I got a replacement part for my 1986 Honda VF1100C V65 Magna about the time I got sick, so it has been sitting in my car for over a week. It is a helmet holder/lock, and it also locks the seat in place. Since I was off today and am almost back to normal I decided to go put the part on my bike and get it back together and ready to ride when the weather breaks (we have had some serious winds and some rain around here lately; it has also been too cold to ride over the last 6-8 weeks and I was also in Hawaii). I got the part on and it works like it should.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnflaherty/sets/72157641142088875/
Well, one thing led to another… the showers stopped, the bike was re-assembled and ready to go, the sun came out, and a chorus of angels sang. I strapped on the helmet, neck warmer and insulated coveralls were already installed, and pulled on the leather gloves. It was out onto the highway for a quick ride between weather systems! WOOT! I use he term “quick” as in “not a long ride”… I would never ever break the speed limit. Ever. Especially when I am piloting 1100 CCs and 100 H.P. of raging badness. But it IS rated for a top speed of 120… and I know I don’t want to go THAT fast.
After sitting for a while it needed to be run at highway speeds to keep the fuel flowing through it in an orderly fashion. I added some Seafoam to the fuel a while back to help with moisture and the damn ethanol issues that can cause from sitting too long. While I was at it I added a shot to the oil as well – it is supposed to be good for all the systems on an engine. I got the bike warmed up, and it was ready for some attention. From everyone.
I got on the neighborhood road with the slow speed limit and went toward the highway. Engine is good and warm; man it feels good to be back in the saddle again. I got to the highway and turned the corner onto it and off we went… and, of course, doing the speed limit because I don’t break any traffic laws. Ever. This really was going to have to be a short ride judging by the look of the sky… there was some really nasty weather heading toward me. I am sure I could probably outrun it on this bike, but that would be illegal. So I went a few miles around the block and went back to the garage, returning just in the nick of time. The winds picked up and the rains came again as I pulled into the garage. Mother Nature cut me some slack for a few minutes and let me get it out of my system.
Man, it felt great to be up on two wheels again. It has been WAY too long. I have considered selling it, but every time I get on it it just begs me to stay as it roars to life. It is such a fun bike to ride, and there is nothing that compares with that “oneness” you feel with your surroundings on a motorcycle. It is much different than a Jeep or convertible with the top down… on a bike you are much more connected to everything that is going on just due to the nature of being on two wheels. If not, well, then you can fall over and get hurt.
It is so much fun to ride, but would I REALLY sell it after saying all of this? Well, sure… EVERYONE and EVERYTHING has a price. I don’t know if I will try to sell it or not at this point, but if I got a decent offer out of the blue I would seriously consider it. If not, well there are plenty of road trips to be had this summer that I did not get to do last year since it was so busy here.
