Putting Away Riding Motorcycles for a Season
In about 1984 it came into my head that I wanted a brand-new motorcycle. Because I had such good experiences with the 1973 CB 750 Honda in my journey up to Alaska that I decided that this is what I wanted. Now in 1983 Honda had come out with a brand-new bike called the shadow which was a 750 cc. It seemed like it was a pretty nice bike. I went to the local Honda dealership in Chambersburg Pennsylvania to look at this bike. Wow, did I like it? The problem was that I did not have that kind of money. And I did not want to go deep into debt.
I went to the Lord in prayer over this bike. I told the Lord that I could swing $1500 if he could get me the 750 Honda shadow for that amount. Of course, that was ridiculous, because the bike was worth more than twice that amount. I simply gave it to the Lord, thanking him that if it was in his will he would make a way.
The first two Honda Shadow models were launched in 1983 and included the VT500 Honda Shadow and the VT750 Honda Shadow. The 500cc and 750cc Honda Shadows had V-Twin engines, but instead of 45 degrees separating the cylinders, Honda used a wider 52-degree format. The engine was also liquid-cooled which contrasted with H-D’s air-cooled V-Twins. Cast-alloy wheels were used instead of spoke wheels. While both Honda Shadows had teardrop gas tanks and some chrome, the two bikes were lacking essential cruiser ingredients to lure customers away from traditional cruisers. Over the years Honda would address all these shortcomings.
A number of weeks, later my wife and I were driving down Route 30. I decided to swing by a motorcycle dealership. Now, this was not a place that sold Hondas. It simply came into my heart to swing by and take a look. As I pulled into the parking lot, to my surprise there sat a brand-new 750 Honda Shadow. We parked the car, and I walked up to the bike.
Immediately I noticed that it had damage. There was a small dent in the gas tank on the right side, upfront. Also, the turning lights and other trimming were broken on the right side. It was obvious that somebody had laid this bike down. I walked into the office of this dealership asking for a salesman. I told him I was interested in the bike. We walked out together to take a look at the 750 Shadow. He informed me that the original owner of the bike only had taken it down the road for a of couple miles when he had this mishap.
For some reason, the owner of the bike decided that he did not want to get it repaired, but would simply trade in for a newer bike, of a different make and model. It turns out that the dealership had not yet even have time to put a price tag on this bike. I asked him what would he take for it in its present condition? He said that he would have to go speak to his boss. He came back a little later informing me that they simply wanted to get it off of the lot. That they were not a Honda dealership, and that they did not want to waste time with it. I said to him: well what do you want for it? He told me that if I could give them $1500, that it would be mine.
Wow, what a wonderful God we serve. I told him on the spot that it was sold. Later that day I gave them the $1500 and took the 750 Honda Shadow away on a trailer. Now, what was I going to do? The bike needed repair. Amazingly I had become friends with a guy by the name of Dave Collison who owned a salvage yard for bikes that had been in accidents. He worked directly with an insurance company. I called Dave up, telling him that I had a brand-new 1983 750 Shadow that needed parts. He told me that a 750 shadow had just been brought in that very day, that the insurance company considered totaled.
I headed down to Dave’s Cycle Salvage to see what he had. Amazingly everything on that bike was basically destroyed but the parts I needed. It is amazing how God works on our behalf. I bought the parts from Dave and headed home to install them on my new bike. The only thing I did not have was the gas tank. But the small half egg sized dent would not hurt anything.
Now, one of the elders of my church that I was pastoring in Gettysburg Pennsylvania was a big motorcyclist enthusiast also. His name was Bill Lookingbill. Bill had a KEZ 1100 Kawasaki. If you want to talk about a fast bike, that was one fast bike. Bill told me that he could bury the needle of that bike like it was nothing. And believe me, he did it many times.
This was one of my weaknesses being on a motorcycle. This desire for speed would seem to overtake me. I never was that great on driving a bike as it was, so this was definitely a recipe for disaster. At this time in my life, my wife and I had two sons with another one on the way. Bill and I would go riding together, hot dogging it on the back roads of Pennsylvania kind of racing each other.
On one particular day, we were riding on a long stretch of back country road. I decided that for once I was going to beat Bill on his bike. So, I gave my 750 Shadow full throttle. In biker slain, this is called: flogging it! I took off down this long stretch of road past cow fields, Barnes, and farm yards. On that long stretch of road, I hit over 110 miles an hour. On the inside, I was laughing because I had left Bill way behind.
The next thing I knew I heard the engine of a motorcycle winding out. Here Bill had simply been playing with me. He came up to me so fast that I could feel the wind of his bike as he went past. It was almost like I was standing still as he went zooming by me. At that very moment, something clicked inside of me. I knew within my heart that I was going to get myself killed, leaving behind a widowed wife with three little children.
When we got home from that excursion I went to the Lord in prayer. I had to make a decision in my heart. Was my need for speed worth dying for? I had a wonderful wife, with two beautiful sons, and another one on the way. I made a radical decision in my heart that day. I decided that I would stop riding motorcycles for pleasure until I had enough wisdom and self-control to drive at a reasonable and safe manner and speed.
Immediately I put my 750 Shadow up for sale. I did not even discuss it with my wife, even though I knew that she did not mind me having a motorcycle. The bike sold pretty fast because I offered it for a good price. I walked away from owning my own bike for almost 22 years. That’s how long it took me to get it into my heart to not be stupid on a bike.
Finally, in 2007 my wife and I went to a Yamaha motorcycle dealership called Riders Edge, located on business route 15 right outside of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I had the wonderful privilege of performing the marriage of one of the owner's sons whose name is Greg. When my wife and I arrived, sitting out in the parking lot was a beautiful 2004 Yamaha Road Star 1700. It was a nice looking all black and decked out.
Greg, my wife and I looked at the bike together. I had come to the place where I had peace in my heart about getting back on a motorcycle. I asked Greg what they wanted for this used bike? He informed me that it had just been traded in. That if I would take it in its present condition, they would sell it to me at the trade in price they had given to the person who had owned it previously. What a wonderful deal! My wife and I stepped aside a little from Greg, prayed and talked about it. Everything seemed to be agreeable in our hearts.
We purchased this bike, getting financing from Yamaha. For the next nine years, my wife and I rode this bike together. Not once in those nine years did I ever experience that old speed demon again. I had completely lost the desire to act like an idiot. My wife and I simply like to cruise, enjoying the ride, the countryside, and nature.