I was in DC for another meeting and decided to fly down to Florida to see the folks and kids and check on the house for a couple of weeks. Bangkok is a long way from Florida (on several measures), and that fact is starting to take its toll after 11 years. It’s even further when you’re almost ready to punch out of the working life and most of your family is already States side. Clues start to pop up that a life change is coming, and in hindsight, buying my first Harley during my last visit home was one of them. One thing is for sure: my personal center of gravity is quickly changing from Bangkok to Sebastian.
What a sweetheart, a 2016 Sportster XL Custom, chromed with the Harley Blue and the 1200 EVO twin. Nobody has the fit and finish like Harley Davidson. It was a left-over model, and the dealership had added a number of custom accessories to help move it out the door. However, it was still a Sportster, small, unloved, and hidden off in a far corner of the sales floor. Love at first sight for me, I maintained my composure, hammered the salesman hard, and took her home, brand new with a full warranty, for $8,700.
It also happened to be Bike Week in Daytona (90 miles away), and with a garage-bound Harley, why not? Made the trip twice over the week, as there is just too much to see in one day. In hindsight, the biggest problem with Bike Week is the “wow” of it all. Fortunately, or maybe not, you get exposed to thousands of other bikes with all kinds of accessories, styles, and features, leaving you just hungry for “bigger and better.”. Probably not my last Harley. Like a “kid in a candy store,” as they used to say.
What Next? 
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