"the mess"

a few days ago, there was an ad that caught my eye on craigslist. it was for a "kawasaki 550". from the photos it was clearly a honda cb500. i called and left a message and the guy called me back a few days later. i ended up going to look at it today and got it for close to nothing. there's no way this thing is coming back from the dead, but there are a few good parts. drilled out rotor, finned valve caps, exhaust, rear sets, carbs, etc...it was obliviously someones drag bike project, but i doubt it ever saw the track. the engine has my curiously. it's cb500 bottom end with a cb550 head. someone has definitely worked on it. i'm really hoping it has a big bore or hot cam!

never hurts to ask: how i got 69 chevy van

my parent's neighbor a few doors down had an old van out by their barn that i'd been eying for a few years. it never seemed to move but always looked rad from a distance. i was out there a couple weeks ago and noticed it was parked in front of their house. my dad said that he thought they had moved out. i walked over, knocked on the door and no one was around. poked around the van for a bit and ended up leaving a note on it, asking if it was for sale. i came home and was still thinking about about it. i knew the guys last name from the mailbox and that he repaired guitars. after a little searching, i tracked him down and semi-nervously gave him a call. i introduced my self and asked if they van was for sale. he said that he hadn't really thought about it, but he did take my name and number ( you never know if they are actually writing it down). 5 days later i got a call from him, saying he was fine with selling it. i went back out, met him, and drove it around. he offered it to me $750, what he paid for it. $750 is an amazing deal, it's easily worth 2 or 3 times that. the van originally came from logansport indiana, where it was used as an escort vehicle for wide load semis. it's a 69 chevy g20 108. it has a 307 V8 motor with a 3 speed manual transmission. it starts up and drives great. i took it for a 15 mile drive yesterday. it reminds me alot of my dads old 77 chevy van that i used to drive. it defiantly needs some body work, seats are worn, floor boards are rusted, and fluids need gone though. we got to talking, i told him i was into old motorcycles. he said there was an old honda cb500 in a shed that i could have for free. i really couldn't believe my ears. after a bit of hustling and selling my plunger frame, i went out yesterday and sealed the deal. i had to pull the motorcycle out of a half collapsed shed. he still has to find the title and another tank. overall i'm stoked. deals like this don't happen all the time, but this is an example of why it never hurts to ask. it might just be for sale.