Meet Scarlett

Who is Scarlett you ask?

Scarlett is a 2019 Heritage Softail and now Alice has even more power for the road.

Alice said I could tell the story since my blog was due today and I was so excited for her.

Monday morning after dropping Mr. Jones off for his neutering surgery (at the ungodly hour of 7:30 a.m., I came home, got cleaned up and went to the dentist.  Alice picked me up and we drove to a Motorcycle Store about 45 minutes away, all excited to finally get out and see what kind of motorcycle would fit for Alice. She loves her 750 Honda Phantom, but needs a bigger bike for the 50-state ride in order to pack the gear she needs and a bike that is better suited for the long haul.

She thanked me for coming with.  Thanked me?  Hmmm.  Let me think…Going motorcycle shopping on a nice day in March, anxious to get riding again and see if you can find the perfect bike.  Duh.  I would prefer to do this rather than anything else on any given day, no question.  I love to shop and I love motorcycles even more.  Plus, my husband taught me by example how to SOPM (Spend Other People’s Money).  It can be even more fun than spending your own on yourself.  Especially when you helping someone you love get exactly what they want.  So fun!

As we pulled into the somewhat empty parking lot, it dawned on us that it was Monday and a lot of motorcycle stores are closed on Monday in Minnesota during the off-season.  We went up to the door and, sure enough it was locked.  We just stood there and looked at each other.  Damn, what a disappointment.  Now what?  We were so focused on trying on motorcycles and had been discussing pros, cons, etc.  We didn’t know what to do with ourselves, so we got back in the car, shrugged our shoulders and decided we would head back towards home.  And, of course we would stop for another energy drink to fuel our efforts to get over our disappointment and the energy to redirect ourselves.  (We know a peach-mango energy drink really isn’t capable of doing that, but we believe it can, so it does.)  So off we went. We decided based on our schedules that we could squeeze in a return trip Wednesday morning if we were back in town by 12:30.  Alice could make her 1:00 nail appointment and I could make it down to the city to give my stepson a ride to his orthopedic doctor.

OK, another early morning.  But, anything for Alice.  Seriously, I wouldn’t miss out on it.  So, armed with our energy drinks and breakfast sandwiches we headed out to the motorcycle store again, in time to get there when they opened at 9:00.  We told them that Alice is looking for a bigger bike and would like to sit on some to see how they fit her.  If you don’t know this about Alice yet, her legs are very short.  That can make being able to touch the ground very difficult.  She needed a bigger bike, but also needed to be able to touch the ground with more than her tippy toes.  You’re hardly ever going to have a flat level surface like a show floor when you stop your bike anywhere outside a nicely paved parking lot.  I’m pretty sure there’s not too many of those around the country.  She sat on the 1100 Honda Phantom, the Gold Wing (talk about comfort for the long haul), a few BMW’s, maybe an Indian and a few other bikes.  She could touch comfortably on the 1100 Phantom, but it just didn’t feel right.  Every single other bike she tried, she was touching on tippy toes, if she could even safely get the bike off the kickstand without flipping it over on the other side.  Nothing worked for her.  Then the sales guy (very cool for a sales guy, and way cool as a person) pointed out a Harley Heritage Softail.  Now I was very aware that a Harley was not Alice’s first choice for a bike, but I thought to myself that, you know, that bike could be perfect for her.  I watched her sit on the bike and could see as she settled into it that it was the perfect motorcycle model for her.  She looked across the windshield at me and I could see in her eyes that she felt the same when she sat on the bike.  She could touch the floor well and the bike fit her in every way.  She wasn’t ripped about the color (she prefers black) but it was such a good looking bike she figured she could live with that.

She got off the bike and we started looking at it more closely and asked the sales guy what the list price was.  So she started talking deal.  She asked my opinion and I said that I thought it was the bike for her.  However, since this is the first Softail you’ve looked at and sat on, it might be a good idea to hit the Harley store on the way back and see what other Harley Softails are available.  (Another thing I learned from all those years shopping with my late husband.) She reluctantly agreed.  The Sales Guy said to just let him know what she decides.  We hit the Harley Store and weren’t too impressed with the specific bikes on the floor.  She called the Sales Guy back and told him she wanted the bike, but we didn’t have enough time to come back and close the deal.  He said $500 would hold the bike until we could get back and sign the paperwork and pickup the bike.  We were halfway home, but with a quick look at the time, figured we could make it up there and home on time with about 15 minutes to spare.  So back to the Motorcycle Store.  Alice made her down payment and back home we went, with another stop for an energy drink…to celebrate, this time.  We made it in time for her to get to her appointment and for me to pickup my stepson.

When I got home, Alice was here, having brought some things over.  We looked at our schedules and the weather and realized the only time she could get the bike and ride it home would be yet today.  Tomorrow and Friday temps drop into the 30’s and 40’s.  The weekend weather is a bit better, but we have the Donnie Smith Bike Show.  So, ok. Check the time.  Yes, there is time to get back up to the Motorcycle Store before they close.  Alice grabbed her riding gear and we headed back out.  If you’re counting, this is now the third trip back up to the Motorcycle Store.  This time though, the trip was a bit faster.  We had a deadline and determined to make it up there in time.  We made it in spite of rush hour traffic with time to spare.

The deal was made, papers were signed and Alice got to drive her new bike home.  She was a bit nervous…different bike, different controls, a lot heavier.  I knew she would be just fine and she was.  I kept a close eye on her and she rode that bike like she’d always been riding that bike.  When riding is in your soul, you just naturally settle into it.  It was so exciting to see her mastering her ride.

So, for a change today wasn’t all about me.  It was all about Alice.  With all that she’s gone through in the past three months since her surgery while still trying to keep moving forward, I told her that no one was better suited or more deserving of a day of “All About Me.”  We all need those days.  Sometimes it’s a day of support when life hurts.  Sometimes it’s a day of pampering yourself.  Sometimes it’s a day filled with exciting new beginnings.  Whatever it is, sometimes it just is exactly what we need to build our strength for another day in whatever life journey we’re on.

We are ready to ride!

Love and Peace,

Chick