swapping 4 wheels for 2 - my ZHP replacement (Kawasaki content)
I sold my ZHP last month after 6 years of ownership. It was time to move on - we've moved to rural southern Arizona (from metro Phoenix) and my Golf R had become my main steed since buying it 2 years ago. Down here the ZHP just wasn't going to get driven much, and I lusted after some sort of roadster (Alfa Spider perhaps) taking its place as my "other" car. I was able to sell my ZHP immediately upon listing it on the BMWCCA website, for my full ask price ($11k) to a great guy from Alabama who flew to Vegas to complete the transaction.
Once we got down here I realized that a motorcycle was also a good option as my "other" vehicle. We're in the sticks and have tons of awesome areas to explore and cruise to, in some of the best weather in the country. And very little traffic to deal with. So I took a 3-day MSF safety course and that helped me make up my mind - yes, I'm going to buy a bike. Got my license the next day, and had been looking at bikes for a few weeks at that point. I was pretty much settled on the Suzuki V-Strom 650 - an "adventure" class bike of sorts, primarily suited for on-road duty, but set up to do some off-roading as well. Then at the 11th hour I started looking at the Kawasaki Versys 650. A bit more polished on the road and less suited for off-road use, but that's fine as I'll rarely venture off-pavement, and when I do, it will be on an unpaved road of some kind, not any sort of hardcore terrain. I found a great deal on a leftover '17 up in Tucson, haggled the price down a bit further, and the deal was done. I've only put about 250 miles on her so far, but I'm loving it and getting more comfortable riding it all the time. This is the first bike I've owned since '83, when I sold a Yamaha 250 Enduro I owned for about a year.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/Kawa...MG_2431-XL.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/Kawa...MG_2439-XL.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/Kawa...MG_2418-XL.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/Cars/Kawa...MG_2332-XL.jpg
That last shot is at our new house in Hereford, I've been posting some pics late in the construction process in the "Home Makeover" thread. Now that we're in I need to add some finished shots, We're still settling in, so I'll get to that sometime in the next week or two.
