Bike For Sale

My 2009 Yamaha V Star 650 Classic is for sale. I'm selling because I won't be riding it anymore.

In fact, I won't be riding a motorcycle of my own again.

I knew this was coming. As the pain in my right hand increased in severity and length, somewhere inside I knew the pain would be the demise of my riding career.
"Your x-rays show severe wear and tear at the base of your cervical spine. The bones are deteriorating from stress, probably caused by supporting your head in the wind while riding. Not only are the nerves pinched and inflamed, the bone damage is irreversible."

That's all my doctor needed to say. In 3 sentences my life has taken a significant turn. However, I'm more comfortable with this than I thought I would be. I didn't realize until after I received the news how much I loathed the pain of riding. Every ride has come to bring a certain level of throbbing pain and numbness to my right arm. The only variable was the length of time it would last. I can deal with the pain but not with the idea of grinding away at my bones and risking paralysis.

My life has become a series of The Unexpected along each new road I travel. Steve and I embrace the chaos because there is no adventure without risk. I can choose the road but I cannot choose the condition I find it in, so I accept this twist with a serene and peaceful heart. My life is so good right now that this isn't going to ruin it. Riding is something I do, not who I am. I'm still Sash and that's enough for me. I'm not worried about what tomorrow will bring because I'm busy living today.

I had a good run. I sold my Mercedes to buy a Ninja 500, eventually trading for my V Star, rode through 35 states having only my motorcycle for transportation for 2.5 years and have a lifetime of great stories. I test rode new motorcycles, wrote articles for the leading women's motorcycling magazine, reviewed motorcycling products, been to rallies, bike nights, group rides, ridden wet roads, hot roads, cold roads, seen wind, rain, sun and snow and everything in between.

Along the way I've made wonderful friends.

What a terrific adventure this has been. We're still traveling and I'm still going to be writing about it. This isn't the end of the road but merely a detour.