I had always wanted a motorcycle, ever since I rode on the back of my uncle's back when I was 7. Unfortunately, when I was younger, we didn't have the spare money for silly things like dirt bikes. I had everything else in spades, though, so I guess I can't complain.

Fast forward up to the end of summer '07. Specifically, a really hot weekend in September. I had recently acquired my Motorcycle permit (easiest test in the world. Only two pertained to motorcycles. The rest was about DUIs), and a spot in a weekend MSF class (two days. 8am - 5pm as I recall). I was psyched, my family had grown to accept the fact that I was going to do this come hell or high water...

And best of all my then-girlfriend thought motorcycles were REALLY HOT.

So I drove out to the class in the then-girlfriend's Corolla (I hated that car for the record) because she was in Boston at school, complete with full-face helmet, boots that I always wear, gloves, and a black leather jacket. Why I did not wear a long-sleeve shirt is beyond me, because unless we were on those bikes and moving, I was dying from the heat.

The lead instructor was Dario, a slim, tough-talking italian biker in his 50's who'd survived multiple crashes and even throat cancer. He 'instructed' us during the classroom portion, where most of us were just itching to get onto the bikes. Dario and I got along splendidly, as I was the only one with enough balls to call him on something when he got it wrong. He liked the attitude and 'fearlessness' as he called it, apparently.

Fearlessness? Alright, if you say so. Luckily, I did NOT have Dario during the range portion of the class. Dario is what you'd call a yeller. This is how he interacts with people- he yells at them until they cave in, have an emotional breakdown, or yell back.

Meanwhile, down on the range, we were geared up and standing next to the bikes, preparing to walk them out. We did a whole bunch of exercises or whatnot, walked them out, and began the first five hours of hell.

_________________
"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."
D. H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)
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1976 Honda CB360T

MSF BRC Day 1, Range:

I'm not going to go through a detailed explanation, mainly because it's been too long, but let's just say that I stalled. A LOT. I was the person who, at first, could not get the clutch out, friction point, roll on gas smoothly technique. Still didn't have it down 100% at the end of the class, either.

Okay, so that didn't work out as well as I'd hoped. While everyone but me was fine the whole day, I was having clutch issues when starting from a stop. It's to be expected, though, right? Wasn't a very exciting day. I do know that once I got a bit better with a clutch I was thoroughly enjoying myself and almost got a case of road rage when the three middle aged people (as opposed to the two teenagers and myself; I'm 20) were only going 10-12 when they could be going up to 20. Yeah, I was a speed demon, I was hell on wheels, I was riding; buzzing past those cones, dipping into the swerves- if you didn't know any better you would have though that that WASN'T my first time riding.

I still stalled a lot more than I would have liked. I wish I could say that something interesting happened this day, but the only thing that did was one of the women in the other group fixated on something while turning and dumped her Eliminator and ended up needing an ambulance (for what, I have no idea. She was only going 15 mph and then low-sided. Did I mention she was wearing a Joe Rocket jacket?). She was also one of two people who dropped their bikes. The other was a nervous, middle-aged woman in my group who almost didn't pass the course. But more on that later.

I just realized how incredibly boring the BRC really is, in hindsight anyway, and so I'm going to wrap this up as my memory's faded too much anyway.

Long story short, the day of reckoning came; I passed the classroom with flying colors and the only thing that I got points for was going through a turn a bit too slow. Everything else was perfect. During that test, I felt like I was born to ride. Born to be on two wheels: riding through the center of town with all the girls (and even some guys) stopping to glare, drool, and be envious.

So that day I left, driving that little hunk of Corolla back to my town, incredibly exhausted, really worn out, and with a big grin on my face. Oh, and I was leaning into turns. Thankfully it was an automatic, as my left hand was working my car's clutch and the left foot was going through the gears without there being any gears there. I was hooked. Barring an act of God or a horrendous wreck, I knew I'd be riding the rest of my life.

The next part was getting a bike.

_________________
"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."
D. H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)
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1976 Honda CB360T

My father, being in the salvage business, is a pro at finding barn queens. His last bike (A Honda CM400 I believe, he sold it when I was about 8-9) was a barn queen. He does not believe in buying a new bike simply because you can find bikes so cheaper if you just know how/where to look.

