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Hello and welcome to my blog, I hope I don't bore you too much.

Well, as the title says, I am back in the saddle again, much to the displeasure of my mother. Anyways, a little about myself.

I started riding when I was in my early twenties, namely because I needed cheap transportation after I killed my Mustang while still paying off the car loan. Then through a series of strange events, I ended up being one of the few motorcycle couriers running from Downtown Vancouver BC during the late 80's into the early 90's.

During that period, I went through two Honda CM400's, a Kawasaki KZ550 and finally a Honda CB650 Custom, which turned out to be the best courier bike I ever had, and the one that lasted the shortest amount of time one the job.

On a cold November day in 1993 my career as a motorcycle courier came to a sudden, crashing end as did the life of the CB650. I was stopped at a red north bound on Beatty Street at the Dunsmire Viaduct. It had just stopped raining and the sun had come out, reflecting off the buildings and water on the road. So I reached in my bag, pulled out my sunglasses and put them on. Looking up I noticed my light had turned green and the west bound traffic on Dunsmire had stopped, so I pulled out.....only to hear that horrid sound of brakes being locked up, yes, some fool was running the red and your fool of an author failed to see him coming.

Anyways, I do three things upon hearing that god awful sound, 1) look to my right and see a Ford 1Ton Pick Up baring down on me, 2) attempt to make a futile quick turn to the left and power away from him and 3) only have to time to think to myself "F**K, I'm dead".

I get hit square on and get to hear the sound of my tibia and fibia popping as they get crushed between his front bumper and the CB650's engine, then a get bounced across the road and end up with my right leg tucked up under my arse in a rather unnatural position. The poor 650 was parked on its side, under the front end of the Ford, leaking out all its vital fluids. RIP old friend.

Long story short, I spend three years healing up to the point where I can walk normally again and get on with my life.

Fast forward 13 years and a few months. For the past couple of years, the itch to ride again has been gnawing at me, and last weekend I came across the right bike, for the right price, at the right time.

Daytona Motorsports in Surrey had just taken a '85 Honda V65 Sabre in trade when I called them, and didn't want much for it. On a lark I drove down to take a look at it, expecting to see a rolling wreck with a tattered saddle held together with duct tape, bald tyres, and a pool of oil under the engine. Imagine my surprise when I saw an almost perfect bike, still thinking something must be terrible wrong with it, I took it for a test ride and it ran great. So cut the deal, got a new helmet and did some serious damage to the credit card.



As you can see, it is a little rough and that fairing along with the rattle box bin on the back are now gone. Whoever owned that bike before should in my humble opinion, be dragged out into the streets and shot down like a rabid dog for doing such a thing to a Sabre, and and for not cleaning it.

Anyways, I will post as often as I can about my trials and tribulations and hopefully joys of being back in the saddle once again.

Welcome to the forum and definitely back to riding. Looks like you found yourself a nice solid Honda

V65 huh? Bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing, no? 121 hp at the shaft, betcha can embarrass squids on sportbikes. Don't think the current generation of youngsters knows about V65's.....

jstark47 wrote:V65 huh? Bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing, no? 121 hp at the shaft, betcha can embarrass squids on sportbikes. Don't think the current generation of youngsters knows about V65's.....

Looking forward to it......once I polish up my riding skills.

Yesterday, I dropped the Sabre off at All Bikes (Seems the Honda Dealership wont touch any bike made after 1990) in Richmond BC to get it serviced and to fix a few problems I noticed, namely replacing the front tyre and getting new springs for the front forks.

Today, got an update call, good news is, the engine and drive train are as tight I thought they were, however upon inspecting the front end, they found the steering head bearings were badly notched and recommended replacing them.

Looks like I will be doing more damage to the credit card then I expected. But they still expect the bike to back in my hands and on the road by Friday

Well, at long last the Canada Day Long Weekend is here.......and the Sabre is still in the shop.

