Automotive Blog

On August 7, 2008, I posted the first blog in this series about buying a rebuilt-salvaged motorcycle. Now, just over a year later, I'll complete the series by discussing my first ride.

Initially, I wanted to conclude by riding my bike to GlobalSpec headquarters (home of most of CR4's Blogging Team) in Troy, New York. But it was back-to-school time for me even before the anti-theft inspection. The additional two weeks that it took for the bike's title to arrive also made a trip to Troy a no-go.

My next plan was to take some pictures at the end of June 2009 – right at GlobalSpec HQ - on my first day back at work for the summer. But 11 days before my second stint at GlobalSpec, I ruptured my Achilles tendon. This injury will keep me off the bike until at least the end of September. That makes two Augusts and at least one September where all I can do is look at the bike. Ouch! But enough of that. Let's talk of the ride.

Initial Reaction to 18 Years of Technological Advancements

Tom Petty, how right you are. Waiting was the hardest part. After getting home from registering my motorcycle, I immediately clamped on the license plate, added the registration sticker, and hit the road. The weather was iffy, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. After eight weeks of waiting, I probably would have ridden in hail.

Immediately, I took to some back roads and enjoyed the much more comfortable Corbin Gunfighter seat. The bike's handlebars were much wider and the increased length of the bike, albeit only six inches, made riding far easier on my large frame. My feet were now more in front of me than beneath me, and my elbows were out instead of tucked into my sides. The motorcycle handled so much more smoothly, truly rolling through turns. It absolutely purred when I accelerated.

How Maggie Became Stormie

Almost every Magna owner that I know refers to his or her bike as "Maggie". But my new bike would have a different name. Defying the weather gods and the darkening skies, I decided to take a tour around Saratoga Lake, New York. Unfortunately, the gods noticed. They opened a deluge on the road just as I passed the point of no return. I changed my course (based on the sky) to try to stay away from the storm, but had uneven success.

Even in the downpour, the bike handled beautifully. I was happy that I had decided upon a new rear tire, even though I could have gotten away with what I had. And every time I thought I had the storm beat and hoped to dry out, I was pummeled. Eventually, I gave in and took my medicine. It was a slow, rush-hour ride home. Of the 60 odd miles of that ride, 45 of them were in the rain. I didn't care, though, as I pulled in and wiped down "Stormie" (as I now call my bike) with not a care in the world that I was saturated.

I was soaked, psyched, and already waiting for the next morning's ride to school. It felt like Christmas Eve in October. Oddly enough, four of my first five rides ended up with me getting caught in the rain. Since that first ride, I've traveled about 1600 miles - including a 24-hour, 600-mile trip through central Pennsylvania in sub-freezing temperatures. No matter how hard I push her, however, "Stormie" is always willing to respond.

Related Readings:

Part 1 - The Salvaged Motorcycle Odyssey
Part 2 - Good Economics or a Midlife Crisis?
Part 3 - Taking the Plunge is Not for Everyone
Part 4 - On the Road
Part 5 - Show Me the Money
Part 6 - Series in Review
Part 7 - The Anti-Theft and Salvage Inspect Unit

An on-going program called "Cash for Clunkers" aims to boost the automotive industry and make the roadway cleaner and safer in the United States. This program is also known as CARS, which stands for "car allowance rebate system". CARS allows consumers to benefit by receiving a $3,500 or $4,500 discount for trade-in vehicles, but only applies when purchasing or leasing a new vehicle.

Why Does CARS Exist?

This $1 billion government-sponsored program helps consumers gain access to environmentally-friendly vehicles. By creating customer motivation to trade-in their non-fuel-efficient vehicle for a discount toward their new vehicle, this program aims to boost auto sales and place more fuel-efficient cars on the road.

Is Your Car Eligible?

There are multiple requirements in order to get this money for your "clunker." First, the vehicle that you are trading-in must be less than 25 years old. The vehicle must also have been insured and registered for a full year before you decided to trade it in. The vehicle must also have a low miles-per-gallon rating, which is about 18 MPG or less for most vehicles; larger vehicles, such as cargo vans and pick-up trucks, have a different cut-off.

This rebate is in addition to the scrap value of your car, not as a replacement. In order to be eligible for the rebate, you must also be purchasing or leasing a new vehicle. Cash for Clunkers will run until November 1, 2009, or until all of the funds are depleted. Check this site to find a list of eligible and ineligible cars.

