First Day of Spring

Happiness is the first warm days of spring when you can drag all the snow blowers, snow shovels, hockey skates, and whatever out of the garage entrance and get to the stuff that's been hibernating all winter -- specifically the CB350. Finn and I found a spare hour or two, wheeled the bike into the drive, then mounted the new aftermarket tailpipes. After checking the crankcase, and giving the battery a charge, we added a bit of fuel to the tank in preparation for turning it over. Just before I pressed the starter, Finn yelled, "Dad, she sprung a leak." And he was right. Gas was running out of the petcock like sap from the maples. After messing with it for a minute or two, I realized there was nothing I could do -- "on", "off", "reserve", the fuel ran steadily off the bottom. Pressure on the switch seemed to diminish the flow, but it seems a new petcock is in my future. So we soaked up the fuel, then wheeled the bike back into the garage. 'Looking forward to that next afternoon in the drive.

What Happened?

I just noticed that December came and went without a post. Was it the holiday season and my mind simply pushed the 350 out of mind in order to deal with all the logistics of Christmas and New Years? Or is it the weather, and I'm in the midst of some type of mental hibernation? Honestly, I have no idea. I do know that I wasn't completely shut-out on the motorcycle-theme present front. Sure, Santa didn't leave a red, white, and blue, "Easy Rider"-era helmet under the tree for me, but biker buddy Andrew did score me some handlebars that could be the solution to my currently bent pair. I know it wasn't much, Andrew, but it meant a lot.