With the heavy rain we have been having as of late (today, the Snoqualmie River has flooded several towns near me), I haven't been able to ride much. I've been starting the Elite and the other mopeds every couple of days, just to keep them warmed up. I was thinking about sending one of the mopeds (a 1982 Yamahopper QT50) to the shop to clean and repair the carburetor - in the forums this appears to be the major reason why these older mopeds won't start/won't run. I even saw one post declare that these carbs are the easiest to take apart and clean. I didn't really want to spend $50-$100 for someone else to do this, so I said to myself, "I can do this!" I shouldn't have listened.
James May with the Telegraph recently wrote a nice testimonial to the Cub, and the genius behind this "people's motorcycle."
While you might not be able to purchase a new one in the US, there are a few used ones up for sale on ebay or craigslist, which can range from very, very used to near pristine condition, with the price adjusting accordingly. I happened to be talking with a colleague at the office about my interest in a Passport, and she told me that her Dad was the original owner of a local Honda dealer in Seattle, and that she remembered him having a 1982 Honda Passport on his boat, with the bike now owned by her sister. I contacted her sister, and asked about the Passport, and she mentioned that she had been thinking about selling it. I asked her to please consider me, as I was a Honda fan (see my earlier post that proves this).
A few weeks passed and I hadn't heard from her - in the meantime I purchased a 1978 Honda CT90 (I was inspired by a blog entry from Kano where he reminisced about that bike in his life - more on this one in a future post). Then, I got an e-mail from her saying that she had talked to her Dad, and that they agreed I would make a great owner of the Passport!
When I came to pick her up, she was in great working condition, starting right up for me. It's what I would call a "semi-automatic" in that you have to shift gears, but there is no clutch lever. It was very quiet - the engine has such a soft tone to it. Cosmetically, there was rust from being on a boat, the leg fairing was cracked in several places, and the seat cover and basket needed to be replaced. But, she looked beautiful to me, and I brought her home.
Over the summer I repaired the cracked fairing with superglue and white caulk, replaced the seat cover, started removing rust from the chrome tailpipe, replaced the shopping basket, and changed the oil.
Since I live in a pretty hilly area, 70cc's won't allow me to keep up with traffic (both the motorized and walking varieties!), so I trailer it to town and ride it around on the flatlands. She gets a lot of looks, and I end up meeting many people, young and old, who had great memories of their times with this bike.
Mount Si stands at 4,167 ft (1,270 m). The mountain was named after Josiah Merritt, an early settler. It figures prominently in the show Twin Peaks, and is a popular hiking destination, getting between 80,000-100,000 climbers annually. Due to its terrain, especially towards the top, Mount Si is used as a training hike for those planning to ascend Mount Rainier (the highest peak in the Cascade Range, at just over 14,400 feet).
The local high school, several doctors, dentists, and businesses all take on the name of Mount Si. I've even heard of a couple of weddings done at the top of the mountain.
While we have had a great summer in western Washington with plenty of sunny weather to ride, I can really sense the change in seasons here. Fall has come pretty decisively to North Bend, bringing leaves, cooler and wetter weather. It looks like I won't be able to assume that I can ride on any given day, like I could for much of the summer. I guess that means I will just need to grab those opportunities when they come, which will make me all the more thankful for the times I can ride. 
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