Does the "Cash for Clunkers" program provide enough incentive for people to purchase "cleaner" cars? How much will the environment benefit from taking "dirty" cars off the road and putting "clean" cars on it? Will this program have any realistic impact on the environment?

Resources:

http://www.cars.gov/

Finally, the appointment for my Salvage and Anti-Theft Inspection came for my 2002 Honda Magna 750. I was to report to the nearest examination facility on September 16th, approximately 31 miles from my house. If I was more than 30 minutes late, my appointment would be canceled - and I was not to hold my breath about getting another one.

Because the motorcycle was neither registered nor inspected, I couldn't ride it to my appointment. That meant loading it back on the trailer and securing it for transport down the same type of roads I had carried it over the first time. I'm not sure which scenario I feared the most: having the bike fall over on the way down (resulting in a sure failure), or having it pass and then having it fall down on the way home before I could actually drive it.

The Anti-Theft and Salvage Facility

When I arrived at the facility in Colonie, New York (the urban outskirts of Albany), I found there weren't many parking spots since a large part of the smallish lot was filled with what I had always thought of as "salvaged cars". Some were missing front ends or tires. Others showed obvious fire damage. I wasn't the only one with a trailer either; I was forced to park uphill. It was clearly marked that parking in front of the garage doors was a no-no.

I entered the only human-sized door available and found myself walking down a dreary, state office-esque, cream-colored hallway. The end of the hall opened into a small waiting area with four chairs and an opaque window. I pressed a buzzer. A worker opened the window, took my paperwork, and told me to have a seat. (I was fifteen minutes early, despite having some trouble finding the place). About twenty minutes later, my name was called over a PA system and I was told to come through the only other door into the garage.

I met briefly with the inspector, who was surprisingly personable. He asked me to ride the bike into the garage. After concluding that backing the bike down the ramp of the trailer and down a steep decline was a good way to break both my neck and the bike, I repositioned my truck, practically parking in the road, and rolled up into the garage, where the inspector asked me to park. After a quick conversation, I handed him the handwritten receipts for the parts that had been fixed on the bike (the odometer and the two turn signals). He then told me to return to the waiting room and wait to be called.

Waiting is the Theme of This Process

Another 20 minutes went by. To pass the time, I texted anyone I could think of who might be taking the day off. Finally, my name was called. The news wasn't all that good, however. Everything checked in terms of the bike not being stolen or non-operational, but there was a problem with the receipt. I need to track down, from the former owners in South Dayton, original receipts for the parts that they used to fix the bike. Of course, that meant that I would be in limbo until I could get them faxed to me.

Furiously, I dialed the former owners. I was informed that they didn't have the receipts anymore, and that they never had this issue when registering salvaged bikes themselves.

Determinedly, I strode back to the inspector both with this information and with the former owner's offer to speak with him via phone, personally. The inspector said he would need to speak to his supervisor. I knew that was probably a really bad sign. After six weeks of waiting, if I had to do more waiting and then take another day off from work, I was going to lose it.

Sweating It Out

The Unit Supervisor arrived and asked me a few questions about the bike. He wanted me to explain how I came into possession of it, and why it was totaled over such trivial damage. I reiterated what I was told by the previous owner about the Texas insurance company not wanting to deal with damaged motorcycles. He looked at the bike for a few seconds, and then at me for a few.

"Pass it. Enjoy your ride."

Ten minutes later, I was reloading the bike and heading out the parking lot. Now, I would have to wait for the new title to come in the mail. Then I could register and ride. While that could have taken up to six weeks, I lucked out. Two weeks later, I had the new title in my hand.

Up Next: The Final Installment – My First Real Ride on the Salvaged Bike

Related Readings:

Part 1 - The Salvaged Motorcycle Odyssey
Part 2 - Good Economics or a Midlife Crisis?
Part 3 - Taking the Plunge is Not for Everyone
Part 4 - On the Road
Part 5 - Show Me the Money
Part 6 - Series in Review
Part 8 - The Final Odyssey

I would apologize for the long delay in completing this piece, but I'm hoping you'll let me off the hook.

This summer, I will (finally) complete my series about buying a rebuilt salvaged bike and getting it on the road. I appreciate the e-mails asking how it went. Now, I can finally deliver the conclusion. But first, let's run a review for those riders who may have just joined us.

