The CB1100 Community Forum

Ok, this isn't my Honda, but I figured the Bonneville needed a day out after her harrowing experience in the garage a few days ago.


During my tenure at ProMedia, I took a break to go work in this building, which used to be Racepak, a maker of racing data recording systems used in cars and boats. After four years, the company was acquired by a large conglomerate of racing parts companies. We were closed down, and I returned to ProMedia. Thinking about it, I've had way more jobs shot out from under me than I have left voluntarily.

One of the reasons I wanted to visit this place was to talk with the current occupants, which I had found to be an off-road suspension company, was to see if there was still a funny car body hanging from the ceiling in the factory area. When I was there the company president made a deal with the curator of the NHRA museum in Pomona to acquire one of the fiberglass bodies used on Kenny Bernstein's 1984 Budweiser Tempo funny car. This was the first race car to use a Racepak data recording system, and the boss wanted it for posterity.

He also thought it would be a great inspiration to the workers to hang it upside down from the ceiling of the factory. It actually scared some of them to the point that they wouldn't work under it, but extensive studies had been carried out to make sure it was safe, and it held tight at least until I left the place.


Unfortunately, I never got to find out if it's still there. The building is now vacant, and there's no way to see inside.

Bummer.

Good submittals Gone and Whoops!

(01-11-2025, 06:03 AM)suhawk305_imp Wrote: [ -> ]Good submittals Gone and Whoops!

Indeed. I am only up to chapter 12 on Gone's though.

I kid. It's definitely neat to see through the mirror, so to speak. Nice pics and backstories Gone!

Our company provides IT Support for Fire Departments, Ambulance Companies, 911 Dispatch Centers, Emergency Operations Centers, and Federal Research Centers. It is a 24/7/365 operation. We are blessed to have 22 hard-working, talented, committed people working to help keep Northern California safe.

Our business leased Office Space at Hacienda Park in Pleasanton for over 15 years. The office was built in the 1990s. The developer built around a grove of red wood trees. There are three buildings with a large parking lot surrounding all three.



Sadly, when our third lease was up, new owners raised the rent so much we had to relocate to a new office.

I was working at this office when I first saw a 2014 CB1100 at my motorcycle repair shop. It was love at first sight.



I researched the history of the CB1100 and ultimately decided to pass on the 2014 and look for a 2017 CB1100EX. It took two years for me to find what will most likely be the last motorcycle I will ever own. I took an Uber to a consignment dealer in Sacramento to pick up my motorcycle. My first trip on the CB1100EX was a wonderful drive from Sacramento to Pleasanton. Here is a picture at the end of my first ride (95 miles). When I dismounted, I heard the tick, tick, tick of the motor. Life was perfect.



My former office will forever be associated with 2017 CB1100EX. I worked on the motorcycle in the basement parking lot to return it to its OEM setup. That office association is also reinforced every Saturday when I return to practice u-turns, tight turns weaving through the trees, slow-speed maneuvers, and stop-and-go starts in the parking lot.

I know it may seem excessive to practice so much for a rider of my age and experience, but many accidents happen in parking lots and at intersections. My love for the bike and my fervent desire to grow old together motivate me to return to my prior office and practice, practice, practice. I also like seeing the Red Woods.











We moved to a new office and everything worked out. But I will always remember Hacienda Park as the beginning of my beautiful relationship with the CB1100EX.

After two weeks with bad weather, yesterday was ok for a ride…

Here is a place I cannot access anymore, but we can have a view when passing along the street. Behind this old farm, a rather large electronics factory was built at the end of fifties years - first building in 1955. It is located in Saint-Egrève, town of the suburbs of Grenoble. Before 1955, there was only this farm house and grange. The house was transformed in a private restaurant, for customers and guests, and the grange became a large multi-purpose room. As far as I can see, this part of the plant, called “Elektra” is the only one unchanged along the years!




