My first ride was a “Bug” mini bike when I was around 12-yrs. Old. It was one of those “cool” ones with the peanut tank and baby apes. First thing I did was rip off the exhaust and put on a straight pipe. My life went down hill from then on.
Growing up (or at least getting older) I had all kinds of bikes from different countries, you name it I probably rode it. I lived in a small retirement community in SoCal it was still rural at that time. Susan Anton lived here still and was still in school. Down the street from me, lived an old man who had a barn. One day I was walking by his place and he called me over. He asked me if I liked bikes and I said yeah. In his barn was a whizzer, a 1915 H-D and a 1928 H-D. This was my first experience with “big” bikes. As time went on he moved and I never found out what happened to those relics.
After doing a short time in the Army, I came home to my wife and daughter. I had little money and no job. SBVC had an auto mechanics school where you got paid to learn, so I did that. I helped this “Biker Trash” type guy work on a K model sporty. This is where I really got H-D's under my skin and into my blood. We tore that sporty completely apart and did a complete chop on it. I was having a blast and getting paid for it!!! Another classmate rode a 56 pan chop with a springer frontend. I was learning the lingo first hand and not out of some magazine.
One night I was invited to a party at “Panheads” place. It was right out of a David Mann painting. Bikes all over the yard, sidewalk, street etc. I was in the front room on a ratty sofa when another Pan rolled right into the living room straight pipes and all. Anyhow I kept my mouth shut and eyes open and learned of this new lifestyle (new to me anyway).
Years went on and so did my bikes. Having a family of two growing kids, I never had bucks to buy an H-D and had to settle for foreign bikes. I got a good job right around the corner from the H.A. Berdoo club house, so bikes were always close by. Through the years, some of my customers were HA, Vagos, Diablo's and other patch holders. I learned more about the bikes and life style. PAN/SHOVEL has always stuck in my head all these years.
Well time moves on and I found an out of state job in Utah. Up there I earned more bucks, but still not enough for a bike. I tried to get loans but was turned down. Sporties in Utah were bringing 8400.00 used! What a rip off, but I didn’t care, I HAD TO HAVE AN H-D!
Time rolls, 4 years still no bike. I get a job offer to get my old job in Berdoo back. I move back and a surprise is waiting for me! The job had set aside a small retirement account for me. They forgot to give it to me and were closing out all accounts. There Is A God!! Now I had enough to get my First H-D. In life sometimes you do things that you wish you could do over.
Well I chose to buy as new as possible, so I ended up with a ‘95 sporty that was almost all Screaming Eagle. Two Months after I bought it, I found an 80 inch 1945 ULH chopper that I would have given both my nuts for. The guy didn’t want my sporty, he wanted cash. So I kept the sporty and fixed it up more. I’ve seen a lot of “sport bob” tanks on XL's before, but they just didnt look right. I had a friend who had some shovel fat bob's and wanted my XL King Tank, so we swapped. Ever have someone tell you fat bobs won't fit a sporty? I did a few times and it made me more stubborn. I got them to fit Thanks to the help from some social deviant biker types. This sporty looked great, but it was still a “woman’s bike, half a Harley” etc.. There was always someone who wise cracked.
Well, time rolls on and my wife cheats on her taxes. The bike has to be sold to cover her mistake (damn her forever. After the taxes are paid I have some money left to get some kind of bike. I had I friend tired of his japper. I showed the evil bitch tax cheater the bike. It was a Kaw Z-1 powered Denver Chopper. She called it a “hoodlum bike” and would never get on it. Two minutes after that statement I bought it (just to piss off the evil scum sucking tax cheat that lost my Harley).
Once you have ridden a 9 1/2 foot long chop, you never want to ride stock bikes ever again. Not once did I ever get razzed on this old chop. I rode the shit out of it and eventually sold the bike and divorced the fuckin tax cheatin’ scum sucking witch. I developed a serious stress related heath problem from my job so after the divorce, I JUST QUIT!! I moved out into rural Pennsylvania and live a simple humble life taking care of my handicapped girlfriend.
Her house will be paid off in 2006. We are going to sell the house and I will get my dream bike, A 96 inch S&S powered FlyRite chop, foot clutch ,jockey shift, springered 21 front with a 5.10 -16 rear skinny. Just like they used to be back in the 60's. This will be my last bike and I will ride it to my death.
A bike built the way I want it. It may not be a “Harley” but it is my opinion, the S&S is so far superior.
Ride Free Folks………
Scoot
