Vroom vroom...

The bike is parked out front my apartment. Success!

I got a phone call about noon from Suzuki-san, the bike shop owner. Our conversation was funny.

Brian-sensei: Hello?
Suzuki-san: Bike OK. What time.
B: Ichi uhhh.... ni. (Tried to say '1 or 2', but I forget what 'or' is)
S: OK

All that was left when I got there was to give him a bunch of money. Then I drove off. I knew that from Ikebukuro the 254 goes to Kawagoe. So I had to get near Ikebukuro and then look for some sort of sign saying 254. It was easy peasy japanesey. Took kind of a while though, like an hour+ to get back. There is an expressway that I need to figure out for the future. The 254 was also packed as hell, so not very fun riding. I got a couple chances to open it up though.

Man this bike flies. It feels very different from my one back home. Lots of high end torque, as opposed to mostly low end torque on my cruiser in California. Serious stopping power, since it's probablly half the weight. I need to get used to the seating. The cruiser is like a big comfy chair. The CB400 has a very sporty feel. My shoulders are sore from putting my weight on them. I'll get the hang of it.

I've got a shopping list now.

• Some sort of luggage solution. I think a box that sticks up on the back would be perfect.
• Gloves. I used the gloves I wear for normal warmth walking around. My hands got all sweaty and then really cold. Not fun.
• Boots. They are in the mail, my boots from back home. I wore my hiking boots today, and my feet are frozen now.
• Jacket. The down jacket I wore today was actually pretty good, and most every other rider I saw had the same type of thing on. But I want the real deal, something with armor and a good look to it.
• Cover and wheel lock. I saw some at the place I bought my helmet in Kawagoe. Maybe I'll go there today.

I also need to find some people to ride with. I found a few internet forums and what not serving the greater Tokyo area, so hopefully I can make some new friends and see the sights.

I'm gonna try and ride to the mountains tomorrow and do some hiking. If the weather is good I'll take some nice photos of the bike with trees and shit in the background.

Keep the rubber side down. Peace-