I am not an ISRA member, nor do I play one on the Internet. I don't even have a bike. But I have a secret.

I have gotten the itch to get back into riding. Part of that is marrying a woman who used to ride in Australia. She understands the passion that I put on the sidelines for more than a decade ago. Strange, but maybe that's part of the reason I married her. She has brought back my passion for several things that I thought were long dead. My best friend Darren also has the itch, and I have to admit, I fueled his fire a little. :-)

I used to ride a Kawasaki 454LTD and spent more than my share of time with a tent and a bedroll looking for another road that I hadn't seen before. Now that I found I had partners for riding, I started looking into what was available. I have settled on a V-Star 1100 Classic and I am waiting for the 2001 models for that Black/Blue colour scheme that Yamaha has announced.

How did I decide? That's why I am writing this article.

I researched with trips to the dealers. Sudbury is about four hours north of Toronto. I can be at the Michigan border in Sault Ste. Marie (Canadian side, hence the Canuck spelling <g>) As such, we are a major centre in Northern Ontario. Problem is, there are few dealers in town, and our closest neighbour is 1 ½ hour drive from us. Fortunately, my job has me on the road a lot, so I often get to visit other communities and always managed to find the time to stop by the shops and check what they had. And I asked a lot of questions. I spent money on every magazine that I could find that had cruiser reviews. I also searched the Internet. I found the ISRA forum, the Shadow forum, Kawasaki sites, Harley sites, Suzuki sites, and tried to digest all the information I had at my disposal. .

I did more research, and narrowed it down to a Honda Shadow or a Yamaha V-Star. After lurking in both the Shadow Riders forum on Delphi, and the ISRA forum, I decided that I wanted a V-Star. Initially the 650 Classic, but the more I thought about it, the more I drifted to the 1100 Classic. Finally, I made an informed decision. The 1100 was my choice.

That's how I found most of my information. But not all of it . . . I also talked to riders. Now, since I knew so few riders, I had to think quickly on this one. My local Tim Horton's Donut Shop is a meeting place for riders of all sorts. I have often seen large groups and single bikes there in the evening and on Saturday afternoons. Now, how to approach them. That's where my best friend Darren comes in. He met one of the local riders there one night and struck up a conversation. Next thing I knew, he called me down to meet him.

It turns out that Darren was chatting it up with a guy named, Tom, that just bought a Road Star Silverado. I was introduced to him and then was dragged around to meet the others. I looked around and was probably looking pretty goofy as I took in the scene. I was like a kid in a candy store and was probably drooling. Harleys, Viragos, Vulcans, Gold Wings, you name it, it was there. After my mind stopped racing, I spend some time with the group. Darren and I both explained what we were looking for and listened intently as the group gave their advice.

But, wait...what was this??? No one was saying, "buy this" or, "buy that." They were talking about things such as features, riding positions and dealer support. The Gold Wingers were touting the advantages of windshields, and the Harley guys were talking bar positions. I was being led around by people to sit on their bikes so they could show me what they meant when they were mentioning bar reach or whatever. This is crazy. Why isn't someone telling me to buy brand X?? Why weren't the Harley riders snickering at the metric guys, Why wasn't the Gold Winger shooting the Kawi dresser down? This isn't what I remember, these people were friendly. When I used to ride, people didn't mix like this group.

Things sure have changed in a decade or so since I used to ride. I mentioned this to a group of about 12 of us who were standing around taking the value of hard versus soft bags. "That's Easy," Bob Started. Bob rides a Virago with a nice airbrush job on the tank. " We are here cause we like to ride. We like coffee, and we like to talk bikes. A bike is a very personal thing. Not every one likes a HD style or a Wing's bulkiness. And no one like to spend hard earned money on something to have other people slam their choice." Makes sense. A guy known to us only as 'Chicken' spoke up. "I ride an HD. That is all I'll ever ride. Why? Because I think they are the best for what I want in a bike. Does that make me hate Yamaha's or Honda's? Nope. There are some damn fine metric bikes. But for me its choice." After reflecting on their words, I was rather embarrassed at my initial question. These people just like to ride. Case Closed. Things have changed.

