Original Hornet

I was going through some old photos and found these few of my first motorcycle - also a 1974 Honda CB360. I bought this for $1000 in late 2006 while stationed outside Washington, D.C. I'd been wanting to learn to ride a motorcycle for some time, and finally having a little cash and the freedom to do it, I took the plunge, not knowing a thing about riding. All I knew is that I didn't want a crotch rocket, and I didn't want (or have the money for) a big cruiser. Seeing the classic look of this small, mysterious 70's motorcycle on craigslist sold me instantly. Later that day, it was mine.

I had a couple friends go over the basics of shifting and I'd take it around the neighborhood, getting more and more comfortable, and completely falling in love with the feeling of being on that little motorcycle.

My usual ride would be down the George Washington Parkway along the Potomac to Mt. Vernon and back up to Alexandria. It wasn't a long ride, but the traffic was light, the views were great, and there were just enough curves to make me feel like I was on the Isle of Man. The farthest I'd taken it was up the Clara Barton Parkway, up to Bethesda, Maryland, which also wasn't very far, but a fun ride anyway.

The time came to move out to California, and I didn't have many possessions and elected to move with only what I could fit into my Jeep - eliminating the need for a complicated move. I sold the bike to a co-worker and it stayed in Virginia. Years later when looking for another bike, I saw another 1974 CB360 pop up on craigslist, and jumped on it immediately; which led to this very blog you're reading now.

No matter what motorcycles I find myself on in the future, I'll always have a soft spot for the Honda CB360. People don't forget their first motorcycle, no matter how infrequent it ran, or how uncool it was (not considering the 70's motorcycle boom in the last few years - people thought I was pretty uncool on that bike in 2006). I plan to keep my current 360 for as long as humanly possible. It's paid off, the costs are low, and there's an indescribable, almost human element to this rusty little honda - it has a personality. Not always pleasant, just like the rest of us, but she's my baby. So on this Saturday morning, I'm going to raise my juice glass; here's to the 1974 Honda CB360 - past and present.

White Grips and Fox Tails

I took a little break from the bike, not wanting a tight jacket rubbing on my forearm while a tattoo was healing, but this morning I was back on the honda for my commute. Last night I put on some white grips, just out of curiosity, and I kinda like how they look. Kinda resembles a little girls bicycle - and now with the rose painted on my helmet, people aren't gonna know quite what they're looking at haha. 

Wisconsin Made

After 2 ill-sized orders of Thorogoods, it was time to find some locally (lesson learned). I went to Dixie in downtown Long Beach, and found the exact black boots I had ordered, found the right size and happily paid the 100$ less than I'd pay for some chinese Redwings.

It was also cool to see some of the flat trackers wearing these in On Any Sunday. So finally, after much searching, ordering, returning and fitting - I have my American-made boots. Can't wait to ride into work tomorrow morning and start breaking these in!

Huntington Beach

This afternoon we rode down to Huntington Beach for the monthly vintage motorcycle meet. There were some pretty incredible bikes - a few of my favorites are here, a '54 Royal Enfield, a '69 BSA, and some sort of custom Harley Davidson. You can also see the Hornet there among the oldies. It's great to see so many people who appreciate the styling and spirit of older bikes. I'll definitely be back.

Ain't Had No Gas Since '79

Today, Seth, Adam and I rode up thru Trabuco Canyon, then down thru Laguna Canyon and back up the coast to Long Beach. It was a great ride thru the hills and downright awesome when we plopped out of Laguna Canyon and the ocean air hit us, and cooled us off the rest of the ride. I love California.

Thwompa-womp-womp-blaaaat-a-thomp

The short mufflers finally came in today. Here's a before and after (after is the top photo). I love the look of the bike without the long, upswept stock mufflers. It just seems so much cleaner and simple. And the sound is unbelievable. It thumps and womps and drums and pows and thwops with a deep, but crisp note ...I couldn't be happier.

I thought it would be a quick switch out, but man, everything that could be difficult, WAS. The clamps that kept the old mufflers on the headers were near impossible to remove. Old, rusted, stripped bolts would not give. It took a lot of sweat and about every tool I own to finally work them loose. Then my drill bits were too dull to make the holes in the new muffler mounts. So that took a long time. Then the bolts that hold the muffler on (that also go thru the rear foot pegs) were too long without the foot pegs, so I rigged up a skateboard truck bushing to both absorb some shock and space the gap, and it worked perfectly. All in all it was a sweaty, greasy time, but it ended very well. I also received the new throttle sleeve and white grips - ran out of time tonite, but they'll be in going on in the near future.

Garage Saturday

I spent a couple hours in the garage today, taking off the speedometer and tachometer in an effort to simplify the front end of the hornet. Not sure if I'll leave them off or not - I'll give it a week or so, and see what I think. I also painted the scuffed up headlight bucket. I like the look (from certain angles). I kept part of the warning lights, just a strip with 3 light bulbs on it, so I can still tell when I'm in neutral with a quick glance. I'd like a very simple, stripped down look in the end, and I'm very slowly getting there - but I'm still hesitant to do anything that can't be undone - so if need be, I can get back to a very stock cb360. I'm not trying to "cafe" it, or anything like that - I just want a nice, clean, classic motorcycle. And I'm starting to get there.