The quintessential motorcycle road trip! All cliches apply–the open road, the freedom, the solitude–all of it. But the greatest pleasure is that tiny ball of fear in your stomach. It’s not the same dread that creeps into our lives over money, family, and the future. This fear is exciting, and motivating. It disolves the digital bric-a-brac that overwhelms us everyday. This is about being present: watching the traffic, minding the odometer to plot the next fuel fill-up, checking your watch to figure the remaining daylight, and hoping the weather doesn’t turn sour and grey. This is living but it’s often hidden by the fog of our day-to-day existence, the oppressiveness of our to-do lists and the banality of our misplaced worries.

But how to keep mindful of the priorities without dreaming of going off-the-grid? Is an occasional road-trip enough? Or does it require something deeper?

I always loved the old Honda Fours. Incredible Japanese technology for the early 70s. Picked up this 74 CB550 a week ago. Wasn’t running, but my dad and I tore down the carbs, installed a new battery, and set the points and timing. Now it runs like a champ; ready for a cross-country road trip.