Trading places

[jinks]

There is a group of young riders in town ages 16 to 20ish. Probably about 10 of them. They ride older 1970 and 1980 style bikes from 350 to 500cc. They have all personalized them in their own special way. They are funky rattle traps. Rattle can paint jobs, no windshields, and held together with clamps & wire. These young guys and gals are having a blast. You see them every where, and in ALL sorts of weather !
Any way, I seen them all gathered in the parking lot. Some were fixing their bikes, some were adding oil,..getting ready to hit the highway. I pulled into the parking lot on my brand new indian chieftain to get a closer look. A bunch came over to admire my bike & ask questions. One young fellow said how lucky I was to have a bike like that and how he would like to own one some day. " mean while, I was thinking how lucky he was". He was young healthy, fit, and full of spirit and had many years of biking ahead of him. I'm pushing 60 and not so fit. I secretly wished I could have traded places with him for a day, zooming down the highway with not a care in the world, no fear, full of energy and ready to take on the world with a large group of thrill filled friends.
I watched them roar out of the parking lot on their circus of bikes......and wished I was one. reminded me of my first bike so long ago.

 

[tothemax93]

cool story Jinksunk:

 

[Fire-medic]

That's a wistful, wishful thinking exercise, right-there. Now you have the $$$ to have multiple bikes, to afford new ones, and probably more time to enjoy them. I know the spirit of which you speak, but I bet the majority of those guys have no children or wives.

Sure I recall being so-poor all I could afford was a crappy Taiwan tire for my Mach III rear wheel, but I knew that I needed something better than what was on it, and I didn't ride until I had replaced it, even if it only lasted a few thousand miles more. Back then I had to do my own work because it cost so-much to go to the dealer, if I needed anything serious done, it probably cost me a considerable % of the used bike's purchase price. My first three bikes as a young adult cost me in purchase a total of <$1500, and I rode the wheels off all of them, before I bought my first four-cyl Honda 750-4 "F" used for < $900, and after that, it was a string of Kawi 4's. By then, my earnings had improved and I could afford better rides.

The first time I rode with a bunch of guys overnight, we went to a SW MI state park, and I slept in the open in my old cotton sleeping bag, w/only a ground cloth. It was late fall, and in the middle of the night, I was so-cold, I woke-up and put on every bit of extra clothing I carried, and crawled back into the sack, shivering away, until I finally fell asleep. I awoke about 7 a.m., covered in heavy dew, and we had a beautiful trip riding country roads back to Battle Creek. Yes, some fun times, but life was Spartan, and I was always low on $. I'll take what I know now, and my current state of living.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KCnVAGBA-xE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite performers, in-support of my last sentence. Be sure to watch the video and the women in the Corrs, playing a variety of instruments, including a bodhran, what a group of beautiful, talented women!

About sleeping on the ground, Peter Egan once made the observation about being a student and going on a U of WI archaeology field trip, and how he "tried to warm the Earth with my body" in his sleeping bag while his professor shook his head at such youthful behavior, and blew up his inflatable mattress, insulating himself from the ground, and also providing comfort.

 

[jinks]

Excellent story ! I too have Frozen in a cheap sleeping bag under the stars,...great memories, that I don't want to repeat, LOL. Thanks for sharing,....you've always got a lot of "read worthy" stories to tell. great rod Stewart song,...and the corrs are drop dead gorgeous!