I’ve been looking at upgrading my XVS250 for several months and was
hoping to do this once I completed my long ride in October. I’ve been eyeing
off the 2010 Yamaha XVS650 for quite a while and when I was visiting my parents
at Shailer Park last weekend, I dropped into Moss Street, Slack Creek, to pick
up some goodies for my ride. While I was
there, I had a chat to the guys at Pro Yamaha and told them I was interested in
upgrading to the 650. While they were keen for a sale, I let them know I was
only looking and wouldn’t be ready to upgrade until after I returned from my
trip. I said I’d call back later in the
day to continue our discussions as I had to visit my parents.
I dropped back about an hour later and we continued our discussions. We
negotiated a price and my XVS250 was taken to the workshop for an inspection so
we could work out a trade-in.
After the inspection, I was advised my trade-in value and the total cost
to upgrade. The deal was very tempting, but
I told them I’d think about and left it at that.
When I arrived home, I discussed the upgrade option with my wife and she
seemed quite happy about upgrading the bike, especially as the little 250 gets
blown around by trucks.
On Monday I received a call from Pro Yamaha asking if I was still
interested in the bike. I advised them I
was and we got the ball rolling. I left
work early so I could pick up my XVS250 from home and ride it the 50km to Moss
Street. I couldn’t have picked a worse day…the wind was howling and my little
250 was blown all over the Logan Motorway. By the time I reached Moss Street, I
was glad to be off the bike, knowing the ride home would be much more stable.
The deal was done and keys exchanged.
So much for just looking.
Now to wait for Hammer.
Hammer is a cruiser rider and had called to say he was on his way home
and wanted to catch up and check out my new bike. I waited for about half an
hour and had to leave as storm clouds were gathering and I didn’t want to ride
home on a brand new bike in the rain.
As soon as I left Moss Street my mobile went off. It was Hammer. He’d missed me by a minute or two. I let him
know I was fuelling up at the 7/11 up the road.
He duly arrived, made the appropriate noises and took the mandatory
photos. I’m not sure who was more
excited, him or me.
After the photo shoot, we said our goodbyes and I started heading home…straight
into a large band of storms. On several occasions I thought I was going to drop
the bike as the roads were slippery and the tyres were still green. What should
have been a 45 minute ride home took over 90 minutes due to the number
accidents caused by the wet weather. Fortunately I was able to get home in one
piece without too many grey hair moments.
Once home, the bike was parked in the garage, water and mud removed and
the mandatory photos taken.
While I’ll miss my little 250, I don’t think I’ll regret the
upgrade. The new bike is much heavier,
more stable and has the power to keep up with traffic on the open road.
Now
to start planning for my first decent ride…..
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