My First Motorcycle

My first motorcycle was a 1974 Honda CB550 Four that I rescued from a shed sometime in 1993. It was sitting for over 10 years and when I first saw it, it was laying on its side. The chain was rusted solid. The tires were rotten and flat. The paint was govered in grime and the chrome was in awful shape. It was put away with the tank full of fuel, so the fuel system was completely gunked up.

I didn't know much about motorcycles at that time. At that point I had ridden a couple of dirtbikes and ATV's, but never a street bike. I wasn't completely sure exactly what I was looking at but I could see potential in this old bike.

Many hours were spent cleaning, degreasing, wrenching, and polishing that old bike. I taught myself how to rebuild 4 tiny carburetors, and got a huge amount of satisfaction in resurrecting this old machine.

After all of my hard work, I had the bike looking and riding great! I didn't travel very far on it, but it was a fun little bike to run around the area on. The engine was incredibly smooth, and with the four mufflers it sounded really nice. I used that bike to take the test for my motorcycle endorsement. And my dad used it to learn to ride (with me following him on the bigger bike that he purchased).

Unfortunately these were the days before I became interested in photography so I don't have a single picture of that bike. Below are examples of what it looked like when I was done with it.





After riding the CB550 for about a year and a half, I began looking for something bigger. I test rode several kinds of bikes, but having a limited budget, I kept coming back to the bike that I'd admired for quite some time (and the bike that my dad had already bought). The Honda Nighthawk CB750. I found a brand new 1993 model for $3900, and it was in my favorite color that Honda offered - Candy Tahitian Blue.

The Nighthawk is a great do-it-all bike. It's easy to ride around town. It's powerful enough for some highway cruising. It handles well enough to be fun in the curves. And it has classic motorcycle looks.

I put 29,000 miles on the Nighthawk. Many while riding with my dad on his red one. We never rode farther than Dubuque Iowa, but we explored a lot of neat places. Some of my best riding memories are from riding with him.

The Nighthawk never, ever let me down. I replaced the tires, the front brake pads, and the battery when needed. I changed the oil and air/oil filters annually, and once had to re-solder a connection for the headlight. That bike was unstoppable. In 29,000 miles I never even needed to change the clutch or chain.

I sold the Nighthawk to my friend Pat when I found my VFR. I honestly wish I could have kept both bikes, but I only have room for one. The upside is that I get to help Pat keep that bike on the road!