I brought a bike home a couple of weeks ago. '76 KZ900A4. It belonged to my Uncle William. He bought it new in '76. I remember listening to him as a kid describing how powerful it was. He was very proud of it.
He died of lung cancer about a year and a half ago, and left the bike to my dad in his will. Dad took it and began restoring it, and kept it up until recently, when he came to the conclusion that his joints bothered him too badly to enjoy riding it and didn't really have the money to give it the attention it deserved.
I asked him what he was gonna do with it, and he told me he didn't know... He considered selling it but didn't want it to end up in the hands of some idiot who wouldn't appreciate it for what it was and who it belonged to. I told him I was interested in it, and he immediately told me it was mine, and to come get it. He said he knew William would approve.
William Ashburn lived in the small Northern Neck town of Callao. He'd served in Vietnam and had since led a fascinating life. He was an experienced diver and underwater welder as well as a firefighter and first responder. He was also very charismatic and had an ornery streak a mile wide. The way people looked up to him, he kinda reminded me of Fonzie on Happy Days. You know how people say they have a "favorite uncle", well, William was my favorite uncle. He'd come over to Dad's and visit while I was up there as a kid, and I'd stay up 'til 1 or 2 in the morning as he'd tell me stories about the war and riding and drag racing and crabbing and basically anything that popped into his head, and I lapped it all up. He'd make fun of all the neighborhood kids who wore their shorts too low, on one occasion dropping his own shorts to his ankles, while standing outside, and asking loudly, "AM I COOL NOW?!"
First chance I got, I took 2 days off work and made the 12-hour trek from western Kentucky to Richmond, Virginia ($4-a-gallon gas be damned) to get this beast of a bike that I have no business riding (I'm 5'-5" and the biggest bike I'd been on prior to this was a 250cc dirt bike) and hauled it home. Much to my surprise, the bike was in really good shape for having been stored outside - some of the brightwork is kinda rough and it has one dunked carb float.
It's a funny thing, until the opportunity to have this bike came along I never gave riding a second thought. Being a dyed-in-the-wool car guy and already up to my ears in "project cars", I've always been more into the four-wheeled variety of speed. Now I'm about to delve into restoring this old beast, taking my MSF course in hopes that I won't spaz out on the thing and injure myself and having everyone I know that know's anything about these bikes to WATCH MY ASS!!
I consider it an honor and a privilege to tackle this opportunity head-on, and dedicate a detailed restoration (with a few minor upgrades) and many, many miles of riding to the memory of a favorite uncle and a dear friend, William Ashburn (1948-2006).
(and of course,your Dad)