I had a hard time believing this, but I'll just out and say it:

He was right.

Let me trace back: Around early Sept 2007 I was in MSF after signing up around June. Immediately after this I was looking for bikes. When the MSF came around I was on the line between cruiser/sport. I liked the look and feel of SOME cruisers (I don't like sitting too far back or having the handlebars too high up or my feet in front of me, doesn't give me the feeling of being in control), and I always rag on most of the sport riders I see.

For instance, just today there were about 20 sportbike riders blasting down my 30 mph hilly, twisty back road at about 60 mph with nothing but a T shirt, a Helmet (req. by MA state law, thankfully), shorts, and, you guessed it, sandals. However, I do like the sporty look, I'll give it that much.

So I guess somewhere along the line I realized I'm more of a standard rider.

So around October, after searching for a bike for a month to no end (didn't have the time, I was stuck in Oneonta, NY at a jobsite), my dad calls me up one day and tells me he may have found me a bike. It's a 1976 Honda CB360T with roughly 2600 miles on it. This was impressive, as it was last run in 1979 when the previous owner's wife decided she didn't want him to ride anymore.

So he parked it after only putting it down at low speed in gravel (scuffed the left grip, broke the clutch lever and mirror), but left no damage other than that. It was left from '79 til' early March 2008 in a heated garage that doubled as a workshop, where the tank received a few dings and scratches from being walked into with 2x4's.

He was making a sale to this guy, and instead of all of the payment in cash, he snagged the bike for about $750 worth of lumber. Joke's on the previous owner, we deal in lumber and its more common than money for us.

So for the next... sept oct nov dec jan feb.... six months I was bothering him incessantly about when we were going to pick up the bike. I was anxious and wanted to start riding as SOON as spring hit. By February I had ordered most of my gear, and was getting antsy. So after bothering him enough, we finally set aside one morning to go down and get the bike.

March 2nd, 2008:
The guy lived in The-Middle-Of-The-Woods, CT, and there was still a foot of snow on the private road to get to his driveway (hooray 4x4 diesels). So we get there, check out the bike, lift it into the back of the truck (hell with ramps), tie it off, and jet. Needless to say at this point I am ecstatic.

The idea is for me to use it as a starter bike, and then eventually my dad will take it for his use as a main bike. He doesn't believe you need anything more than 400cc on a bike, so he'll be right at home on a 360.
Here are a few pictures from that day:

Mileage, instrument cluster. Nothing spectacular, but remember this is a 70's bike. I'm very curious as to why the redline doesn't extend to 12. As was pointed out in the bike day thread I posted a while back, perhaps once I get it past the red line I start traveling through time?


Left side. Look real close at the tank and you can see the dent/scratches. Other than that it was basically dirty and needed a good cleaning.


Right side. I notice I hate the way the stock seat looks without a sissy bar.


All in all, that was all a really productive day. At this point it just had to go to the shop and get wrenched.

_________________
"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."
D. H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)
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1976 Honda CB360T

Congrats on the new bike! Looks great!

_________________
2007 Honda Shadow Spirit 750


My Blog

Hey, cdillon23, thanks a bunch! I never thought I'd like the look of the old standards, but I really do (The seat is a point of contention, as well as the lack of a sissy bar).

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Friday, May 23, 2008

So last I told you we'd picked up the bike.

First thing that happened after we picked it up is we brought it to a dealer, Motorsports International in Auburn, MA, to give it a check up and a repair quote.

Well, it came out to about 1300. 500 parts, 800 labor. Needless to say, my father and I "poo poo" ourselves and figured I was better off wrenching it myself. So the bike was left there while they were supposedly sending over the list of what was wrong with it. We were waiting for at least a month (we had brough it there the beginning of March), and I was getting really antsy/pissed off because I wanted the damn bike so I could get the parts and fix it.

So a couple weeks ago I was driving around town with my mother and she told me that I wasn't supposed to know, but she had paid to get the bike fixed as a present. I was floored. 1300 is a lot of money right now, a lot of people are struggling just to make ends meet, and my mother took 1300 meant to pay off bills to pay to get my bike fixed. It was a huge plan between my mother and father, and she sucks at keeping a secret. She did, however, tell me to not let my father know. Which is easy.