Dropped it off after work on Tuesday and had hoped to get it back today, but the new steering head bearings didn't arrive until this afternoon, so the soonest I will get it back is tomorrow afternoon.............maybe....was also told that they had to order in the new front turn signals and it might take a week or two for them to come in.

Now, normally I would be frustrated and P.O.'ed the the nth degree, especially since I was looking forward to running up to Penticton on Saturday, but since the weather report is pretty sad, ie rain shower, thundershower, rain, drizzle, and more rain, I guess I can live another day without the bike.

But to make it up to myself, I got myself a new jacket and gloves. Up till now, I've been riding wearing only a light nylon wind breaker, jeans and my full face helmet for protection.....not a good idea.

Went to the Yamaha/Honda dealership in Richmond to check out their wares, I was planning on going to their competitor as well, but the chick on the phone was rather rude when I called so I said bugger them.

Checked out some jackets and found a couple that actually fit a "BUFF'ed UP" guy like me. (remember, in my case BUFF'ed mean Big Ugly Fat F.....) Tried on an Amoured Mesh three way type and just didn't like the way it felt. The girl then showed me a Roadkrome classic style leather jacket with a removable liner and bingo..that was it, also picked up a pair of riding gauntlets. So now all I have to do is get me a pair of boots, wish I still had my old CAF issued combat boots, they made great riding boots.




Anyways, did more damage to the credit card. Hopefully the Sabre will be ready tomorrow and if so, I might take the Ferry across to Salt Spring Island and check out the roads there.

Till then, keep the sticky side down and the sunny side up.

Late yesterday afternoon, I got the Sabre back, and yes it's official, I am a N00b.....it is actually a V45 750cc model and not the 1100cc V65 model I originally claimed, it even says so on my insurance papers.


Silly me, actually listening to a salesman and not checking the engine stamp out for myself. Doooh!!!!!!

In retrospect, this is probably a very good thing considering I have been out of the saddle for almost 14 years, and the V45 has more then enough power to carry me around and yes, startle me once in awhile, so perhaps its best that I have it instead of the real beast of a V65. Plus, it gives me a target for my next bike. Yup, I am already thinking about the next bike.

Anyways, All Bike in Richmond called me late Saturday afternoon, telling its was ready and good to go. Also told me to bring either cash or my cheque book since they didn't take Debit or Credit cards. Who in this day and age doesn't use Debit or Credit cards? No matter, they do damn good work, so if they really want to be "Old School" when it comes to being reimbursed, who am I to complain?

They put in new springs and seals in the front forks, replaced the steering head bearings, set the rear shock/suspension, tuned the engine and gave it an oil change (got the good synthetic oil put in), put on a front tire and gave the bike a once over looking for any potential problems.

With all the front end and suspension work done along with removing that unholy abortion of a fairing, she handle like a completely different bike. Smooth, agile, responsive and holds a true tight line in the corners.... no longer waddles or wobbles around like a drunken sailor.



So, I grab my gear, pack my old reliable BCIT backpack with various items, ie digital camera, MP3 player, cheque book and other sundry items, including my favorite travel mug, off I go to pick up the bike and spend the next few hours tooling around as we get a few for each other.

With great care and due diligence, I leave the nightmare that is Richmond BC traffic, get on Highway 99 South and head toward White Rock. Take the Pac Highway exit and head to my next destination, Bent Bike in Langley to pick up a right side cover. They had one available, off an '83 model, and while it does not match the Sabre's paint scheme, it will at least protect the battery from the elements.



Bent Bike is one of those odd shops where you can find damn near any part, off of any bike of any year, its a real treasure trove for those of us who have a thing for the "classic" rides.

And for you hardcore classic BSA, Harley and Ducati fans, here is a few pictures of some of Bent Bikes treasures to make your drool and look for your cheque books.

