{"id":55,"date":"2023-06-22T09:29:28","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T13:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/suckcreekphotos.com\/blog\/?page_id=55"},"modified":"2023-06-22T11:32:43","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T15:32:43","slug":"my-motorcycles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/suckcreekphotos.com\/blog\/my-motorcycles\/","title":{"rendered":"My Motorcycles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Y\u2019know, I\u2019ve always maintained that my motorbike was really more of a conveyance than a lifestyle (despite the fact that I’m out on the road hanging out with the cool kids all the time now). I\u2019m not riding as much as I used to – that is, everywhere, all the time. But I am riding. A motorbike isn\u2019t meant to sit in the garage and look pretty – it\u2019s mean to be on the road, looking cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was digging around the computer the other day, and I found a couple of original photos from when I bought the bike (I bought it on CL from a guy who had bought it for his galpal, and she ended up not being a \u201cmotorcycle person\u201d [or something]; so, less than a year old, very low miles, great price). When I bought it, I immediately added the Cobra light bar (the extra lights on the front), windshield, sissy bar\/backrest, better mirrors and hard saddlebags. Then it basically sat in the barn for 5 years. When I started riding it again, I went all out customizing the thing. I mean, look at the difference between the below photo and the one near the bottom of this page – that\u2019s the same bike. I\u2019ve taken it from a generic, vanilla street bike to a real head-turner. If you\u2019re into that, anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The original Craigslist photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This got me thinking about the other bikes I\u2019ve owned over the years. The Phantom is actually my 4th bike, and I think has now become my favorite – but it took awhile to get here.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Suzuki
1985 Suzuki CS450L<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This was the very first one, a 1985 Suzuki GS450L. When I bought this, I knew nothing about bikes, had never ridden one (or even been a passenger on one), and didn\u2019t have a license. I landed in Honolulu in 1986, with no wheels of any sort. I knew a guy who was leaving Hawaii, and had been trying to sell his bike, with no luck. So, on the spur of the moment, on the day he was flying out, I offered him what I had in my pocket – I think $400. He was prepared to just abandon it and let nature take its course, which is not unusual in Hawaii, due to the transient nature of the populace. So, I was like Michael in Grease 2<\/a>, minus the wheelies and Stephanie Zinone – it needed some repairs, and I needed to learn how to ride it, and learn I did (unrelated pop-culture side note: Rex Manning! – heh). Had some great times riding around Oahu on it; and really, a bike is all you need there.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Acid-washed jeans, Members Only jacket – is there any doubt what decade this was?<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Yep, good times. Even with my non-existent knowledge of bikes, the Suzuki got me where I wanted to go, whether is was Tantalus, Waikiki, over the Pali, or even dangerous Kaena Point. It may have been generic and boring by my current standards, but I guess this is where it all kinda began.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Even an ugly guy like me with a motorbike can get the girl.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Suzuki
See?? This was on the Kalaniana’ole Highway, Hawaii Kai, near Hanauma Bay.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And really, I should have been killed on this bike more times and in more ways than I can count. First of all, at that time in Hawaii\u2026no helmet laws. Sheesh. And my \u201cmotorcycle friends\u201d were mostly nuts. We\u2019d get out on the H-1 and open the bikes up, weave in and out of traffic, hit each other\u2019s kill switches (most bikes have a \u201ckill switch\u201d on the handlebars, so I guess you can shut the thing off as you\u2019re getting run over by a truck), and just generally f*ck around. Stupid, dangerous, shoulda-been-killed stuff. And it was awesome.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Motorcycles
Mount Tantalus, Hawaii – that Honda Hurricane (in the middle) made my Suzuki look like a turd.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Eventually, like most people wind up doing, I hung up my helmet, and bought a car – because reasons (let\u2019s call them \u201cblonde reasons\u201d; that is, you can be cool when you\u2019re single with a bike, but when you\u2019re ahem<\/em> not single, the other half of the not-single equation doesn\u2019t really want you being cool any more, and you wind up with a Ford Escort. Seriously.). <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Ford
At least it was a GT, but still.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ultimately, though, I kinda missed riding, and then one day, this \u201976 Honda CB750 appeared on my radar. I wasn\u2019t looking \u2013 really, I promise, I wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"1976
1976 Honda CB750 Four<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A huge difference over the Suzuki – much larger engine, more power, but a very old-school UJM bike. If I recall correctly, I paid about $700 for it (and now, these bikes are highly sought-after, and can fetch 5 grand or more). A serious biker\u2019s bike. Manual choke, kick-starter, 4 cylinders\/4 carbs. Amazing bike, but I wasn\u2019t really \u201cinto\u201d bikes; it was more of a mechanism to get from point A to point B, and I wanted something more modern. Stupid.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Honda
1989 Honda Shadow 600 VLX<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

So, in 1991, I traded in the 750, and bought this 1989 Shadow VLX new from South Seas Cycle (now, Cycle City Hawaii<\/a>). It\u2019s not unusual to find previous model year bikes still on the showroom floor at the dealer; unlike cars, dealers generally keep the previous model years until they sell; the upside is, I got a really good deal. I made a few mods to it – added a windshield, sissy bar\/backrest (y’know, for the girlies), engine guards, and throw-over leather saddlebags. Nothing really major, just convenience stuff. Had some great adventures on this bike, so much so that I took it with me when I moved to DC.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Honda
DC girls liked motorbikes as well.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And then, after a couple years, I traded the VLX in for…a car (a 1994 Pontiac Grand Am GT, if you care)(which you don\u2019t) after getting jumped in beautiful, crime-free Southeast DC by a hoodlum, and my motorcycle career kinda went on hiatus.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Grand
The red ’94 Grand Am GT, which was eventually replaced by the black ’96 Grand Prix GTP. And yes, I added the stripes, because of course I did. I have many stories about the GTP, but that’s for another time.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Well, my motorcycle career went on hiatus for the most part, anyway. I don’t think anyone ever hangs up their helmet for good.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"90s
Don’t even get me started on this one – there aren’t enough ones and zeros on the internet.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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What did I just say?<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now, here we are. Back in 2011, there was talk that gas was going to get crazy expensive, and 15ish years on 4 wheels kinda had me missing a bike. I had always kept my license, so all I needed was to find something I liked. When I first saw the Phantom, I knew that was what I wanted, but because it was a new model, they were not plentiful (and still aren\u2019t). Nonetheless, the Motorcycle Gods smiled on me, and I found one. It’s the perfect bike for me. It has a cool modern-retro bobber look, with a big 750 engine plus all that black. They say, \u201cPeople are like motorcycles; each is customized a bit differently\u201d. Truth. And mine is just about where I want it for the right combination of speed, comfort, convenience and looks, but it’s unrecognizable from when I first bought it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Honda
Sometimes, I get on the other side of the lens.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As if all that wasn’t enough, a couple years ago, I bought a BMW G650GS dual-sport. I had been wanting a bike I could toss around over at Prentice Cooper and on the many other trails in my area, and the BMW fit the bill nicely. It’s (kinda) light and fast, but also comfortable and unstoppable, with features like ABS and heated grips. Of course, I had to make it my own with lots of add-ons, but when the zombie apocalypse comes, I’ll be glad I’ve got this set of wheels, with thanks to Ewan McGregor and Neil Peart.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"BMW
“Bones heal, chicks dig scars, and the United States of America has the best doctor-to-daredevil ratio in the world.” – Captain Lance Murdoch<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Hawaii<\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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