1972 Honda CB 500-4

Slip Sliding Away

During this period of my life, I worked for an Engineering firm in Toronto. Being

Photo break in Hawkesbury

fairly young in years and in the company, any new employees close to my age were potential new friends. It was how I met a chap from England name Rick Sealy. His father came to our office on some sort of short term executive exchange assignment, and his son came along as part of the package deal. We found we had many common interests and got along quite well right from the start. So when I one day suggested that we take a weekend trip to Ottawa and do a little sight seeing, he thought it a jolly good idea.

Packing for the trip was limited to only extra clothing and rain gear as we planned to stay at a motel. Our route would follow secondary roads in order to maximize our exploration of the countryside with all its small towns. I wanted my new friend to get a slice of Canadiana after all. Getting to Ottawa must have been uneventful, mostly because I have absolutely no recollection of it. Once there, we did the usual tourist thing by visiting the parliament buildings, checking out some of the shops, and testing the local cuisine. The next day we were back on the road for home.

We headed west on highway 7 towards Toronto and this is where things got very interesting for my unsuspecting British passenger. Somewhere mid point on our travel we hit some serious traffic. I mean it was mostly crawling along at 60 kph, with short bursts to the posted speed limit. And it was busy in both directions making safe passing

A pause to observe traffic

opportunities that were few and far between. At first I behaved myself and went with the flow, but before long I started getting edgy with impatience. I would pass one car, then another, then two or more at a time. This may sound like a straight forward deal hardly worth recounting, but I assure you it was not as simple as that. My poor captive companion, trapped as he was behind me was just able to view my maneuvers with increasing horror. Peering over my shoulder with eyes wide like saucers, I could feel him tense each time I pulled out and then relax as I just pulled back in. I can fully sympathize with his consternation since the few times I have ridden shotgun on someone else's bike, I was in terror myself. Males tend to only trust themselves and unlike women, are unwilling to relinquish control if they can help it. But my limey friend had especially good reason for concern. For if you may remember, my clutch was not in the best of condition, and my bike did not have the most tractable of motors.

I am very proud to say that I got really good at timing the overtaking of traffic. It was no easy task to coordinate between the limitations of my bike, the speed of approaching vehicles, and the space available for us to fit into just in the nick of time. It went something like this.

From about 70 kph I would drop down to third gear and twist the throttle as far

Thank God I am home (and alive)

as it would go. The engine speed would increase, first at a very high rate before slowing somewhat as the clutch finally engaged. With rpms at or over the red line, I dared not up shift for fear of dropping out of the power band and possibly losing speed during those vital moments we were in the opposing lane. So I held it there, rocking back and forth against the handlebars for any additional momentum I could muster all the while watching the front grill of the approaching car looming large. Just like it seemed impact was imminent, I would swoop back into our lane in what seemed like inches to spare between two bumpers. Before the motorist I cut in front of had even time to react, I was back out and passing once again.

Eventually we had out run most of the traffic and soon after we arrived in one piece back home. The Honda survived the ordeal, as did my passenger. When I dropped him off at his house, I noted that his hands were slightly trembling as he lit up a cigarette before unloading his gear off the bike. All in all it was a successful trip.

Keeping Up with the Jones

I had some good adventures with the Honda 500/4 (see more under Clubs - York Wings).

Stripped and ready for sale

But when you belonged to a club whose members rode such exotic bikes like Laverdas, Bennelis and Ducatis, and heavyweights like the Electra Glides and Gold Wings, a 500 just didn't compare. I had managed to actually build up my savings account over the year and so the time seemed right to upgrade my wheels for something bigger. Although I wouldn't describe myself as being loaded, I felt that I was finally in a position to explore the possibility of purchasing something new. With the winter snow melting and spring just around the corner, I spent my time attending bike shows and visiting local dealers in preparation for that major milestone in my life.

Final Thoughts

Soon the Honda 500-4 would be just a memory. Despite my self inflicted mechanical woes, the bike provided me with reliable service throughout the time in was in my possession. It always started and it always got me where I wanted to go. My only criticism was that it did nothing for me emotionally. I had more fun working on the Honda, than actually riding it. Perhaps this partially explains why I never seemed to keep any of my bikes for much more than a year. After the initial excitement of something new, it quickly became just another appliance. It also did not help that the big four from Japan essentially obsoleted their bikes every year with major redesigns and increases in performance. It was disheartening to have your pride and joy go from celebrity to has been in such a short period of time. Of course, this is only my opinion.