So the bike is in the shop, supposed to be done this week, apparently. Well, most of you know how dealers work and that it'll get done when they get it done. So that's one thing I don't have to worry about.

However, I will be paying my mother back for that over time. I just don't feel right about it, you know?

Today, before work, my dad had to go to the RMV (MA is weird like that. DMV? Nahhhh. We shall call it the REGISTRY of Motor Vehicles!) to register a boat trailer. What he didn't tell me was that he had tried to register the bike as well. Now, there's a funny situation with the bike. It was last registered in 1979 in Michigan. The previous owner before us had owned the bike since he'd bought it in the mid-70's new, but had lost the title and had no proof of ownership. Damn it.

So we have no title, no proof of ownership, and the MA RMV says "no. get a title." My dad phones the Michigan DMV, informs the woman on the other end of the situation and she says, "well, you're welcome to come into any branch office..."

To which my dad responds "That's a little tough."

her reply: "Well, the previous owner can come in..."

His response: "Same problem. He's in Connecticut."

So eventually the conversation comes to that we need a duplicate title out of state, and that the Michigan DMV website has the paperwork. Fill it out, send it in, wait for the title. This could take as little as two weeks and as much as a month. Now, the bike is supposed to be done soon. It could be July before I can ride it, and we've got a lot of jobs coming up, so I'll be very busy, might even have a job in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Soooo it's a waiting game again. I was kind of hoping to be riding in spring, but it looks like that's not gonna happen.

Could be worse, I could NOT have a bike at all.[/b]

_________________
"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."
D. H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)
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1976 Honda CB360T

Monday, June 6, 2008


So I figured I'd get this out in the open, as it's relatively important. Thankfully due to the anonymity of the internet, the authorities won't find out (I hope).

As of today, we are harboring an immigrant from Japan at our house.

She's about thirty-two, speaks perfect english, and is absolutely gorgeous. I can't stop staring, and she doesn't want me to.

Best thing of all is that she doesn't mind our age difference at all; she likes younger men.

She purrs like a kitten when I mount her, and she doesn't get upset at all when I don't have time to spend with her.

She's been in Massachusetts for about twenty years, neglected by her original man, so my dad and I rescued her.

Now she's here, absolutely beaming, and hopefully will have a good life with me.




Here are some pictures, as I want to share her beauty with you:








What did you think I was talking about?

Get your minds out of the gutter!


I've yet to name her, though. I was thinking something from Norse Mythology, like Freya or Fenrir.

My parents are wonderful people. It wasn't known to me that they had paid to get it fixed, which ended up being about $1600!!!! Needless to say, I was/am speechless and extremely thankful. I'll pay them back eventually. Now all we have to do is wait for Michigan to send us the title and we can register her and I can start riding!!!
[/b]

_________________
"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."
D. H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)
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1976 Honda CB360T

So last you heard we'd gotten the bike back from being fixed. That was a couple months ago. What followed from then until Monday, July 28th 2008 can only be considered a period from hell.

Okay, so there was no proof of ownership. The previous owner had absolutely no paperwork from when he moved from Michigan. The state of Massachusetts wouldn't register it without a title, since the title was lost a long time ago when the guy moved.

So we talked to Michigan, trying to get a duplicate title out of state. 3 weeks wasted, no go. Apparently something on the forms was wrong. Get the bike's vin inspected by a police officer, resubmit, try again. No go. They refund the money and send paperwork back saying that the bike is not on their records (30 years ago it was, guys...get with the times).

This is a good thing! By that time (a week and a half ago) we found we could register the bike in Massachusetts if we got paperwork from Michigan saying that they would not fulfill the title request. Friday the paperwork came in. Damn. Too late. So we had to wait the weekend.

This morning I woke up and am being called outside. The bike was registered after all that aggravation and work. It had a pretty license plate on it but the relay for the blinkers was gone. Oh well, 3 buck fix.

So when my dad and I are going over the bike, lo and behold we look under the seat and find where the owner's manual is hidden. And inside that plastic case is not only the manual.....