I have been working there (in the buildings behind the farm) for 17 years, from 1981 to 1998. I was in charge of some special purpose cathode-ray tube developments, in Thomson-CSF electron tubes division. I have some very good souvenirs of this period, my job was quite interesting. Yet cathode-ray tubes technology was mature, but for some special purposes it remained an essential component for advanced electronic devices (air traffic control, avionics displays, photographic reproduction…) and new developments were conducted all along the time I was involved in this product line. It declined mid of ‘90s, when LCD technology emerged. Then I moved to an other plant, still within Thomson-CSF, but dealing with some other electronic components, for X-Ray imaging.

The Saint-Egrève plant kept on producing special purpose electronic components, but only semiconductor devices. Tubes manufacturing buildings were destroyed, now on about half of the space they used, there are living flats. Thomson-CSF changed his name to Thales, and later sold the semiconductors manufacturing facilities. It is now Teledyne e2V. That’s life! e2V (“English Electric Valve”) has been a Thomson-CSF competitor for years and years…;-)

Here is an aerial view of the plant, beginning of 1970 years :


And a video showing all the transformations along the years…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x_plk5a...e38.org%2F

Some more information about the history of this area can be found here. https://www.tedimage38.org/histoire/hist...st-egreve/
Sorry, it is in French. But many pictures and videos can be understood however.

Jean-Pierre

Nice mountain landscapes... and your bike

(01-21-2025, 05:20 PM)Delphisa_imp Wrote: [ -> ]After two weeks with bad weather, yesterday was ok for a ride…

Here is a place I cannot access anymore, but we can have a view when passing along the street. Behind this old farm, a rather large electronics factory was built at the end of fifties years - first building in 1955. It is located in Saint-Egrève, town of the suburbs of Grenoble. Before 1955, there was only this farm house and grange. The house was transformed in a private restaurant, for customers and guests, and the grange became a large multi-purpose room. As far as I can see, this part of the plant, called “Elektra” is the only one unchanged along the years!




I have been working there (in the buildings behind the farm) for 17 years, from 1981 to 1998. I was in charge of some special purpose cathode-ray tube developments, in Thomson-CSF electron tubes division. I have some very good souvenirs of this period, my job was quite interesting. Yet cathode-ray tubes technology was mature, but for some special purposes it remained an essential component for advanced electronic devices (air traffic control, avionics displays, photographic reproduction…) and new developments were conducted all along the time I was involved in this product line. It declined mid of ‘90s, when LCD technology emerged. Then I moved to an other plant, still within Thomson-CSF, but dealing with some other electronic components, for X-Ray imaging.

The Saint-Egrève plant kept on producing special purpose electronic components, but only semiconductor devices. Tubes manufacturing buildings were destroyed, now on about half of the space they used, there are living flats. Thomson-CSF changed his name to Thales, and later sold the semiconductors manufacturing facilities. It is now Teledyne e2V. That’s life! e2V (“English Electric Valve”) has been a Thomson-CSF competitor for years and years…;-)

Here is an aerial view of the plant, beginning of 1970 years :


And a video showing all the transformations along the years…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x_plk5a...e38.org%2F

Some more information about the history of this area can be found here. https://www.tedimage38.org/histoire/hist...st-egreve/
Sorry, it is in French. But many pictures and videos can be understood however.

Jean-Pierre

Thanks for the interesting history J.P. good to know some background about those screens.
And the winter pics, cheers.

The mountains and factory are far more impressive than my former office. Your connection to both and your storytelling are also beautiful, Jean-Pierre.

I do hope you continue to share history and moments involving France. My Mother is French, and I enjoy seeing every day life from France. And when you include your motorcycle, c'est magnifique!

It's February, folks. Time for a new challenge!

By the way, I found out that the funny car body was taken...

(02-05-2025, 05:39 PM)Gone in 60_imp Wrote: [ -> ]It's February, folks. Time for a new challenge!

By the way, I found out that the funny car body was taken...

As you were the first to post Gone, sounds like it’s your choice. If you wanted to pass for whatever reason, the next runner up would be Rdprd01.