I Need a Project.

Well...I still have about 3 weeks of vacation time before I start my new job (which I am totally psyched for). The POS Honda Civic that I was working on was finished (at least enough that I felt it was safe for the lad to drive). It actually still needs more work but I'm not really sure I want to do it. That car is degraded. Nothing like having to fix 3 things on your way to get to 1. Sadly...the Honda CB650 is gone. I made the owner an offer to trade it for my Orbea carbon bike and he almost went for it. Almost. In the end he decided he wanted to keep it. This really bums me out because I got to know that bike and, in doing so, found some things that it needs but they were things that he didn't want to do. They were also things that could really have a negative effect on the bike (like cleaning the carbs or adjusting the valves). They are also things that are really pretty easy to do but he didn't wanna spend any more money. So I loaded it up on Sunday and watched it leave. This leaves my garage extremely empty. It also leaves me looking for a project. I think I have decided to get another motorcycle.

A friend of mine wants me to buy his KTM 640 and, although I know it's meticulously maintained, I'm not sure it's quite what I'm looking for at this time. I've had single cylinders in the past and do not think I want another one. I do think that with not being able to ride mountain bikes like I want to be able to do, that off road touring is something that I will ultimately get into with something like a BMW F650 or F800 GS but I cannot afford to make that kind of investment until I'm sure I things will be ok. The last motorcycle experiment ended poorly. So this time I'm doing it the right way. I plan on taking the safety class and actually getting my endorsement. I keep getting drawn to the older imports from the late 70's era like the Honda's and Yamahas and would prefer a Honda. I really want a CB550 because they had the spoked wheels instead of the mags. Sadly, I do not think I want it to remain stock. I think I want to put some cafe racer flair into it. For the time being I would likely just ride it as is and maybe focus my efforts on making sure it's mechanically sound while also cleaning it up a bit and removing bulky items and exchanging them for more streamlined things such as lights and blinkers. Ultimately, I would at least explore different handlebars and possibly a tank. In my head, I pretty much see what I like but I also see a lot of people that are relatively new to bikes get one and immediately tear it down and start in on a conversion. These are the ones that, when "complete" look anything but and end up being categorized into the cafe/bobber/chopper category which, in my opinion, might possibly mean that the owner couldn't settle on one style and just wanted to get it done. I want to ride it for a while and get to know it before I ruin (in many peoples' minds) what is really getting to be a classic and increasingly more difficult to find motorcycle. I'll keep searching Craigslist through the fall and winter and hope to have something for next summer. Until then, I'll start to put some pictures on here of what I like, mostly so that they are easier for me to find when the time comes.