At the laundramat...waiting for the jeans to dry...still dreaming about touring...

Found this on a blog done by an artist who saw a goofy lanky guy on a Honda 350. a quick sketch she did by memory....scary how much that could be a younger me....

Here it is, the perfectly streamlined touring bike....ummm, not practical, without air conditioning and a helper at stop signs...(NSU streamliner...a 125, I believe...)

Craig Vetter (The touring fairing guy and designer of that cool triple...Do I remember that he got over 100 MPG on this bike...? I'll have to re-Google that. He actually achieved 125 with this bike.

Craig Vetter site<------------Click here for info on Vetter

Dan Gurney's 710cc  'Gator', How low can you go? Interesting, but at $35,000 a copy ...out of my price range. The new model is powered by an S&S motor. Gotta wonder about visibility straight ahead. This thing is quicker off the line than a lot of sport bikes and handles corners like a racer...they say. My parents used to watch guys like Gurney racing on dirt tracks in Southern California...I was still in diapers, so don't really remember it...

Dan Gurney site<--------click here for Dan Gurney's site

Back to that new Honda, I should have bought last year, the prices have gone up...

I like the new Cruise-tourer model, but the pegs and handlebar configuration aren't the way I'd prefer them.... 

I mocked up a hybrid using the 'Paint' program on this computer...this is the tourer with the rearward mounted pegs and lower bars of the adventure model...I'm not a big fan of 'feet-forward'...probably has something to do with the fact that I was weened on 'Scramblers'...and used to do a lot of wheelies, not that I would do any wheelies on a tourer...not on purpose anyway.

...or go with the 'Adventure model and slap some aluminum panniers on it....another crude paint rendering....

Time to fold laundry.....

1977...Star Wars....

An early poster I had on a wall, painted before they had hired any of the actors...

.......Was the big movie out that year. 36 years ago, I was 24 years old . Working at a motorcycle shop, barely eking out a living, and thinking maybe it was time to move on to something else. Kawasaki 903's were still King, but Suzuki was making four strokes now. A kid working at the shop who raced motocross had a Suzuki 400 DOHC twin that he'd wheelie up the hill next to the shop, avoiding pot holes as he   'mono' cycled on his way.

All these years later, at 60....(that looks old when you type it...) I still prefer the bikes of the past,(Even though I get the urge to try something modern all the time) not happy with computers in my autos...that either work perfectly or need replacement...Yet,back in '83, a Kawasaki 750 Turbo was around. Sort of 'shared' by my brother and I. At that time it was pretty state of the art, Digital Fuel Injected and turbocharged. One day my brother was out for a ride and a drunken woman in a VW tried to occupy the same space that my brother happened to be in. Totaled the car and the bike, and nearly totaled my brother. Two broken legs and a busted up wrist. Still has metal rods in his legs that set off metal detectors...Also had a couple of regular GPZ 750's around. I never got to put too many miles on the Turbo, but the GPZ was my commuter for a few years.

Another poster that used to be up on a wall....

Yeah, lots of different bikes over the years, and surprisingly I still have a lot of them still. Always said they would be fun to play with when I retired. That idea of retirement is coming closer to being a reality. Years later, and there is another Kawa Turbo around, and once again 'shared' by the brothers...or was I holding it ransom for some reason....something like that...At one time we use to talk about building drag bikes, or lately myself....bikes to take to Bonneville. My brother used to work at that same shop all those years ago. The resident Harley expert and his brothers ran two Hemi powered cars at Bonneville every summer. A 'Roadster' and a 'Lakester-drop tank bodied car'. Have always been intrigued with the idea of building a bike to run at Bonneville. Another idea is getting into vintage trials. Yeah, you hit 60, and suddenly a lot of time has seemed to pass too quickly...

A European poster, I'd like to have up on a wall...

Touring appeals...travel, seeing the parts of California I haven't seen...yeah just like Bronson on that old Sportster...straightening out fenders with rocks by the side of the road...entering motocross races, where the Sportster suddenly becomes a 'Sprint'....with the sound of a bigger bike dubbed in....Hahaha, I loved that old TV show. Actually the idea of touring on a modern bike that got good mileage, and would not need a lot of maintenance appeals very much. I can see myself hanging out in showrooms checking out bikes in the near future.

80 miles per gallon....?

From a 700 (670 cc) twin cylinder motorcycle.

Honda NC 700x

NC stands for 'New Concept'. This bike has been out since last year.

A view of the bike sans bodywork. Very low center of gravity. You sit over the gas tank. What appears to be the tank is a storage area, big enough to hold a full-face helmet. 

This is an upcoming 'Naked Cruiser' version. (CTX 700)

This is an upcoming 'Dressed Touring' version. (CTX700N)

The motor is like two pistons out of a Honda 'Fit' car motor. Have no idea what that is, guess I'll have to Google it... They are phased at 270 degrees. The cylinders are tilted way forward, kind of like an old Panther single.

Honda Fit Auto<----------Click here for info on Honda Fit Auto

Wikipedia article<---------Click here for Wikipedia article on the Honda Fit and related autos. 

Some of the test reports I've read, say that some of the more miserly testers have achieved close to 80 miles per gallon. This is with the 'Adventure bike' styled model. Haven't seen anything on the newer models, which I believe are 2014 bikes. It's also proposed that different engine sizes are in the works. It will be interesting to see what the MPG figures are for these newer models.

As I get closer to 'retiring' from the drudgery of work life, I sometimes fantasize about buying a modern motorcycle. As I've gotten older I find myself more 'Scrooge'-like when it comes to money. This bike seems to make pretty good power, down low in the RPM range. Torque where you need it. It also seems to be well thought out, and based on years of technical experience with the car motors, the engine should be really reliable. It's not too awful heavy, and even though I'm not thrilled by the overall style, I could probably live with it.  

There is an option of an 'Automatic' transmission' and ABS braking. For some reason, at this time you can't order a manual shifting model with ABS, which I found kind of odd. Something to muse about on a cold winter day....

Test report and more info here<Click here for more information

Put on your high-heeled sneakers...

And jump into your high-heeled motorcycle...?

Several years ago there was a banking advertisement on the television here in the States, that featured for a few seconds what appeared to be a Honda 350 powered high-heel shoe...did a search on the web and came up with these. 

The first three pics appear to be the bike from the advertisement, powered by a Honda 350. This bike appears to be another version powered by...? Looks like more research is needed...anyone out there have a clue?