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When I was just a kid, I would say about age 10 or so, I was going to town with my mom and dad, and when we got to the edge of town, Madison, Florida to be exact, two "Bikers" pulled up next to us at the red light. Dirty and nasty looking (the bikers were about the same, lol), smoke coming from one of them, and it was then, that I knew what I was, because all I could think of, as they pulled away from the light, was, "I had to have one of those bicycles with a motor". My bicycling days were coming to an end, so I tried everything I could to adapt a motor to my bicycle. Of course, at that age, I neither had the knowledge nor the money to get it done. |
At about age 14, I finally found my first motorcycle, a Briggs and Stratton moped. God was I in heaven. But after taking my newfound love home, was informed by my parents that I could not keep it. Bummer! But due to my persistence, they did allow me to keep it in the shop, but not allowed to ride it without their permission. I washed and waxed it almost daily, hoping that they would let me ride it to school, or anywhere. It had a bad carb float, and if I rode it more than 4 to 5 hundred yards, it would die from too much gas. After discovering this, I always took a screwdriver along, to remove the carb bowl and drain the float, so I could either ride further or go back home. Finally traded that for a Vespa, with a "stick shift", which was an old broom handle. Had to hide that one at my buddy’s house because my parents had told me that if I ever got rid of the moped, that was it. |
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I had many dirt bikes, and had to hide them all, until I was about 16, when I left home, with my parent’s permission. Rode Jap bikes for several years until, in 1973, I found my first Harley. Traded my 49 Dodge pickup for the 350 Sprint. I was in heaven, or thought I was. My luck was improving, and one day a high school friend, who had a motorcycle shop and a collection of most of the Harley Sprints, found out I had one and offered me a 72 Sportster for my Sprint. The trade was a no brainer, even if it was a basket case, and the Sprint was a ridable scoot. Ordered me a shop manual and got to work on my new love. Took me a few months to get her running, and it was a real redneck chopper. Stock frame, 12 over front end and a sissy bar that almost clipped tree branches as I rode it down the highway. Traded the 12 overs, for a stock pair, and chopped the Ape hanger pullbacks down to drag bars, and had a fine looking scoot. |
Rode that for over 10 years, until I found my first "Big Twin", a 73 shovel, ex-police bike. Another basket case, but this one was fully assembled, just needed disassembling and rebuilding, since it was a mosquito fogger. That was 1978, and I still have that one (see photo above). Rode that one, many many miles, and it has had many facelifts. In 1998, I decided to build my own, ordered a soft tail frame, bought a Harley Evo engine and trans, went to the swap meets and found enough parts to build a "Heritage" with mostly Harley parts. That one tried to kill me, but I survived with a few broken bones. Took the insurance money and bought a 01 Ultra. A Korean took a left turn in front of me, early one morning on my way to work, and with more broken bones, and a few days on morphine, took the insurance money and bought a new 05 Ultra. So now, I have the two bikes, and enjoy riding them both, as often as I can.
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I would rather ride my scoot in the rain, cold and any miserable weather, than to take my truck, although sometimes I do have to drive it. I truly live to ride, and will go to my grave with a scoot in the garage, even if I have to reduce myself to a trike in my old age lol
Nothing better than to go for a ride on my scoots and Patti, my better half, feels the same. She has been riding as long as I have, but after a few years of riding her own, decided that she would rather ride on the p-pad, rather than avoid the crazies on the road.
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We live in Cocoa Florida, and welcome anyone to drop by and go for a ride, as we are always ready to get in the wind.
Well, that barely covers the last 40 years, but that is the highlights, and I have no regrets about my decision to live the life of a biker.
Russell & Patti
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