So I'm playing catch up with my blogs about my experiences with my new baby.  Please bear with me.

My ride home from the dealership was nothing short of incredible.  It was about 15 miles through Phoenix suburbs and then 35 miles of open desert road to the south and east.  I got comments from people in cars at 2 different stoplights, looks from everyone that passed, and was so happy my helmet covered my huge grin.  I babied it though town as much as I could.  I opened up the throttle a couple of times to see how scared I should be and I think maybe the people in the oncoming lanes might have heard me scream a little bit.  My grin was getting even bigger.  I finally got out of the city limits and just had to open it up.  I know how important a good break in is but I just HAD to see what she had.  I think I might have put a crack in the space/time continuum.  My god she is a friggin rocket.  The grin is starting to make my cheaks hurt.  Ok, take it easy.  I want her to be the best she can be right?  A good break in is critical.

The wife and I had worked out a plan to trick the kids when I got home.  I would call from the park a couple of blocks away and she would send the kids out saying that I needed help bringing some stuff in.  So I came rolling around the curve toward the house, her and the kids were standing out in the front yard goofing off like kids do.  I blipped the throttle a couple of times and rolled up onto the sidewalk.  The looks on their faces was priceless.  And I think my face was now permanently stuck in the grinning position.

Well its now time for rides.  Girls go first of course.  My daughter climbed on and put her hands on my shoulders.  I told her, "No honey, you will want to put your hands all the way around my stomach and lock your hands together."  I took it kinda easy with her.  She's only 12 and I wouldn't want to scare her too bad.  I did show her why she really needed to hold on tight though.  I heard her giggling the entire ride.  That never happened on the old bike.

Now it was the boy's turn.  I had to show him something.  He was older and he had heard me go on and on about how awesome the V Max's were.  His sister had made it a point to stress the importance of holding on tight so he did as he was told.  We left the house nice and easy, cruised into a long slow bend and I started to open it up a little.  I felt him tighten his grip as we hit about 90 within the first block.  One stop sign then it was a straight open road for about a mile and a half with no houses on either side.  I left the stop sign nice and easy then about 30 feet on I went WOT.  The front end came up a little at first and then again in second and I think we broke the speed of light in third.  Ok, ok take it easy.  Still breaking it in you idiot.  I let off the throttle and I felt my son's whole body shaking like crazy behind me.  It was 85 degrees but I asked him if he was cold.  He said, "No.  That was super scary and AWESOME!  Let's do it again."  So, being the good dad that I am, we did.  Zero to light speed in what?..2.5 seconds.  I know....still breaking it in.

Now for the wife.  The most important one to sell on the deal.  She has a bad knee and only rode on the old bike a couple of times because it wasn't comfortable for her.  She didn't look like she even wanted a ride but the kids insisted.  She got her sunglasses out of the truck and grunted and groaned while she climbed on the back of Max.  I felt bad for her because I know how miserable she must be.  The back seat of Max wasn't much for cusion and her poor knees were bent at terrible angles.  Anyway, I thought we should get this over with and took off nice and easy.  We putted around the neighborhood fairly slowly.  She complained about the wind getting behind her sunglasses and I heard her say 'Ouch' at a couple of bumps so I headed back to the house.  She grunted and groaned while she climbed off the back but told me to stay there, she'd be right back.  She went inside and got the extra riding glasses, grunted and groaned back onto the back of Max, and told me "Now lets go.  I wanna see what this thing can do."  Oh damn, there's that grin again.  And of course, being the good husband that I am, I showed her what Max was all about.  I gave her an abreviated version of the ride I had given my son because I knew it had to be killing her knee.  Her first words when we got back to the house were, "Oh my god!"  I was grinning again.  After dinner, she insisted that we ride to her work so she could show Max off to her friends at work.  Then she refused to just go home and wanted to cruise around town for a bit.  Which I happily obliged.  We took it easy for the most part.  There were a couple of times that I felt her grip tighten around my waist so I opened the throttle enough to answer her.  I was really starting to feel bad for not taking it more easy.  Still breaking it in damn you.

I love my new V Max.  I really do.  I love it.