The Waiting Is Not Really the Hardest Part ...

... but I still don't like it. More than an hour to actually get to a window at the tax collector's office -- then less than five minutes to pay the Danegeld and get a shiny new license with motorcycle endorsement.*

After that, I did a little window shopping. One scooter repair shop that says they sell bikes appeared to be closed. At another, the only bike in my desired power range was at the bottom of that range (150cc scooter), and above the top of my desired price range ($1,800 not including tax/tag costs; I want to top out at $1,500 total). It was a nice bike -- an orange-colored, air-cooled Kymco, which I believe reader Thane is partial to. I think the price was probably right for the brand/condition, and I suppose I may check the couch cushions for additional cash and go back there if I don't find something more to my liking on both power and price.

Thing is, I can buy a brand new Honda Navi -- rides like a motorcycle except no shifting -- for about $1,400. Top speed about 50mph ... and maybe $300 in modifications (exhaust, variator, clutch, CDI ... to be able to get 60-65mph out of it. But I wouldn't want to ride a Navi on the freeway for multiple reasons, including that top speed not being a viable long-distance cruising speed. So I'd be a little better situated than I am now, but not as well-situated as I'll be if I can find something in at least the 250cc range for a decent price.

I'm hoping to have something purchased by the end of this week ... and anyone who's interested in how fast I can go, whether I end up dying in a ball of fire and hail of twisted metal, etc., should hit one of the support links in the right sidebar to help take the financial edge off a little.

* Yes, I had to wait an hour to give them money for permission to do something I've already established to their satisfaction I'm capable of doing. It is my opinion that Florida state law should be modified to make that run in the other direction if you're kept waiting. They get 15 minutes from the time you check in. At the 15-minute mark, the clock starts running, and when they finally call you to the counter, there's a printer already printing out a check to you in the amount of the median Florida hourly wage for every hour and additional fraction of an hour you've waited.