The Dream is a Reality - I Bought a 2002 Dyna Wide Glide!

After an unproductive road trip to Connecticut last week to look at a couple of used Harley prospects (see http://harley-bound.blogspot.com/2010/01/hunt-moves-to-connecticut.html), I was a bit discouraged. I scanned motorcycles for sale on Craigslist every night, and scanned eBay every few days, but there were no other decent prospects nearby for any of the models I wanted (Wide Glide/Low Rider/Softail Custom or Standard) in my price range. A Harley dealer in New Jersey had a nice 1998 Wide Glide listed online for $7,800, but when I factored in shipping costs (about $500), the deal wasn't as attractive. Besides, I really didn't want to drive that far to look at a bike.

Then, I decided to see if the 2002 Wide Glide I had looked at in Massachusetts last month was still available. It was listed on eBay and Craigslist for $7,900. After I went to see it on Dec. 29, the owner rejected my offer of $7,000. He counter-offered to sell it for $7,750 - no less - adding that he could sell it for much more in the spring (see http://harley-bound.blogspot.com/2009/12/tale-of-two-wide-glides.html). The eBay auction ended without the bike selling, but I didn't see it re-listed on either eBay or Craigslist. In the meantime, I had saved up some more money, so I emailed the seller on Jan. 14 and said I would be willing to buy the bike for $7,750, if I could test ride it. But there was still sand and salt on the roads where the bike was, and the owner said the salt would damage the chrome. I didn't want the salt attacking the chrome, so I agreed a test ride was not a good idea.

Next, I had to find someone with an enclosed motorcycle trailer to help me transport the bike. I put out the word among my Christian biker network (and even my Facebook page), and chased several leads. I also considered renting a U-Haul truck. Then Mike Laplante, a Christian biker and member of the CMA Kingdom Kruzers chapter in East Bay, R.I., offered to use his pickup truck and enclosed trailer to get my bike. After coordinating schedules with the seller and Mike, we arranged to get the bike Saturday morning.

On Friday afternoon, I went to my bank and withdrew most of my savings account, asking for mostly $100 bills. I have never held so much cash in my hands in my life, and I was nervous. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night.

I arrived at Mike's house at 8:00 the next morning, and his truck and trailer were ready to roll for the 90-minute drive to New Braintree, Mass., where, unlike Rhode Island, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground, as well as sand and salt on the roads. The seller, Don, had plowed the road to the shed in back of his house, where the bike was being stored. Also, Danny, the owner of the bike, met us there. (Don and Danny are friends, and Don is selling the bike for Danny, who works a night shift job.)

Danny gave me the title, bill of sale, owner's manual, two keys and stock exhaust pipes, and gave me a quick rundown on the bike's controls. Then, I counted out $7,750 in cash, and we loaded the bike onto Mike's trailer. Mike had the bike tied down in less than five minutes, and we were on our way back to my place in southern R.I., a two hour, 90-mile trip.

We unloaded the bike in my driveway, started it up and I rode it into my garage, as Mike, who was just as excited as I was, took pictures to commemorate the occasion.

The whole thing felt like a dream, and I literally had to pinch myself to realize this was indeed real. My CMA Romans 8 Riders chapter president, Spike, a diehard Harley guy, knows quite well what I'm feeling, because when I saw him today, he asked me, "So ... how many times have you been out to the garage to look at it?"

I just have to thank God, through Jesus Christ, for blessing me with the bike of my dreams - right down to my first choice of color! God is awesome!