Today I crossed the great divide.
I am now the proud owner of a Honda Sabre V45. It is a 750cc V4 with a liquid cooled engine and a shaft drive. The previous owner is a motorcycle mechanic and it is in very good condition for its age.
I was uncertain whether I wanted anything with so large an engine, but with the prospects I had and the bikes I looked at, thise seemed the best one of the lot in my price range.
See, I sold my car. I didn't want to, but I ended up having no choice in order to make ends meet and have some liquid assets to work with for various unexpected expenses. So, I took the plunge and used part of the car sale proceeds to buy a motorcycle to sit next to the Silver Streak.
I rode Natasha (that is the new bike's name...perhaps I should rename the scooter Boris...), for several hours and after getting used to the clutch and tranny (that was an interesting adaptation for me, but I got it and feel mostly competent at this point), I found that the bike is much more comfortable to ride for long periods, yet is not as easy for cornering due to its size and wheel base, but it is the exact type of bike that I wanted in that it is a street bike with a shaft drive and liquid cooling.
My best friend helped me get it from the cycle shop (JR's Cycle in Ephrata), and we loaded it on his truck so I could start out in our church's parking lot.
In related news, I talked to him and the dealer who sold him his Wildfire scooter and the dealer replaced his clutch, variator, and so on with brand new ones. In effect, he has an entirely new CVT. The dealer had looked at the variator rollers and could not find any visible defect, so he simply replaced the whole assembly to be on the safe side.
He still hasn't ridden it though. After four blown belts, he's a bit nervous. I don't blame him of course.
He did ride the Silver Streak (AKA: Boris) a bit today while I was getting used to Natasha, and now he has the bug for something with a bit meatier accelleration and top speed. Who can blame him.
He'll be bringing my scoot to me tomorrow on the back of his truck and she will get plenty of use. She's much easier to ride than the motorbike. While I loved the exhilaration of the bigger bike, I still have this longing inside of me to take it slow.
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6 comments:
A 750 Sabre!!! Now that's a scooter to be proud of. In its day it was a technological leap forward of heavy duty proportions. How does your hip feel about it? Any trouble mounting and dismounting? Once you put on a windshield and set of saddlebags you should be able to get home to Western Mass in considerably less time.
Isn't this a 450, not a 750?
Looked and sounded good.
Ride safe...
Yes, it is indeed a 750, V4, not a 450. As I understand it, the Sabre was made in a 700, 750, and a 1000 or 1100...(can't remember which).
And KZ, I've found that I can mount some bikes without pain, as long as I fold my right knee and slide it over the seat instead of throwing my leg over the bike as if I were hopping on a horse.
I can also mount it easily if I keep it on its center stand before mounting it.
Perhaps video would be a better way to explain, and a bit more humorous.
Just fr your edification it was an 1100. The ominous sounding V65 Sabre. A ground shaking sport bike if ever there was one. Unfortunately it came along at a time when standard bikes popularity were on the wane and people were slipping onto big Ninjas and GSXRs.
Yeah, I looked that up after posting my last comment.
I really like the standard street bike configuration. It is comfortable to ride and I feel neither cramped up nor stretched thin. It does have the after-market forward pegs on it, but I do not like them and am considering taking them off.
Paul -- to mount your bike, you can also step with your left foot on the left peg, step up and swing your right leg up 'n over. It's how I get on my Yamaha Diversion when I have the tailbag on. Should really cut the degree you have to swing to get your right leg on the bike. The bike won't tip (use your judgement on slopes) and it makes no difference if you are on the side stand or center stand (I have both as well). Just be smooth about it and it works no problem -- this is how most KLR riders get on their bikes... (oh, and I'm Marcster from Urbanscootin).
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