First True Temptation Lately ...

... to go ahead and get the bigger bike, even if it means finding a buyer for some Bitcoin. It's a 1993 Honda Shadow 600 VLX.

• $1,500 -- price is right!
• 600cc, right in the engine range I want.
• Cruiser type platform, which is what I want.
• Top speed seems to be somewhere between 90mph and 100mph -- sufficient but not "you are DEFINITELY going to die."
• Only about 15 miles away, so a short first ride home on familiar roads.
• It's a 1993 bike, so it won't have a bunch of that digital garbage I don't want.
• Tires are in good shape and won't need immediate replacement.

Down sides:

• "Miles are unknown the odometer was replaced before I bought it." Odometer reads under 10k miles, but for all I know the engine has 50k on it and is on its last legs.
• Spoked wheels. While I prefer old tech on the dash -- analog speedo/tach/fuel gauge -- I like alloy wheels.
• Disk brake on the front, good, but drum on the rear. Again, I prefer the newer tech on brakes (no mention of ABS, which I don't think was very standard that early).
• Not really a down side:  "Needs some cosmetic work but still looks great." I would plan on some cosmetic work anyway. It's a black bike, and I'd want to get some yellow on there, probably the entire gas tank and highlights/striping on the fenders). The big cosmetic flaw seems to be a torn up seat, something I'd want to correct but could probably wait on.

I will probably wait, because there are down sides. I'd expect to put at least another $1k in the bike over the first year, and for $1k more I can probably get something nice. On the other hand, if the listing doesn't get snapped up quickly, maybe I'll get the money together to make an offer. I do like the Shadows, though. Nice low-seat cruiser, and good-looking.