Perspective

[the Ferret]

is that a 1300? it looks like the big 1700 raider engine.

i know exactly how you feel, though, just the opposite way around. The first time i got on the CB it felt huge. it felt muscley and assertive, while i was used to much smaller engines, and had just come off a featherweight little 500 at the time. now when i go back to bikes that size i feel like i might as well be pedaling with my feet. my wife's bike is a 380lb 650 cruiser and when i ride it i feel like i'm sliding down the road on a slice of bread with a noisy pandemonium attached.

Ok I texted Tom (shop owner) and he said it was a 1700 Road Star

It didn't vibrate, in fact I was surprised at how smooth the motor and drive train actually were. Brakes seemed more than adequate. Probably a pretty nice cruiser in stock form from Yamaha.

Yea it's a pretty nice gig. I don't get called on too often, but every now and then if they have an issue. When I test ride I ask them NOT to tell me what the owner is complaining about, I want to discover it for myself.

Once there was this 900 Yamaha cruiser thingy and it was making a noise, but it wouldn't make it in the shop. It was too cold for the mechanics to test ride it so they called me knowing I ride in any weather. I discovered what the owner complained about in the first 2 miles, it was a noise coming from the clutch area, but I rode it 50 miles...at 25 degrees... just in case what I was hearing wasn't what the owner was hearing, and there was something else. I came back gave my report and they said Yep that's what he's complaining about. The owner ended up trading it in on a new bike. Actually became friends with the owner (Larry) later when he found out I was the one who had ridden his bike. Nice guy.

Another time I took a used Valkrie out that they had sold that had sat on the sales floor a long time and hadn't been ridden in awhile and they wanted to make sure it would run good for the customer. I hadn't gone 5 miles when the rear wheel locked up. I was going around a curve and it almost dumped me. I'm sure it would have dumped someone with less experience. A customer could have gotten injured. Anyhow I sat there a minute and it let up and I nursed it back to the shop, but when I got into the lot it locked up again. The salesman came out and said how is it? and I said try and push it. He couldn't budge it. He said is it in gear? I said no, the rear brake is locked up. So off to the shop it went to have that fixed.

I've had lots of uneventful rides though, mostly used, but some new sales floor bikes that hadn't been ridden for a few months. Just needed exercising. I'll walk in or they will call and say Hey Mickey feel like riding something for us today? Sure whatcha got that needs ridden? New gas, some Seafoam, and let him run the gas through it. A Vmax, a VFR 800, a few DCT bikes, a T max scooter, a leaning Piaggio Scooter thingy, a BMW F800, a BMW 1150 Boxter, an FZ-09 and others.

BTW went out and rode my CB agaiin this evening, filled it up in anticipation of a small breakfast group ride in the morning and everything felt normal sized again. And again, I love my CB!