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[Update: This bike has sold. Thanks for playing.]

Well, we knew this day was coming. This project is officially done, so it’s time to move on to the next chapter. This bike threw a lot of curve balls at me, but I’m definitely better off for the experience. And really, that’s what buying this bike was all about. It was an opportunity to do a friend a favor, and an opportunity to put my mechanical skills to the test. While Robb and the boys at BlueCat Motors were a huge help, looking back on this project, I touched almost every major system on the machine. Because of that, there isn’t now much on a motorcycle I’m intimidated about tackling now. And while I don’t particularly care for CB750s in general, I am grateful to this one for being a worthy teacher.

For those interested, the bike is listed on Craigslist Chicago. Ad transcript after the break:

When The Mrs and I made the move to Chicago, we left our motorcycles in storage in Minnesota. Having the moving company take them would have put us over our relocation budget. Besides, it was winter, so it’s not like we could have ridden them around anyway. The trip back to retrieve them was not without its challenges, but thanks to some friendly help and some MacGyvering, we were able to get the fleet home safely to Chicago.

However, part of …

As mentioned in my previous post, I’m thinking very seriously about shaking up the fleet and adding a modern, fuel-injected motorcycle. Basically, I’d like to have one bike I can actually ride, then one project bike (my GL1100). Last season I had three project bikes and nothing to ride.

I’m square in the middle of a first world problem. With the 2012 riding season beginning in fits and starts, the state of the fleet has me thinking very seriously about buying a modern motorcycle. I’m even considering taking the depreciation hit and buying new. Here’s why.

For me, 2011 was truly epic. It was long, arduous, fun, tedious, surprising, frustrating and a hell of a lot of fun. Looking back, I can’t believe how much happened in just a single year. With 2012 in full swing, I’m looking back on the 2011 that was, what I learned, what I experienced, and where I’m headed from here. I’ve told many of the stories already, but there are still so many I haven’t got down in words yet.

For all Jeff’s instruction, there are still times when I feel out of my depth on a motorcycle project. In early July, after months of tearing into the my 1974 Honda CB450 Supersport, we finally had the machine back together. It was even running, though it wasn’t quite ready to ride.

If you are sensitive to explicit language, feel free not to read this.

Today I noticed a lot of attention being given to the use of particular words. First, there is the ongoing controversy surrounding the movie ratings agency, the MPAA, and the documentary film Bully. The MPAA has given the film an R rating because it contains the word “fuck” more than an arbitrary number of times.

It’s no secret inside the walls of BlueCat Motors that my ambitions tend to far outpace both the time at hand and any sort of moderate good sense. I wanted one of everything that rolled through the door and three of some things. That, and I want to do it all myself. I want to go to bed every night smelling vaguely of either the wind and road, or of grease, petrol and industrial-strength solvents. I don’t like it if …