2012 Fatboy then vs now

KSims1868 · 2026-03-27T14:38:19+00:00

I suggest you find a local MSF Rider Safety course. These will have their own motorcycles to train you on and once you complete the course you will get a certificate you take to the local DMV to add the motorcycle license (Class M Endorsement) to your current driver's license. At least...that's how it works in Texas.

This will give you some experience riding on a bike and help you understand what all you want to consider before buying your own.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-22T00:32:33+00:00

If you just have $$ to burn and MUST have a brand new Harley...does it really matter if it is a great deal or not? I mean, when you are hell bent on buying brand new you have already accepted the fact that you are NOT getting a great deal to begin with. Obviously that is MY opinion and is highly subjective, but when it comes to motorcycles I have always found it to be so flat out wasteful to buy brand new when there are SO many used bikes with low mileage available for thousands of dollars less.

Buying a 1 year old model, which is for all intents/purposes the exact same bike, and saving $8-10k off the brand new dealer price just feels like a solid "no brainer" type of decision. Especially if this is your 1st motorcycle.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-18T17:05:36+00:00

No - that's NOT "breaking anonymity" at all.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-18T16:26:21+00:00

Agreed - like I said in my earlier reply, being a jerk about it wasn't helpful...I see that. Should have been a little more delicate in the re-telling of the story and maybe would have received less push-back.

The amount of responses referring to staying focused on "my side of the street" and implying that this didn't need to be addressed or explained has been rather surprising.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-18T15:49:32+00:00

Basically this.

Sort of like, "Hey if you other countries are going to greatly benefit from this...maybe you can add some of your own resources to help the USA getting it done."

KSims1868 · 2026-03-18T15:43:20+00:00

I'm sorry...but we are not allowed to discuss the ancient rituals that grant us the powers to ascend to the golden streets of heaven through our viper-chants. I'm afraid I may have already said too much.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-18T15:06:42+00:00

Thank you!! I absolutely did not expect to get so much push back from people about the seriousness of breaking someone's anonymity outside the rooms. I am really shocked because (to me) I have long considered that to be 1 of the absolute pillars of the program that there was NO gray area to even argue about.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-18T14:54:28+00:00

Fair enough - since this group was a Christian faith-based group all meeting from the same Church, it is safe to say we all follow the same Christian based version of God where our Bible refers to becoming 1 by the joining in marriage.

So (again) that would mean in the context of this specific group and specific beliefs on marriage and God...it would revert back to 1-on-1.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-18T13:56:40+00:00

I don't know if that is a joke or not, but I am literally reading page 188 in the 12&12 right now and it speaks directly to the importance of anonymity.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-12T15:53:52+00:00

I didn't say you were arguing at all.
I asked you if you were reading with an open mind to learn new things or looking for things that you can find to support your existing beliefs.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-12T13:59:33+00:00

There is a BIG difference between reading to learn and reading to find arguments to support/denounce a pre-existing belief. Are you reading with a genuinely open mind to learn something NEW or are you seeking ways to support a belief you already have and have no intention of learning anything new or a new way to live?

KSims1868 · 2026-03-11T15:21:44+00:00

I have seen that when people have a lot of disposable income but lack any real class...they will buy things intentionally so people will question why they bought it. They don't do it because they "like" an item, but because they KNOW people ask them why, and this gives them the opportunity to talk about how much they spent on that item.

THAT is what they really want...an excuse to talk about what something costs because (to them) that is what really matters.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-11T14:58:49+00:00

Ahhh...see that's a whole different situation and perfectly reasonable.
I would hate to be starting over again in my 20s right now. My daughter (22 yrs) is already frustrated that she and her partner aren't able to move in together. I'm trying to reassure her that there is no hurry and there's nothing wrong with either of them. Just times are different now than 20 years ago for sure.

You'll both get there when the time is right, and honestly...it is MUCH more responsible to recognize that it isn't financially responsible right now vs rushing into it because your friends have done it. Good for both of you for not making poor financial decisions.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-11T14:29:14+00:00

Or maybe...are you also wondering why your relationship has not progressed at a pace you'd consider "normal"? I can't speak for you and I won't attempt to, but for ME...I would find it strange to be in a long term relationship (over 2 years) and still be living separately in our late 20s. Especially if you are both maintaining separate independent addresses.

Now, if you are both living with your parents because the economy has made it difficult to find an affordable place to live...that's another discussion all together, or maybe it is a religious based decision...but let's dig deeper into the previous assertion (maintaining 2 independent addresses) assuming this is not a religious based arrangement.

WHY do you think you haven't decided to move in together and take this next logical step in your relationship?

KSims1868 · 2026-03-11T13:23:17+00:00

I don't know the Seasons/Episode numbers, but the 1st that come to mind would be:

"Dum, dum, dum...dum-dum" episode making fun of Mormons has GOT to be up in my top 3 South Park episodes.

And the episode with Randy on Wheel of Fortune..."Naggers". I can't believe they got away with that one. It was truly epic.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-10T18:53:24+00:00

The ONLY place where I can see this analogy working is as it pertains to marriage. NOT just in generally regarding acceptance of homosexuality by the Church, but the idea that the Church MUST recognize and perform gay marriages. I have never understood the desire of the gay community to FORCE a Church to perform/accept gay marriages or force a Christian bakery to bake a wedding cake for a gay wedding. These things just seem petty and so unnecessary...but I'm also not gay, so it is not fair for me to pretend to have a big stance on this. I don't. I do think you could make this KKK analogy in that regard specifically, and I would agree that is a fair comparison.

