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)

[UberGoober]

Originally touted in ads as “The Big One” - until a fast food restaurant threatened to sue over a trademark infringement - CB1000s were a solid attempt to reintroduce a big bore UJM back into the US marketplace. They were by all accounts of the day, a wonderful motorcycle with a comfortable upright riding position and a smooth running liquid cooled in-line four cylinder engine. They offered good brakes and up to date suspension parts all packaged together with Honda’s typical attention to fit and finish. Still, sitting alongside the racier bikes on Honda dealers’ showrooms, the CB1000 had not sold especially well and as a result quietly vanished from the American marketplace within a few years.

The bike I found was exactly as advertised and had seen some better days. Primary among its flaws was a dented gas tank, a tweaked handle bar and a bent gauge cluster bezel. Mechanically however, the bike started without hesitation or smoke and ran well on the brief test ride. Like so many less-than-perfect bikes, the owner had bought it as a fixer upper and then lost interest when another project came along. It seemed right so I struck the deal and rode the bike the three or four miles home sans license plate. Luckily, I didn’t get caught.

It took a couple of days to get the license sorted out, you have to be a Virginia State resident to get plates and so I had to get a letter from my hotel to prove that I was in-fact a “resident” even though I was not. A quick call to my insurance company got me covered in the event of an accident and a trip to the local Honda shop got the rear tire the previous owner had thoughtfully included in the deal mounted.

Although I only owned the bike for two months, I had a good time with the old Honda and because of it, I was able to really get out of DC and see some of the beautiful Northern Virginia countryside. One fine day I even hooked up with VVV, a moderator and friend from another motorcycle website, and went out into the hills to see where the locals had their fun. It was a nice day, V led the way on his RC51 and I followed, totally outclassed in riding ability as best I could on the CB. Later in the day we switched off for a few miles so he could try the beast out – a move that netted me several compliments on my old girl and my only ride ever on what was then Honda’s hottest racer.

My time in DC passed quickly and with barely a week to spare before I left for my vacation in Seattle, I put the old CB1000 back on craigslist. A day or two later a fresh faced young guy and his buddy came out and bought the old bike for $1500 cash.

As I loaded it up and helped secure it in the back of their pick-up truck, I was already feeling a little nostalgic for the old bike. And as I watched the big CB rolled off into the gathering darkness, I found myself surprisingly sad to see it go. Despite the damage it had suffered at the hands of its previous owners, the CB proved to be a faithful companion during the time I had it and I had really connected with it. I knew that back home in Japan my GSXR1100, as malevolent a motorcycle as was ever made, a bike that told me to my face that it was willing to kill me the first time I made a mistake, waited patiently for its chance to do me harm – a snorting ill-tempered purebred Arabian stallion compared to the strong but gentle, well sorted quarter horse I was leaving behind.

A few years later the GSXR made its own trip to a new home in the back of a truck and I watched it go without batting so much as an eyelash. I wonder now, if the situation had been the reverse – if the bike I sold in DC had been the GSXR and the bike that awaited me at home in Japan had been a big CB - would I have eventually quit riding? I can’t say, but I do know this, if I ever feel the need to put another motorcycle in my garage, I’m going to be looking for another Big One.

[acalliste]

Thanks, that was a really nice episode. I love your description of the GSXR1100.

I hope you got yourself healthy and are staying that way.

[Alawicious]

Excellent write up. I too, like the GSXR Description. I feel that mine tells me the same thing from time to time

[NeedinJustice]

Cool write-up! I enjoyed it!

[UberGoober]

Thanks. I lost quite a bit of weight the following year and was able to get myself back of the diabetes meds. Today I am going somewhere in the 250 range, still obese by any standard, but it seems to be a natural plateau for me. I will say however, for whatever reason, I have managed to lose more weight in the past few weeks and have found myself adding new holes to my belt. Right now it looks like I have shaved about six inches off my waistline.

Remember this?

[NeedinJustice]

Congrats!

[acalliste]

Good to hear!

Now what's your secret?

[Alawicious]

Originally Posted by UberGoober

Thanks. I lost quite a bit of weight the following year and was able to get myself back of the diabetes meds. Today I am going somewhere in the 250 range, still obese by any standard, but it seems to be a natural plateau for me. I will say however, for whatever reason, I have managed to lose more weight in the past few weeks and have found myself adding new holes to my belt. Right now it looks like I have shaved about six inches off my waistline.

Remember this?

I remember that from SBN

[UberGoober]

Originally Posted by acalliste

Good to hear!

Now what's your secret?

Frequent exercise of my right arm.