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SEP

17

2009

today was about getting the paperwork done for the new motorcycle: transferring the title, updating my insurance policy, and getting a new registration. i went to the cafe and told my parents i was having some second thoughts about the bike. my mother said i should sell it right away, but my father suggested we keep the bike and buy another 250cc motorcycle (which are pretty cheap, about a grand for any older models). whatever i end up deciding, i first had to make sure the bike was legal for riding on the road.

my qualms with the honda spirit is only when it's parked; when i'm riding it on the road, i have no complaints. the bike was still backfiring and i had to ride in full choke until we can change the oil and maybe drain the gas tank of the old fuel, but the engine didn't kick out today. other than that, the bike handles smoothly, very stable (more like a car; my old honda, that was more like a bicycle with an engine). the bike just wants to go fast and makes me itch for highways, something that never happened with my old bike.

i went to the watertown RMV. i wasn't sure if noontime was the best time, but i had nothing else to do today so i could afford to wait. the man at the check-in desk informed me that i had to go see my insurance agent first to get an RMV-1 form before i can transfer my title. originally i wanted to bike to chinatown (where my insurance office is located) but didn't want to deal with the hassle of finding a place to park. i decided go into the boston via subway, taking the time to travel on foot and scope out some potential motorcycle parking spots while i was there.

the key to finding motorcycle parking spots in the city is to see where other people park their motorcycles. they've obviously checked out the streets before and figured out where those grey areas where one can stash a bike and not get a ticket. i noticed most bikes were covered for some reason; maybe it's some sort of strategy to either not get a ticket or to not draw unwanted attention to the bike.

going to the insurance office was pretty painless. the woman typed up my new information and printed out an RMV-1 form for me to take to the registry. we had a moment of confusion when she asked if the motorcycle was a manual or automatic transmission. "i think all motorcycles are manual," i said, not really sure of the answer myself (they require gear shifting, unlike a standard scooter). i was relieved to find out that my insurance rate wouldn't be increasing because of the new bike; this is basic i have just basic coverage with no collision protection.

since the chinatown cafe was only around the corner, i had to get one of my favorite foods, the spicy pork chop with rice. i also stopped by c-mart for some asian grocery items before heading back to cambridge.

my parents dropped by my place briefly to pick up the things i bought them from chinatown before they went to costco. they gave me a ride to the somerville street bicycle shop, where my bike was ready to go. i don't often bicycle on busy streets so i was going pretty slow, and another cyclist even passed me. i managed to get myself home eventually, and after i finished lunch (ate half, saving the rest for dinner), i went out and installed the head light on the bicycle and cleaned the rims a little bit, before storing it in the basement. the only thing missing now is a bike lock (i do have a combination lock, which may be good for quick errands, but it's too easy to break).

i decided i'd go to the RMV tomorrow morning, since it was already getting late. i also wasn't in the mood to wait any longer after already spending much of the day just running around town.

in the evening i ate the rest of leftover and watched the season premiere of bones followed by fringe. i thought the first season of fringe was okay, but the season finale really made the show a lot better. while there are many similarities to x-files, all the strange events that happen in fringe are for a purpose, and that is the preparation of a secret war with invaders from an alternate dimension earth. i think this season will be a lot better now we know what's going on.