John got the Benley in tip-top running order for me, and since it was a sunny day, I figured I’d take her around the neighborhood for a little putt. Man, did that put a smile on my face! This bugger can boogie! Just a slight brain adjustment to use the mid controls, and I was flying down the road. This bike is so easy to maneuver, and has great power for her size. What a hoot to ride.

I was feelin’ sassy after getting my knees in the breeze, took a look at the Sportster sitting in the driveway, and promptly told John, “I’m taking the Sporty for a spin.”  He was pretty darn shocked, cuz I’ve only ridden the Sportster once before.  About 4 years ago, right after I had concluded my 10-year bike-riding hiatus, I had taken the Sporty around a parking lot for a very short stroll. It seemed really huge and heavy to me back then, as my regular ride was a VLX600.

Yesterday, I stretched my legs waaaaay up to those forward controls (dang, they are a mile away), and I rode the beast out of the driveway – hmmm – I guess I CAN handle this bike. The CG is so different than the T, and I have to adjust my riding style. The front end feels “empty” compared to the T, if you know what I mean – there’s more substance in the T’s front end – I hope I’m describing that adequately. The HD has that mega-vibe that would kill me on a long trip, and also, I noticed a huge difference in how it wants to make turns. The HD to me seemed almost like it wants to “flop” into a turn, where the T is a mind-reader, smoothly heading into the turn you’re thinking about. The Sporty will also take off like a shot with barely any throttle movement, and I feel like I need to reign her in a bit, lest I get myself in trouble. Anyhow, it was interesting to hop back on the HD and see how it felt this time around compared to my last experience and compared to the T. After a few fun circles around the neighborhood, I pulled back into our driveway.

Since I was already seat-hopping, I figured I’d check out John’s T, too. Ahhhhh, as soon as I threw a leg over his T, I was HOME (same thing I’ve always said about my T). The T is comfort, ease, smoothness, stability. Really, the only difference between our two T’s is that John’s T is much quieter than mine – I’ve got some modification done to my pipes for a wee bit o’ growl. I really wanted to head out on the road, but kept telling myself I better not overdo it and stress out my shoulder…so I headed back into the driveway.

Well, as long as I was taking test rides…John told me to hop on the replacement to the roasted Ol’ Ironsides. It’s a little bulky, not very good at highway speeds, but it’s fun! I’m surprised that John was even off of the darn thing long enough to let me take it for a stroll!
After so many months of no riding, I feel like my shoulder is finally getting strong enough to take short rides, and it sure felt GOOOOOOOD! I just had to share my joy!