Shiny

 I didn't want to leave the Scrambler as dusty as it was, after yesterday's ride, for too long.  I have to take it in for the first warranty service, on Friday, and I hate to hand someone something dirty, if they are going to work on it.  So, today after work, I washed it off and shined it up. 

My neighbor, Reed, is a Harley guy from way back, and he swears by the Show Time spray cleaner/wax.  He buys it by the case, and says it is better and cheaper than the HD-branded stuff.  He brought me a can to try out, Sunday. Today I put it to use.

It puts a nice, quick shine on everything. And, it's supposed to prevent water-spots.  With a black-painted bike, festooned with chrome and polished aluminium, that is a big sell.  We'll see how well it works.

(As an aside, I think one of the best things I have done to this bike is to remove the rubber tank pads.  They don't bother me on the other colors, but having a big patch of matte-black rubber stuck in the middle of all that shiny black paint just didn't suit me.)

I walked over to Reed's house to get some pictures of this:

It's the remains of a 1969 Honda CB-350.  It was a show-winning Custom, at one time.  Reed tells me that it was built by a buddy and his son, and won First Place in the first show they placed it in.

The son later committed suicide, and the dad lost all interest in the bike.  I suppose it harbored too many painful reminders of better times...

Looking at it in this condition, after years of sitting derelict, one can only imagine what it must have looked like in it's glory, with the psychedelicious paint and all the chrome. (Even the frame-mounted tool box is chromed.)

Sadly, that is the actual mileage on the bike.  No one ever got to enjoy riding it.  Now, it is a shipwreck of a motorcycle, with the engine locked up, one carb hanging from its cables, and every thing that hasn't rotted is rusty.  No matter how much you customize a bike, polish, paint and chrome it; it's all for naught if it never gets ridden.

Well, that's my opinion, anyhow.  That's one reason my bikes tend to be dusty more often than shiny.  I  prioritize the riding over the polishing. 

Just look at my Trident, sometime...

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