Sunday morning was beautiful – 68 degrees and sunny, perfect for a motorbike ride around the lake shore on the ’65 Honda Super Cub. This little machine was in top tune, too. Just a slight tap on the starter button brought the engine to a steady idle. Whenever I ride the Cub, I have to reacquaint myself with the unusual transmission shifting pattern. All the way up is first, then a full step down for neutral, then down for second and third. It takes two shifts down to go from first to second gear.
I rarely have a destination in mind when I jump on the Cub, sometimes staying in the subdivision to avoid faster traffic. This time, I ventured out onto Masonic Boulevard and headed toward Jefferson, following the Lake St Clair shoreline north into Harrison Township.
The Super Cub isn’t a fast machine, topping out around 35 MPH. Most of the time, the light Sunday morning traffic was no issue, but at other times, I’d have 4 or 5 cars behind me, waiting to pass or for me to pull over to the shoulder. I received all sorts of friendly hand signals from drivers as they passed.
I rode north, past Ryan’s house, until I reached South River Road. I followed this road east to the Harley Ensign DNR Memorial Boat Launch. I stopped for some photos in a nearby parking lot, then headed back, tying up traffic. Today’s little trip added 22 miles to the odometer. This little ’65 Honda is 49 years old and still as fun and reliable as ever.
