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THE FIRST 100K


RC79NC001

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The Beginning

 

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May 15,2017

 

It was a relatively uneventful drive, aside from rain and wind gusts. The rental van worked fine, a bit“loosey goosey” from a steering standpoint and an irritating speed governor that limited maximum velocity to a barely acceptable ( indicated ) 75 mph. That’s where the  speedo  hovered the majority of the time on scenic Interstate 77. I was not feeling particularly “fresh” either, a result of only getting 5 hours  in the rack prior.

  As I drove, there was time to contemplate... mixed feelings and conflicting thoughts.

Had  I done the right thing ?

Would he like it ?

Behind me in the truck’s cargo hold were two new motorcycles.

 Both red, both Hondas.

 For me, the VFR would be my third Honda V4 and the second one purchased in Ohio.

For my son this would be his first motorcycle.

  Let’s go backwards a bit. I really like motorcycles. It’s one of the greatest passions of my life. I was fortunate enough to start down the path at 14 and now 46 years later ( damn near 60 ), I still breathe,eat,sleep  and think motorcycles all the time.

  The last new motorcycle I purchased was in June of 1985 . That Honda 500 Interceptor was a birthday present to myself. It came out of a dealership in Hilliard,OH a suburb of Columbus.The same motorcycle still resides in my garage, it hasn’t run in years but, that’s not the point, momentos don’t have to function in the conventional sense to be valuable.

So, back to the present. The irony of being in Ohio and having a motorcycle- shopping- list so close to my birthday was not lost on me as I walked into the Honda dealership in Heath,OH Wednesday morning. The  exact motorcycle I wanted, a Red Honda VFR800D was sitting on the showroom floor waiting for me.

  The decision to double up the purchase and buy my son a bike was not so easy. Motorcycles are not by themselves dangerous but,the public roads where they are ridden can be as hostile as a war zone. There are dozens of ways  drivers  can hurt  you or you can easily do yourself in. I entered this paved world at 14 and have survived thus far thanks to a combination of learned experience, luck, and the grace of the Almighty.

 

 

 

Why ?

It’s fun.

It satisfies a desire to do something that requires skill .

  There are few feelings better than carving through a series of challenging turns confidently or topping a crest on a country road to survey some majestic vista worthy of  a Monet or Cezanne. OK, sometimes Monet is on break and what you see is a  chicken farm but, natural beauty mostly abounds. The level of awareness/concentration  required to ride well is both  exhilarating and  exhausting. However, I find it’s best when exhaustion arrives after the ride is over. It is lifestyle, discipline, and recreation rolled into one whole.

I desire to share those postive things about motorcycling with my son. ..and when the time comes, fulfill my wish to see the USA astride a Red Honda VFR. I’ve been waiting for this next chapter most of my adult  life !

Keeping the rubber side down and the shiny side up y’all.....

 

 

 

Major Maintenance

 

Valve Adjust at 60063 Mi

 

Valve Adjust at 95890 Mi

 

Repairs

 

Water Pump replaced at 95890 Mi

 

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  • Member Contributer
7 hours ago, RC79NC001 said:

I entered this paved world at 14 and have survived thus far thanks to a combination of learned experience, luck, and the grace of the Almighty.

My thoughts exactly

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  • Member Contributer

Nearing 60?  CHECK!!!

Multiple V4's? CHECK!!

1st valve cheack at 60k miles? CHECK!

VF500(F2)? CHECK!

Done 100k (km's) on 2 V4's now?

Crashed? CHECK!

Blessed (aka lucky bastard)? CHECK!

 

You are my brother separared at birth???  :beer:

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Great story and congrats on 100,000 miles. Amazing.

I would love to hear a history of your mainte20220424_164819.thumb.jpg.797c818f98e7a569925f9094d801ce07.jpgnance over the years and or failures along the way.

I just hit 25,750 kms . I've got a ways to go.

 

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