Bike # 1 : 1981 Honda CM400T
A 1981 burgandy Honda CM400T : The very first motorcycle I owned, I bought
in 1985 used from a fella I worked with named Russell Weaver.
After a few beers at a poker night, he mentioned he was gonna sell it. I offered
him $400 and he off-handedly said, "sure".
He didn't really think I had the money, but when we sobered up and I showed
him my tax refund check he kept the deal. Tony was a witness.
Test rode it to one end of his parking lot, dropped it when I couldn't figure
out how to stop/turn around and said, "I'll take it".
Adequate first bike to infect me with "the bug"(I distinctly remember
grinning non-stop in my helmet the first time I rode around a neighborhood
one night), but it only took one girl in a VW Bug woopin me at a traffic-light-drag-race
to realize a trade-up was in order...
Bike # 2 : 1982 Honda CX500C
1982 Honda CX500C : Continuing in my preferred 1$ / CC price range, I found
an opportunity to buy this lovely in pieces from a friend named Marty in the
parts room at work. He had cracked the crank case cover tightening the oil
drain plug and had begun to dissassemble it to repair it and lost interest
or adequate skill at some point. After sitting idle in his mom's garage for
many months, every hole which previously contained a bolt (and every other
hole as well -can you say exhaust port?), was now packed firm with dirt from
mud-bugs planting baby mud-bugs. After countless hours of refurb, this bright
red beauty eventually gleamed of red and crome, and responded quickly via
the "shorty" handle bars I added. The shaft drive was a nice maintenance-free
feature, but the hot valve covers burned my legs in the summer, as the radiator
did not keep it that cool. I took a trip to Austin on it once, traveled
some 200 miles, pulled up to a lake park and promptly set it down on it's
side... My buddy Tony made me strain to keep up with his 600 Ninja most of
that trip though, so another trade-up was in order.
Bike # 3 : 1986 Honda VFR700F
The Sportbikes have arrived!
Here's a look at the cherished 1986 Honda VFR700F.
I traded the CX500C in on it, after shopping for the new 1987 CBR600 and,
instead, eyeing last years leftover VFR with wide eyes... Salesman says, "we
have a few of those left for the same price as the new 600's"... A tingle
comes over me as I comprehend the math behind that statement.
Very sweet bike... very sweet... I can still picture every little
detail of the body work, framework and internals as I spent many hours cleaning,
upgrading, repairing and riding this baby! I should have kept it, but a moment
of weakness and a need for cash forced my hand...
My only consolation was that Tony had recently sold me his ZX750 (aah, there
it is down below)
Biker buds from that era
Dave, Rick, Bill and Tim
Bike # 4 : 1989 Kawasaki ZX7 ZX750H Tony has not been riding this particular Ninja as much as he should have,
and it has begun to decompose under a tarp...
I suggest taking it off his hands for my standard 1$ / CC rate and he obliges
me, knowing that a string of Suzuki's await him... Crank up the volume
and Click here to hear my Ninja ROAR !!!
A video with a peek at the vfr above and the zx7:
Hooters Girls Bike Wash
Clean and Pretty!
Drag Racing at North Texas Dragstrip !
In the staging lanes before the start
Lining up for the start - baffles out, motor Blaring!
The lights begin to go
Sample 1/8th mile time : 7.09 seconds
Sometimes things don't work out how you plan... and turns are sharper than you
think...
and you are not as alert as you should be to travel at high speed...
Click here for detailed info about "the crash"
Tony's GSXR... a hint of things to come...
Bike # 5 : 2001 Suzuki GSX-R750R
Though not quite keeping with my 1$ / CC mentality, Tony sells me his GSXR at
a reduced "buddy" rate, so he can pursue the latest R1 masterpiece.
After a little more than a 5 year absence from biking (see story above...)
I can not resist the beauty of this classic Suzuki Sportbike...
2000 Honda CBR929RR - Bill (shown at drag strip above) knows
of my preferred $1 /cc rate and sells me his neglected ride at that price. I
have spent quite a bit of time and coin on it and have yet to get it to proper
condition. She is gorgeous, but being a bit temperemental - I think due to Honda's
variable intake/exhaust valving issues... tried several things and even broke
down and paid Honda of Allen, TX money to fix it (after a month in their shop,
it is actually worse than before - though they claim they fixed it and for another
$400, they'd be happy to look at it some more). I haven't given up on it yet,
but the cold weather has put things on hold...
OK, bike #6 running great with the new servo and is a joy to ride. Very comfortable,
smooth handling, and stronger on the top end than the GSXR. That said, I just
can't justify keeping two bikes when I barely find time to ride one... Me and
the GSXR have been through too much to part just yet, so I put the 929 on Craigslist
and I found a good home with a fella named Thomas in the Texas panhandle. Before he picked it up, I
was able to take a few shots of it at the local lake with a nice post-storm
sunset. Enjoy:
