Bittersweet

I just sold my 1966 Honda CB 160 motorcycle. I am happy because we could use the money and the bike was slowly rusting due to the high humidity of the South. In Chicago I could keep it indoors protected. Not so much here.

I'm sad because this was a really cool bike. So much style. Most likely the most stylish bike I'll ever own. But I've learned I really shouldn't own vintage. I'm not a mechanic and old bikes need either skill and desire or extra cash to keep them running. Cash? No. Skills? No. Desire? I'm pretty lazy. I had the CB since the fall of 2004 and it was running properly for about 6 months of that time. Thanks to cold weather and other factors I've ridden it just over a dozen times. One of my greatest follies for sure.

I think this makes the eighth bike I've sold. They sort of blur together a little after a while. Might be the ninth. This is all since the summer of 99 or 2000.

I first got into riding for two reasons. One was I was living in Chicago but going to school in Evanston and that was a 30 to 45 minute bike ride one way. Sure I was in great shape but riding a bicycle in Chicago winters was getting old. Time to upgrade to something with an engine. But I didn't want the hassle of owning a car. I tried to find a moped (this was just before the recent rediscovery of mopeds by hipsters) but instead found a 50 cc scooter that fit the bill. And a thirty minute bike ride became a 15 minute scooter ride.

The second is because they're cool as hell. How can anyone look at all the different styles of motorcycles and motorscooters and not see something that makes their heart race a little. Part of my problem is that I buy one and love it but very quickly rationalize all the little ways it doesn't quite fit every possible riding situation I might find myself in. So obviously I need to buy another one (the other option is to take a bike and then modify it in some way. If I still had that first bike I would have but a kit on it by now and turned it into something dangerous and stupidly fast. And fun).

And that's the other thing I keep telling myself. Selling this bike just means that there is one less objection that Wife can raise when I finish paying off the move down and decide it is one again time to go shopping again. After all, we currently don't have a bike that is comfortable for us to ride two up on. It would be downright insensitive of me not to have a bike I can take her for a spin on.