Dead Man Rolling

The Hornet is in dire need of a mechanic, but I'm waiting to push through the holidays first. So after a battery charge, I rode the rusty gal around the neighborhood, and snapped a few photos down at the end of the peninsula in Belmont Shore. She was doing alright, but I noticed a low idle at the stops. After attempting to adjust the idle, I discovered the idle adjustment screw is not doing anything. 5 turns left, 5 turns right, and no change. So I'll have to dig into that, or just wait until I get it in the shop and have them take a look at it. *sigh*

San Gabriel Canyon

Today me, Seth and Adam rode up to the San Gabriel Canyon, just north of Azusa. It's probably the most fun I've ever had on a motorcycle. But like most good things, they never seem to last - the day ended with my battery dead and my bike spending the night in Glendora. Apparently there is still something wrong with the charging system.

Luckily, the battery began to really crap out when we reached the top of the mountains, so I managed to limp the bike down the hills from pull-out to pull-out, until the guys suggested just letting it roll down in neutral. So there I was, coasting down 15 miles of winding mountain roads on a dead motorcycle. It made for some pretty good, goofy smiles, watching me roll powerlessly and quietly down the mountain. But in the end, we made it all the way down into Glendora, where Kristen came and picked me up.

Other than the battery disaster, the day was pretty incredible. Perfect weather for riding, sitting, panning for gold, and falling in the river (Adam). Can't wait to fix the bike and do it all over again.

Palos Verdes Deux

Today was much warmer and sunnier, so I had another go at the Palos Verdes Peninsula. I rode up and across the whole thing. I had no idea there were such amazing roads up there. Twists, turns, curves, ups, downs, it was like a roller coaster, fantastic. These photos don't really do justice, but you could see all the way across Long Beach into Orange County, and off the other side, you could see the buildings of downtown Los Angeles. Beautiful day.

Palos Verdes East

Today was pretty cloudy and some rain was in the prediction, so I decided to stay closer to home. I rode up to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and it was actually a lot of fun to peel off on roads that I haven't before, and find some amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. The whole peninsula is this odd rarity of hills, tall grasses and rock, stuck in the middle of endless urban sprawl in every direction. Besides the peninsula, I have to head about 50-60 miles in any direction to hit open land, or hills, or fields, or any of that. I really like Long Beach, but it's not very accommodating for someone who loves rural landscapes. But I do what I can. Anyway, I made it out there and back, before the first rain drops started dropping on me about two blocks from home. Not a bad afternoon.

Lake Elsinore

I took this whole week off for no particular reason, and wanted to squeeze in a couple rides between napping and snacking. Today I rode the Hornet from Long Beach to the small town of Lake Elsinore. I chose this place because I rewatched On Any Sunday recently, and there's an entire segment that takes place in Lake Elsinore - as Bruce Brown covers the Grand Prix they hold here. The scenes are amazing, as Malcolm Smith and Steve McQueen tear down streets and trails around this little town, back in 1970 (or there about).

The bottom photo shows an abandoned building that I recognized from an aerial shot of Lake Elsinore in the film. This street (Main St.), is where hundreds of riders lined up at the start of the race.

The ride today was amazing. Well, it eventually became so. The route takes me down the crowded 405, to the crowded I-5, down to San Juan Capistrano, before I take off on the Ortega Hwy up into the mountains. Once you reach that point, the fun begins. The views are great, and the twisty, lazy curves of the road were intensely inviting. I've never seen the CB360 perform so well. She just ate up every windy ribbon of road through those mountains.

Of course I was passed every so often by a spaceship-like probe of a race motorcycle, or a glittery, massive harley-davidson, but these things don't bother me. You see, I wasn't there to win a drag race, or a bike show ribbon. I was there in search of ghosts. Smith and McQueen are out there somewhere.

There is something understated and mystical about riding such an old motorcycle. The engine vibrates madly, felt from your hands on the bars, to your feet on the pegs. Every rusty bolt, frayed wire, scratch in the tank has a story to tell. It swells you with nostalgia for a time you've only read about, or seen in grainy films. But it's more than a fading feeling - it's real. It's tangible - metal, rubber and wire - and I'm sitting on it, roaring down the highway at 75 mph! I'm riding a ghost.