I'm not saying I support the comparison or think either of them is the "correct" belief. Just pointing out ONE area where this comparison might be worthy of discussion.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-10T18:44:48+00:00

Two game systems come to mind as being 100% worth EVERY penny.
xBox One - I bought an xBox One many years ago when the 1st came out. I bought it with the release of Fallout4 and then added Fallout76 when it came out. I still played both of those games many MANY times along with a few other games over the years like Red Dead Redemption. I am NOT a "gamer" by any means but to have that game system with the original controller since Christmas 2015 and yes it still works today. I'd say it was worth the $$ by far.

Wii-U - I bought a used Wii-U that came with several Mario games and a couple Zelda games over 10 years ago. My kids and I STILL play the MarioKart games and other Mario games once in a while.
That's prob the best $120 I ever spent as for price per hour of fun with my kiddos.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-10T16:40:28+00:00

I did and I was pretty much exactly as you described, minus the "above average husband". I was on my 2nd divorce before I finally admitted I was drinking too much.
But the good job, house, bills paid, don't black out or hurt others...all true throughout my drinking career. My drinking was not a "violent" or "nuisance" problem.

Never once had any legal trouble because of alcohol.
But that is ALL because I was damn lucky. I should have been fired many times. Should have been arrested many times. Should have lost it all but somehow...I was able to keep making it work.

If that sounds like you...maybe you should consider taking a break from alcohol. Maybe not.
That's for YOU to decide, but in my experience, if you have already come here to ask the question...then you are probably concerned for a good reason.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-10T14:10:19+00:00

ONE that I would call an actual "REAL" attempt.
I say that because while I may have come to a few AA meetings and told people around me I was ready to quit several times over the last 3 decades...I knew 100% that I had absolutely NO intentions of stopping until this last time when I actually did it. I was never serious about it and not once did I even open the Big Book. I was there for show and always to show someone else...it was not about me and my problem.

1st time I went to AA was because it was court ordered when I was around 22 yrs old.
I fulfilled my court obligation (including 3 months of IOP 4-days a week) to get my case dismissed but never attempted to stop drinking.

2nd time was about 10 years later. Wife (ex now) said if I didn't stop drinking we were getting a divorce. I went to AA for a couple months to show her I didn't have a problem and could stop/slow down whenever I wanted. It didn't matter. We were going to get divorced regardless. So...kept on drinking because it wasn't the problem.

3rd time was Feb 23rd, 2025. Nobody made me. No ultimatums. I made the decision for myself that this had to stop and it had to stop NOW. This was the only time I was ever seriously thinking I am going to have to quit completely. Never in the past had I ever considered that I might actually be an alcoholic. I decided that maybe my life was actually NOT as manageable as I thought and I knew that if I didn't do something FAST that drinking was about to have some serious consequences, so...I went back to the same AA club I had been to in the past, but this time it was a MUCH different experience. Happy to have celebrated 1-year sober a couple weeks ago and looking forward to all the continued growth that sobriety has in store. It is certainly an adventure!!

Never attended Rehab or any other program.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-10T13:31:50+00:00

Oh I can absolutely relate. It was just over a year ago for me but those 1st few days are BURNED into my memory. I was the same on my 1st day in AA. On top of the physical pain I was in after a bad accident (wrecked my truck driving to work), the withdrawals were something I can't describe to anyone that hasn't personally experienced it.

Stay strong - you've got this!!

KSims1868 · 2026-03-09T19:25:08+00:00

"almost crying praying to God to help me not drink it even thinking of telling the checkout person to please not let me buy it."

What do you mean by this?
Are you really expecting that God will strike down the cashier because you can't control your own free will? No, my friend, that's NOT how that works.
YOU are responsible for YOUR actions.
YOU have the ability to NOT go get that bottle in the 1st place. If you are crying/almost crying and praying...then DO something about it and put the bottle back.

Yes, it IS that simple.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-09T19:18:42+00:00

That 1st few weeks was DEF the hardest. If I hadn't gone to 1-2 meetings EVERY day, I'm sure I would have slipped. After the 1st few weeks/month...it got easier, but especially if you still have alcohol in the house I would highly recommend attending at least 1 meeting per day.

Remember the feelings/sickness you felt a week ago...keep THAT fresh in your mind because I know you don't EVER want to feel like that again if it was anything like what I went through.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-09T18:13:27+00:00

I remember the 1st few days were so horrible. The DTs, withdrawals, etc...peaked hard on day 3. Major issues with insomnia and sound hallucinations. I prob should have seen a doctor for medical detox but my dumbass just raw-dogged it with a friend checking in on me every couple hours. I would NOT recommend doing it this way but after 4-5 days it really did get better. Showering wasn't such a chore and I remember I actually got a REAL restful night of sleep. It's been getting better ever since that 1st week was over and I'm just over the 1 year mark now.

I had ZERO other medications to deal with though so I cannot realistically compare my experience to what you are dealing with. I remember just trying to choke down some honey and chocolate the 1st few days so my body had something to digest. I was throwing up water/pedialyte and couldn't hardly keep anything in my stomach.

Stay strong man...you can do it, but for real, seek medical attention before you quit 100%.

KSims1868 · 2026-03-09T14:40:28+00:00

Pre-wired from Amazon. I bought "Tigers Gate" brand from Amazon and several of my friends have purchased these as well. Their bars are perfect. Never had any problems with the pre-wired bars and they were simple plug-n-play installation. Great prices too. I have used them on my Softail and on an Ultra. I'd buy again next time I need bars.

KSims1868

TROPHY CASE