In The Begining

My first motorcycle was a Honda CL450. Honda built this bike as a kind of a cross between a street bike and an off-road bike that was good for neither function. The Honda 450 was also available in the CB450 version that was definitely a street bike. However suited this machine was, it was small enough for me to learn to ride on and big enough to keep me out of trouble. It gave me the opportunity to travel throughout Western Europe in the early 1970’s and it gave me a new perspective on life, something I was in dire need of.

I was stationed in Germany while serving my country during the Vietnam War during the early part of the 1970’s. I was working as a mechanic on the famed F4D and F4E Phantom II fighters stationed at Bitburg Air Force Base, near Bitburg Germany. We provided NATO support for the protection of Western Europe during the cold war. Just after I left Germany for the States the 525th Tactical Fighter Squadron upgraded to the F15. So the only aircraft I worked on at that time was the F4 variety.

One of my friends and coworkers, Steven Pundock, was an avid rider and he was the original owner of the Honda. I accompanied Steven when he ordered a new 1973 Kawasaki 750 from the motorcycle dealer in downtown Bitburg and I remember how dedicated he was to getting the world's fastest motorcycle. Since I was new to the world of motorcycling I did not know the difference between any of the models other than the definitive Harley-Davidson and the Honda. I still recall hearing the slogan: You meet the nicest people on a Honda.

I got my introduction to Kawasaki and I was astonished that there was no choice of color as Steven ordered the bike in English and as the dealer relayed his information as he ordered the bike over the phone in German. Gold? That was the only color? Later when I owned a Kawasaki 750 myself, I became very accustomed to the color scheme of blue for ’72 and gold for ’73. There were other particularities but the color was the most obvious.

Steven sold the Honda to one of our mutual friends when his new Kawasaki 750 arrived from Japan; he was not in need of owning two motorcycles. Steven always took very good care of his possessions and the Honda was no exception. Cassick, the fellow who bought Steven's Honda, sorry I cannot recall his first name, had demolished the motor and was looking for some sucker to buy the expired Honda. So there I was, the sucker that ended up buying his first motorcycle, in pieces. And I didn’t even know how to ride.