Recently I have been stewing about with a new dilemma. I want to ride a motorcycle this summer, but I have to choose which one. As you may know last summer I put 3000 kms on a little Yamaha 400 driving from Edmonton to Utah and back (Kara drove it for a short stretch too). It was just not big enough for me. I will never complain about the gas mileage. The unofficial cost of gas was about $80. I figure it averaged around 50 mpg. Pretty amazing especially considering how hard I pushed it. So back to the dilemma: I have 3 potential bikes to choose from.
The 1979 Honda CB400 - Small like the Yamaha, and probably as good on gas. Will I enjoy it lugging me around? I bought this bike for $50 as parts bike back in '99 I believe. It sat in pieces for a few years. Last year I revived it with new fork, wheels, and tires. I have plans for a custom gas tank. I think a fun bike for around town, but not so much on the highway.
The 1978 Honda CB750 - Lots of power, decent on gas. I bought this bike from a friend (Pennz) for $35. This bike has gotten me around for years. I've stripped it, chopped it, and customized it completely changing it's looks 5 times. Right now, I'm in the middle of Chop #6. So I don't have a usable setup, just a bunch of parts and a frame that would need to be heavily modified. :)
The 1972 Yamaha XS650 - Legend. My oldest bike. I bought it back in the late nineties when my first 1979 Honda CB400 was old news. I picked up this bad boy for $100 and got it running reasonable. Then one day after about two weeks of riding it the cam chain broke while I was out with my buddies. It has been in pieces ever since. I loved the sound of the inline twin thump. Not like any other bike. But I will need to rebuild the engine, and replace some missing parts on the chassis.
That's about it. What do you think? Do you need...pictures? (A post just doesn't seem finished with out them.)
Picture of my CB400 in current condition.
CB750 Currently.
Yamaha XS650 Today.
1 comment:
Personally, i think the cb400 is the best bet for THIS season, while you continue to finish the cb750. the 650 is going to cost too much to revive for the moment, engine rebuilds are the worst for sapping funds. for one thing i am LOVING the side profile of that thing. it looks gnarly and tough. for another thing, you will not be able to leave your wife in the dust for the first season in probably a while that you may be riding together, never good to leave your wife in the dust on the first ride:)
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