hmmm... I was referred to a BC specialist who reviewed my labs and conducted a biopsy (my poor boob looks mangled and unhappy). He thinks I'm ok. We discussed how difficult it is to interpret my mammograms and ultrasounds cause my tissue is thick and lumpy (tmi? who knows -maybe it will help someone). Based on my extensive family history with breast cancer and the retardedness of my boobs (can't find a lump if my boobs are lumpy and thick -on the inside people), we're going to initiate a preemptive strike on breast cancer. So, I'm waiting to schedule a MRI (to be sure the boobs are clean) and to talk about surgery and what we are going to do. We're thinking complete removal and upgrade... what do I want now that I get to choose? Man, after dealing with fn cancer a kagillion times...at this point I want to decimate my time bomb before it goes off. You can only understand if you've been there/done that (or maybe you can imagine)... It's on fn boob cancer... I've got *your* number.

On a much happier note. I fn love my rad bad bike. I've got 400+ miles on her now. If the rain would go away, I'd have my break-in miles in 1 week! kewl... On Monday, my bike and I went on our first solo maiden voyage. I was a little nervous warming her up. Man, I felt a little newbish. But, as soon as I rolled out of our neighboorhood I was all comfy. What a difference! She's so steady and smooth. There's a little in reserve when I ask for it. I do need to practice fast braking on the new bike because the front brake is smaller and the bike is heavier (go figure...). So, it requires much more of an effort on my part to stop her quickly. This is my one complaint. I'm not sure why H-D puts such small brakes on their big ass bikes (my bike is 565 pds. the husbands' 800 pds). With the Buell (393pds) I just needed to use 2 fingers to stop my bike quickly and safely. Now I feel like I have to use all 4 fingers. Like I said... I need to take her out to the industrial complex and practice those stops. The bike also has a much bigger turn radius than the Buell, but I am working around that. I just counter-weight her for u-turns and circles. Other than that, she's perfect. She'll be even more perfect after I have her engine converted to 1200 ccs. :)

Hey all,

Well, we didn't quite make 500 miles this weekend. But, we did ride over 300 miles. Man, I'm sore (my neck and traps). We rode on all kinds of streets (in town, country highway, and interstate). I'm feeling pretty comfortable on my bike now. What a difference between my Buell and my Sportster. The Iron is like riding a tank (that has some kick to it). She's really steady, smooth, and has enough power in reserve when I ask for it. I can see that I'm going to want to have the engine work done (1200), but for now she's just fine. I'm posting a side view of her, and one of my favorite pix that sums up my feelings. Does anyone know the procedure for posting a vid file to the LJ blog? -thanks!
More pix: http://pics.livejournal.com/bobberbikebabe/gallery/0000qzs4

Oh sh*t! Is my new bike fun! I L O V E her! She is a bad ass and looks and sounds like one too. Everyone at my husbands work came out and took copious amounts of pictures of her arrival, my first sit on the bike, etc. I didn't want anyone to take pictures of me taking off as, well...it was my first time on a bigger more powerful bike. But, honestly, it was not even a problem. I did a bunch of passes, u-turns, circles, some lower speed fast stops just to get comfy on her. She sounds like a big bad ass bike with those short shot pipes. OMG, I almost peed my pants when I started her up. I thought, "Oh, no, she's too bad for me." Nope, she's just right. I'm going out for another ride and won't post pix until later tonight.

no news on the lab results...and they close early on Friday (apparently).... bummer... BUT...at least I have my bike to keep my spirits up. And, boy are they up.

UPDATE: I'm riding 500 miles this weekend to break-in my bike (that's the goal). :)

bike love...

Well, this is a f*cked up week. I have this beautiful awesome bike coming tomorrow. But, I also have some bad medical news. The good news first... Today I went on the 100+ mile ride to the dealership to check out my bike and have the handlebar "custom" fitted. I almost fell on the floor when I saw my bike. She looks wicked. The pipes weren't completely finished. My mechanic had both pipes painted and only one wrapped (bad ass). The new seat, handlebar, tach, and engine guards were installed. The fit was *perfect*. AND, the bike looks soo much better with the shorter tighter seat and larger handlebar. You can see the frame between the tank and the seat. The shorter seat also shows off the bobbed rear fender in such a sweet way. sigh... Tomorrow tomorrow... Oh, today was my last ride on my Buell Blast. I put 4,000 sweet miles on her. nice pony...

Bad news: I found a lump in my boob. The doc felt my boob and immediately sent me to the hospital for testing. Scary shit... I have a family history that is thick with cancer. Both my Gma's, my Mom and two of her three sisters have had breast cancer. My Mom has had it twice. My Dad died of cancer a couple of years ago. The geneticist told me that I had a 50/50 chance of developing breast cancer. Sooo... I'm well acquainted with the heavy evil shit associated with cancer. I already have a plan either way (+/- test result) and it involves an upgrade.

