Before I sell a bike, I make a video. Here’s the CB450 I got for free.
Category: Motorcycles
Bike Build/Flip: Honda V65 Sabre Part 3
The day I found out that the V65 Sabre existed, it jumped straight to the top of the “bikes I have to own” bucket list. So I got one. For the first time, I bought a bike that ran, was in good shape, and was actually worth modifying, so I went all out with the suspension – RaceTech up front, CBR shock out back. Brakes rebuilt, tires replaced, and more, all in preparation for my yearly 3000 mile trip to North Carolina to tear up Deal’s Gap and the surrounding roads.
Bike Build/Flip: 1985 Honda V65 Sabre Part 2
The wonder. The sound. The glory. The majesty. The feel. The sensation. All great reasons to use a bidet. Also great reasons to ride a V65 Sabre.
One of the most fun and rewarding parts of owning a motorcycle is “making it yours”. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is most commonly expressed in one of two ways:
- Purchasing some combination of mass-produced accessories, then bolting them to the bike, thereby making oneself stand out from the crowd…of other motorcyclists that purchase the exact same mass-produced accessories in a slightly different combination.
- Totally devoid of a reasonable budget for mass-produced accessories or any actual mechanical ability, tools such as an angle grinder, Sawzall, and can of flat black spray paint (more recently superseded by the can of Plasti Dip) are used to reduce the motorcycle’s function until the motorcyclist has run out of grinding wheels, paint, or the motorcycle has ceased to work at all. These are called “Bobbers,” and their primary function is no longer efficient, fast, comfortable, enjoyable transportation, but instead to “turn heads”. Unfortunately, judging merit based on the “turns heads” metric would also favor traffic accidents or a bum peeing on a building.
Bike Build/Flip: 1985 Honda V65 Sabre Part 1
Every era has its legends and for motorcycles it’s no different. The post-war years saw the rise of the American V-Twin cruiser powered by a number of x-head engines, (where x = shovel, pan, flat, or just about any other noun). The CB750 spawned an entire generation of Japanese bikes that were ubiquitous enough to give rise to the “Universal Japanese Motorcycle” moniker. The ’90s was the decade of the sportbike, arguably led by Honda’s CBR900RR, which put liter-bike power in a 600cc-size chassis. Post-2000 was the era of the 200+mph capable hyperbikes like the Hayabusa and ZX-14R. Read More
Never Take a Free Car
Don’t be like Mikael. Mikael is dumb. When someone offers Mikael a free vehicle, he takes it. No one ever gives away a vehicle worth owning. No one ever gives away a vehicle worth saving. Like the ineffective ’80s anti-drug campaign preached, Just Say No™.
Do I take my own advice? Of course not. Like a libidinous teenager playing Truth or D.A.R.E., I jump for dare every time, trembling in anticipation of the potential seven minutes in heaven with a gorgeous, curvaceous beauty. Unfortunately, more often than not, seven minutes in heaven turns into seven years in Project Car Hell – tracking down impossible to find parts and dealing with bodgey, hack repairs performed by a multitude of dodgy, hack previous owners. The one upside to a free car is the inevitable weight loss. Unfortunately, that weight loss is entirely a result of your wallet being continually emptied by a billion unforeseen expenses; enough to part you and your cash just about as quickly as your Dave Ramsey-loving spouse can preemptively chop up all of your credit cards. Read More
Bike Build/Flip: 1976 Honda CB550 Café Racer
It was February of 2009. I’d been at my first real big boy grown up job for about a month and had recently received my first real big boy grown up paycheck. With some cash burning a hole in my pocket and since I was in “training” still at work (training = “Here read this stack of manuals, you have a month…or two…or whatever”), obviously most of my time was spent cruising Craigslist for motorcycles. Amidst all of the $25,000 Harleys and $10,000 sportbikes, I found the perfect listing – something I could pick up with the first paycheck’s leftovers.
Bike Break – Trail 70 Wheelie
I mean, I almost got some air…