Meet Lena Mae

 

I got a short test ride before pulling the final trigger. I've put about 30 miles on her, from the dealership home, riding through town to get a taste of how she handles in various traffic scenarios. The answer was, beautifully.

I was wrong about her being the SE model, just a regular Eliminator 450 w/ABS brakes. I actually prefer the non-SE headlight setup (the SE has a cowl that doesn't look as nice IMO), so no biggie.

On my little 150s, going 60mph means tucking head and body down, squeezing the tank with your knees, and keeping the throttle all way. On this bike you cruise to 60 then she asks you what else you got. I haven't gone more than about 60 because this is the break-in period.

In honor of the olive drab (actually "Matte Old School Green") trim, I'm naming her after Lena Mae Basilone.

Lena Mae Riggi was a Marine Corps sergeant (the most distinguished rank in this old grunt's opinion) during World War 2.

So was John Basilone. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions on Guadalcanal, was brought back home to sell war bonds, got sick of that, and asked to be put back into real duty. He met Lena Mae at Camp Pendleton (the main road of which is named for him) while he was training a platoon to go into battle. They married shortly before he shipped out with them. He was killed in action on Iwo Jima.

So, she gets a motorcycle named after her. Not much of an honor, I guess, but it's what I've got to offer, and the name seems to suit the bike.