December 2, 2018
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| It looked like this on a day a long, long time ago... |
The weather today reminded me a lot of a day a long time ago. It may well have been the day I probably realized there really was more to motorcycle riding than strictly commuting to work and home.
Throughout the 1980's, shortly after getting married, I returned to motorcycle riding. A small, single-cylinder Suzuki was bought that was adequate for those commuting purposes. Fortunately, living less than ten miles (one-way) to work meant that little more than $5 would get me back and forth to work - for a week.
Just a few short years later, the next bike was "bigger, better, faster." That 1984 Honda CB650SC (known as the Nighthawk) was a really fun bike. Maybe one day, I'll take the time and effort to find one and resurrect it.
I then snagged a deal on a new-old-stock Honda V65 Magna. Lightning fast, but as a commuter bike, it was BIG. So big, that those thoughts of doing more than simply riding from place to place within this valley we lived and worked in became more of a possibility.
Last week, we had a small remembrance about a tragic family event that happened twelve years ago. This whole blog post really came about as I sat there and chatted with those of us that were there.
Three and a half years later, our family went thru this a second time, with a second family calamity.
One of my most memorable rides was with this second family member. He was on an early 80's Wing, and I was on that new V65 Magna on a cloudy and rainy April that looked a little more ominous than I could get when I took this photo over the weekend.
What really reminded me of this ride, way back in the late 1980's was we were headed out of this valley! It was a fairly short ride, a simple out-and-back to Sonoita, AZ. We'd made plans to meet up with a co-worker of his, so there were three of us, pointing those motorcycles along this very road, and into that dark sky, not knowing anything about where we were headed.
I know that I had a great time...and that was probably the spark that did it for me.
Thanks to all for taking the few moments to read this. One final point, specifically for those that ride. If you DO have a wingman; your most favorite riding buddy of all, please do me one thing. Thank them for being there. Thank them for being there to listen to you whine, gloat, bitch and all those other things that motorcycle riders do.
Throughout the 1980's, shortly after getting married, I returned to motorcycle riding. A small, single-cylinder Suzuki was bought that was adequate for those commuting purposes. Fortunately, living less than ten miles (one-way) to work meant that little more than $5 would get me back and forth to work - for a week.
Just a few short years later, the next bike was "bigger, better, faster." That 1984 Honda CB650SC (known as the Nighthawk) was a really fun bike. Maybe one day, I'll take the time and effort to find one and resurrect it.
I then snagged a deal on a new-old-stock Honda V65 Magna. Lightning fast, but as a commuter bike, it was BIG. So big, that those thoughts of doing more than simply riding from place to place within this valley we lived and worked in became more of a possibility.
Last week, we had a small remembrance about a tragic family event that happened twelve years ago. This whole blog post really came about as I sat there and chatted with those of us that were there.
Three and a half years later, our family went thru this a second time, with a second family calamity.
One of my most memorable rides was with this second family member. He was on an early 80's Wing, and I was on that new V65 Magna on a cloudy and rainy April that looked a little more ominous than I could get when I took this photo over the weekend.
What really reminded me of this ride, way back in the late 1980's was we were headed out of this valley! It was a fairly short ride, a simple out-and-back to Sonoita, AZ. We'd made plans to meet up with a co-worker of his, so there were three of us, pointing those motorcycles along this very road, and into that dark sky, not knowing anything about where we were headed.
I know that I had a great time...and that was probably the spark that did it for me.
Thanks to all for taking the few moments to read this. One final point, specifically for those that ride. If you DO have a wingman; your most favorite riding buddy of all, please do me one thing. Thank them for being there. Thank them for being there to listen to you whine, gloat, bitch and all those other things that motorcycle riders do.
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| There's never a bad weather day on a motorcycle. Bad equipment? Absolutely. It took a lot of time to learn these things. Looking southwest along S. Sonoita View Highway, Vail, AZ - December, 2018 |