LONG: First Ride Impressions or My first date with Alice...

My First Date with Alice…

I met Alice on October 17th 2009 – it was a crisp, sunny morning in Jacksonville, Florida when my wife, Tracie, and I strolled into the Honda dealer over on Atlantic Blvd. We were going to look at helmets because I’d found a new 07 Interceptor down around Tampa-way a dealer was willing to part with for under seven grand. My plan was to take a road trip the next weekend and pick her up, as I’d searched local dealer sites with no luck in finding one of those awesome VFR deals that were to be had at the time.

As we made our way to the helmet display I couldn’t help but notice two RWB machines flanking this Dark Candy Red beauty on the showroom floor.

“This is what my bike’ll look like,” I told Tracie as we walked up.
“I love that red,” was her reply, noting how it perfectly matched my penchant for all things ‘University of Alabama.’
“Dark Candy Red is close enough to Crimson for me,” I replied.

A salesman approached as I threw my leg over a Gen 6 for the first time - I’d researched the bike to death and knew it’s what I wanted - all of my suspicions Honda had built this bike just for me were confirmed as I settled into the saddle.

“Found your new bike? “ the sales guy asked, smiling though Buddy Holly glasses.
“Depends on the price, I suppose. How much are you guys letting these 07’s go for?”
“8995 right now, we’ve got really good deals on these.”
“Dealer down south is selling for 6900 plus, plus, plus.”
“If I can match it, will you take it?”
“Write it up…”

And he did.

So began my affair with ‘Alice.’ A not so subtle play on the name of U of A’s mascot, Big Al. Her Crimson hue perfectly accenting her sexy lines – from her pert front, curving through her petite midline, right out to the hottest rear-end I think I’ve ever seen on a piece of machinery - I was hooked. Call it lust at first site if you like, but I was ‘in’ all the way. Butterflies churning my insides at the thought of the time we would spend getting to know each other.

With hands shook, contracts signed, and helmet, jacket, and gloves negotiated, it was time to take Alice to her new home. The ride to Victoria Lakes Drive was uneventful as I was extremely tentative with her; it had been thirteen years since I’d been down this road…

The rest of the day was spent reading this forum, perusing the owner’s manual, and cheering the Gators and Crimson Tide to victory. Cheeseburgers, beer, and the anticipation of what tomorrow would bring capped the day to perfection.

I arose early the next morning after a night where sleep came in fits and starts. I saw Tracie off to work and busied myself with the honey-do’s, waiting for the sun to warm north Florida before showing Alice around her new neighborhood.

My plan was to hit some back-roads that promised to be traffic free on a Sunday morning, allowing me to reacquaint myself with being in the saddle and getting to know Alice’s quirks. I’ve never been with a V4, or a VTEC, or even a Honda road-going cycle before, so I assumed the ride would be marginally different than I’d remembered.

My last long-term commitment was a ZX-6R. A snotty, temperamental little hussy who was good for short, wild rides. She clunked, and bucked and fussed, but boy she could sure run with the best of ‘em. She was loud and raw and had a rough nature that would leave my hands numb and my back sore. She was that wild girl that would close the club down, drag you to the after-party and end up leaving you on the beach at dawn - after having her way with you – off to find another adventure. But I digress.

I’m with Alice now and we have a lot to learn about each other. First thing I notice is her understated demeanor. While her body drips sex, she doesn’t look like a slut. Some of the Italian girls might turn the boy’s heads, but Alice can hold her own right next to them as far as I’m concerned. Single-side swing arm? Yep. Under-tail exhaust? Yep. Exotic, V-shaped power plant? Yep. What else you got, Duc girl?

After pre-flight we head off on our first date. My philosophy on breaking in a new bike is somewhere between what the manuals say and flaying away with wild abandon. I wait for Alice to get nice and warm before I try to get a taste of what she’s really made of. I notice a few more things I like about her as we cruise along the quiet, pine-lined roads.

