A One Night Stand with a Fat Lady

Going on to my 9th month with the lovely japanese, Z1000 was powerful and really unbeaten in the duration of my relation with her....on everyday roads, she accepts no pillion and has slaughtered countless 2-wheelers and chariots, leaving their beaten steed with the riders looking down in despair...always ready to instill fear with my Leo Vince battle horn to motorists in the CTE tunnels ... I always make it to my destination (thank goodness) as happy as making a killing.....Life is still full of pride....


...but Life is also fair....when the notice to renew the insurance for Z1000 came, the once arrogant, tall standing rider, with even a taller ego....simply dwindled and diminished into the like of a barn mice....


3 times up Thailand with the Z1, I reckon the kick i had with her was about enough, i was thinking of changing bike again...The urge came surging when one of my friend offered himself to carried on my instalment of the Z1 and promised me that he will take care of the bike for me in the period under his ownership...


Well, i am free again, and its the best time of a biker again...looking for a new ride~!


I was looking for something different now...but i have absolutely no clue...until i met Mark at ASPhoon Serangoon one Friday evening...and I saw what i wanted....


A Used Honda Veradero....




Thinking with the friendly price of this Varadero, i could try out dual purposes...perhap in the long run, i could like this category and eventually go on to have more pro-dual purposes, like KTMs and BMWs... Lets try...


With no much time wasted, i got my hands on the Vara and to make my spending spree even more sinful, Claudio, the guy from Leo Vince, knew that I have acquired a XL1000, delibrately told me that there is a exisitng stock of a Leo Vince Titanium waiting to be cleared and is offering a very good price for me only.....well, no prize for guessing whether I got the pipes....


* Catch a glimpse of the Leo Vince pipes installed on the Fat Lady....



To carry on my tradition, I immediately organised a ride up Thailand with the boys.

This time to Hatyai but coming back via Betong, which consisted of more B-roads which is what I like to test out this biggy dual purposes...


The ride is one of a kind i would never forget, its the most comfortable ride up Hatyai thru the North South Highway. Fat Lady is never as heavy as it seem. Sitting posture was straight, windscreen is big enough to leave me fresh and unbeaten after every distant. Luggage was more then convenient for me with the side panniers and the 52litre top case. Leo Vince was performing at its job too, providing the sound to complete a perfect scenario like a the frosting of a ice cold beer flowing out of the beer mug...


But thru this lady, i also discover the things I do not like for my riding preference.
I still prefer the characterisitc of inline fours, pickup was okay but inline were smoother, i would like more of that power-on-tap thing, but when I did the throttling I was doing with my Z1, i didnt get it.... cornering is alittle bit more tricky and required more attention. Mainstand is hard to hit, had a few near missed stationary falls, not to mention the embarassment the incidents it has caused...


But the main killer was a little problem in the bike, the engine does not have a smooth power delivery, every other second I experienced a little power loss from the throttle, resulting in little jerks along the whole journey. Its nagging and the mechs could not solved it. I lose hope....

I went back to the dealer after the Betong ride...and told him I had enough of this "different" ride...and moved on....in one corner of my mind I was thinking maybe its a good idea to have a brand new bike...so that there is warranty and no nagging problems the previous owner left behind...


Well, timing is always good when you think it is.....


Had a longer chat with the same dealer lead me an information about Yamaha is releasing some brand new old stock models for cheap clearance....one model especially intrigues me when one of my riding buddies was riding it....


Check out the next blog of one of my loveliest and longest affairs....