Howdy, folks!! I am brand new to motorcycling. I took my MSC last weekend, got my license, and all that jazz.

I had originally gone into the dealership to throw my leg over a couple of bikes and see how they felt. I really liked the Honda Shadow, but because they had a bunch of them, the wife wasn't really keen on buying one, at the time. I looked over, and there was a 2002 Roadstar with bugs still on the windshield where someone had just traded it in.

They wanted $7K for it, which is what they wanted for a new Shadow, and I told the wife that if we didn't get it, someone else was going to scoop it up. With a sigh, she told me to get it. (w00t!)

I've been riding it back and forth to work... It's a 2002, 1600cc, with only 4K miles on it, V&H Longshots, and it's spotless, except for a scratch on the rear fender that isn't really all that noticeable. (The upper pipe of the V&H has a spot of brownish-gold discoloration, as if there's a specific heat build-up in that spot. I don't know why...)

I put a trickle-charger pigtail on the battery, so when I park it in the garage, I can just plug it in.

Yesterday, I rode home from work, hooked around to pull into the garage, and didn't get my foot on ground fast enough, and ended up dropping the bike. The highway peg and saddlebag took all of the impact, so there were no scratches. I bruised my elbow, but other than that, the only thing hurt was my pride. I felt like a real dork... Fortunately, I had seen a YouTube video on how to pick up a heavy bike, so that wasn't a problem. I thought, Supposedly, everyone drops their first bike. I guess I got THAT out of the way!

Anyway... I'm brand new to motorcycles, and this Roadstar is my first bike, other than a Honda Trail50 that I had, when I was a kid.