I'm the type of guy who keeps his stuff a long time. Everybody has stuff............. Sometimes I move my stuff or take my stuff with me. It could be little stuff or big stuff. Let's talk about my big stuff. Vehicles! I have an old Chevy van, which was purchased back in 1978. I also have another long time friend tucked away in the corner, my 1983 Harley Davidson Wide Glide Shovelhead. This was also purchased from new. So you see I do have a habit of hangin' on to things longer than I should. Since we live in a throw away society, I'm a little bit out of the norm. Now there's nothing wrong with this, but there comes a time when you have to move onward and upward to newer and better things.

The old Shovelhead served me well and it took me places some people will never see in their whole lifetime. It carried my sorry ass through rainstorms, snowstorms and weather that was colder than a witches tit! 110 degrees couldn't stop her, along with punishing speed. I dumped gas on it, puked on it and birds shit on it, but I cleaned her up and she still looks pretty good. But time marches on and it's time to give her up for something new. Now comes the gist of my story. When I finally decided to make the move and order a new machine, which one would it be? Might it be the same type of model or Softail Custom? Would I look good on a full dresser or a Road King? How about this new Heritage Springer? Well, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I decided to go with the FLSTF. That's right boys and girls, the "Fat Boy!" I even found a picture of the exact bike I'm looking for and hung it over my existing ride sitting in the corner of my garage. It's the old and the new.

My decision took place in February of '96, so I made my way up to my local Harley-Davidson Dealer. The dealer looks at me and says, " The list for 1997 is full, but I can put you on a back-up list." Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! That's like when you walk in to Pep Boys Auto Store and ask for a certain type of part and the salesman tells you, " We don't have it in stock but I can order it for you." Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! You get that same nasty acid feel in your stomach. I hate when that happens. Now what does this backup list mean? Hmmmmmm........How does one get on this '97 list? The so called, real list? It was explained to me that four people have to drop off of the list in order for me to get on the "real" list. At this point in time, my "Fat Boy" is up in the air. No............not hanging in mid air by a sky hook, but it's just not there. This means I'm waiting for, God only knows how long till I get on the "list."

I tried to second guess or beat the system, so I drove to the next nearest Harley dealer. He puts my name on another list. Again I was 650th on his list. This thing is getting out of hand. Nobody could really tell me how long it would take before I could expect delivery. So I went to another Harley dealer to see what he had to say. This one wanted a $1,000 as a down payment, but still couldn't guarantee me a certain time delivery. Does Harley-Davidson have some sort of secret plan here or what? They tell me it's supply and demand. Grabbing my crotch I said, "Here, demand this!"

Then there's the other story that was told to me. A friend of mine says, "You want a brand new Harley?" I can get you one. Although you are going to pay big bucks for it. There are certain dealers that must have some sort of in for extra bikes or something and they have them stored somewhere in hiding. You can buy a brand new bike, but it will have goodies put on them by the dealers and selling them at a jacked up price. Approximately, $2,000 or $3,000 more than the selling price from the factory. Thanks a lot guys! I guess this is where supply and demand comes in. Well, I figured I wasn't going to pay those kind of prices. So now the waiting game begins.

The summer goes by fairly quickly as usual. Somewhere around the end of August, I talk to my friendly Harley dealer again. By this time it turns out that I have moved up on the backup "list." Hooray!!!! I haven't gotten there as of yet, but almost. Another month goes by and I get another phone call from the dealer telling me that I have now reached the regular "list." Now we're getting there. As these moves continue climbing up the list, so does my blood pressure and more hair loss. My health is starting to fail because of anxiety and excess stomach acid. My hands are starting to shake as I reach for the bottle of Rolaids. This waiting does take its toll.

By the end of September, I get another phone call telling me to come up and actually put a deposit down on my new "Fat Boy." At last, I have made the list. To make matters worse, the dealer asks me to come in the back of the building to see something. There sits a brand new 1997 Fat Boy. The dealer says, " Sit on it and see how it feels." So with joy, I proceeded to throw my leg over the hog. A great big smile stretched across my face. I looked up and the dealer said, "If you want it, it's yours."

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! How could this be? They explained to me that someone else ordered this bike but for some reason couldn't accept it at this time. As I looked up with a tear streaming down my cheek I said, " I can't take this bike for one reason, it's the wrong color." After all, if I went through all of this waiting and excess stomach acid, I wanted the color that I had ordered, and it had to be "Black." Reluctantly, I got off of the beauty and shuffled back into the dealership. Some people think I'm crazy for doing this, but a man has to do what a man has to do. I have principles! Again, the Rolaids bottle came out. Anticipation..........................

This brings us up to date. The deposit money is put down and I even started a list of accessories to add to it when the Fat Boy comes in. All I have to do is wait!!!!!!!!!!!

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