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Imagining Things

The Birth of Klugmeister's Red Motorcycle

August 10, 2025 by Klugmeister

11 minute read

Candy Red 2012 Honda Rebel motorcycle adorned with American flag bandana from the 2012 CT United Ride

The germ of the idea that led to me getting a red motorcycle came to me on September 11, 2011.

Mind you, I didn't realize when I woke up that morning that I'd be having an epiphany while getting lunch at a Five Guys restaurant on Main Street in Monroe, Connecticut. Before the day ended, however, I would vow to myself that I'd participate in the following year's charity motorcycle ride in memory of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

2011 CT United Ride

That September 11, 2011 Sunday happened to be the actual day of the 2011 charity ride, and the street that the Five Guys was on was a part of the route, which I knew already from having watched the CT United Ride in action in previous years. (The church I attended at the time was along the route, and the ride was always held on a Sunday.) Even so, I wasn't aware the event would be happening on that day, or that it would affect me differently that day than it had before.

During the event, a caravan of thousands of motorcycles operated by joyous, fun-loving riders would cruise by the church on a 60 mile route through Connecticut that's largely blocked off for the duration of the ride. The CT United Ride occurs each year on a Sunday in the vicinity of September 11. (I think it's held on the closest Sunday no later than 9/11.) Since I often took my family out to eat at Five Guys after church, I knew from experience that it was impossible to leave the fast food restaurant on Main Street until the motorcycle caravan had fully passed by. In fact, at one time previously—ahem, this was when I was still a confirmed tight-ass—I viewed the delay as an annoying inconvenience, but on this September 2011 Sunday it occurred to me that these motorcycle riders were having a blast!

The old me may have wondered what it would actually accomplish for a bunch of overweight freedom-loving people to ride motorcycles around Connecticut—i.e., wouldn't they be better off going to Ground Zero and saying a prayer? (my inner tight-ass wondered)—but the new me was more focused on how much fun it looked like they were having, and on how cool and carefree they seemed.

So...as I watched the joyous caravan pass by that day, I vowed to myself that I would participate in the 2012 ride. I'd had an epiphany, and I decided then and there to make the change from annoyed observer to eager participant. It was quite an inflection point.

Hmm, why did I wait until my late 40s to decide to enjoy life? I don't know.

Preparing for the 2012 CT United Ride

Once I made that fateful decision, can you guess what I spent the next 11 months doing? For example, did I:

• Research the ideal motorcycle for my specific needs?
• Obtain the proper license to operate a motorcycle in the state of Connecticut?
• Get some solid riding experience?
• Pop wheelies on the interstate with Barack and Joe?

This image of "squad of professional football cheerleaders celebrating an old bald man who just passed his licensing exam" was created by Klugmeister using artificial intelligence software. The image was reviewed by Klugmeister before posting on this web page.

No, no, no, and no! In fact, I did absolutely nothing during the next 11 months to prepare for the 2012 CT United Ride! Once it dawned on me how far behind I was, I downloaded the study manual for the DMV's written test for the motorcycle learner's permit in Connecticut, and started studying.

On the Thursday before the charity ride, I found myself finished with a client meeting earlier than expected, so I decided to take the afternoon off to go to the DMV and take the test to get the motorcycle learner's permit. I knew I was cutting it close—the ride was just three days later!

Being a talented test taker, I blithely assumed the test would be easy for me to pass, but I soon found myself having missed four questions out of the first 14, which meant I couldn't miss either of the remaining two questions if I wanted to pass. The pressure was on!

Once I answered question 15 correctly, my optimism began to increase. When I got the last one right (thus passing the test), I looked around the DMV to see if there was a team of sexy professional football cheerleaders eager to do a "Way to go, Klugmeister!" cheer. Seeing none, I nevertheless decided to silently give myself a virtual "Nice job, Klugmeister" thumbs up, and headed home with a smile on my face.

The Birth of the Red Motorcycle

The hard-fought learner's permit allowed me to operate a motorcycle in the state of CT as long as I:

1. Stayed off the interstate highways,
2. Rode the bike only within the state during daylight hours, and
3. Did not carry a passenger

So I was good to go for the CT United Ride, except...I still needed a bike. Alas, due to my delays it was now Friday, and the CT United Ride was to take place just two days later: on Sunday, September 9, 2012. Once again, the pressure was on!

Before going out to shop for a motorcycle, I emailed a former coworker who was a biker to ask him what type of motorcycle I should consider. My friend Andy (an experienced rider) recommended a minimum engine size (perhaps 600 cc? I don't remember for sure), and suggested a Honda NC700X. (The NC700X has since been replaced with an NC750X.) Andy even sent me a picture of the suggested bike.

