Andy, shooting my eye out has a special place in my heart. And I fully embrace the notion that the object of my affection can (and often does) grow to be larger than life. The Vespa certainly fits that bill. And I am already trying to mitigate my obsession with the Himalayan. Time will tell whether I succeed or fail.

The end of “A Christmas Story” where dad knew what to get his son stirs some nostalgia for me in regard to my father and Christmas. While I never got the BB gun, mini-bike, or go-kart I wanted, he did get me things I did want, often without me realizing it would become an obsession. Happy memories. Thanks for igniting the for me!

Steve, I’ve reread my silly comments from the other day and recognize I didn’t leave much or any context and barely hinted at my enthusiasm for your new motorcycle. Without making it weird, I simply wanted to say that I am very happy and excited for your new bike and the new adventures you will be enjoying. I’ve always enjoyed “A Christmas Story” because of the way in which the main character (Ralphie) sees the world. The object of his affection grows to be larger than life in his own mind (something I am also quite adept at doing) despite the many naysaying voices in his life: the adults in his life and even Santa Claus. There is something particularly satisfying at the end of the movie when you realize his father saw the importance of exploring a sport that is not without danger by surprising Ralphie with his own BB gun. (sorry for the spoiler)

Again, I couldn’t be happier for you and hope to see your new bike in person someday soon!

You’ve had the rougher time snow-wise with this past storm. We’re suffering some low temperatures which keeps the snow we do have on the ground and not melting. So winter seems longer.

I spent a lot of time considering options for my second ride after deciding to part with the K75. The Himalayan checked all the boxes including the most important one for a photographer — its appearance in photographs. I’ve been tinkering with things on the bike — installed the master cylinder guard this morning, and continuing to organize the garage so that I can do most of the routine service on the bike.

If I had a new Vespa I would likely loathe to take it out in the salt and snow. I came to that gradually and just had to swallow the physical decay it engendered. Still, after 43K miles, the GTS is holding up well. Most of the damage from winter has been cosmetic.

As far as new blog entries go, I’ll be continuing to catch up on thoughts and rides from this past fall…

If I had the means (and room) for a second ride, the Himalayan would at or near the top of the list: in fact, given the road conditions for the moment here, that bike could likely slot in rather well. As things stand, my new GTS SuperTech isn’t parked here yet (still waiting three miles away at the dealer), so there’s still plenty to anticipate. I do anticipate some interesting and insightful entries from you before very long regarding your travels with that Enfield.

My thinking exactly Jim. I’m excited about some new adventures on yet-to-be-explored tracks. This morning I attached the tail bag I had used on the BMW. It was room for all the essentials of a day trip. All that’s missing now is acceptable weather.

Sentimental attachment is responsible for a lot of things living unused in my house. The list is long…

Poor swimmers…. that means the Himalayan won’t reproduce right??

I don’t think I’ll be seeking out more technical roads but the Himalayan will make it more likely that I’ll attempt them. I’ve never been a peg-standing rider but it’s been 50 years since I’ve been in situations where that was required. I’ll try that out on the Himalayan and see if it has some utility for me.