After an exhaustive search looking for a replacement bike for my Sportster, I finally decided on one of the first, sand cast case, CB750's to hit the area showrooms. I bought mine at Burt Ives Honda in Columbia, CT. Burt had sold me my ill fated Sportster, so he gave me a good deal on my new ride. Getting one at below invoice was unheard of as they were in great demand.
Mine was red and real eye candy for its time. I remember the rush of riding it home. It was fast, smooth, good handling for the day and had great electronics. The brakes actually worked and you could really see what was behind you in the rear view mirrors. I figured this was a good feature as this bike seemed to attract a lot of police cruisers.
It was fast! It ate up Sportsters, Triumph TT Specials and BSA Lightnings with ease. It was an incredible bike. But, it had one drawback.
To me, it just didn't feel like motorcycle.
It was just too smooth, too quiet, too wide and too top heavy. By this time, I rode for the fun of it and wasn't interested in impressing anybody.
I sold it for a loss, four months after I bought it. I don't regret that to this day. I was a kid, but I knew I'd eventually get into trouble with that bike.
I waited several months before looking for my next ride and I never would guess what I'd end up on.
Of all bikes, a Suzuki 500cc Titan!
Up until I rode this Suzy, I hated two strokes. They sounded like popcorn machines when off power and smoked when under load. Yet, they were undeniably fast and the Titan was a well made bike. It handled well at all speeds, was predictable and forgiving. I rode a lot of poker runs, made new friends and started to rack up a lot of miles. It was dependable, until a friend recommended I have his buddy, a mechanic at a local bike shop, go through my motor and enhance it's performance. I learned a valuable lesson. Enhanced performance often goes hand and hand with decreased reliability. I never got the bike sorted out after this guy got a hold of it. It kept eating spark plugs. After replacing them several times, around every 500 miles (once a week for me), I was getting frustrated. One day after work, I told my wife I was heading to Burt Ives to buy some more spark plugs. When I came home she asked me what kind of plugs picked up. I told her Moto Guzzi.
A Lively Conversation Ensued
-----------------------
On a sad note, sister Pat lost her dad and they'll be an Honor Guard Mission this Friday in his honor. Club Members, come to Thursdays meeting, check your e-mail or our web site for an update.
Ride Safe, Ride Free
Ron
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment