How I got here

I was born long before color TV, I was the TV remote for my dad. Not only did Mickey Rooney look 15 years old, but I think he was. My family was ma, pa, and my 2 older sisters. My mom was an RN and my dad a photographer. He was an electronics genius, I still remember him etching his own printed circuit boards. We flew R/C planes, this was single channel, long before the transistor and proportional controls. My dad taught be so much in the short time we had together, thanks dad. My dad was also very mechanical but had no use for motorcycles, had he lived a long life I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at in all this.

My dad passed when I was 11 years old. After that I built my first mini bike, I always liked 2 wheels. That year my buddy Robbie got his first motorcycle and god bless him he taught me how to ride. After a year he out grew that 50cc Suzuki and his dad bought him a Yamaha 100 twin Jet. He offered to sell me his old bike for $50. God only knows how many lawns I mowed to that make that kind of money.

Well things just progressed; I started buying and flipping bikes to buy another one. I got older, got a real job, and kept riding. As I grew up I met a lot of people that taught me so much. Well as I kept riding I met others that did as well. There were about 5 of us that raced, trail ride, and in my mid 20’s I started touring. My first trip to Canada was on a Honda 750F and that lit a fire. After that it was a Harley chop and that 1982 GoldWing that locked in true touring. A couple trips to Florida and Canada, memories I’ll never forget.

As life moved on I met my wife in my early 30’s, got married, had 2 children (Kevin’s cousins) and always rode. With 2 kids I was home more and just started buying, building, and flipping bikes. I didn’t stop riding but the trips were shorter until the kids got older.

So that that leaves me here. An old man with no regrets, great family and friends. I’m lucky to still be riding and the best trips are with Bob (my son) and Kevin (my nephew). Looking back the motorcycles (116 now), the adventures, the people and stories. My motorcycle life has been blessed.