Sweet! Enjoy it.

This morning ... After a hella painful dentist appointment.... I got tags ($234 with the sales tax and notary service!!!).... Then I went (in the car) to a nearby Suzuki dealer and bought a helmet like the one I had borrowed to get the bike home. Dropped of my prescriptions(dentist), went home, had a bitchin veggie bagel that coulnt be beat, and put the tags on the bike....

Then ...on the bike..to the bank, and then to the Harley dealer for a clear face mask, and back to the Suzuki dealer to get inspection... Greased the tech and passed inspection with no repairs needed. $35 plus the $20 tip... And all done in 35 minutes....Nice.

Then a couple more errands and back into the car to go pick up the kids. They didn't look at Facebook so they didn't know I had gotten the bike..... I took them helmet shopping, told them it was for when I eventually got my bike... Kids are suckers.... ;)

Look at my Facebook for the picture of them in their new helmets.... Stopped for chinee, then home.

..."who's motorcycle is that!?". As we pulled into the driveway.

Ha!

After dinner, Ripley got her first ride. We went to get gas and took a 15 minute putt. Nice and slow, getting comfortable with it..... She is a Natural rider. Spencer didn't like it, and we only made it once around the development.... Hopefully he comes around....

Ripley wanted to go again, so we took a long ride at dusk out to my friend, Dan's house and showed off the bike. Cold riding home in the dark, but she still loved it.

Later, Spencer and I put a couple Steal Your Face stickers on the bike, and played Madden 2012. Cowboys 14, Saints 7.

Great day of riding and bonding. This one goes into the Vault as is.

I was woundering how long you would hold out

From desire, though decision via research, to ownership, in less than two weeks.

Not bad, really.

How does that conversation go? I'm just curious because this sort of thing is something I'd never have the balls to do.

Lacking balls, you probably should use your other... er.. attributes.

Hey, Bro. You're the inspection tech?

yup.


Here. <<$20 folded in 1/4>> and my key

Oh, you don't have to...

Keep it. Buy lunch. Thanks.

And then I went back to the writer's desk.

The key here is to get it in BEFORE he looks at your vehicle. See, the dealer is paying this guy hourly. Probably $20 an hour if he's a good tech. If he gets a tip before he even sees the bike, he's MUCH more likely to help me out by not charging me for the typical bullshit things they stick people with than if I had tipped him after. Afterwards, you might as well not bother, cuz it's unlikely that you'd get the same guy, and that he'd remember a $20 tip.

It may very well be that the bike was fine, and my tip only sped things along. I didn't ask hm to do anything, or even bring up what the bike might or might not need. I just put him in a good mood.

You might try bringing a box of donuts for everyone when you go. That's a much more 'no balls' approach. Just try to make sure your tech gets one and knows you brought them. Ask to meet him if you can. Maybe let him pick his donut first?

Yeah, I could maybe do that. I'm just always worried I'll get the indignant one, who is offended at such an obvious bribe attempt and makes my inspection results worse than they would have been.

I did bring a box of cookies to our medical lab techs once, but it wasn't because I wanted better service, it was because I knew I was dropping off some 30-ish test samples and didn't want them to hate me for it.

Well, yeah... You have to consider who you're dealing with. This guy was 20 something, thin and hungry looking. lol. The guy in the Lab Coat at the Audi dealer might take offense.

Today, I gave my niece her first ever ride on a motorcycle, and my sister her first since ....a long time ago....

Took Ripley on 3 separate rides, and a went out on a couple solo outings too. It's a different bike without the windshield.

Right now, I'm playing xbox with Spencer. I don't want him to feel left behind.

I'm gonna take ripley home on the motorcycle... by her request, then come back and drive Spencer home in the car with the luggage. Kids are fun.