Apparently not testosterone-laced enough for the Murican market; liked a lot elsewhere -- great for new riders to develop a sense of the dance. Honda had a CB-400-4! which was smooth as butter; lighter == good always, but essential IMhO for any beginner. I actually traded-in my CB-750 when the CB-550-4 came out. (Just Had to have a Four.. when that 750 came out, in case I died before ever having owned one). Accompanied a couple females (One on the hot Yamaha 250 du jour) pass-storming of the Sierra, occasional camp-outs near Ebbetts Pass, etc. 550 was just fine at all altitudes and laden with much of the gear.

But that 750, smooth as it was - was a Beast at 'trials' speeds; the MASS was evident in every move, no matter how ameliorated by the turbine smoothness. I cringe when I see some 16 yo on a huge bike which bike-cluless Daddy just cosigned on: fear will dominate the learning curve and, who has the guts to practice a small rear wheel slide - on an Expensive behemoth? (And if you never educate the inner ear for what a small-slide feels like - you'll move to panic mode when it happens unexpectedly and you haven't the foggiest how to correct.) Y'know?

Sounds as if you've sampled the range. Hey.. there's no substitute for experience But.. Be Careful Out There - if anything, the insouciance of auto drivers has worsened over the past 2 decades, not improved. These yokels Will Not See You. Period. (And you ain't gots the steering lock, on these cafe-racers, to pull off any spectacular avoidance stuff).

Mo to Joisey, eh. Gonna take the back roads?


Nostalgia.. not envy of the butt-boring Interstates,

Ashton
who learned the basic dirt-skills on a loaner Harley 125 2-stroke while my Matchless forks were being er - realigned from an incident with a log. So tiny you could throw it all around, make lurid drifts and all the good stuff. Happened to be some sandy soil around. The Matchless 500 twin seemed a monster, later.

My friend, I Vas Dere, Charlie!


Went to the '60 TT - spent the eve just out of Douglas, at the colorful "Howstrake Holiday Camp" with a few thou others. John Surtees in full chat on his MV-4 (previously: Gilera) down Bray Hill to the 90\ufffd turn at Kate's Cottage: I chose that area to 'watch' from, after..

Previous day, when the roads are open to wannabes and all. I had a chat with a guy with a Norton Dominator 500 (essentially same as my 600 Dominator du jour) - all kitted-out with magnesium front-brake plate; all the right stuff for road racing. I was awed - when that word wasn't terminally overused - when he asked, "Like to take a turn?". This guy, who had all his worldly goods invested in this machine - just offered to let an unknown Yank 'take a turn'! Yes, I felt the Responsibility .. to Do No Harm (or die). And to remember: Ride on the LEFT!

We were at Ramsey Hairpin, and I took it out slowly and turned around: got to experience at modest speeds what That tricky little patch might really be like, at the Ton. Returned Norton unscathed and made clear my appreciation for this priceless unschedulable Event. Hey, my headgear was a red beret and I have a pic he snapped of me, heading for the hairpin. {sigh} Nirvana.

I had the experience of regular participation in the (now er in?famous) Sunday Morning Ride, which goes on today still, in Marin county, alongside the Ocean.. Two Brits and I started it: its length is within yards of one lap of the IOM! 28.3 miles. Or was that 28.6..

So yes: I know the IOM and it IS [was?] all it's reputed to be. Dunno about rocket-propelled infernal machines now so obv TFFO [Britspeak for, Too Fast for Owner]. I think of things like the Kawa KZ-13? whatever, with now ~ 140 HP? which you can buy off the floor, as:

Just like using a Beowulf cluster tailored for Chess: against a mere Human. No longer a game, but an example of techno excess misappled once again - in the manic quest for More.. More.. == finally, long past, simply Too Much. You obv are smart enough not to mix ego with the new capabilities and thus commit Seppuku. Many young riders: are not. And will never grow up to Be. :(

Cycles forever! nothing like that freedom to do the physics of centrip- centrifugal force - even better than mere 3-D flying, where you have all that free air to recover in.. Read some years ago a book by a woman re her experiences learning to ride - best account I've read yet. More females are riding solo than ever before.

But in '03? Simply Not "for everyone"; only for the truly alert. Alas.


Ashton