Behold my road weapon. It's a 1999 Honda VFR800 Interceptor. In the grand tradition of naming my vehicles, I christened this one the "Death Dealing Road Missile." The Road Missile part should be self explanitory. "Death Dealing" because it takes no prisoners on the road, and because it, like all motorcycles, is not particularly forgiving in the event of an error. The Road Missile borders on ludicrous speed. The name helps me to keep some perspective and not do anything completely insane, because every time I throw my leg over it I contemplate the consequences of stupidity.
It weighs 468 pounds and makes 108 bhp. When I want answers, it delivers. The DDRM has a "point and shoot" interface to passing---you point it, crank open the throttle, and shoot by. Sometimes the needle hits 13,000 RPM and you have to shift. But since (I'm told) it goes 90 in second gear, if you have to shift more than once you could go to jail in most states.
It is so fast that sometimes you have to brake hard at the bottom of on ramps to slow down enough to merge with traffic going 80 MPH on the interstate. It's an unusual feeling, but you get used to it.
The arrival of the DDRM returned balance and harmony to my stable of motor vehicles. You see, I'd always agreed with myself that I'd never buy a car slower than the one it was replacing. After my lovely Mighty Road Warrior got totalled, I got my Nissan Maxima SE (aka "The Flying Carpet"), which, while a fine vehicle, was slightly slower than the Mighty Road Warrior. This was a minor violation of my agreement with myself, which was troubling but I was willing to overlook given that it was a purchase forced upon me. Then I got my Yukon, which was the smallest vehicle I could put my dog's crate into. Utility notwithstanding, it was a glacially slow vehicle, and I simply couldn't look the other way on such a blatant violation. After all, if you can't trust yourself, who can you trust?
Without another garage stall available for a sports car, there was only one way to restore pride and "dignitude" to my garage. The DDRM fit nicely in the garage behind the Big Cat and alongside my truck. It's all about synergy.
I highly recommend my Aerostich Roadcrafter riding suit, which supplements my helmet with windproof full body protection. Which is key when you're going 100+ in 15 degree weather. And you really can put it on or take it off in 30 seconds.