So, I'm experiencing really high highs from the new bike and really down lows with the boobs. At least I will have a new pony to take my mind off my boobs.

Man... I can't wait for my bike...to arrive. Since the hubby is really busy this week, we are just having both of our bikes dropped off on Friday (I had no idea that HD did that...). I'm thinking of riding over to the dealership tomorrow to make sure my handlebars are adjusted correctly. We'll see... In the mean time I've been practicing all of the usual maneuvers and riding a lot. Today I got up to 42 mph during my fast braking practice. Let me tell you... now that I've broken through the 40+ mph barrier I feel ready to try fast braking at 50+ mph, but I also feel just a little nervous. Fast braking at higher speeds doesn't feel weird at all anymore. Balancing the bike during fast braking is fine (just keep the bike square as well as yourself). It's the feeling of the breeze in my face during the exercise that causes my monkey brain to panic a little. I don't act on it, but I do feel a little bit of adrenaline flow. Quiet monkey brain! Quiet!

It's official. I signed the papers today. Here she is...right before going into the shop for some work. We got a pretty good deal on the bike, so I'm having the following work done to her: new seat & handlebars, wrapped short stag pipes, stage 1 air kit, engine guards, and a tachometer. I can pick her up Thursday.

I rode yesterday first with the man then I took off by myself. It was a good ride. After I got home the husband took me out for dinner on the back of his bike. I like riding on the back every now and then. I can just kick back and enjoy the ride...literally. Plus I feel all cozy and lovey dovey. awwww... At dinner the hubby said he thought it was time for a new bike. REALLY??? REALLY??? He called and got the process started.

This morning I rode out to GS H-D to look at my possible new Iron. I decided that if he felt better with me on the 883 for awhile, then his piece of mind was worth the wait (for a 1200). Husbands can be pretty protective and mine is...particularly with my riding. The 50+ mile ride out there was nice. I ride the country highways...and you know those are my favorite. After I arrived, the salesman and someone else checked out my Buell to determine trade-in value. It's always a trade-off between getting a little bit more money by selling it yourself, but having strangers coming over to your home, and losing a little bit of money through a trade-in. We are going to talk about trading in my bike tonight. ANYWAYS... So, I sat on the Iron again. I didn't like the set-up. The handlebars are drag bars and the seat sets you back, so you're kind of leaning back and stretching forward to reach the bars (I'm 5'5"). I told them I wanted to trade the seat and handlebars for the seat/bars on the Nightster as the Nightster set-up fits me perfectly. Besides that... I'm having engine guards installed and MAYBE the following (depending on the flow): stag pipes -wrapped, stage 1 kit, and tachometer. Before leaving I left a deposit to hold the bike. -just-in-case-

I'm really excited about getting a new ride. I'm a little nervous about jumping on a new bike and riding it off the lot. The Iron is heavier, set up a little differently, and a little bit more powerful. So, I see myself riding oh so carefully off the lot and then really trying her out on the highway.

I guess I'll have to say goodbye to my Buell Blast. It was a really great starter bike and I learned a lot on it. I think I will actually miss it for a bit...

Nothing like a new iron lung to make the asthma feel better...

Oh, does my heart skip a beat. All of you who read my posts know that I'm in *love* with the Nightster. I thought for sure that it would be my next bike. But, H-D just released the 883 Iron and I'm in love again. Oh, fickle heart... The bikes are exactly the same according to the stat sheets except for engine size (of course), paint, and wheels. I love the flat black paint on the Iron (even on the cylinders) and the wheels. I've been told multiple times that the 1200 conversion kit is easy enough to do and will actually cost me less to upgrade the 883 than to buy the 1200 at sticker price. The Iron 883 is $2,000 less than Nightster 1200. So, I'm thinking that I'm probably going to get the Iron 883 and then install the 1200 conversion kit next year (unless I need the speed earlier). But, I've also been told that since I cut my teeth on my 500 (w/ performance mods), that I will feel only slightly more power on the 883 and should just go ahead and buy the Nightster. On the other hand, I like the thought of increasing power a little more slowly as my riding skills increase rather than taking larger jumps. It seems that a lot of people who have many years of riding experience also followed the path of matching skill level to power level -gradually rather than quickly. On another positive note, the hubby is more willing to pick-up the Iron earlier (a few months) rather than the Nightster (September). I think he feels more comfortable with the thought of me on the 883 with the eventual upgrade to 1200cc (but I'm not sure). Oh, I've sat on both of them and they fit like a glove.

What do you guys think? A special thanks to Romperwebby for pointing this bike out to me. :) hugs!!

THE 883 IRON






THE NIGHTSTER 1200 CC