I finally got a bike: shiny red Ducati Multistrada 1200s and rode it back to California. And here goes the story.
As you may know, I already had plans to buy a motorcycle on East Coast and then do a quick marathon-like trip back home. Original plan was to do it in the beginning of spring, but I haven't managed to find a good deal back then. I even started thinking that I am not going to make it this year at all. Not that there were no bikes around: 8 months of monitoring the market clearly showed a presence of good Multistradas. But as always, I just wanted a good-to-perfect deal: low mileage, Touring version, preferably with matching top case and engine crash bars. And of course, it should be sold for next to nothing. As my confidence in finding a dream bike near NYC went down, I started to look for West Coast classifieds. During that time, I made offers and went for test rides. It was done just to confirm that's what I was looking for: a pretty bike that can do few track days a year, some looooooooong hours highway touring and daily commute to our client's office.
Then I got few requests from my friend asking when I am going to do the trip and whether he can join me. I just got a promotion and was about to decline when I received an email that forced me to make a GO decision. It was reading as following: Hi Stanislav, Please be advised that you've reached you unused vacation cap and no longer going to get more vacation until you spend them. So I had two options:
1. take a week long sailing class I was eager to get for about a year
2. finally get a motorcycle, visit friends, spend a week in NYC and make a coast-to-coast trip.
In few short days, I bought a one-way ticket to New York and packed my luggage. My final bikes to check were 2 Multistradas and 1 BMW C600 Sport scooter as a backup solution. I had 2-3 amazing years on scooters back in Europe, so it was a viable option to me.
My luggage deserves a notion here since I was packing ultra-light for both casual city cloth and lots of motorcycle gear. And you know what, those gloves, boots, jackets, and pants take lots of space. All three bikes (yes, I think 80 hp two-wheeler even with automatic transmission is a bike) had no top case so I decided to get mine with me and install it once I buy a motorcycle. One of the bikes even had a mounting plate for it already installed. So I've got motorcycle apparel, electric pump, tools, top case, some street cloth, video stuff (GoPro, tripod, mounts for my iPhone and camera), laptop, gas bottle, tank bag and helmet. I managed to pack this into 1 carry-on backpack and 1 checked bag. To make it possible I used Samsonite Tote a Ton 33-inch nylon soft bag that while barely passing airline luggage standards accommodated 52-liter top case inside.
Flight and commute to the office where I left almost all my stuff were nothing worth describing in details.
All the fun started when I realized that my friend backed up from the trip in the last minute. On top of that he said since he was not informed by me on my arrival date (damn you Skype) was not prepared to meet me (i.e. let me live at his place for a few days). Bummer! A couple of calls later I reached another friend who was better prepared for the occasion: his whole family was visiting parents for another two weeks.
And ... it was sold as wholesale deal yesterday and was getting prepared to be shipped. But not only I managed to purchase that bike, but I also negotiated 10% drop in price, and, also, some service and parts replacements (side case panels has a few scratches). Bang! 5k Ducati flagman for 55% of the original base cost with extras and minor aftermarket parts like windshield and Rizoma fluids containers. Yeah, the bike was three years old but in very good condition, you won't get such a bargain in SF, never!
I spent remaining couple of days enjoying the rides all over the city and area, had a photo session with me and my bike as photo models and dissolved myself in warm waters and nice beaches of Jersey Shore.
On Sunday, 08/16 I left my friends house and headed to Chicago.