As I talked to the group about bikes, they all had great things to say about Yamahas, but they all agreed that you couldn't go wrong with just about any bike these days. But the dealer was the key. They all agreed that a good dealer was my lifeline, so it was off to research dealers and decide which one was going to get my hard earned cash.

Our local Yamaha dealer has been around for a while. I almost bought Seca 400 around the time the 454 LTD came into my hands at a great price. I dropped by one evening and struck up a conversation with one of the sales reps. He was a decent guy. He answered all my questions, but didn't have the level of knowledge I was expecting. I asked him a few questions that he couldn't answer, so I asked the other salesman there. He was rather rude and abrupt. I wasn't impressed with him. The first guy looked rather ticked at his co-workers attitude and went to ask the service manager. This was a good move, after all the sales guys can't know everything about every model on the floor. And to be fair, bikes aren't their main business. Boats are, and four-wheelers are the biggest sellers in this area.

My work took me to Timmins, about 3 hours north. Stopped in and chatted a bit, but felt that I was intruding on their daily grind. Wasn't very impressed, and promptly left. I visited other dealers in other communities, but never got the feeling that was right.

Then I visited another dealer. I was driving through a small town between Sudbury and North Bay. I knew this company was there, but I thought they only sold boats. I had to pull of the highway and turn around since I missed the Yamaha sign. I walked in and was taken aback. Every dealer I have been to in my area has had more four wheelers and dirt bikes than street bikes on the floor (except the local Honda/HD dealer). This dealer had quite a few bikes, and just a few four-wheelers.

One salesman was talking to another customer, and another was on the phone. He gave a big smile and a wave and gestured that he would be with me in a minute. I took the time to look around. Four Classics: two 650s and two 2 1100s, as well as three Silverados and two Road Star Standards, one Venture, 3 Customs, one V-Max and a wall that gleamed chrome. Racks of Jackets, Pants, boots, Helmets and bags. Cool!

The salesman hung up the phone as I was checking out the Maroon/Ivory 1100 Classic. "Hi! Grab a seat, what can I do for you?" he said as he swung a leg over the Road Star next to the 1100. He had already sized me up as looking for a bike. Great. No BS. Sit down and talk. I told him I knew what I wanted and was well versed in the features. I was looking for a dealer to work with. No BS from me either. I asked about their history and the staff. The more we talked, the more I liked what I was hearing. He drove an 1100 custom, and had some extras on it like Cobra Drags and Mustang seat. He knew his stuff. I even mentioned the Oil sensor problem and he knew about it. He was impressive.

He then took me into the back to meet the wrenches and see the shop. They had a few bikes on the stands. One being prepped for delivery, another being done up with some accessories. The other was getting it's 1000KM (600 mile) service. I asked the service manager what was involved, and he told me. Not only that, he was adjusting the valves and showed me what he was doing. Impressed. Andre took me back to the showroom to meet the receptionist. Then we looked at helmets, pants, and jackets. I was thoroughly impressed with him and the shop. We then sat down for a quote. Nearly an hour and half later, I was leaving, thinking that maybe I had found my dealer. The following week, I had to go out of town to Ottawa. When I got back, my wife mention that Andre from Verner called and asked if I had made any decisions yet. Bingo. I had visited other dealers and got quotes, but this is the only one that called me back. I had found my dealer.

I have been back several times to the dealer, and have made him aware that I am waiting for the 2001 model, and he has no problem with that. Even my friend Darren has decided to buy from him after a few visits. I have mentioned him to the "Gang" at Tim Horton's and several have been by to see this dealer. One even bought a new bike from him. They have all mentioned my name. I got a thank you from them for my effort. I have yet to drop a dime in this place, but already I think I have built the foundation of a relationship with them.

(Editor's Note: The Editor has taken off his hat and is holding it over his heart, as tears swell up in his eyes. "That's a beautiful thing, man!" )