So I could go on and on about how we are normal guys that work our asses off to make motorcycles a part of our lives, and also how riding shit-box old bikes create an everyday adventure in the like that most would never dare to venture. These are the breaks for choosing to have style, creativity, and the lack of money that comes with the decisions that create these things that many people call "dreams". There is still adventure out there, and it requires getting tired and dirty, busting knuckles and the bank if you must. You only live once, and some bad ideas are just too good to pass up.
So enough about us. I now present...
--- the 555 ---.
This is a cross country trip that has been running for 3 consecutive years. Coming up is the 4th annual event of motorcycle masochism.
3 Rules:
1) 1975 or older
2) 500cc engine or less
3) $500 or less -- buying and restoring (minus tires and papers)
Goal: to build, and then to ride.
History: In a dark basement in Tennessee cluttered with old bikes, scattered tools, gas fumes, beer cans and wise-cracks, Mike and his brother, Cody mused over Cody's new purchase of a $100 CB350. Mike, having just returned from a trip to Panama on an old BMW/5, was ready for another trip. Cody, never having crossed west over the Mississippi River, was also ready. The idea was born to visit their other brother. Wanting an even playing field, Mike decided not to take the BMW and roll with a shitbox of his own. Then, they invited the guys. They presented the rules, 7 in all showed up, and then they rode...
...to Portland, Oregon.
In the story of the 555, this is the beginning.
