What kind of bike did I see?
Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:40 am
Let's assume that I wouldn't know an Indian from a Kawasaki, how do I ID a make and model without wading through hundreds of web pages? I saw a guy sitting on a bike in a gas station lot, doing nothing but just standing there and maybe watching the Police CVI unit activity in our parking lot just across the street. This guy was standing there doing nothing on a sunny afternoon, wearing a helmet with a full face shield and some kind of UV coating that doesn't allow you to see a face. I'd have been warm enough to want to take the helmet off if I'd been standing there for 5 or 10 minutes or more.
I went in to the gas station to get a diet soda and the dude was still standing there when I came out. I was looking at the back of the bike because it looked a little unusual; beneath the seat there was a tank or body part that tapered like a tear drop (from front to back), but ended in a full convex curve the width of the seat. Then I realized that I couldn't see a license plate (though I wasn't even sure where to look on the bike.) The bike was on the small side (I once owned a Honda CB350 and this thing looked smaller than that.) It had a small rap around cowling (like the Japanese bikes that you see in the movies with the bad guy crouched low behind it,) and it had a single exaust, somewhat rectangular shaped and on the left side down near the axle. I didn't notice any brand names or logos on the bike and as I walked by, heading back to our building, I looked back at the front of the bike to look for anything distinguishing (including a license plate), but didn't see anything. At this point the guy on the bike just started it and took off, so I guess he didn't like me checking out his wheels. If I had a fancy new bike, I'd want to show it off at least a little.
Anybody got a clue as to what I might have been looking at? Anyone have a suggestion on how to search for an image without spending the next month doing it?
I went in to the gas station to get a diet soda and the dude was still standing there when I came out. I was looking at the back of the bike because it looked a little unusual; beneath the seat there was a tank or body part that tapered like a tear drop (from front to back), but ended in a full convex curve the width of the seat. Then I realized that I couldn't see a license plate (though I wasn't even sure where to look on the bike.) The bike was on the small side (I once owned a Honda CB350 and this thing looked smaller than that.) It had a small rap around cowling (like the Japanese bikes that you see in the movies with the bad guy crouched low behind it,) and it had a single exaust, somewhat rectangular shaped and on the left side down near the axle. I didn't notice any brand names or logos on the bike and as I walked by, heading back to our building, I looked back at the front of the bike to look for anything distinguishing (including a license plate), but didn't see anything. At this point the guy on the bike just started it and took off, so I guess he didn't like me checking out his wheels. If I had a fancy new bike, I'd want to show it off at least a little.
Anybody got a clue as to what I might have been looking at? Anyone have a suggestion on how to search for an image without spending the next month doing it?