Small trips like this remind me, that although substance and quality seem to be dropping out of everything around us, there are reasons to be optimistic. I still have the freedom to roll my motorcycle out of the garage and ride it wherever I want to. There are still hauntingly beautiful, brutally weathered small towns - and they're not that far away. That even at my age (31 now...sigh) when I feel like damn near all surprise and excitement are dead, barreling down the road on a small Honda twin can bring an unapologetically goofy smile to my face.

Guzzi Means Butt

Today was the best Saturday I've had in a while. Kristen and I got up, got dressed and rode the Hornet downtown to the Int'l Motorcycle Show. There must have been a thousand motorcycles parked at the Long Beach Convention Center - it was a pretty awesome sight. Inside the show was mostly mini-dealserships set up by each manufacturer to showcase their latest models. I did get to sit on a Triumph Scrambler, the new Moto Guzzi retro race bike, and some various dual sport bikes.

After the show, we rode down to 2nd Street and had some Sushisaurus for lunch. Delish. On the way, this old guy rode up next to us on a little BSA, and yelled out how the Honda CB360 was the first bike he ever owned, loved it and rode it everywhere. Then off he went. After eating, we got home and there was my new rectifier waiting for me in the mail. I've been having electrical/charging issues with the bike, and I've been waiting for this part to see if it fixes the problem. The part went right on with no trouble and the bike seems to be working great. Fingers crossed.

The best part of the day by far, was riding the Honda with Kristen sitting there behind me. It's a little tougher to maneuver, takes a little longer to stop, but it completely made my day. She's only been on the bike one other time, and we pretty much kept it in 2nd gear up and down the street. She was a little nervous that time, but this time, seeing that big, beautiful smile of hers, and feeling her little hands drumming on my back and legs at stoplights, let me know she was enjoying it as much as I was. It's a great feeling to be able to share a little bit of that motorcycle bliss with the one that you love.

Oldie but Goodie

This was taken a while back at work. The Hornet is currently in the garage, working, but not charging itself. Tomorrow I'm going to go through all the connections and see if I can spot the trouble.

Drawlin'

Hoser Hut

Yesterday I widened the gold stripe on the tank another 1/4 inch, just taping it off this time and brushing 1Shot over the thinner stripe I did previously. Also hooked up the new fuel lines and filters. The old ones were really weathered and nasty. Too bad it's wet out - maybe I'll be able to ride tomorrow.

Honda Heart Surgery

I bought a couple carb kits for the bike, and today I just jumped in with both feet. I opened the shop manual, pulled the carbs (a whole adventure in itself) and slowly, carefully, surgically took them apart. The kit came with new jets, float valve and gaskets. It was pretty simple, really, just take the pieces that look alike, and swap the old with the new. To my very pleasant surprise, once the carbs were reinstalled, the bike started on the second kick, and purred like a lion. I took it around the neighborhood for a bit and it seems to be running smoother. It still needs some more work to get rid of all the roughness, but this was a good start.

Thanks Kristen for taking the photos of me!

November

Commute Shoot

This is a video I shot today by securing a GoPro camera to my chest. It's basically just short clips taken from my commute home from work, from the Port of L.A. to my street in Long Beach.

Santa Monica

This past weekend me, Adam, Seth, and Seth's girlfriend Corrina rode from Long Beach, up around the Palos Verdes Peninsula, up the coast through Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Venice Beach and finally to the Santa Monica Pier. It was quite a long, awesome ride - but we were all pretty exhausted and cringed at the thought of going back home through the thousands of stop lights and stop signs - so we took the 10 to the 405 back to Long Beach. It was a great ride, and the Hornet cruised at 70 mph all the way home on the freeways. Not something I want to do often, but it was nice to see what the ol' girl is capable of. And many thanks to Corrina Mantlo for taking these shots. Can't wait to do it again :)

50-Mile Smile

I took this week off because I have a stockpile of leave days I need to use. Later in the week, Kristen and I are heading up to Yosemite, but until then, I'm just tinkering around the house. I took the Hornet south this afternoon, to Reef Point Dr., just outside of Laguna Beach. Google tells me that's 25 miles, so a 50-mile round trip. That's the farthest I've taken the bike since I've owned it and I was completely impressed. The ol' girl performed beautifully.

