Am I Going to the Dark Side?

"mikecyc72usa" (mikecyc72usa) 06/07/2016 at 18:42 • Filed to: motorcycle, Honda CL 350, scrambler, vintage, classic, Japanese

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If you read my posts, it’s apparent I love British cars. Actually, I like lots of older cars, and secretly like some motorcycles. I had a Triumph Bonneville 20 years ago. It was my first and only moto, and was quite a bit of bike for a novice. I managed to stay upright and not die, but sold it after about a year. Living in Indianapolis wasn’t conducive in the winter to a motorcycle.

Secretly I always wanted another moto, but didn’t want a cafe racer. I wanted a smaller, lighter, slightly more comfortable bike that wouldn’t be a crotch rocket. It had to be from the late 60's-early 70's, and it had to be mostly original. Maybe the prerequisites were a way of keeping me away from motos. Well, until this kind of fell into my life:

It’s a Honda CL350. It’s original. It’s solid. It runs and everything works. It’s also too good to pass on. So I guess I’m getting my M license again and getting the requisite safety gear. I can hardly wait. Besides, though Japanese and 2 wheels, it still has carbs, so it can’t be all bad, right? I mean, it’ll be a perfect backup when projects on the Triumph or Jag go longer than planned...

Decay buys too many beaters > mikecyc72usa 06/07/2016 at 18:54

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Those Hondas from the Soichiro years have just as much character as anything else in the world from the time. Dude was an engineering genius and a true gearhead.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > mikecyc72usa 06/07/2016 at 19:02

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It’s only the dark side if you ride a motorcycle with car tires...

... which tends to be mostly a big cruiser bike thing...

mikecyc72usa > Decay buys too many beaters 06/07/2016 at 19:06

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I love the look and function of this bike. It’s perfect for what I had set as my standards. I’m really excited to get my M license back and ride it a bit.

mikecyc72usa > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 06/07/2016 at 19:06

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Wow. That’s all I got.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 06/07/2016 at 19:08

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Won’t that destroy handling?

Decay buys too many beaters > mikecyc72usa 06/07/2016 at 19:09

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And it looks like she’s still got her shiny bits! Definitely a keeper, if just for that sexy exhaust.

Nisman > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 06/07/2016 at 19:11

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What the shit. I own a Harley and I’ve never seen this.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Nisman 06/07/2016 at 19:14

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Actually it’s more of a big cruiser bike thing than a Harley thing. Here’s an interesting writeup:

http://www.hondashadow.net/forum/53-gener…

Decay buys too many beaters > mikecyc72usa 06/07/2016 at 19:14

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And I’ve actually gone the other way over the past week, added my first Brit bike to the stable after years of only Japanese.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 06/07/2016 at 19:14

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I would have thought that would be the case. But on a cruiser bike, it probably doesn’t make a difference:

http://www.hondashadow.net/forum/53-gener…

greenagain > mikecyc72usa 06/07/2016 at 19:33

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That’s not the Darkside, Jap bikes are the land of sunshine compared to British stuff. You get to ride, not fix.

The Compromiser > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 06/07/2016 at 20:19

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I’ve been told by a lot of people who have it that it is just something to get used to for a bit, then you don’t notice it. Bigger contact patch. Takes 10s of thousands of miles to wear out, versus the 10-15k max on a bike tire.

Bonus fact: some are putting rear tires on their front rims. They call it the double dark side.

mikecyc72usa > greenagain 06/07/2016 at 20:22

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It’ll be interesting to see how it goes. My Triumph Spitfire happily covers 16,000 miles a year on average. I’m just excited because this is such a once common bike, but is relatively rare now.