Your humble scribe and his 1980 Honda CM400E on the same day as that ride with Raymond.

My first motorcycle was a 1980 Honda CM400E. It wasn?t fast, and the brakes were lousy, but it delivered some memorable rides. One ride was notably short, but it made a lasting impact on a special family friend.

Raymond was the younger brother of my father?s close friend and colleague. It was challenging for Raymond to communicate with words, but there was one message he always conveyed with crystal clarity: He loved motorcycles.

I discovered this one afternoon when I arrived at my parents? house riding my Honda CM400E. Raymond was visiting, and he was mesmerized. I shut off the motor, but he kept the motor noises going: ?Vroom! Vroom!? We were happy to see each other, but what mattered to him most in that moment was one simple fact: I had arrived on a motorcycle.
Raymond?s big brother James, who had stopped by to talk shop with my dad, came outside too. He directed Raymond to stand back from the bike because it would be hot. Raymond adjusted his distance but not his gaze, and that grin never left his face.

Discreetly, I asked James if I could take his brother for a ride, explaining what Raymond would need to do on a slow ride through my dad?s quiet neighborhood. Recognizing the impact my motorcycle was having on Raymond and placing his trust in me, James agreed.

?Raymond,? I asked, ?do you want to go for a ride on the motorcycle"? He literally jumped at the invita...