Black gold is often used as a term for crude oil. Well. for me, black gold was a water cooled behemoth!
A digital photograph of a photograph (wish I'd taken more original photos)
The cubic capacity battle had begun between me and my fellow riding buddy and, of course, teenage testosterone wasn’t helping either. My mate Steve had ditched his pretty little Guzzi V50 in preference for a shiny new Honda CB900FZ and, if I recall correctly, we had both been visiting the local Honda dealer far too often, so something or someone was going to eventually give!
During one of these visits to the showroom, sat on a stand, what I could only describe as a milestone in motorcycle technology. A water-cooled monster with a flat four 1000cc engine, Comstar wheels, a seat fit for a king, or queen and a console perched on top of the tank containing three extra clocks just to help overcomplicate things and sat next to this wonder of engineering was a mysterious bike sized gap on the podium bereft of bike, more on that later.
This black and gold machine turned out to be the first of its kind in the showroom, so that the dealer was just a little nervous about its handling. But after my genuine interest was theatrically demonstrated (tears, grovelling and promises of many payments) and the proviso that if it rained during the test ride I would return immediately, he sheepishly released the keys into my sweaty palm.
Already used to the ride of a Honda and the advantages of shaft drive and alloy, sorry! Comstar wheels that had already cosseted me on the CX500, I was halfway there with my decision. But after experiencing that engine after only five minutes of a ten-minute test ride, I was more than convinced that it WILL be mine!
Now I look back at the many lucky opportunities I have had to test ride bikes and a lot of shiny new ones, too. But after spending a great time recollecting the fading memories of each machine, the Goldwing stands out as one of the genuine revelations of my motorcycling career. It’s just odd that I never really took to the big tourers long term, but it was not down to the Goldwing! Just my varying travel agenda interlocked with a fluctuating budget!
So, as I am sure you have guessed now that it became MINE! Although not without a few caveats. The dealer requested I return with the bike to attend the Honda launch open day for several of their new models. Mine included. A week later, I felt a bit like royalty as I wafted into the dealer parking lot on my shiny black and gold movie star.
After letting it cool for a while, the dealer came out to help wheel it into the showroom, past the already enthusiastic motorcyclists, and pushed up the ramp and onto its well lit display podium. Now, until that moment, my face could not stop smiling and my ego was behaving as if it was overdosing on steroids. But as the crowded showroom parted like the Dead Sea, I noticed something had moved next door to my Goldwings perch….BLOODY HELL! The Honda CBX 1000! And in RED!
A fine Dutch example .....Bloody hell! Bloody hell! Bloody hell!
Pride comes before a fall, so they say…. Well, it certainly felt like a small/LARGE learning curve that day. Look before you leap… is another wonderful idiom and so accurate.
P.S.
I enjoyed every moment of the Goldwing and with no modifications for the whole of its ownership. Even if the length of ownership was due to be short due to… let’s say… commitments.
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