Added another CB to the family

[gary_imp]

We have been having some spectacular weather up here in the northwest, sorry east coast... and the wife has been dropping hints that she is getting a little annoyed with the 1975 CB360 being on the lift more than under her butt. It is getting quite long in the tooth and I admit I have not kept up on things like wheel bearings and bushings like I should.

So she let me think that I had made a decision, we were going to get her a new bike! She is a petite lady at 5' 3.4352" and doesn't have a whole lot of confidence yet. So she started looking at the Yamaha SR400, great looking bike. So I went to test ride it with her, did you know these are kick start only while being EFI? Well did you also know they they aren't easy to kick start, meaning she couldn't do it. In fact the salesman had a hard time and it took me two kicks. Not acceptable imo for a 2014 model bike. So we moved on, she isn't a huge fan of the styling most street bikes have these days, so it took a while but we came back around to a 2015 CB300F. It ticked all the boxes but the old school standard look she likes. We rode most of the day today and the smile that seems to be a permanent fixture to her face tells me that we made the right choice.

[ChipBeck_imp]

Good for you Gary. That's excellent.

Chip

[furious_blue_imp]

That's great ! In the photo it looks like she's bonding with the bike, like how one might with a horse :-)
It's funny, I have often mused about how my CBR250R is like a 'modern CB350'..
And she went from CB360 to CB300 so I guess the CB300 is like a modern CB360 !

[the Ferret]

Great bike. Wise choice.

[flynrider]

We have been having some spectacular weather up here in the northwest, sorry east coast... and the wife has been dropping hints that she is getting a little annoyed with the 1975 CB360 being on the lift more than under her butt. It is getting quite long in the tooth and I admit I have not kept up on things like wheel bearings and bushings like I should.

So she let me think that I had made a decision, we were going to get her a new bike! She is a petite lady at 5' 3.4352" and doesn't have a whole lot of confidence yet. So she started looking at the Yamaha SR400, great looking bike. So I went to test ride it with her, did you know these are kick start only while being EFI? Well did you also know they they aren't easy to kick start, meaning she couldn't do it. In fact the salesman had a hard time and it took me two kicks. Not acceptable imo for a 2014 model bike. So we moved on, she isn't a huge fan of the styling most street bikes have these days, so it took a while but we came back around to a 2015 CB300F. It ticked all the boxes but the old school standard look she likes. We rode most of the day today and the smile that seems to be a permanent fixture to her face tells me that we made the right choice.

Ever since I first heard about the SR400, I'd wondered about this. With computer controlled fuel and ignition systems, it usually takes a few revolutions of the engine to get all the sensors responding and atomized fuel being injected into the cylinder. A well tuned carbed bike will generally start on the first kick, since the fuel system is always primed.

I noticed this when I got the CB11. After 17 years of starting my carbed CB750 it would always catch on the first revolution. I get a lot of missed starts on the CB11 because I let go of the button too early.

Good job on the new bike, Gary! Looks like the CB300 is a great fit and an excellent replacement for the old CB360. I bet your wife will be doing a lot more riding now.

[hb9400_imp]

Congrats!

[Cormanus]

Congratulations Gary and Mrs Gary. Nice looking bike. Pity you don't get the CB400 in the USA. It would have been a good choice too.

[NightRider_imp]

That bike is great according to the reviews I have seen on youtube.

[metallyguitarded_imp]

By the looks of it, your wife just made the "You Must Be This Tall to Ride" requirement. The literature supporting the CB300F indicates recommended rider height of at least 5'3.4".

Congrats to the both of you! It looks like a really fun bike.

[treytexag_imp]

Very cool. This has prompted me to "initiate" friendly discussions (attempted persuasive explanations from me (really)), on why it would be fun for my wife to have a bike of her own. So we could ride together. . . .

Report back on how she likes the CB300 after she has some miles on it - I'd love to hear what she thinks.