Mick’s cb550 was starting to lose a little power so it was time for a good carb cleaning. Took us about 3.5 hours which is a little long, mainly because 4cyl Hondas have the worst air-box set-up ever. Can’t wait to get pod filter on that thing. Fuck that air box.

Get a good manual.

Get tough.

Take the bowls off, take all the jets out, and go ape-shit with a bottle of carb cleaner.

Get Justin to help get the airbox back on during re-assembly.

Done deal.

Mick and I traveled northwest of Philly over the weekend to Reading equipped with our CBs. I’ve talked up the sweepers surrounding Reading numerous times and I’m not lying when I say it has some of best riding roads in the area. The landscape navigates back-country blacktop through a combination of quick elevation changes and blinding turns, following the river system surrounding the Schuylkill.

Certainly the two most technical roads lay within the city limits where few structures dare settle. Mount Penn and the adjacent Neversink Mountain are home to the hill climbs, one of which (Duryea Drive) is famous for it’s race use in the early part of the 20th century. We hit the Neversink climb first, which is full of steep hairpins. At times you almost come to a dead-stop to adjust for the combination of incline and hairpin. It’s even more exhilarating on the way down!

Scaling the other mountain, the hairpins climbing Duryea are much wider and can be taken at speed with a knee to ground and a slide in the back tire. Instead of shooting back down Duryea, we took route atop Mount Penn blasting across Skyline Drive.

We set up camp for the night on the banks of the Schuylkill. The next morning I rode with Mick halfway to Philly before turning back towards Reading, having unfinished business to settle up. I met up with fellow Honda rider and tattoo artist Eddie Focht and we rode out to his shop, Heart & Soul, in East Greenville. Eddie needed the skill of a graphic designer for a new poster design for when he’s at conventions and I needed the skilled hands of a tattoo artist. We made fair trade. I highly suggest looking this guy up for your next ink session.

Eddie’s donning some haggard Chin on the Tank apparel.

I’ll post a picture of the final product once it fully heals.
-Devyn