May Be Kind of an "Off" Week

No joy finding a bike this weekend.

Last night, we had our 19-year-old cat, Countess, euthanized. She'd been getting thinner and less energetic for some time, but over the last few days she was clearly just not enjoying life. Didn't seem to be in pain, but was having more trouble getting around, controlling her bladder, and finally seemed to be having some kind of minor seizures. It was just ... time. We enjoyed her company for five years after some idiots dropped her off at a rescue at 14 years old because their kid wanted a puppy (that was the bizarrely dumb story we got, anyway).

This week, I've got pre-op consult tomorrow and the "camera up your shitter" routine on Friday.

I'm still hoping to have a bike in the next 1-2 weeks. I've messaged the dealer I bought the used Italica from about the "out the door" cost of the new Italica Bulldog 150 (model presumably not included, image from Italica's social media):





If that's doable, I'll probably do it.

It's a 150cc clone of the 109cc Honda Navi. About the same top speed stock, but since it's actually a generic Chinese machine, there should be plenty of aftermarket parts (clutches, variators, carburetors, exhausts) available to inexpensively and incrementally get it up from its stock 45-50mph to, say, 60mph. Not a freeway bike, but good for smaller highway travel and plenty for around town.

If it's not doable, I'm still entertaining various used listings or an Amazon special. If the latter, I hope to get it ordered today or tomorrow on the off chance that Amazon has one in stock in Florida and it will get here by the weekend so I can have it put together in time to go get it tagged on Monday. I'm just trying to decide between the (cheaper, more my style) 125cc "cafe cruiser" or a (more expensive, but faster) 250cc "Enduro" style bike. Leaning toward the former, not because of the expense so much as because I prefer the cruiser platform and because it is also easily modded -- I've seen video where someone made it into a 250, so basically I'd have time to learn/grow on it and then make it "more bike."

I really, really, really, really hate dealing with people on Facebook marketplace. So far I've had one person simply never reply when I was trying to give him his asking price (the bike was still there and, so far as I know, unsold), and another act like they would take a good offer and then just pull the listing and not bother to tell me the bike was no longer listed until I asked when I could come see it/get it.

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