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News and notations

First, the good news. You might recall that I had mentioned that I felt I had overspent somewhat on the bike. When I left the dealership I felt as though I was 2 grand poorer than I aught to be. I am no fiscal genius, so I thought I would go over my paperwork and when I came in for my first service, ask the F&I guy at the dealership to go over the bill item by item just to clarify my confusion.

Yesterday I get a call from Travis, the Finance and Insurance manager at Freedom Harley - Davidson of Ottawa letting me know that I was due a refund of 2 grand and tax. Such a load off my mind, and off my credit card. No harm, no foul and I was quick to let Travis know that the dealership would be seeing that money back in relatively short order in parts and accessories and servicing... and storage eventually.

Maybe this would be a good time for a shout out to the good people at Freedom Harley - Davidson in Ottawa. Mitch (a new addition to their team) was the man who greeted me and eventually connected me to my dream bike. The man has some good ideas to pass along. He's given me a few bits of valuable advice and seemed genuinely interested that I enjoy every step of the process. He introduced me to Sandy in parts. The three of us worked out what manner of accessories should adorn my new ride. I can't recall the name of the MotorClothes specialist who helped me find the right essential road gear I needed but she smelled good and was quite knowledgeable about the stock. I had mentioned that I was getting a Bluetooth headset to mount on the helmet to Mitch and she could see from across the store that I was holding a helmet that wasn't compatible. Good ears on her. Travis was a patient man. It's all fine and dandy to have a dream, but his job is to make that dream real. Time and money, it always boils down to those two. He was essential in managing both - to our mutual satisfaction. A good experience, I hope to continue a happy relationship with that crew.

Things I have recently noticed:

My motorcycle has a function where - in order to stop the bike from overheating when at an idle (stuck in traffic for example) - it can shut off fuel and spark to the rear cylinder (the one heating up my crotch) and turn it into an air pump to help cool the engine (and not bake my shortbreads so to speak). This ability can be turned on and off by turning the throttle the other way and holding it for a few seconds. If, after doing this, the cruise control light on the speedometer flashes amber - you have just turned the function off. If it flashes green - on. I have been turning this on and off by accident while gripping the handlebars when trying to walk my 700 pound bike backwards. I'll have to keep an eye on that.

The kickstand and the rear gearshifter are really hard to tell apart in the dark, I will have to be more careful in the future.


As for today, I am off on an afternoon run through the county backroads. Peace out y'all.


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