But the original 1976 Ohio registration for the bike, along with a warranty card from Honda.

Needless to say, someone was laughing at us in heaven. Talk about irony. We could have opened up the bike, gotten that registration, and gotten it registered in Massachusetts about two months ago. Always has to happen the hard way.

At any rate, It's been a while since I've been on a bike, so I took it for a spin around the yard to get reacquainted with a motorcycle in general and acquainted with the bike itself. That little 360's got some spunk to it for a 30 year old bike. I struggled getting used to the clutch friction zone (very small, found out how to actually get moving from a stop finally. Damn clutch control) and the throttle because it was so sensitive. For a 30-32 BHP bike, that thing moves and then some. Left a lot of marks in the yard as I got used to it. But once I got on it and shook the webs off, it didn't even occur to me I was riding the bike. So I can operate it.

But I still can't RIDE it, if you know what I'm saying.

So, next on my list is to read Proficient Motorcycling again and try to recall everything I learned at MSF (it's been almost a year). Luckily I live on a back road where there's not much traffic, so I'll be able to practice without being harassed. There's a middle school up the road (bad place to put a school if you ask me...) which has a giant parking lot which I'll use when I can for slow speed maneuvers, because riding on grass without knobbies is akin to riding on very wet/oily pavement, I assume. I'm not afraid to get on it. I want to. I just don't want to kill myself. I want to take this nice and slow, get to know the bike and get a feel for what I'm doing.

Also, I've given her a name: Jormungandr, the world serpent from Norse mythology. Henceforth all my vehicles shall have names taken from Norse mythology. Why? Why not?

I'll keep ya'll posted of my exploits now that I'm on the road!

_________________
"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."
D. H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)
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1976 Honda CB360T

8/15/08, Also known as three days after my 21st birthday.

I spent Monday through Thursday on the road, having renewed my license Monday morning before we left. We were on a trip to Wisconsin to get a load of flooring. So I spent four 9-12 hour days in the seat of a 2006 GMC Sierra 3500. Comfortable for short periods of time, but as the miles drag on it gets really sucky.

At any rate, my new helmet (HJC CL-SP APEX MC5, Medium) was due to come in on Monday. Damn, that's the day we were leaving. So I had to wait to get back home to get it.

I woke up around 11 this morning to my mother telling me that her and my father had gone and picked up my helmet for me (it was a birthday present that I knew about and picked out myself). Awesome. At first it felt really tight, but as I wore it around it started to feel extraordinarily comfortable. So whereas I was concerned about fit before, I'm not anymore.

I've been kind of apprehensive of riding since I last rode. Which is funny, because it was just a trip up and down the road a few times a week and a half ago. I almost didn't gear up today, I had to force myself to. I consider this the newbie syndrome, and it was wearing off by the time I hit the road.

So I clocked about ten miles before the skies started to threaten to bring down the rain. I shift like it's second nature. My starting and stopping are still kind of iffy, but my starting is getting better due to actually using the throttle (there's no way to start with this bike without it- the friction point is so small). When starting from a stop into a turn, I turn a little wider. Gotta work on those slow-speed skills.

My stopping is only disabled slightly due to the fact that my braking technique needs work. By the end of the short ride, I was stopping by downshifting WHILE braking. Is this good/bad? I found myself using engine braking more than anything else. Need to slow down? Downshift. Done.

All in all, it wasn't such a bad ride, even for ten miles. Felt comfortable getting off my road and onto some other side roads. For a while I'll have to get myself to stop being so paranoid/wimpish and get on the bike regardless each time, but when I get comfortable enough with my own skills through riding and practicing, I'll be good.

Still, though, felt like I was born to ride. Now if only it would stop raining.

_________________
"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."
D. H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)
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1976 Honda CB360T

Happy early birthday Kibagari! Your blog is a good read. Looking forward to seeing your progress with riding and your bike.

_________________
2005 Kawasaki Ninja 500R (Sold)
2008 Hyosung GV250 (now my wife's bike)
1992 Honda Nighthawk CB250 (Sold)
--Tim

Thank you very much! My birthday was actually on the 12th. I'll be sure to keep you guys posted.

_________________
"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot."
D. H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)
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1976 Honda CB360T