My highly technical jiggling of wires hinted at a bad connection. It was off with the old ones and on with the new. The classic-never-been-touched look on this 26-year-old Honda was retained by, of course, slipping the old sun-faded rubber covers over the new connectors.

…Sad to say, new connectors were not the answer to the problem. A bit of head-shaking and staring at the bike led to monkeying around (another highly technical maneuver) with things a bit more. The wire seemed to be intact. Giving into the “dark side,” worries crept into the grey matter…worries that this would have to be solved by a guy in greasy overalls who charges $80/hour.

That $80/hour inspired a move “upstream”…to the actual switch — a small, naturally unrepairable and self-contained device that uses a plunger activated by the depression of the front brake handle. A poke here, wiggle there and sure ‘nough, the quarter-century old switch apparently had breathed its last. (That’s a picture of the offending part to the right.)

Gratification quickly became mortification.

It’s an old part. It’s older than three of our four kids.

My heatbeat was restored to whatever resembles normal when a quick search of the interweb found that part #35340-MA5-671 widely used in Honda bikes and as late as 2005. Forking over about $10 was all that was need to have one sent.

See ya on the road in about a week…

After a few months of riding locally when the weather allowed, I put on my gear and left for work Monday morning. My only trepidation was the possibility of having to resort to lane splitting (not lane sharing).

Thankfully, the weather and traffic were great. It was fun taking the side roads out of Benicia and behind Vallejo. It still seems a bit odd to spool up to 5,000 RPM to keep up with traffic, but my little CB650SC easily keeps pace.

The connectedness one can feel with the outside world is pretty amazing; and it seems that motorcycling might just offer the last everyday adventure for the average Joe. Traversing Hwy 37 one can feel the temperature drop as you cross the marshes and rivers. You can smell the results of low tide as well as the recent plowing of the fields. Yes, it’s very cool.

(Here you go, Pati.)

However…while driving home two weeks ago I saw a very nice looking 1982 Honda CB650SC on the side of the road with a “for sale” sign. I stopped for a quick look and with wistful thoughts headed home. I passed by that bike every day that week. Then, the Thursday before Christmas, after talking with my wife, I decided to talk to the owner. Fate must have been smiling on me because, as was driving home, there was the owner — a real nice guy named Gary — putting the bike on the curb.

Gary and I chatted for quite a bit and I increasing felt that this was a deal too good to pass up. He became the second owner of the bike about four years ago, hoping his wife would learn to ride on it. (He has long ridden Indians, Hondas and Harleys.) But his wife became pregnant with their son, so he gave the bike to his brother, who learned on it and used it to commute.

Fast forward to today, and I am now the owner of an almost immaculate and nearly vintage bike — with only 8,600 miles on it — that’s part of the lineage of one of my favorite lines of motorcycles. Thankfully the rain let up this morning and streets were dry enough for me to ride it home. (Click on the photo above for more pictures.)

Whadda Christmas!

Chalk it up to either of the above personality traits but don’t call it a mid-life crisis — if I live to 100-plus years old, right now I’m barely touching middle age. While my new endorsement that means I can ride a motorcycle of any size, there is no Ducati in my future. I view a motorcycle as more of an “enjoy the scenery” mode of transport.

I urge anyone considering obtaining a motorcycle license to do as I did: take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class. In some states, completion of this class and the subsequent skills evaluation exempts one from the riding portion of the department of motor vehicles’ test. The exception is a bonus to the opportunity to become better acquainted with riding and learn some basic skills — particularly those related to accident avoidance.

I still had to go to the DMV to complete application form DL 44, give a thumb print, get a new picture taken (Note to self: Dress better and comb hair next time.), pay $27, pass a vision test, and pass a traffic laws and signs test. The test, however, was composed of the complete motorcycle traffic law and signs test as well as half of the regular driving law and signs. The bonus was that passing both tests earned me another four years on my license.

Can Santa fit a 2000 Honda Nighthawk 750 down the chimney?