Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
Curious as to the status of the theoretical black Ninja 250 which Lake City Kawasaki claimed they'd be getting in, I called them back.
"Oh, we haven't see that bike yet."
"Ok," says I, "and no word on a red one?"
"Nope, they're really hard to find. I don't think anybody has any new ones left any more."
Riiight.
So I typed "Kawasaki" into a yellow pages search, and started calling.
Bellevue: "No, we don't have any, but I think the 2007 models are coming out in two weeks. I'm sure you want to wait for a 2007 model, right?" Kawasaki normally releases the next-year Ninja 250s in September. Whatever.
Enumclaw: "Nope, they're really hard to find. No one really has any more 250s in stock right now. Haven't heard they're coming out in two weeks, though, they usually release the new 250s in September."
Kent: "Yeah, I'm looking at four right now: yellow, blue and red."
Monroe: "Yep, we still have a yellow one available."
Renton: "I've got two left, a silver one and a blue one. Yeah, the silver's an '05, that's right."
Waldron: "No, we're sold out of them. Good luck finding one, they're getting pretty scarce."
Ok. So if you've got them, there's no mention of their scarcity. If you haven't, they're made of pure unobtanium.
I really hate vehicle dealers sometimes.
Kent wins though, and has a small deposit from me on the red one. I guess I'm really buying a Ninja 250.
Posted at 11:50 permanent link category: /motorcycle
The Le Mans is finally gone. Even with the bike out of the garage, and the money in the bank, it doesn't feel quite real yet. I keep expecting to check the bank website and find the money gone. "Sorry, turns out that check was made of fairy dust! Where'd you get that thing, anyway?"
I'm left with the shop stand, which the buyer didn't want, and the spare front tire, which is so old at this point that I'm not sure I feel comfortable even giving it away. I'll probably post it on Craigslist anyway, with the caveat that it's 3 years old. It's still probably better than a bald front tire.
I'm not sure what exactly happens now. I'm still excited about pursuing a 250, but I'm also kind of ready to stop worrying about motorcycles for a bit. I'd like to sell the Z, but I'd better have the sidecar functional by that point or it'll be the bicycle for me. Hmm. Bicycles don't have insurance payments or use gasoline....
I couldn't have a bicycle as my primary transportation, unfortunately. If I were in a compact city it could work, but in Seattle, everything's so spread out that I'd spend hours just getting from place to place.
I called Lake City Kawasaki, and they claim that "no one has any" Ninja 250s right now. We'll see about that. Chances are decent that he's right, but I'll do my own research before I believe it.
A friend mentioned that I would do well to wait until July, so I don't have to pay the Monorail tax (which apparently ends June 30th). Noted, but if I find the right bike, I'll probably have to jump on it, no matter the date.
Posted at 10:58 permanent link category: /motorcycle
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater