Bigger bikes and the long hiatus

I left off lamenting the fact that I was stupid when I was young and didn't fully avail myself of the riding opportunities in Europe.

The GPz made the trip back with me but I had been looking at a Magazine Ad for the Nighthawk S for several months so of course the first think I did on my return was to find a leftover 1984 model in Black and Red. That Honda was a revelation in terms of power, handling, and braking. The GPz was no slouch but the Nighthawk steered so much better and had a nice power hit at around 7k rpms. I got three tickets in the first couple of months and had to go to defensive driving school in addition to suffering through lectures from my boss, his boss, and the OIC of our unit. Remember this was still the days of the nation wide 55mph speed limit and the Nighthawk was not that much fun crawling around at 55. I bought a Red 1985 VW GTI and rode the bike when the weather was nice or a girl wanted a ride. I also took a few long trips including some thousand mile days and the bike just plain worked - I got really spoiled by shaft drive, hydraulic lifters, and the - rare for bikes - spin on oil filter.

Eventually I got married and started having children. After the second child was born there was no time for bikes and I spent about thirteen years with no bike and missing riding every time I saw one.

Next time the return and then I can start on something interesting.

Thanks for reading - Mike