In the lower rev ranges she’s quite tame, sophisticated you might say, purring along with plenty of grunt and a slight vibration in the bars that drifts away to glass-smooth bliss when the needle finds 4500 revolutions. She responds to my inputs without fuss and tracks a nice line through the sweepers, soaking up irregularities in the asphalt with aplomb. Out for dinner in a nice restaurant, she’s the bombshell in the red dress that exudes class. Just my style.

I soon learn underneath that demure façade lies a cougar ready to roar when the revs climb and she’s allowed to get a full breath of dense morning air. She’s running a temp around 200 when we come upon a flat, long straight and I decide to see what her other half offers. I feel her wake up as her remaining valves are allowed to cycle. Then, at around 8000 RPM she comes alive. Not with a wild buck - that would be undignified - it was more of a graceful rush that came on fast and as I led her up through her silky gears with a satisfying notch at each shift, she subtlety showed me her wild side. She didn’t scream, no, she sang a beautiful throaty note letting me know she liked this part of the date as much as I did. She didn’t bite. she gnawed. She didn’t thrash. She thrust. Just my style.

A few miles down the road a familiar mermaid caught my eye; Starbucks it is.

We stopped and enjoyed a tall coffee (since when does tall mean small?) either way; we soak in some sun and enjoy a well-earned break. I wasn’t sore, not at all, I felt fine. I’m sure, just like me, Alice could have kept running for many miles, but opportunity presented itself and we took it. Soaking in the morning Florida sun we accepted compliments gracefully (Alice does everything gracefully, I’m learning) and met new friends. There were some American friends there, and one custom German friend, all out enjoying the brisk Florida morning. Time well spent.

After basking in the Florida sun, and enjoying the Brazilian caffeine, we headed back out on the road to explore the rest of our morning together. It was a fortuitous combination of grace and furry, sophistication and primal exuberance – it was an all-encompassing tally of her and me. Simply: perfect.

The conclusion of our 150-mile sojourn was as anti-climactic as the beginning. We stole away to the garage where I carefully caressed her body to ensure nothing marred her graceful lines.

“See you tomorrow,” I said.

Without a word, she let me know she’d be waiting anxiously. A true lady would never show all of her cards, right?


In all seriousness here’s the long and short of it:
Great comfortable ride with plenty of room to enjoy a long day, and plenty of sport (for me) to have some fun.

Gearbox is smooth, much smoother than my last ride, the 6R.

Love the sound of that engine all the way through the rev-range.

After a week back in the saddle and just over 300 ticks on the odometer, I opened her up pretty good this morning. WOW! There are some areas where I could see some tweaking could make a performance difference, but really, really good right out of the box. Love the way the engine changes tone and away you go!

Fit and finish are top-notch, and the bike is just plain beautiful.

About riding after a 13 year break:
To prep I took an online MSF test to see what I’d forgotten – aced it the first time through, so I felt pretty good about that.
Took it really easy my first day riding. There’s a neighborhood that was started, but the economy put the brakes on before houses were built. Spent a lot of time in there just remembering the basics and practicing some handling stuff before getting out in traffic. That paid off in spades.

Ear plugs. Had never ridden with them when I was younger, but again, WOW! What a difference it makes to muffle the wind noise and actually hear what the bike is doing under you. I can’t imagine riding without them now.

Safety equipment has progressed mightily in the last 13 years. I got a Rocket 101 Carbon helmet. Extremely light and comfortable with good ventilation. My helmet from years ago is a Scott Russell replica Shoei X-8 and it pales in comparison in comfort and weight. And the Shoei was top-of-the-line when I got it back in the day. The Shoei is now an ornament in my home office.


So there it is. I love the bike and really love being on one again. I’d forgotten how much fun it is to ride, and the feeling of freedom that comes along with it. So nice to be ‘back in the game.’

 

So is this story like a guy's version of romance novels? Now I get why women read them... LOL

 

Kinda what I was going for :thumbsup:- hope people get the joke in that...:biggrin:

 

Congrats on "Alice" .... now I understand Big AL but UAB's mascot is Blaze .... somehow I am missing the connection. Unless you think she is a big fiery beast.

 

My bad. My nephew goes to UAB and I think I had that on the brain when I was typing.

Make that U of A.

 

Love the post, lol. And gotta agree great color