Winter thread...how long?

[rdprdp01]

When I was 15 years old, I was homeless. But I did own a motorcycle. That Yamaha SR250 did far more than provide transportation. It centered me during a difficult time.

When I graduated from the University years later, the motorcycle was left behind. I worked as a management consultant and travelled extensively, much of it internationally. I was grateful for the opportunity and the means to provide for my family, but I felt the absence of a motorcycle.

In 2010, I managed to refocus my professional life in the United States and announced a motorcycle would be joining the family soon. Like Cormanus, I purchased a used Honda Shadow and spent five years making that motorcycle my own. In 2023, my nephew faced some life challenges that resonated with me. I gave him my motorcycle in hopes that he could use it to find his way home. Here is that motorcycle before I shipped it to him:



I immediately began looking for another motorcycle. I committed to myself that it would be the last motorcycle I would ever own. I saw a 2013 CB1100 in a local motorcycle shop, which I almost bought on the spot:





But the voice in my head told me it was not my motorcycle, but it was a 1st cousin. 

I researched the CB1100 product line. When I saw the 2017 CB1100EX, I knew that was the one. I spent a year looking, and in July 2024, I saw a slightly modified CB1100EX for sale in Sacramento with 6,800 miles on the clock. I contacted the consignment dealer, made an offer, had it accepted, and wired the money. I know it sounds insane that I would purchase a motorcycle without even a test drive, but I knew to my very core that was the motorcycle I was meant to own.

See the YouTube listing my search query found:



I took an Uber to pick up the motorcycle. Here is the first picture I took when I returned from Sacramento.



Soon after, I found myself in Hospital, recovering from reconstructive surgery. The CB1100EX and the good Members of this Forum were as important to my recovery as the doctors, nurses, and therapists who worked so hard to put me back together.

I am still recovering and continue to rely heavily on my CB1100EX and this Forum to remain centered and positive. With each passing month, I try to make the motorcycle mine while also preparing it also for its next owner. Like me, the CB1100EX is a work in progress.

See a couple of recent pictures:





Have a wonderful New Year. The best is yet to come. David