Hello SOHC/4,
I was referred to these forums by quite a few people, figured I'd register as I'll definitely have questions about my bike down the road, and I'll probably be picking up some parts during the winter.
I'm from Albuquerque, New Mexico and live in upstate New York. This past summer I decided out of the blue that I wanted a motorcycle, partially for commuting to work (I worked on a farm further upstate for three months, as I had the summer before, and the country roads and scenery are so beautiful up there I thought it'd be much better to make the commute on a bike), but mostly because, needless to say, a motorbike looks like more fun than anything and turns out to be even better than that. So I enrolled in a 3-Day MSF course, passed, got my Class DM, and started searching for bikes.
Making $15/hr at a full-time job, I figured the world was my oyster. I wasn't even looking at new bikes...I'd been told by knowledgeable folk that you want something used and not pristine, because you'll dump it sooner or later, but that'll run well. Also, I abhor the look of nearly all new sportbikes and cruisers (not to say some don't look fun, but I wanted something with class. I'd just seen
The Wild One for the first time). So of course I started looking at Triumphs and BSAs, but as the summer drew to a close I found myself scrambling for a realistic purchase.
Long story short (too late), I found a '74 CB 550 Four in New Hampshire right at the end of the summer and sprang for it. Of course it had some minor electrical and cosmetic issues, so by the time it was out of the shop, summer was over and classes had started; never got to ride her to work.
Still, I had emerged from the summer with a bike, the first vehicle I've ever owned.
That's the backstory. Sure enough, I laid her down about three weeks ago, put a dent in the tank, bent the shifting lever, and scratched up some pieces, so I've put it away for the winter. Planning on swapping out the turn signals, rear light, speedo and tachy, shift lever, and grips...maybe some other things. I've got a whole winter to turn it into a passable cafe racer.
Here's the only picture I have:
That's enough rambling, I look forward to browsing the forums.
