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Got Phoenix out on its inaugural ride today!

I had three goals for this 125 mile “break-in” ride:

1. Scrub in the new tires
2. Make it to the Sutter National Wildlife Refuge
3. Get home safely

I accomplished all three, though at times I wondered about that last one as I struggled against 30 mph cross winds on narrow, winding levee roads.

A few late fall pics…

Phoenix ran perfectly through the whole ride, including a 2 mile stretch of gravel road courtesy of me not paying enough attention to Google Maps when I was planning the route.

Well, it’s been nearly three months of working to slowly rescue a 1992 Honda Nighthawk 750 that had been abused, then left to sit with one wheel in the grave. I’m only about 90% finished (still needs tires and an exhaust that hasn’t been hacked up) but I thought with winter coming, now would be a good time to do some comparison shots. Enjoy…

Before…

After…

Before…

After…

Before…

After…

Before…

After…

A few more “Before” photos…

And couple more “After” photos…

This project has been a load of fun. I hope to enjoy this bike for many years and many miles.

After what seems like an eternity, I now have a two-wheeled mode of transport again….

I decided that I wanted a bit of a project to keep me busy and to keep from being parked in front of the TV night after night.

I missed my yellow ‘96 Nighthawk and regretted selling it, so imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon a black ‘92 with some cosmetic issues but a strong running engine for $800.

Here’s some of the “before” pics…my starting point.

I have some grand ideas for this bike. I finally have the ability to get a bike like this back to nearly new condition, and I want to have a dependable, reliable weekend touring bike by the end of the year.

Ever had a really bad day that turned into 2 years?

That’s where I find myself right now.

It’s been a rough stretch to say the least. I won’t go into details, since this is a bike blog and not a personal one. But suffice it to say that I will soon be bikeless – a situation I anticipate to last at least 6-8 months.

I’m hopeful of being able to buy an older (but dependable) bike in the spring. When I do, the trips will be shorter, but hopefully more frequent. Over the winter, I’ll work on getting the broken images fixed, and maybe even settle on a theme that I like.

Until then, if I have any readers left, please feel free to leave me stories of your own rides in the comments section. For now, I’ll have to live vicariously through them.

Sorry…couldn’t resist using a Monty Python line somewhere in this blog….

It’s been quite a fall / winter / spring. Normally that’s the best riding season in Las Vegas, but life dictated that I do very little riding since I got back from the Tour of California in September.

Part of those “life things” included a move back to the region where I grew up – Northern California.

I still expect my riding time to be limited for the forseeable future, but knowing all the beauty that will surround me once again in NorCal, I think I’ll find it a little easier to sneak out for a hundred miler then I have over the last 9 months.

Stay tuned for new pics of new locales in the months ahead!