Sunday, February 17, 2008

Sunny Days, Sweeping the Clouds Away

Forecast for Monday in Seattle:

- 54 degrees
- Sunny
- Chance of precipitation: 0%
- Chance of TJ going to work: low

I spent part of the weekend checking on the bikes. (Three days of nice weather in the forecast.)

The Suzuki was stubborn. It wouldn't start Saturday at all. The decompression solenoid might not be operating correctly. I was able to get it started this morning but only by manually holding open the decomp valve. Once it warmed up it did okay, I'll take another look tomorrow and see how grumpy it is.

Other than adding a quick connect for a Battery Tender I didn't mess with the Ducati at all. It would take too much vehicle juggling to get it out of the garage.

The Daytona fired right up after its time on the Battery Tender. I was surprised since it hasn't moved since July. I took it out for about 60 miles today and it's doing pretty well. It definitely feels different. It has less power than the Ducati but at street speeds that's hardly an issue. The extra 100lbs however, is pretty noticeable.

Speaking of the Daytona I'm having trouble deciding what to do with it:

1. Sell it. This seems reasonable considering I have another sportbike in the Ducati. The Daytona would probably only sell for $3500-$4500. It costs me less than $200/year to hold onto (insurance ~$120, registration ~$50). The money would be handy considering the Ducati loan but it wouldn't be life-changing.

2. Keep it. When I go to a new track (or if I get to a track and it's wet or the people look particularly foolish) it would be nice to have a bike I'm less concerned about. Plus, if I go on a long trip (for instance April 26, 28, 29 at Miller) having a spare bike might keep my trip from ending early. Plus, a spare bike might come in handy when trying to lure someone to a track day for the first time. (Dave? Joe? Are you paying attention?)

Opinions? Suggestions?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Forcast for Dickinson, ND tonight: 25 below. Below what? Below ZERO. That's even below-er than frozen popcicles.

Chance of frozen car that won't start in the morning: 60%

Enjoy your weather in Soggy Seattle...It could be worse...

I haven't seen a motorcycle. I feel they are migratory and they go south for the winter...