Well, it’s been two months since my bike got pushed over. I haven’t ridden it, and I’ve barely seen it, since.

I did call the dealer and had them come pick it up before I left town. They showed up Monday evening (Sept 12) and Brad loaded her into the trailer. He took a quick look at her and found things I hadn’t. As he rode it down the driveway and into the trailer, he too wasn’t real happy with it and confirmed that it was a good thing I had it picked up.

Ok, I’m out of town one direction one week, back for a day, then off in another direction the following week. But that one day in between, I drove out to the shop to talk/look it over with the guys. What I had first thought might only be $200-300 in damage turned out to be more than $1,300. Brake lever, grips, pegs, turning lights, windshield, mufflers, and broken bolts were the bulk of it. Yeesh. Okay, time to call the insurance company.

I had to wait until I got back to town the second time to get the ball rolling on the insurance claim. Found dealing with them to be really pleasant actually. My deductible was less than I expected and the adjuster actually found some additional damage that the others had missed. They pretty much cut a check to the shop that day.

I was wavering a bit on whether to get some of it fixed up or not. For instance, I still want to get saddlebags which means I need to replace (and move) the rear turn signals anyway. But after a quick inquiry, I figured out that was going to be too much trouble, so I just gave them the green light to put it back the way it was.

It’s been probably a month since I gave the go-ahead, but I was really in no hurry. I knew my riding season was over. They’ve got until spring to get her fixed up for all I care. They did call and say some of the parts were backordered, but again, we’ve got months to get it done, so its not a bother at this point.

Today is usually what I consider the end of the riding season. On top of it being pretty cold to ride, especially in the mornings, the days are getting short. Even if it’s nice for a week or two more, that’s all you can hope for this time of year. I have seen a few bikes still out on the streets. Good for them. I wish I was too. But I feel a bit like a poser, since I haven’t been riding lately. Even put away the leather jacket for the first time in two years.

I’ve missed some nice weather this fall for riding. My confinement has started two months early, so I expect by March I’m going to be pretty stir-crazy to get out and ride. I wish I could do some more work on the bike this winter, but I’m guessing that won’t happen. (Although, I still have a yearning to call them up and have them swap out the handlebars.) So at this point, the best I can do is make plans for next year.

Sigh.