I must have "achieved" newbie status due to my infrequent participation. I joined here something like 8 years ago and made only a handful of posts back then, relating to my seeking to buy an ST1100. I purchased a 2000 non-ABS model from a good fellow in Castle Rock, Colorado. I flew to Colorado Springs, caught a ride from a friend who lives there and rode it back to Bisbee, Arizona. I encountered severe carburetor problems on the way home and related this to the seller. He generously refunded some of my purchase price, which amounted to half of the repair cost, for which I will always be grateful. Since then, I have periodically "lurked" on this site, gaining lots of insight into the maintenance and ownership of my bike. When logging in today, I received the new member notice that my first post will need to be approved by moderators in order to be in the verified usergroup. I am posting this in hopes of accomplishing that and I see that I will need to be more proactive to avoid this in the future. May I extend my best wishes and gratitude to the many ST owners out there who keep this site so valuable as a resource.