My first bike was a brand new 1972 Honda CB350. Sort of a scaled down Bonneville. It weighed about 350 pounds or so and had just enough power to get me in trouble. I was 19 at the time, I dumped it twice and my brother wrecked it completely. It was a good bike, I learned a lot while riding it and although I regretted losing it, it was not a great loss. I'm glad it wasn't a 1972 Triumph, that would have been tragic. On the other hand, had I been a bit more mature I may have been more responsible and careful and my bike may have made it through OK. The Honda, good as it was, left me hungry for a real bike. If I'd had the Triumph or Norton I really wanted I would have probably been satisfied with what I had. Moral of the story? Buy what pleases you!

We all like to think of ourselves as rugged individualists. But when push comes to shove most of us are sheep who do what we are told. Worst of all, a lot of us become unpaid agents of whoever is controlling the agenda by enforcing the current dogma on the few rugged individualists who actually exist.