A Lifetime of Experience - A Big Motorcycle for a Big Man

[UberGoober]

I arrived in Washington DC the summer of 2006 overweight and unhappy. Thanks to an abusive boss, my last assignment had been pretty intense and, like a lot of people, when the going gets tough I tend to eat too many sweets and too much fast food. It hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time. I have always tended to be a little fat, so when I looked in the mirror things didn’t seem that out of the ordinary. At my annual physical, however, the hard numbers came in and plausible denial went out the window.

300 pounds. What’s worse, when the blood tests came back, they said I was in the first stages of Type 2 diabetes and that I needed to take daily medication to control my blood sugar. I was aghast. I had known I was heavy, but there was no way that a 300 pound man was looking back at me from my bathroom mirror and there was no way I could be diabetic – hell, I wasn’t even 40 years old yet! Still, I knew the tests don't care how old you are or how you think you look in the mirror; they were a real wake-up call. Like a lot of people staring into the abyss, I decided I had to do something. Luckily my transfer meant a change of scenery and so I figured I could make a new beginning at the same time.

Washington DC was not my permanent assignment. I was only set to be in town for two months of training, followed by another month of home leave back in Washington State, and after that it was upward and onward to a new assignment in a different part of Japan. Since my stateside time was limited, and since most of that time would be spent in class, I had elected to leave my wife, now several months pregnant, at her parents' house in Kyoto. On my own and with my fate firmly in my own hands, I decided that I would eat frugally and spend most of my spare time walking to lose weight.

Once in the DC area, I quickly set up house in an extended stay hotel. I suppose it wasn’t the nicest place I have every stayed, but it was in a convenient location and even offered a daily shuttle bus to the training center I was attending. Best of all, like many long term hotels, my mini suite came with its own kitchenette. So, with healthy living foremost in my thoughts, I acted quickly to fill my bare cupboards with good healthy food and set off on foot to the closest supermarket.

It is a rule of nature that what seems close on a map often turns out to be far on foot and, once on the road, my own overweight exertions were made even worse by the hot June sun. It was a miserable two mile walk to the supermarket in the afternoon heat and I was soon hating life a little more with each step. Once in the air conditioned comfort of the store, I shopped frugally and as healthfully as I could, avoiding processed foods and sticking to what turned out to be bulkier and heavier fresh foods. Then, loaded down with 40 pounds of food in flimsy plastic bags, I made the long and arduous trip back to my apartment. After putting away my groceries I sat down to think about my enforced exercise plan. Sure, I needed to lose weight, but becoming a permanent pedestrian was nuts. I needed wheels in a hurry.

Getting on line, I went to the local Craigslist site. I flipped through the car ads and found nothing of interest, so I went to the motorcycle section. I have to admit that I was a little taken aback by what I found there - ad after ad of overpriced abused junk. Where were all the cheap used bikes? I continued scrolling through the pages until at long last, something popped out at me - A 1992 Honda CB1000 for only $1200.

The ad itself was not the most glowing I have ever read. Short and to the point, its text did not hype any of the features of this particular bike and the four small pictures it had actually highlighted the bike’s major flaws, a dented gas tank and a slightly bent handle bar. Still, the price was right and if those were the only things wrong with the bike, I had a potential ride. I quickly placed a phone call and was happy to find it was not sold. It also happened to be conveniently close by, so I bummed a ride from a fellow student and made my way over to see it.

(Photo - The real me as the proud owner of a Honda CB1000)

[acalliste]

And on that note, I'm going to bed. Early day tomorrow!

Nighty night!