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Back in 1976 I was wrenching at a Honda shop in Davis, California and a '75 CB400F came in for its second crash repair with only 1,200 miles on the clock. The rider was a reckless kid and his parents wisely pressed to sell the bike back to the shop to save their son from himself. Bayard, a good...

Hey guys, just a heads up to be careful when riding along Putah Creek, saw this yesterday. Oh, and happy April 1st. -Bill

I turned 67 last week, so to keep myself feeling young I decided to have a fling with a sweet 41 year old . . . . . motorcycle, that is, my ’75 XL250. I rode it through Bear Valley last month, one of the best spots in California for wildflowers, but it was too early for the peak bloom. Since...

Today was the GB500's turn to be exercised so I decided to do a 150 mile tour of some favorite roads. Our rainfall is still below average so the drought continues into its fifth year, but we have had some heavy rains recently so I was looking forward to seeing creeks running full and lots of...

I decided to take advantage of our unseasonably warm and dry "winter" California weather and take the '75 XL250 on an extended gravel road adventure today. My destination was Bear Valley in Colusa County, a remote and unspoiled place famous for its spring wildflowers. It's a month or so early...

I always like to have tire repair tools on board my bikes, and since my XL250 is a 6 volt system an electric pump was out. And the compact bicycle pump I carry on my CB125 left my arms aching after testing it on the XL's 4.00-18 rear tire. But I came across the engine air pump below and after a...

The '75 XL250 is well broken in on short trips since the rebuild. It's sporting a gear bag on the luggage rack, tire repair tools are on board, and I'm confident it's reliable, so yesterday it was time for a 120 mile test ride. Just as last winter, here in northern California we are having crazy...

The weather was clear and warmish here in rural Vacaville today so naturally I had to take my newly refurbed 1975 Hond aXL250 out in search of some terrain for which it was designed. Happily I live in just such a place, and just down the road it gets even better. I turn onto narrow secluded...

My 1975 XL250K2 build A couple of my riding buddies have dual sports and do some combination pavement/dirt or gravel road rides. So I've been thinking that direction and in keeping with my interest in vintage bikes I decided to look for an XL250. I worked on many of them back in the day...

Hey all, I thought some of you might be interested in seeing this little "Honda Cuby" engine that Honda made back in the 1960's. There is an interesting article about this engine here. These things are very rare and collectible, sometimes selling on eBay for $1,500 and up. So keep an eye out at...

With my brother in law and his wife visiting from Ohio, my wife and I took the opportunity to take them along on a tour of a unique attraction near us: Reiff's Gas Station Museum in nearby Woodland, CA. This was an ordinary tract home in an otherwise "normal" quiet neighborhood, but over the...

Fall color has finally arrived in my neck of the woods (Solano/Napa/Lake counties) so I took a nice 140 mile tour de color today. Starting off up Putah Creek Canyon this morning I stopped to admire the egrets and geese feeding along the creek, and got this shot of Toyon berries, one of our...

We're only now getting the first bits of fall color and refreshing cooler temps that require a non-mesh jacket, and I'm still playing with my new camera. So here's what I did for fun today. Heading down Cantelow Road near Vacaville from home, the skies are a bit cloudy. I used to ride this road...

Yesterday with temperatures finally below 90 I decided a ride on some favorite roads was in order. I'd recommend this area for anyone looking for a nice variety of roads and scenery, especially if you can get away on a weekday. From my home on Cantelow Road near Vacaville I headed north on...

It had been a while since I rode my '75 CB125S on a trip over about 10 miles, and I'd been feeling the urge to add more of a feeling of adventure to my rides. So yesterday I took the little bike on a 170 mile round trip. All back roads but with half of it 50-60 mph two lane highways, lots of...

I just got a new camera so naturally I had to take a nice ride in search of fun scenes to shoot. So here goes. I headed from home in rural Vacaville into some favorite roads, trying to look with fresh eyes since I've taken many shots along these routes before. Still, I wanted to take a few...

I've been bothered by helmet wind noise since the 1960's. Being younger then I never worried much about it but now at age 66 I need my peace and quiet when riding. A year ago I tried a Windjammer wind blocker http://www.amazon.com/WINDJAMMER-REDUCES-Helmets-original-copied/dp/B003FHLNVK. It...

Hello all, New forum member here. I worked as a motorcycle mechanic from 1965 through about 1980, then was away from the sport for 35 years before getting the bug again a year ago. I now have three vintage Hondas and am really enjoying riding and wrenching (just on my own bikes) again. I look...