ended up with my all time favorite bikes.

since i'm fazing out the motorcycles. i can't believe i ended up with my all time favorites. i've had a few bikes that have earned a place in my heart, but my majesty scooter, v-star 1300, and stratoliner s are the pick of the crop. the scooter is my little caddy, 58 mpg, automatic, handles like a crotch rocket and will cruise all day at 70 mph. the v-star is fast, comfortable, reliable, looks nice, smooth, handles, and will cut the curves with the best of them. the strat is my all time favorite, bar none. it fits like a glove, sits low, handles great, has balls out power anywhere you want it, no vibration, and matches my royal star for the two best looking bikes i ever owned. i would think the new strat deluxe decked out would be right at the top with the ultimate tourer. the v-star is going up for sale and i will keep the scoot and strat until it's time to hang it up.

Bill, I have to agree with you that having a scooter around is a nice smaller bike, for local riding around. I searched for a couple years to find a smaller bike for me to ride locally, like to ride into town to pick up the mail at the Post office, or ride 12 miles up the road to have lunch with my wife. I really do not like starting up one of my big bikes, just to ride 2 miles into town, or even 12 miles to have lunch. I am not burning off the condensation in the motor in that short of distance. So after trying several smaller bikes...a nicely restored '82 Honda GL-500 Interstate...a '89 Honda Transalp...a '82 Yamaha 650...I finally decided on a '04 Suzuki Burgman 650, and I love it. It is a rocket ship for riding around locally, handles like a sportbike, gets 58 mpg, and can go any distance I want to go.

And, hey, if you don't want any wooden nickles, please send them...back home...where wooden money was invented...to our little town of Tenino, WA. One of the few things this small town is famous for is that we had wooden money back in the Great Depression. It was made locally, and it was actually accepted at all banks in the western US back in the days. We have a giant version of the old wooden money on display in town.

Send all wooden nickles my way.