Moto Girls

Swap

This morning I rode across town to the monthly motorcycle swap meet that's held here in Long Beach. It was pretty awesome to see all the different bikes (hundreds!) and vendors that were there, selling everything from old, rusty bolts (already got plenty of those) to vintage helmets, patches, leather jackets, tires, etc. etc. etc.

I tried on several jackets, but nothing fit quite right. I left the meet empty handed, but that's not for lack of cool junk to buy. The throng of attendees seemed to be about 90% Harley riders (of which about 90% appeared to be "biker on the weekend" yuppie dads), and I got some strange looks (of adoration? disgust?) riding in and out again on my Honda. But it felt pretty good, as always, to look a little different than everyone else there. I love my bike :)

Progress Report

Here are a couple new photos taken out back. I've got the bike more or less where I want it - with the exception of a new tail light (the last one I ordered didn't fit). I tilted the bars a little lower, put new grips on, new rear fender, new air filters, new turn signals, painted the tank, and switched out to a smaller mirror. It's a very fun little ride.

Tank Moody

I spent all weekend watching paint dry. This little project was pretty tedious, but I like the result. I tried to loosely model the new tank after older Triumph tanks I'd seen with a horizontal split two-tone. This thing is in no danger of being mistaken for a '60 Bonneville, but whatever.

Here was the process - I emptied the tank, let it air out, then sanded the old topcoat and orange paint down to the metal. Then I used a grey primer. After that I painted the whole thing white. When that was dry, I measured and taped off the bottom half and painted the top black. Once that was dry, I carefully sanded out any imperfections (and probably created a few in the process) and sprayed the whole thing w/ a clear coat. Then I laid down a thin line with "imitation gold" 1shot along the divide. I may eventually make this line a little thicker so it can be seen better, but maybe not. The best part of the whole process was hooking back up the fuel lines, putting some gas back in, and actually having the the beast start. Up close, the paint is definitely not professional body shop grade, but nothing on this bike is in show-quality, nor do I care to make it so - I think a rattle-can job done in the garage fits the Hornet just right. Not a bad weekend.

Sunday Morning

This morning I took the Hornet down through Seal Beach to Huntington Beach and back without a single issue. I don't want to jinx myself here, but whatever was going on a couple weeks ago with the pooping out at lights seems to have worked itself out (is that even possible?). It was cool and cloudy this morning, which made for a great ride down through Bolsa Chica going about 70 mph. I'm still trying to work out where the power is with each gear, when to shift to get the most out of her, etc, but every day I'm getting more and more comfortable. Pretty good morning.

It Takes More Love to Share the Saddle than it does to Share the Bed

Yesterday was my 31st Birthday, and Kristen agreed to ride around the neighborhood for the first time on my motorcycle. We never got over 3rd gear, and kept bumping our helmets into each other, but it was incredibly fun. I think that's what these things were made for. I complain a lot about getting older - and how these kinds of dates are only sad reminders of the passing of time, but I really couldn't be happier with where I am. I have the most amazing girlfriend, perfect for me in every way, and we don't have much, but we have enough, and most importantly, we have each other. Here's to 31.

Getting a Signal

My new turn signals came in today from Dime City Cycles. The stock ones are HUGE, so I've been looking for some smaller ones that fit the look of the bike. My friend Seth recently bought a '71 CB500F that had some great little metal/aluminum signals on it, so I went hunting for the similar ones, and here they are. 

The installation was pretty cut and dry - altho the new signals had 3 wires and the old ones only had 2 - but it was fairly simple to figure out what went where and they definitely look much better. 

Seventy-Four

The bottom photo here shows one of the air boxes, that houses the new filter I bought. They're black, but had so much corrosion and rust on them, that I just sanded them down to the metal - until I either get new side panels or figure something else out.

I also did some more painting on my helmet this morning - adding a '74 for the year of the Honda. It's hard to believe this thing is 6 years older than I am.