On Thursdays, I usually write/publish/submit a Garrison Center column (sometimes I'll get an earlier start on the writing part), work on Friday's Rational Review News Digest, do my usual social media work and comment moderation at Antiwar.com, but try to get everything set up so that when I get up at 4:30am on Friday, I have very little to do and am "done with the week" (except for periodic comment section checks and a weekend column) by 7am or so, until Sunday afternoon. I'm at a stopping/break point right now, which is when I do my blog posting.
Anyway, all that means Friday is "my Saturday," when I have time to do things like try to hack the yard down to size, go see a movie ... or sit at DMV waiting to get a vehicle registered and tagged.
So today, I'm awaiting a firm reply (I got "sounds good, but have to talk to my husband, I'll get back to you") on 1) a tentative offer of slightly less than the ad demanded and 2) a time this evening to go look at/test/potentially buy that Vitacci Clash 200 EFI scooter. They wanted $1,300. I said I couldn't do more than $1,200, which is what the 1981 Honda CM200 Twinstar is priced at (I finally got a quote out of a dealership on a used Kymco Like 150i, but it's out of my price range).
If the offer is acceptable, I'll look at the scooter before I look at the Honda. If the scooter is acceptable, I won't bother looking at the Honda. If things ain't right, I'll look at the Honda. In either case, I hope to get a bike home tonight and then go to DMV in the morning to get it all nice and legal.
BUT!
The guy at the place where I bought the 50cc told me that if I was ever looking for something bigger, let him know and he could probably find something. I messaged him this morning with "I'm looking for something 168cc or larger, in decent shape, for $1,500 or less out the door."
"Out the door" means I don't have to sit at DMV. The title, etc. gets done right there at his shop, I get a temp tag, and he gives me a yell when the permanent plate is ready to be picked up. So if I hear back from him with something really good today, I can just drop by his shop tomorrow and drive away on something that won't get me pulled over.
In either case, I'll take care of insurance somewhere in there (no insurance, no title/tag).
As you can probably tell, I'm still agonizing over all this.
Functionally, both of the main vehicles under consideration are "country highway, but not freeway" vehicles. I suspect I could comfortably carry a little more cargo on the scooter, but I'd get by on either one.
Mechanically, it's a wash. I can actually work on a scooter transmission, while the motorcycle transmission would be a mystery to me. On the other hand, I can mess with a carburetor like the bike has, while the scooter is fuel-injected and has sensors and electronics. Fortunately my mechanic lives right across the street.
So it's really about my fear of driving a manual transmission bike versus my personal style/presentation. I think I look more like a "biker" than like a "mod" (the set traditionally associated with scooters). You know -- fat and bearded and if nobody looks too closely plausibly muscular, rather than thin and sophisticated.
I told Tamara this morning that if I get the scooter, I probably don't deserve to rock the mustache. At least unless I want to thin it out to a pencilish thing.
I think I would be safer and more comfortable on the scooter.
I think I'd look more menacing and mysterious on the motorcycle.
I'll probably emphasize safety and comfort over looking like a mean motherfucker. I mean, I'm getting old. And also, scooter clubs sound a little less tense than biker gangs if I want to get social.
But that might change, now or later. And at least I theoretically know how to ride a motorcycle now, so I suppose I could borrow a friend's when I want to add a little spice to my life.
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