1K

Nine hundred forty seven. That is how many miles I have ridden my Honda Rebel since October when we first became acquainted. She had her 600 mile checkup and oil change earlier this week. I must admit a few things. The shifting was starting to be a bit grabby and oil was starting to be discolored. However, I had the engine running pretty well after tuning the carburetor a bit. I just wanted them, aside from performing the regular service, to check the engine tuning.

Well, I know they changed the oil and checked the valve clearance. They cleaned the bike, albeit not as well as I have done in the past. The chain and cables were well lubricated and adjusted, transmission and clutch are nice and smooth now. The idle setting was also lowered to spec. I had adjusted it to be a bit too fast.

However, it still sputters and hesitates at times and now cuts out completely when accelerating from stop and the engine is not completely warmed up. I am working from a disadvantaged point of view. My riding skills and experience is relatively thin, so differentiating hardware problems from rider problems is not as easy as one would think. An experienced Rebel rider could probably determine where the problem lies, or perhaps that there is no problem.

As a whole, I am quite happy with my bike and my progressing skills.

In celebration of our 1k mark, I hope to take a little ride this weekend if weather permits. Perhaps even if the weather doesn't permit we will go. I need the time out. The two of us seem to understand each other; that we need to get out and go. I sense it when we reach 55. She purrs and I relax.

What barely passes as scenery on my daily commute to and from work slips by in slow motion. Not just viewing the scenery, but being part of it, is now vaguely understood. There is a conflict. Las Vegas is the bane of my existence and I yearn to remove myself from this scenery, yet riding integrates my soul further into an environment that I wish to separate myself from.

As with most things in life, there are good and bad aspects to everything; left and right; up and down; positive and negative. Or better, Yin and Yang. Understanding that there is no “good” or “bad” may be one of my larger challenges. There just is.