Steve Mariner's Motorcycle Page

Steven K. Mariner

Last Updated: 22-Mar-2024

Motorcycles

I love motorcycles. Bikes I've owned & ridden:

1976 Yamaha RD 400

1982 Kawasaki 400

1986 Kawasaki KZ-1000 Spectre

1986 Suzuki GS-650

1978 Honda CX-500

I still own the CX-500, but I've got what appears to be a stuck valve and haven't take the time to repair it.

I miss the old UJM (Universal Japanese Motorcycle) frames; a bike you could sit up on while you rode it without having to get a fully decked-out touring bike. All these modern bikes are either these tiny little things where you can't add any useful gear, big honkin' touring bikes that look like they're waaaay too big to be in-town fun (although that's probably not a fair assessment, and I'll just have to get over it) or these damn crotch rockets where you have to lay on the gas tank to ride 'em.

I really miss my KZ-1100. *sigh* Oh, well. Just gonna' have to get a Gold Wing at some point and accept that the big bike is the only way I'm going to get a bike I can sit up on anymore. In the meantime, I'll keep my CX-500 and try to get it into tip-top shape.

I'm putting together a list. Feel free to help out:

You Might Be A Colorado Biker If:

You can get year-round insurance for your bike;
Ski gloves and a snowmobile suit are part of your standard gear;
You've gone 18 months with a motorcycle as your only vehicle and you only had to hitch a ride with a friend on only 5 days in that year and a half;
You've ever brushed the snow off your bike before heading home from work in November;
- ...and this doesn't seem strange to you
  - ...because, after all, it happens in March, too.
You understand what a "hail headache" is;
You keep wondering why the car won't go up that hill in 3rd gear.

	1976 Yamaha RD 400
	1982 Kawasaki 400
	1986 Kawasaki KZ-1000 Spectre
	1986 Suzuki GS-650
	1978 Honda CX-500