Tomorrow, June 6, will mark the one-year anniversary of me owning my 2004 Speedmaster. I have to say it's been a pretty good year (at least as far as the bike goes). I think she needs a gift of some sort (and paying the registration and insurance bills don't count!).
I bought it from a private party, who had bought it new from the dealer in November 2005. I picked it up with 824 miles on it, currently I have just under 8300 miles, not too bad for the first of the year.
I used to be a big car nut, and I loved my car that I had - a 1991 Audi Coupe quattro, which is fairly rare in the US. But a battle between the Allied and German forces for my attention broke out and the Allied forces won again. I sold my car (only 1700 imported!) about a month ago. Pretty much once I got the bike I stopped driving my car, and not much stopped me from riding other than snow and ice in the winter.
When I bought my Speedmaster I was about as green as could be when it came to motorcycling. I had passed the MSF basic course less than two weeks before. Other than that, I hadn't been on a motorcycle in over 15 years, and that was just riding one around the neighborhood on empty streets. The previous owner lived about 45-50 miles from me, so my first real ride in traffic was riding the Speedmaster home... which included hopping on I-25 through Denver for about 1/2 the ride. Needless to say, it was a learning experience.
My wife also rides the bike (or maybe I should say she did ride the bike since she hasn't been on it so far this year) and I would estimate she put maybe 1000-1200 of the miles on it, mainly going to work and back. She did have her "incident" on her first day with her license, and if you're really interested in it, it's in the archive somewhere.
As for me, (knocking on wood) I haven't had any "bad" experiences on the bike yet. It did almost tip over once, but I was able to catch it in time. No close calls in traffic (still knocking on wood), or bad experiences with cages (knock, knock, knock). I have three young kids, so generally I take safety very seriously while I'm riding.
The worst experience for me was riding to work one morning this past winter and a road that was clear the day before, was covered in ice from melting snow. That lasted about 1/4 mile and was nerve racking to say the least.
While I was extremely green when I got the Speedmaster, I believe that I've really taken to motorcycling and I can't imagine not owning one going forward. Having said that, I have to admit that it took over 6 months to feel completely comfortable on a motorcycle. And I know I still have a lot to learn. For me, I think the Speedmaster has been an excellent first bike, although I think it was a little to much for my wife.
While the Speedmaster has been great, I have had a few issues with it. Specifically the seal behind the front sprocket has leaked twice, both times replaced under warranty by my dealer with no questions asked. The 2nd time they kept it a week to make sure it wasn't part of a larger problem.
I also had an exhaust gasket go bad and I replaced that myself. I suspect that the incident with my wife was the cause of that failing so early. Other than that, not much to report from a mechanical standpoint. I've changed the oil twice, made sure the tires are properly inflated, and check to make sure everything is tight.
In terms of mods, it already had Sceptres on when I bought it, and while I liked them they did cause me physical pain if I didn't wear ear plugs. So I baffled the Scepters with 1" baffles, kind of wish I would have gone with the larger ones. Oh well, I can always take them out if I want.
I also added ISO grips, a clock, helmet lock, and a set of saddle bags with EZ Brackets. Oh, and a thumb screw bolt for the rear seat, which always manages to get so tight that I still need a wrench to get it off.
So, that's a longer-than-intended recap of my first year with my Speedmaster. I love the bike, but I have to admit that I keep having adulterous thoughts about the Sprint ST. If I could only afford a 2nd bike...
Here's to another year and another 8000 miles.
