Month: April 2009

First Wash, First Rain

Took the bike to a wash this morning, as the day was bright and the bike was dirty. The guy did a professional job and asked for 1000 drams. I paid double. He promised to do a spectacular job next time.

Made a new purchase:

Powerpuff Girls Helmet

Just as I was sitting at the office and crawling about credit card processing problems, the rain rushed in — I do believe there’s an Armenian Murphy’s law about a relation between washing vehicles and precipitation! On the positive side, enjoyed some nice rain ride and figured that I miss tripping in the wild.

On Saturday I’m planning to hit Geghard as the first trip on this bike.

Trip: Yerevan - Garni - Goght

Let’s see how that goes.

And yeah, guess I’ll need to wash the bike again.

All Finished

I have got my License Plate and gave the final cash to the Honda store. The only two things that remain now are screwing the plate into the back of my bike and closing the loan, which I assume is going to take around 9 months (yes, it’s like having a baby!)

Oh yeah, and my new plate reads: 0434 APA. Bummers.

Getting CBF500 Accessories

Here’s a quick guide for everyone (including myself) for getting Honda CBF500 accessories if you’re living outside the western world:

  1. Get the CBF500 Accessories Catalog.
  2. Locate part number of the accessory you need.
    (for example, part number of Black Interstellar 45l Top Box is 08L55 MCW 8V0)
  3. Make sure to locate any requirements the accessory may have.
    (the 45l Top Box requires a Top box bracket 08Z51 MCW 800A and a Rear carrier 08L42 MER 801)
  4. Google for the part numbers: 08L55 MCW 8V0 germany – and enjoy the results!
  5. The only remaining thing now is to pick the one store that ships where you are. This might require some negotiations.

This is all. Wanted to write this down for myself, and then thought – what the hell, let it be public.

First Experiences

The bike has been an amazing experience all the way.

Now I have ridden a bike and two, but nothing compares to riding a brand new, fresh motorcycle.

So the first thing one should know about riding zero mileage brand new motorbikes is that they behave rather strangely at times!

My own personal experience was — the engine sounded and responded harsh at the beginning, the clutch and gear shifting would sometimes fail. But this disappeared gradually, and after the 200th kilometer I come across these issues only very rarely (running-in period for CBF500 according to my manual is 500km).

Other than that, the bike has been an absolute joy to ride. I don’t push the revs further 5000 till I hit the 500km mark on my odometer, and even so it’s very quick to accelerate and feels confident at the 6th gear. There was a problem with steering or shifting gears on turns at the beginning, but now the thing feels more agile than most of the things I’ve ridden.

I’m currently planning my first trip outside Yerevan on the absolutely wonderful Google Mapmaker. Will probably be on the upcoming weekend, and hopefully the weather will be fair. From there we’ll have the first live trip post with the first pictures on this blog.

Welcome

The Motorcycle presents you a challenge to master the machine, a challenge to adventure. You ride through the wind, linked to the road by a vehicle that responds to your commands as no other does. Unlike an automobile, there is no metal cage around you. Like an airplane, a pre-ride inspection and regular maintenance are essential to your safety. Your reward is freedom.

Pleasant riding, and thank you for choosing a Honda!

–Honda CBF500/A Owner’s Manual