Many of you who know me, know that my taste in motorcycles has ranged from sporty to sport touring.  Last year when I saw the Triumph America, I fell in love with the looks of the bike, I mean who wouldn’t?  It is drop-dead gorgeous with a bit of bad-ass mixed in for good measure.  Many of you followed me on my journey across the Southwest and watched each day unfold in a new territory.  That trip will stay in my memory forever and has given me a fever of always wanting to start planning the next one.

During and after my trip, I silently started to crave my sporty touring adventure bike.  High in the mountains of New Mexico, I found myself scraping pegs on the corners, therefore adjusting my speed to keep the bike more upright in the turns.  I missed leaning far down into curves and having the agility that an adventure bike has over a cruiser-style bike.  I would ride by a dirt road and think, “I wonder where that goes”?

I started to do internet searches for adventure-style bikes, just for fun.  Then, I found the perfect match and it happened to be at Wayne and Sue’s shop, Sierra Motor Sports in Grass Valley.  I asked my friend Dick about it and he went to go check it out.  Long story short, it was the perfect bike for me.  A used 2012 Suzuki 650 V-Strom, a.k.a. as, “The Wee” (It’s big brother is the V-Strom 1000).  Lots of extras and looked like it had just rolled off the showroom floor.  Another beauty, but….I knew I had to ride it to be sure.  I learned my lesson on falling in love with the mere looks of a bike and won’t make that mistake again.  Dick borrowed one of Sue’s bikes and I hopped on the Wee, as we headed out for a good, long test ride.

After about mile two, I was in love.  Diving into corners was fun again and the quick, smooth responsiveness was a welcome feel.  It was about 63 degrees so I turned on the heated grips and was toasty warm as we meandered through the sweepers, still able to enjoy the last of the fall colors.   After that ride, the rest was history.  

With a sad heart, I’ll be selling Gypsy come spring time.  I know someone who appreciates the cruiser style will love Gypsy so I’ll be sure to find a good home.  Stay tuned for many more adventures on the Wee.  I’ll be doing a lot more bike camping on this bike as well as more long distance tours to come.  Colorado will likely be my next big trip but for now, lot’s of camping weekends and day rides.  For those of you who are interested, here’s a list of goodies the Wee came with:

• Heated Grips
• ABS
• Jesse top case & side cases
• Shinko 705 Tires
• SW-MOTECH skid plate
• SW-MOTECH crash bars, engine guards
• R&G Radiator Guard
• Bar Risers
• Mastad Windshield and adjustable mount
• 12 Volt Outlet
• Fork Brace
• Wired for Zumo GPS
• Hand Guards
• New Headlight white bulbs
• Extended Warranty

A little gem that had my name on it!  And in case you’re wondering, I will still keep the name of this blog as Gypsy’s Travels.  It still holds the same spirit and purpose, plus I will always remember the first bike that took me on my solo dream trip across the Southwest.  More to come!