The End of an Era?

My Buddy Lee in Oregon (that's him up top) called a couple o' days ago to let me know he'd be in my neck o' the woods around the end of this month and would be droppin' in for a visit.  It seems like he won an e-Bay bid on a spiffy limited edition Duck... said Duck bein' in Fort Worth, Texas... and he planned to pick it up the end of this month and ride it back to Oregon, by way of P-Ville.  Which is verrah cool, sein' as how Lee and I haven't had a few beers together in almost exactly five years.

But stuff happens.  Lee called the next day and told me the deal fell through, which is a longish story about which I'll spare ya the details, Gentle Reader.  It came to pass that I suggested he should consider buying Miss Zukiko instead, what with she bein' sumthin' of a Poor Man's Ducati and one whole HELLUVA lot cheaper than an SR4S Tricolore.  Well, one thing led to another and it looks like I've sold Miss Zukiko into bondage, the bondage bein' of a consensual and pleasurable sort, of course.

We do have mixed emotions about all this. As I told Lee (excerpts from a recent e-mail):

I feel like one of those heroines in a cheesy romance novel: "Lee!  This is all SO sudden!"

I say that coz I have VERY mixed emotions about selling the bike.  It's been a long, long time since I've been bike-less and you know that "rider" makes up more than a little bit of my personality.  I'm having a hard time letting go.  But I suppose it's time and it makes sense to give Miss Zukiko up to someone who will actually RIDE her... not just pull her cover off, wash her, and stare at her while she dries.  Hell, I never even took her on a decent road trip, so it's not like we made any lasting memories or anything. 

[...]

I think I'll keep my leathers.  You may think I'm weird, but I just MIGHT buy a Can-Am Spyder RS.  I didn't quit riding Miss Zukiko because I don't LIKE riding, I quit riding her because I don't have enough breath to horse her around and the sporting riding position is just too damned hard on my old bod, specifically my wrists and (what's left of) my forearms.  The Spyder has a reverse gear, yanno?  And wouldn't I look cool on one?  Much better than those geezers on Gold Wing trikes, methinks.

So that's the story.  It remains to be seen if I'll actually pull the trigger on one of those Can-Ams... but I HAVE been thinkin' about 'em for a while.  I'll repost that vid:

So it may be the end of an era... but it might could be the beginning of another one.  Or mebbe I'll just buy a new Miata.  Decisions, decisions.