Timberwoof’s Honda CB-1 Page
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Michael’s Motorcycle Quest: Part 1
The Quest Begins
I drove around on the curvy twisty swoopy roads of the Santa Cruz Mountains: highways 84, 35, 9, 17, and 152. On one of them (85) I was passed by about sixty-eight fast Japanese motorcycles whose riders must have thought that 85 was the speed limit. I was driving in my extremely RED 1991 Honda Civic Si (which had been, until that moment, a fairly exciting vehicle to drive) and these motorcycles were passing me like I was standing still. I realized that I wanted a motorcycle.So I took the California Motorcyclist Safety Program's Motorcycle Rider Course (Call 877-RIDE-411 for dates and locations) and got my California motorcycle license. It was time for me to get a motorcycle and I wondered long and hard what I should get.
These were my criteria:
- Boy-Magnet
- The motorcycle must look hot and attract YIFFs.
- Handles and goes!
- The motorcycle must turn well and behave itself over bumps and mountain twisties. It should be strong enough to get out of its own way, but not insanely so. I don't intend to race or burn rubber in an attempt to impress friends and strangers at intersections.
- Reliable
- The motorcycle must not be a garage-queen. I paid more than my share of vehicle-maintenance dues by keeping two Lancia Betas in good running condition ... in Colorado, where winters are harsh, summers are harsh, and the seasons in between last about a month. Okay, I'm willing to do my own oil changes, but I do not want to do stuff like rebuild brake cylinders or replace suspension parts.
- Stock
- Okay, okay, I keep hearing that stock sucks! But I do not want to announce to all the thieves in the neighborhood that there's a new motorcycle for them to steal. And, unlike some boys I've heard, I've gotten over how my Mom didn't pay enough attention to me when I was a puppy, so I don't need to wake the neighbors every time I ride. So why mess with what engineers spent years working on?
- Sportbike
- I know I want a sportbike. Not a cruiser, not a tourer, not a standard, and for God's sake, not a Harley!
This is what I got
I
decided on a 1989 Honda CB400f. It is small and maneuverable, it goes
well, it's quiet, and it's a YIFF-certified boy-magnet. What more could
I want?
The Quest Continues
I eventually traded my CB-1 in on a bigger bike.CB-1
Quest
Wrenching
Transmission
Main
BMW R1100GS
Honda CB-1
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