Most of my life I claim to be a saver. I put money away and I try not to think about it in hopes that it will be there when I need it for something. Then, when I found something that I felt I could not live without, I would have the money to buy it.
It has become harder to do as of late. I have to pay bills for school, for rent, for internet access and insurance to name a few. The backup fund has become the primary fund and it has slowly been running out.
But recently I did not let this hinder me.
Throughout freshman year I walked pasted a Honda Nighthawk nearly everyday on my way to class. I said to myself, ‘I want that bike.’ So the summer after freshman year, I bought that bike. I also learned how to ride it. It has been my pride and joy for some time now (and the inspiration for this comic).
Lately, however, I have wanted a bigger bike, something with a little more oomph. I also read this article, and decided that this might be the style of bike for me. So I browsed craigslist looking for something that would fulfill all my needs. I was fortunate enough to come across a bike that has great potential to run and be a beautiful bike with enough power.
There she is. She is a 1978 Kawasaki 650. Currently there is no battery and I do not have a key. I heard it run when the guy hot-wired it when selling it to me. I think the engine loses compression and it dies while idling. I will have to get her started on my own to be sure.
Also, it is important to keep in mind that I have never been the type to work on cars or any engines for that matter, I learned computers.
Anyway, my plan is to get it running before I do any cafe mods to it. The guy who sold it said he thinks it needs carb work, which I am going to attempt. A friend of mine said it should be something I can do on my own, and I trust his judgment. After the carb work, I am going to go through and clean the hell out of that bike so it runs like new (or rather like a 30 year old bike that has just had a cleaning done to every inch of it).
For the record, the KZ650 isn’t going to replace my beloved Nighthawk in any way. I plan on keeping that bike beyond its death, and maybe pulling a Victor Frankenstein and reanimating if it does someday die. I just needed something to putz around with.
I will keep you updated on the project as I go. If all goes according to plan, I will have her on the road by next riding season.
I was the same way with savings, for instance, I managed to save enough to send myself to Australia for ten days last summer. But this summer, despite the fact that I’ve been virtually jobless all year, I’ve already blown my summer paychecks on concert tickets and hilarious t-shirts. Way to go, me.