04-14-2015, 04:55 PM
I'm 43, so maybe a whipper, but not a snapper anymore. I tried not to choose the CB1100, but she kept calling to me. I bought the Honda CRF250L when it came out because I thought I wanted to relive my youth of dirt bikes and maybe dabble on the highway a bit. I'd never owned a street bike before. Well that dabbling ignited a passion for the open road and I soon realized I needed more horsepower and to lose the knobbies.
I looked at everything, with an open mind. Harleys had the allure of American made, but no local dealer in NE Nevada. Seems most riders around here either go out of town for a Harley or ride one of the futuristic plastic transformers. I'm not a 'go with the crowd' type of guy. Old soul my wife says. I wanted something timeless but modern; versatile but powerful.
I test rode the CB last year and loved everything about it, but still didn't let myself realize that it met all my wishes. At that point I thought I had to have liquid cooled. Seriously considered the revived Indian Scout - liquid cooled, fuel injected, mid weight, old school modernity, and American made. But, no local dealer. It is very important to me to support the local businesses.
Stopped back into my local dealer a few weeks ago. He sells all of the Japanese brands. Anything Honda I've owned (car, generator, ATV, generator, lawnmower) has been bullet proof so I dropped American made from my req list. 'Agnes' was still sitting on the showroom floor. Been there for two years and I was the only one who test rode it (a year earlier!). A fantastic deal and a declaration from the dealer that he wouldn't order a second CB and I rode Agnes out of there. Maybe we aren't catching the ladies' eyes, but the old guys sure light up. And, they have better stories.
I looked at everything, with an open mind. Harleys had the allure of American made, but no local dealer in NE Nevada. Seems most riders around here either go out of town for a Harley or ride one of the futuristic plastic transformers. I'm not a 'go with the crowd' type of guy. Old soul my wife says. I wanted something timeless but modern; versatile but powerful.
I test rode the CB last year and loved everything about it, but still didn't let myself realize that it met all my wishes. At that point I thought I had to have liquid cooled. Seriously considered the revived Indian Scout - liquid cooled, fuel injected, mid weight, old school modernity, and American made. But, no local dealer. It is very important to me to support the local businesses.
Stopped back into my local dealer a few weeks ago. He sells all of the Japanese brands. Anything Honda I've owned (car, generator, ATV, generator, lawnmower) has been bullet proof so I dropped American made from my req list. 'Agnes' was still sitting on the showroom floor. Been there for two years and I was the only one who test rode it (a year earlier!). A fantastic deal and a declaration from the dealer that he wouldn't order a second CB and I rode Agnes out of there. Maybe we aren't catching the ladies' eyes, but the old guys sure light up. And, they have better stories.