Buying that first bike -- and getting it home

[alanmcorcoran]

It's almost worth having a forum for "The First Ride Home." I had my GZ delivered in a pickup and the guy almost lost it when he tried to roll it down the ramp unassisted. I was riding it around the neighborhood a short while later after I got it insured. All I can remember about the second one was a near-permanent shit-eating grin that lasted about six months. Still get that grin, but now it's only when I'm actually riding it. The third one was "It was a Dark and Stormy night..." ...and Alan is inadvertently riding a dual sport at 70 mph in a rainstorm -with 5 psi in the front tire. I've read a number of stories on-line about guys who just sucked it up, and rode their first bike home without ANY prior experience (I ain't recommending it, but it does make for some interesting stories!)