Armed with this information, I went to the local motorcycle dealer during my lunch break to shop for a motorcycle. I looked around, but didn't see the bike my friend recommended. Not knowing much of anything about bikes, I found that most of the bikes that I saw frightened me with their size. Even for the ones where the engine didn't seem ginormous or the seat super tall, the gas tanks looked big enough to bludgeon Chewbacca and Big Foot to death.

2012 Candy Red Honda Rebel motorcycle parked along a curvy road in north Georgia

So—totally ignoring Andy's advice that I require a minimum engine size for my purchase—I gravitated toward a group of 250s that didn't seem so intimidating, and selected the red one: a 2012 Honda "Rebel" CMX250C. The salesman told me that Honda had been manufacturing this model without significant changes since the 1980s, and that it was reliable and got good fuel economy (84 miles per gallon, according to Honda). The low seat height (under 27 inches) would make it easy for me to put my feet flat on the ground at stop lights, and I found out later that this model is considered a beginner's model that's often used in motorcycle training classes for beginning riders. Seemed perfect, considering I was a beginner!

That day I bought the brand new Honda Rebel for a little more than $4,000, and the following day I went back to the motorsports dealer to pick it up. At that time, a tech gave me some instructions on operating the bike. The tech noted that the Rebel 250 has a locking fuel cap (i.e., the ignition key is needed to open the Rebel's gas tank by unlocking and pulling out the key cylinder). He warned me against leaving the key and the fuel cap key cylinder sitting on the seat of the bike to go inside a convenience store to pay for gas.

"People don't like us," he explained. Even though a passerby may have no use for a Rebel key and gas tank key cylinder, he explained, an opportunist might steal them just to be spiteful. I was careful to follow the tech's advice, but found that most people I met while riding were pretty nice. Hmm, maybe the old 1960s Honda advertising tagline "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" was a valid observation?

After I picked up the bike, I avoided the interstate as I rode it home. I managed to get the bike home safely and without incident, other than a couple of stalls when I failed to successfully downshift from 3rd gear to 1st gear at traffic lights. Whew—I'd successfully gotten the bike with just one day to spare, as the charity ride was the next day!

Question: Is the classic 250cc Honda Rebel motorcycle still being sold in the U.S.?

Answer: No.

In 2017 the 250cc Rebel model was discontinued in the U.S. and replaced with 300cc and 500cc versions under an updated "Rebel" design. In the 2021 model year an 1100cc version was added to the Rebel lineup.

Thus, unfortunately a new version of the classic 250cc model is no longer available in the U.S. The last model year for the Honda Rebel CMX250C was 2016.

2012 CT United Ride

On Sunday September 9, 2012 I joined a couple thousand motorcycle riders for the 2012 CT United Ride, Connecticut's largest 9/11 tribute. The ride covered a big swath of Connecticut, ending in Seaside Park in Bridgeport. (The 2025 ride is scheduled for September 7.) I had to sign a waiver and pay a registration fee in order to participate.

When I arrived at the staging area in Westport, I felt a bit out of place as my personal appearance was out of line with most of the other riders. Apparently, I didn't receive the memo that said I should:

• Get several conspicuous tattoos,
• Buy a much bigger bike, and
• Fail to wear a helmet (Connecticut is one of the U.S. states that doesn't require a helmet—unless you're under 18 or have a learner's permit)

(Note the CT United Ride website has many photos of past years of the event, including 2012 and 2011.) Frankly, I looked more like I was about to go play a round of golf than to "get your motor running...head out on the highway." Regardless of whether I felt that I fit in or not, I had a great time at the event and felt so excited and proud that I'd made it happen.

Many homeowners along the route lined up in lawn chairs to cheer on the riders, and local fire stations were out in force. I tooted my horn as I rode by on my new red bike, and had a magnificent feeling of wellbeing. It felt like "life is good." I was on top of the world.

One of the accompanying photos shows the American flag bandana I received at the ride (the organizers of the ride encourage wearing red, white, and blue).

Thus was born Klugmeister's red motorcycle. I didn't know it at the time, but I would own the bike for about 4 1/2 years and derive joy and riding experiences worth far more than the modest price I paid for the li'l Rebel 250.

So ends the story of the birth of the red motorcycle. In the next two installments, I'll tell the stories of the exciting life and unfortunate death of Klugmeister's red motorcycle.