Today was supposed to be day two of my SaddleSore 2000, but the day ended in a
catastrophic failure. About 20 miles south of the Utah Idaho border, I had to
bail off of my beloved bike. Between the groove ridden, concrete freeway and
the extremely high crosswinds, my front tire starting vibrating back and forth.
As I tried to correct it, it progressively got worse and I knew there was no
recovering this time. Right before I knew she was going to lose it, I jumped off
to the median side of the bike and performed a perfect tuck and roll. Don't get me
wrong, it hurts hitting the ground at 80 miles an hour, but at least the impact was
minimized with good form. I managed to get up and walk away without major injury.
Now, as I sit here in the hotel room tending my wounds with my first aid kit, my mind
is wandering towards what bike to get next. I absolutely love my Shadow A.C.E., but
if my guess is correct, she's totaled and will never ride again. Maybe there is another
one on Craig's List that I can get as soon as I get back to town.
* * * * *
I spent some time talking with my Dad about the accident and plans for returning. At the
mention of wanting a new bike immediately, he started looking them up online for me. He's
found a 1988 Honda Magna, which has been dubbed the “Super Magna†since its inception. I
have no idea what it looks like, but it's a Honda and it's a cruiser. To make it better,
it'll basically be free.
My sister's ex-boyfriend purchased an older Jeep and asked my Dad to fix it. He put about
$500 in to it and then her ex decided he didn't want it. Instead of paying my Dad back for
the money, he just signed over the title. Now, they have two extra vehicles sitting in their
driveway that are never driven. The owner of the Magna is wanting to trade for an SUV and
said he'd be willing to trade for the Jeep. I'll have to go down the hall to the lobby
computer and check out this "Super Magna."
* * * * *
A quick search has led me to some pretty interesting photos of this old bike. '88 was a
little over two decades ago, but that doesn't mean it's an old hunk of junk. According
to the information I've found, they made under 15,000 Supers total between the 1987 and
1988 models, with the '88 model being produced for about 3,000. I like the sounds of
owning a rare bike.
I talked with Dad more and he said the bike is mostly all there. I guess the bike has been
sitting awhile and won't start, but it turns over. Frank recommended adding SeaFoam to the
fuel and cranking it over. A lot of times, that has fixed the problem for him. Dad directed
me towards a Forum dedicated to the Super Magna, called the Super Magna Owner's Group. I'm
sure they'll have some great advice and I told him I'm definitely interested in it.