May 1, 2020

May Day covid-19: day 50 | US: GA | info | act

I am caught up on grading: everything that has been submitted so far has been evaluated. I submitted my World Literature grades, and I await Wikipedia projects from my last two classes. I will be happy to have this semester over. I’m sure everyone involved feels the same. It is one for the history books.

Tomorrow is the day. Giles and I will be heading up to Marietta about 10am to have a look at what could be my new motorcycle: a 2016 BMW R 1200 GS. Here are the dealer images from their web site ad:

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To say I’m excited would be an understatement. Though that excitement comes with a bit of trepidation: what if I don’t, like the Scrambler, ride it? This is a pricier item, and it can’t just sit around. I don’t think this will be an issue, really. I have been riding the Scrambler more lately—I think Giles and I will keep up the tradition. It’s been fun.

And if I don’t ride it, will I be able to sell it?

The cost, too, is troublesome. It’s not much more a month than the Scrambler, but I’m reseting the clock on a 60-month loan. This is probably the worst part of it. And, unlike the credit for the Triumph, this one carries interest. BMW has to get paid. Twice. While I am a “premier customer,” and I get the best interest rate going, it’s still 5.29% higher than 0.00%. Still, I will be able to pay much more than my monthly payment, so I should be able to have it paid off in less than three years.

OK, no more negatives. I must say: I am way more excited about this bike than I ever was about the Scrambler, so that boosts my confidence. I see myself taking another MSF safety course (these guys are right down the street) and maybe even an off-road class. I have the bike for that now. I can’t wait to take my first road trip.

All of this is contingent, of course, upon whether I purchase the bike. I’ll know soon.