A '42 Harley, for sale of course


A pair of '60 somethings BSA's





And a '60 something Ducati that may require a little work



After putting on the side cover and spending sometime taking pictures of the various goodies at Bent Bike, it was time to ride again. And so off I go, heading towards Highway 1 and deeper into the Fraser Valley. Kind of cool that ride, just after I merged on the Freeway, some chick in a classic Corvair convertible was trying to change into my lane, but other cagers wouldn't let her in, so I backed off the throttle and flagged her into my lane, earned a big smile of thanks and a wave. Who says being a gentleman doesn't have its rewards?

After a bit, I switch into the fast lane and pull up beside her and we both admire each others ride, well to honest, I was admiring the look of both the Corvair and its rather pretty and well endowed driver. Who says that being a gentleman doesn't mean you can't admire (read as ogle) a pretty young lady?

Rode down to the Abbotsford area and touring around the farmland lanes, enjoying the view and ride, the smell of cow manurer and fertilizer I could of done without, but on such a nice day, it was a minor problem. Stopped off at a coffee shop for a bit of a rest and to stretch my legs for a bit, then head back south to visit my brothers and sisters along with all their wild and untamed rug rats. First time in five years we have all been in the same place, so couldn't miss it right?

I pull into my sister's driveway, the only bike in a sea of SUV's with a big grin on my face. Of course my brothers and sisters along with their spouses look at me and the Sabre with a bit of disgust and were quick to tell me I must be insane to be back on a bike after getting wiped out almost 14 years ago. Of course their rug rats had other opinions and were all over the bike. Looks like Uncle Ceemes is now the cool uncle.

Only meant to pop in and out, but food and drink was in the offering and ended up staying more then a few hours. I seemed to have picked up a new girlfriend there as well. A niece I hadn't met yet, who at the ripe old age of three was all over me and had absolutely no fear of the bike. All the kids wanted to have their picture taken on Sabre, and the oldest nieces approached it like it might bite them, but not the little one. When it was her turn to have her picture taken, she was up on it in a shot, I didn't even have time to pick her up and place her on top....Zip up she went with a big smile on her face.

She then lay down on the tank and struck a rather saucy pose, and I couldn't help but think to myself, "Oho, Kate and Glen, you two are gonna have a problem with this one in ten years or so."

Anyways, here she is, bike babe in training......



Around 9:30, I decided it was time to go home, so back to the Sabre, on with the gear and with Chris deBurge's latest album Storyman playing on the MP3 player, I went on my first night ride in 14 years. It was surreal, instead of heading to the highways, I took the back lanes and cruised. A huge full(ish) moon came up around Mt. Baker and I cruised. Suddenly it hits me, this was what was missing in my life these past years. The sound and vibration of a bike on pavement, the sound of music playing in my ears, the smell of exhaust and air, the pool of light from the headlight, the soft glow from the gages, the feeling of absolute freedom and movement....this was what I have been missing and now I have found it again......I just did not want that ride to stop, felt like that if the dawn never came up and ride never ended, I would be happy forever.

Funny when you think about it, when you get down to basics, a bike is nothing more then a mean of transportation, governed by the same laws of physics as all motor vehicles, it has no soul, it is a lump of metal, rubber, plastic, and yet.....there is something very spiritual about riding one, something you just can not get from any other land based vehicle. The only other times I have gotten that feeling was either at sea or when flying ultra lights. With motorbikes, like with boats and ultra light aircraft, its not the destination that counts, but rather its the voyage. A bit metaphysical I know, but there you have it.

Till late,
your friend and author, ceemes.

She's a doll!

blues2cruise wrote:She's a doll!

And a bit of a tart and a flirt.....God help her parents in about ten years or so.

Did my first round trip commute today......hate rush hour traffic, hate it, hate it, hate it. On the up side, motorcycles are allowed to travel in the HOV lanes......wheeeeeee.......

But, hmmm.....think I need to get my fuel system checked out, my engine hesitated a little a couple of times. Plus the fuel economy is not what I would expect. However, I am having a blast.