After years and years and years and years of planning, plotting and hoping, I’ve got my motorcycle. Got the M1 endorsement in late November after attending the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class earlier that month and I had settled on waiting until spring to get a bike — when the weather is better and the inventory of used motorcycles swells.

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 I 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!