11 Years and 41,191 Miles Later

Eleven years ago this weekend I was a proud graduate of the Washington State Motorcycle Safety Program.  I spent a Friday evening and most of the adjacent weekend at Shoreline Community College learning how to ride a motorcycle.  I took the course for a couple reasons.  I wanted to see if someone with questionable coordination like myself could do it.  And I was interested in improving my commute and saving money on gasoline.  I ended up buying a brand new motorcycle a few weeks after passing the course and rode it nearly incident free for the past 11 years.

Today I posted my motorcycle for sale on Craigslist at a bargain price, more than $200 below the "Trade-In" Blue Book value:

2000 Suzuki SV650 Motorcycle (blue) - $1,200

Original owner giving up motorcycle riding for awhile.  Well maintained, stock sportbike used mostly for commuting has just over 41K miles.  Running well but due for oil change and tune-up.  New battery last October.  Minor damage from low speed drop; safely traveled 9K miles since then.  Great first bike.  Current Blue Book value is $1,435 to $2,150.

Includes innovative "Luggage Locker" bag which zips on passenger seat, Battery Tender Jr. trickle charger, and Kryptonite sprocket lock.

Cash only, no trades please.

Within three hours, a half dozen interested people had contacted me.  I decided it was only fair to take them in the order which they contacted me.  The first person, an older, retired gentleman, met me at a nearby Kmart parking lot which I thought was a good place because it is very public and the parking lot provides ample room to go for a test ride.  I told him everything good and bad about the bike, checked his drivers license and then let him ride it around after which he agreed to buy it for my asking price.

Nearly all of the 41,191 miles my SV650 traveled were with me in the saddle.  It was a very good motorcycle and I'm glad that I followed through with having one.  But changes are well underway for me now and they make having it both impractical and unnecessary.  I'll also be turning 40 this July and had long considered that milestone would be the end of my motorcycle riding days for awhile.  No question that my family are relieved that I no longer have it, too... but I won't guarantee there won't be a second motorcycle era later in my life ;)