After all the waiting and anticipation, my Japanese journey with the NSR officially comes to an end with the arrival of the bike in Canada!
It’s like Christmas in March!
I had a very pleasant surprise on Friday. I was working from home that day when I hear a knock at the door: I am greeted by someone from Canada Post who has in front of him a very large package. This can only be one thing: MOTORCYCLE FAIRINGS.
A brief history of the Honda NSR 250
The NSR250R is a two stroke V-twin street bike that was introduced by Honda as a street legal replica version of the NSR250 (also known as the RS250R), which was introduced in 1984 to race in the Grand Prix motorcycle World Championship.
Obasan Marinda-no Biku wa doko desu ka? (Where is Aunt Marinda’s bike?)
In Japan, my nephews were excited about my motorcycle and would always ask that. In hindsight, I did not know that they provided me with a very apt name for my overall experience with this bike. So where is Aunt Marinda’s bike?
Continue reading “Obasan Marinda-no Biku wa doko desu ka? (Where is Aunt Marinda’s bike?)”
Owning a cool bike: Behind the scenes
After all the dead ends I have encountered, I have finally found a way to bring my bike back to Canada! Although it is not currently in transit, the wheels have been set in motion to have the process begin at the end of the month.
The saga continues (an update)…
If you have spoken to me recently, you are likely aware of the fact that I am still sorting out the exporting situation. My bike remains in Yamanashi with John as I try to figure out the exporting. As some background, my initial export contact (the one I had when I left Canada) ended up falling apart in Japan. The Logistics coordinator (based in Canada) passed me off to his agent (based in Japan). We went as far as obtaining the list of all the documentation and bike prep that would be required to crate and ship it to Canada. After that, the agent completely disappears. I’m not sure what happened there. I am starting to explore other avenues. Although, theoretically you can export on your own, dealing directly with the exporters is an incredible challenge, particularly in Japan. I am told that many exporters would prefer not to deal with a client shipping personal items since the country is incredibly stringent with their regulations.
Bad at Goodbyes
My time with the bike came to an abrupt end after the municipal office in Yamanashi would not issue me a temporary license plate.
Ultimate Hairpin challenge
One of the first things that I had planned for my trip to Japan- before even buying a plane ticket- was a trip to Irohazaka in Tochigi prefecture. It was pretty much right up there with the Mount Fuji summit climb.
The Zenkoji Temple and my “rebirth”
My time in Nagano was incredibly peaceful. I wanted to wait to write about my experience so that I could include some of the pictures I had taken which were on my SD card.
Typhoon Malinda
Up until this point, the best sushi I had in my life was at a small family run Izakaya in Lake Yamanakako. But tonight, that record was topped and I can honestly say I will never enjoy sushi the same way again. My Aunt and Uncle took me to a sushi restaurant owned by a friend of theirs in Shinkoiwa. Watching the Chef create his masterpieces was fascinating. It was an absolute art.