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Part 2, written by Greg Schmitz
Greg, having just purchased his first 750 Honda continues his story… (if you still haven't read part one - click here).
The 750 was wonderful, plenty of power - for those days, totally reliable - I never had a break down with it. It not only served as transportation, it was an adventure in its own right, I put more and more miles on it at the weekends going all over Northern California, rain or shine, never a whimper, totally problem free. That spring I got my commercial pilots license, though I'd realized by then it was probably useless, I was competing in an area where there were plenty military pilots with thousands of hours of multi engine time, going to school on the GI bill (government paid 80% of their costs). But I had a lot of fun and became a lot more worldly. I also had a job to go back to, and no real worries. I loaded up my stuff, mailed it home, rode the cycle up to Seattle and shipped it to Alaska from there (I had a friend who lived there so that worked out well). Not the most practical transportation in Alaska, but it was inexpensive, paid for and with some determination (and being very young and strong) I beat my way through it. I had gotten an idea how to handle some of it in California (we had one trip of 175 miles in 20-degree weather one night!). Solutions were to have a fairing, wear lots of clothes (layers), saddlebags to pack the extras in and always have rain gear plus heavier extra clothing that you thought you might need. The weather goes from good to bad (usually) and sometimes back again, so it's always wise to be prepared. While repair assistance is not very available, there are lodges scattered up and down the roads often enough that in the worst case you can limp into one and hole up for weather or stash the bike. I drove the 750 for two years up here, my brother was headed to Hawaii for his permanent duty station, I was going to buy another vehicle, he offered to buy the cycle so I agreed and he took it over there. A few year later, I went out and spent the winter with my brother in Hawaii and while I was there bought a Japanese market 750 that had been flown in (and legally licensed) by a Sub Hunter Aircraft officer in the Navy. Another great machine, when I left Hawaii, Jeff - my brother - sold the older 750 and bought mine (one of those 4 machine transactions where I wound up with all the money). I should have kept that one; probably none left in this country any more, dang! I had a camper trailer that was my living quarter on the construction projects, the cycle was not workable at the beginning and end of the season so the 4-wheel drive rig I bought was a good move. I also got responsible, and decided I really didn’t or shouldn’t be riding motorcycles, and while I looked longingly at them, stayed away. Then in 1982 I met the lady who would eventually became my wife. It's a long story, but she had a Bronco like I had bought in 73. It was in tough shape and had far more problems than I could fix or she could afford to have done. So she sold it in '86, and bought a used 1981 BMW R80GS without asking me. No way could she drive it in the winter up here, I had only gotten away with it because I was working summer season and was away in the winter. When I went to lecture her severely and she offered to let me ride it I couldn’t say no. Part of the reason she bought it was listening to my tales of riding; she had ridden a fair amount herself and thought it was something she could get me back into. After a while I was borrowing her bike all the time, she suggested that if I liked riding it so much maybe I should get one of my own? I realized by then how much I missed and enjoyed it and went in search of a cycle that suited me. I researched my way into the Honda CB700SC Nighthawk S (I would have taken the V45 Sabre also, but the S came up for sale first and I think the better choice for me). What sold me was no chain and reliable hydraulic lifters (many nightmare tales of the problems with the bucket and shim adjusters in those days, and I still think its a dumb way to do it - expensive and irritating at best). So, since then spring, summer and fall - weather permitting - I have been running
the Nighthawk S, her BMW after we got married (she can’t ride it anymore at all, but I have kept it and keep getting
fonder of it all the time), and the latest addition a 71 Honda CB450. A friend my wife works with had it; she
wasn’t going to ride it and was willing to give it away to someone who appreciated it. Cosmetically it’s a bit
dinged but fundamentally its fine, underlying mechanics are real good. I wouldn’t have been able to turn it down,
it's almost the same year as my first 750, the same color and it's just such a classic looking machine, I took
it in spite of swearing off chain drive forever!
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