Voyages on Two Wheels – 4 and 5 May 2012 – The Nearly Forgotten Post

By Parrothead Jeff, on 29 May 2012

Have you ever had one of those months when everything seems to get just a bit scrambled in your head? Yeah, that’s about how I’ve been in May of 2012. Of course, I think leaving my job of seven years, an impending move to another state, and having a daughter on the way kind of sounds like a good combination of excuses for being a wee bit forgetful

These are a few pics that I had all set to post but which managed to get lost in the shuffle. It’s getting a bit late right now, so I’ll be fairly quick with the descriptions and all, but I wanted to get ‘em all posted for everyone to see

4 May 2012 - CBX 1000 at Sam's Cycle Supply

Have you ever heard of a Honda CBX 1000? I hadn’t until I saw one at Sam’s Cycle Supply. These bikes have an in-line six cylinder engine with 1,000 CCs worth of displacement Yes, that’s a whole lot of power – especially for a bike made that long ago. I do think it’s a great looking bike and that six into one exhaust is a work of art

Sam’s has been the only shop to work on my bike since I got it last year. They rebuilt the carbs, adjusted the valves, changed the tires, and did a whole bunch of other stuff for me that I didn’t either have the time, the tools, the location, or the skills to do myself. Their prices are very reasonable and the work is always done well. I can say I recommend them with confidence. Oh yeah – Sam is the owner and this is one of his CBX 1000s and that’s just one of the types of bikes he owns. He’s a great guy who runs a very good shop

5 May 2012 - Harley Davidson chopper at Guns and Ammo Garage

Fast forward to the next day and I managed to get a few pics of this custom chopper at Guns and Ammo Garage Ape hanger bars aren’t my thing and I’d probably choose a different color scheme, but it’s great to see a truly custom bike like this where you can tell the owner has put a lot of time, thought, and effort into the way it looks

5 May 2012 - 1967 250 Husqvarna at BMW Motorcycles of Las Vegas

5 May 2012 - 1967 Husqvarna 360 Viking at BMW Motorcycles of Las Vegas

5 May 2012 - Info on the 1967 Husqvarna 360 Viking at BMW Motorcycles of Las Vegas

My next stop after Guns and Ammo Garage was BMW Motorcycles of Las Vegas to see about getting a few minor items. This bike dealer always seems to have some of the best accessories anywhere. They’re always friendly, they don’t care what kind of bike you ride, and I also know they have free filtered water

Well, if you’ve always thought of Husqvarna as making chainsaws you might not know they also make motorcycles. Actually, they’ve been making motorcycles for decades and they’ve always been good bikes. BMW recently purchased Husqvarna and now BMW Motorcycles of Las Vegas is a dealer for that brand as well! I’ll get some pics of the new bikes soon, but I wanted to show off these two vintage machines now as they’re on loan to the dealership for display and I don’t know how long they’ll be there

5 May 2012 - Honda Rune in Red Rock Canyon

After the BMW dealer, I figured I’d go have some fun in Red Rock Canyon and see who was around. I didn’t see any of the people I normally chat with and was thinking about leaving when a rather rare bike pulled off the main road and parked at the overlook.

The Honda Rune is a rather striking and unique motorcycle. I’d never seen one in person before this and it was a real treat to get a close look at it. The only things the owner changed from factory stock were the seat and that lovely custom paint job

The Rune is powered by the same six cylinder boxer engine that powered the Valkyrie when it was in production and which is still used in the Gold Wing today. The final drive is a shaft drive and the forks are a trailing link design reminiscent in their engineering of a Vincent Black Shadow or a Harley Davidson springer which has been flipped 180°. It’s a big bike, not many were made to begin with, they were pretty expensive when they were new, and it’s already become collectible so don’t think you’ll pick one up for cheap. The owner and his wife were great people and while I wish I could remember their names, I’m thankful to them for allowing me to get these pics to share with everyone. I really wouldn’t mind having one to ride if I could afford it

5 May 2012 - My V-Star stripped down to basics

Last, but certainly not least, I figured I’d post this pic again. Yeah, I know I used it in another post, but it’s my blog so I can do this if I want to The weather is getting warmer but it’s not blast furnace hot these days, so I thought I’d have some fun and get a bit more airflow.

I put the windshield on after about two weeks of riding on the road primarily because the wind blast over about 50 MPH was rather surprisingly strong and a bit unnerving for a totally new rider. The grip deflectors came in around Christmas time and they were very helpful during cold weather riding. The saddle bags were there from day one because they’re just so convenient when I need to stash something.

I wanted to see just what would happen and how much of a change it would be if I yanked all that stuff off the bike and got (mostly) back to basics. It was quite a wake-up call and in a very good way I’ll put the wind screen and hand deflectors back on before any long trips as they’re great for reducing fatigue. Leaving the saddle bags off dropped quite a bit of weight and lowered the drag so the bike felt like it had just gotten a turbo and a nitrous oxide kit

I’ve been riding long enough now that the wind blast without the shield is more fun than unnerving, so I figure I’ll leave it off for the time being. I wear a riding jacket and a full face helmet, so protection from small stones and bugs isn’t a big deal. I’ve already put the saddle bags back on as they are just too convenient to leave off, but I might have a different solution for small storage in the future

Like I said, it’s getting to be a bit late so I’m going to wrap this up. Have a great night and I’ll see everyone back here tomorrow