And so I acquired a motorcycle...

“The Master says: At 15, I set my heart on learning. At 30 I know where I stand (my character has been formed). At 40, I have no more doubts, at 50, I know the will of Heaven, at 60 my ears are attuned (i.e. my moral sense is well-developed), at 70, I follow my heart’s desire without crossing the line (without breaking moral principles).” --Master Kung

I have no more doubts: So I am in my 40s and I still have doubts, a lot of doubts. I may be behind on Confucius' time table toward the wisdom achieved with old age, but I am making progress. I feel I am touching upon the territory where wisdom lies, but understanding it is still a ways off. By understanding I mean engaging the wisdom I have in my life beyond a mere intellectual knowledge of it. Such is the life of reflection and getting older I guess...

1974 Honda CB360: Dormant but not dead.

I know the will of Heaven: And so in December I acquired a motorcycle... I am a computer nerd with a long love of sci-fy and a new found love of graphic novels. I am a game player who has been on one video game system or another since Pong was eating cathode ray tube TVs. I love to take things apart and try to put them back together, but I have never learned to turn a wrench on anything other than to adjust the brakes on my 10 speed Raleigh Technium 440 in high school. When I moved from the city to the country in '99 I had never started a generator or run a chain saw. My dad's lawn mower and weed whacker were the only small engines I had ever used and had no clue how to service them. I joined a fire department after 9/11/01(where we use a lot of motorized tools) and had to explain how I could be so experienced at cleaning up a hacked computer but didn't understand what a choke was. It's been a steep learning curve. And so in December 2015 I acquired a 1974 Honda CB360 (and a partner CB350 in parts for parts) motorcycle that has been sitting in a garage for over a decade. God knows how long it has been since it actually ran. I'm told this is what people call a "project bike"...

CB350 in parts in the dirt floor garage with a leaky roof.

My ears are attuned: I know what I do not know! A month ago I knew nothing about four stroke engines, drum brakes, dual carburetors, or alternators. I didn't know that master cylinders have slaves, and I would have thought a trochoid oil pump was a made-up term to make people like me feel they should not even question other statements such as if the boots need replacing or if the suspension is adequate for 150 pounds. I knew I needed guidance before engaging in this journey. I sought council from many, and have read online forum threads, and I have downloaded manuals. I have talked to students who have become experts and I purchased Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (to be started as soon as I finish Heller's Catch-22). I've lined up a team and dove right in despite the dropping temperatures and the prospect of working in an unheated dirt floor garage with no tools...

Naked without it's Rusty Gas Tank and Ripped Unhinged Seat

I follow my heart’s desire without crossing the line: And the planets aligned... and fortune found me... and the gremlins were warded off... A friend offered me better garage space with tools and guidance... My wife has encouraged me to find my way to my dreams and bought me some guardian bells to ward off the evils that can harm motorcycles and their riders... My father even called me from his New Year's festivities with advice from his friend on gas tank restoration. And so I am embarking on an adventure and am learning something new. I have guides to help me, fans to cheer me on, and I have a life-long desire to ride a motorcycle... to make me want to breath life back into a piece of dead parts from 1974... to eventually ride cooly up the street on something tinkered with and valued despite its dents and rust. New parts added to an old frame with an engine at the heart which still has all the goods despite being neglected for far too long. How's that for a metaphor?...

Guardian Bell, Joe's (?) Space Shuttle Keychain, 1974 CB360 Key

At 15, I set my heart on learning: When I was 15 I had not yet set my heart on anything much beyond my own appetite and ego. I was able to set my heart upon learning several years later while in college, when I also found my best friend (and later wife)... I have been learning since... and growing... and have grown proud of my progress as a learner. By the time I was in my early 30s I had started a family with roots and perhaps knew where I should be standing even when I wasn't fully sure of where I stood... So although I still have doubts in my early 40s, perhaps I am not too far behind Master Kung's timetable... the bike is just a project... the bike is just a metaphor... the bike is just a dream... But for keeps I am listening for the will of Heaven, attuning my ears, and readying myself to follow my heart's desire...