The Salvaged Motorcycle Odyssey – Part 1

If you go back and read last summer's series, I discussed what prompted me to buy a motorcycle in the first place and then, eighteen months later, sell my 1984 Honda Magna VF700 and buy a newer 2002 Honda Magna VF750 (Part 1).

Good Economics or a Midlife Crisis? – Part 2

The next installment (Part 2) talked about the process of purchasing the rebuilt salvaged bike and some lessons learned from doing so.

Taking the Plunge is Not for Everyone – Part 3

In Part 3, I explained what was meant by a "Salvage Title", though the term varies from state to state. I also shared some of the advice that I received from CR4ers in the Automotive forum.

On the Road – Part 4

Because buying a motorcycle was originally a financial decision, as was the move to upgrade because of the mounting cost of repairs, I discussed the process of picking up the bike, which was located 325 miles from where I live. Part 4 also provided a lesson learned about location listings on eBay.

In addition, I discussed a popular topic from last summer's Automotive blog - "hypermiling. At the time, gasoline was about $4.50 per gallon and I was driving a thirsty Dodge Ram 1500 with a 4.3L V-8. Finally, I discussed the process of securing a motorcycle to a trailer and transporting it over a moderately long distance of varying road types.

Show Me the Money – Part 5

Once the bike was home, it was time to wrestle the New York DMV to get the bike registered. This included going through a special inspection by the DMV's Anti-Theft and Salvage Unit. Before this could happen, however, I needed to complete loads of paperwork and pay some hefty fees, even by DMV standards (Part 5).

What's Next?

And with this exhaustive review, each section of which you can reread at your leisure, I will tease you along no longer. Next week will feature the seventh installment, which discusses my experience with The Anti-Theft and Salvage Inspection Unit (thankfully, all the waiting is done, so I can get right to it). Then the eighth and final installment will re-live my first actual ride after two full months of owning the bike.

Up Next: The Anti-Theft and Salvage Inspection (The Salvaged Bike Odyssey – Part 7)

Related Readings:

Part 1 - The Salvaged Motorcycle Odyssey
Part 2 - Good Economics or a Midlife Crisis?
Part 3 - Taking the Plunge is Not for Everyone
Part 4 - On the Road
Part 5 - Show Me the Money
Part 7 - The Anti-Theft and Salvage Inspect Unit
Part 8 - The Final Odyssey

"Auto show crowds acclaim the new 1935 Plymouth", read the placard on one of the vintage vehicles at the 24th annual Berkshire Charity Auto Show. "America needs this high-speed safety car", explained the framed article from the January 19, 1935 edition of the Saturday Evening Post. Equipped with directional cooling and hydraulic brakes, the 1935 Plymouth was designed to give rivals Ford and Chevrolet a run for their money.

As visitors to the recent Berkshire Charity Auto Show learned, the Plymouth's six-cylinder engine was redesigned in 1935 to include water jackets that covered the entire length of the cylinders. A water distribution tube was inserted into the block directly behind the water pump to provide directional cooling and help protect the valve seats and rear cylinders. As for safety, the 1935 Plymouth boasted four-wheel hydraulic brakes and a stronger chassis.

Here's a picture of this vintage vehicle on the grounds of Hillcrest Hospital in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

These two Chevelle convertibles also used placards to educate automobile aficionados, but not about their safety features. The first car, a blue 1968 Chevelle, is equipped with a 396-cubic-inch engine with four bolt main bearing caps. The second, an orange 1972 Chevelle, boasts a big-block 454.

This 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 was also worthy of a placard of its own. Modified by Carroll Shelby's company and factory-sponsored by Ford, this series of Mustangs was designed to compete with the Corvette. In 1967, the GT500 came equipped with the aptly-named "police interceptor engine".

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This 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria was a fan favorite at the Berkshire Charity Auto Show. The waitress on roller skates added a nice touch. Not shown is the tray attached to the front passenger's window. If this part of memory lane makes you especially nostalgic (and hungry), be sure to pay a visit to a Sonic restaurant. Unfortunately, there aren't any in Berkshire County.

The 1963 Studebaker Avanti may not have been the most attractive automobile at the car show, but beauty is in the eye of beholder. Here are photos of two different vehicles, with and without the hood up.

We all have our own favorite vehicles, of course. Mine are Mustangs. How about you?