STORY TIME

EVERYONE HAS A STORY TO TELL AND THIS IS MINE. MY NEED FOR SPEED AND THRILLS AND EXCITEMENT STARTED BACK WHEN I WAS EIGHT OR NINE, WHEN I FIRST FELT THE NEED FOR SPEED, THERE WAS A TOMGIRL NAMED 'MEAT WAGON' WHO USED TO PICK ON US YOUNGER KIDS. ONE DAY A BALL OF HERS WAS ROLLING DOWN THE STREET. I PICKED IT UP AND THREW IT DOWN THE SEWER AND I RAN AS FAST AS I COULD FOR SHE WOULD HAVE BEAT MY BUTT  SHE COULD NOT CATCH ME. THAT WAS A FIRST. THEN IT WAS MY MOM WHO COULD NOT CATCH ME. FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO SEE, WELL AT LEAST THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE FRONT DOOR WOULD FLY OPEN OUT I WENT WITH MY MOM RIGHT BEHIND. WITH IN THREE HOUSE LENGTHS I WAS PULLING AWAY AND IT FELT GOOD THAT IS, UNTIL MY DAD GOT HOME. BEING CHASED ALL THE TIME MADE ME FASTER AND FASTER. WE WERE WORLD CHAMPION DOORBELL RINGERS. IN HIGH SCHOOL I WAS ONLY FOUR TENTHS OF A SECOND OFF THE SCHOOL RECORD FOR THE 600 YARD DASH.

MY FIRST RIDE

A FRIEND OF MY PARENTS HAD A TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE 650.  I WAS ABOUT 14 AT THE TIME. HE TOOK ME OUT LIBERTY RD AT OVER SIXTY MPH.  THAT DID IT. I'D RIDE MY BICYCLE DOWN TO NICHOLSONS MOTORCYCLE SALES DOWNTOWN ANN ARBOR ALMOST EVERY DAY. LISTENED TO THE BENCH RACING AND DROOLED OVER THE BIKES.  I BOUGHT A NAVY BLUE XL TSHIRT THAT CAME DOWN TO MY KNEES IT WAS THE ONLY SIZE THEY HAD AT THE TIME. I WORE THAT SHIRT ALL THE TIME TILL IT FELL APART.

I BOUGHT A HONDA 50 AS MY FIRST BIKE. RODE THE HELL OUT OF IT. ENDED UP BENDING THE VALVES. THEN I BOUGHT A 1970 RED YAMAHA 250 ENDURO AND I RODE THAT BIKE ALL THE TIME UNTIL IT WAS STOLEN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY. WAS I HEARTBROKEN. GOT IT BACKTWO YEARS LATER AND TURNED  OUT TO BE A PRETTY NICE MOTOCROSS BIKE.

THEN CAME THE DEATH DEFYING YEARS OF THE KAWASAKI TRIPLES KNOWN AS H1'S OR KAW 500'S. THE FASTEST THING IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND THE FASTEST THING TO LOSE IT IN A CURVE. I HAD A YELLOW 71, A ORANGE 72 AND A GREEN 74. BOY DID THEM THINGS CAUSE TROUBLE IN EVERY IMAGINABLE WAY. NOTHING BUT TICKETS. THREE SPEEDING TICKETS IN A MONTH. NOTHING BUT FUN. AND SOME GREAT RIDES

THEN CAME THE KAWASAKI Z-1R 1000 WHICH I BOUGHT WHEN I LIVED IN CALIFORNIA.  I RODE THAT BIKE UP TO THE MOUNTAINS AND DOWN TO THE DESERTS AND EVENTUALLY FROM SAN DIEGO BACK TO ANN ARBOR. I PUT ON ABOUT 52K IN THE FOUR YEARS I HAD IT.

AND THEN A FRIEND OF MINE BOUGHT ONE OF THEM NEW FANGLED HONDA 1983 VF 500 INTERCEPTORS. I SAID I HAVE TO GET ME ONE OF THEM. AFTER ALL I EVER SAW OF HIM,  WAS PIN PRICK OF A TAILLIGHT. SO I BOUGHT THE 1984 HONDA VF700F INTERCEPTOR BLUE WITH RED AND WHITE. WOW, WHAT A BIKE, WHAT A DIFFERENCE. IT WAS LIGHT YEARS BETTER THEN THE KAWASAKI'S I HAD.

THEN AFTER JOINING THE VF/VFR MAILING LIST, PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW GOOD THE VFR WAS AND I REMEMBER SITTING ON A 93 AT A CYCLE SHOW. IN 1996, I STARTED LOOKING FOR AND FOUND ONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STATE.

IN 1996, HAD SOME GOOD RIDES. THE MOST INTERESTING WAS TRIP TO A VIETNAM VETS MOTORCYCLE RALLY NEAR ADRIAN, MI.  I WENT WITH A FRIEND WHO HAD A LOT OF PINK IN HIS RIDING SUIT ADD THAT TO THE TWO HONDA'S AND A HELL BENT HARLEY RALLY OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE.  THE QUESTION WAS WOULD WE LIVE TO TALK ABOUT IT. TALK ABOUT DIRTY LOOKS AND IF LOOKS COULD KILL. 1997 WAS NOT ALL THAT GREAT.  I WENT OUT ON A RIDE WITH A FRIEND AND I GOT TOO HOT INTO A CORNER ON BAD TIRES.  OFF INTO A DITCH I WENT.  GOOD THING THE GROUND WAS SOFT OR I COULD HAVE BEEN REALLY HURT.  I BROKE SOME RIBS AND HIT MY HEAD HARD BUT ON SOFT GROUND AND THE BIKE HAD MINOR DAMAGE JUST SOME DAMAGED COWLINGS. ALSO WE CONQUERED THE 'TON' WHERE YOU GO 100+MPH FOR ONE HOUR STRAIGHT

1998 WAS ONE OF THE BEST. THE MOST RIDING I HAVE DONE IN TWENTY YEARS.  LOTS OF GREAT, GREAT  TIMES FROM FEBUARY TO DECEMBER. FROM SHOOTING STARS TO CANADIAN BARS.  UNFORGETABLE.

!999 - IN SOME WAYS THIS WAS A WONDERFUL YEAR. LOTS OF PLACES I'VE NEVER BEEN, ELKHART LAKE, PERRY SOUND, SOUTHERN HILLS OF OHIO . JUST ABOUT TEN THOUSAND MILES THIS YEAR WITH A BEE STING THROWN IN. I ALSO REAQUAINTED MYSELF WITH SOME OLD RIDING BUDDIES FOR SOME GOOD RIDES AND MADE SOME NEW RIDING BUDS.  BUT I LOST A FEW BUDS TOO AND IT DID PUT A DAMPER ON THINGS. WILL SEE WHAT THE FUTURE BRINGS.

2000 - ON NEW YEARS DAY IT WAS 50 DEGREES OUT SO WE RODE OUT TO THE INVERNESS AND THEY WERE CLOSED SO WE WENT TO THE WOLVERINE BAR IN CHELSEA. FEBRUARY 2, I BOUGHT A CBR600 F4 IN WHICH I CALL STINGER BEE BECAUSE OF ITS YELLOW AND BLACK LIKENESS OF A BEE OR A HORNET.  I BORROWED THE NAME FROM GLENN'S CAT. MORE STORIES