(I recall my first ride on the back of my father's Honda 200. I was holding on to Dad so hard, I'm surprised that I didn't crack a couple of his ribs. I don't believe I rode much with him after that, if at all! Enjoy his post! -- Tracy)
Derf Here! From the snowless coast of Southern Maine! However, the weatherman is predicting some snow up North tomorrow. Just rain here! Thanks!
Doodle Bug, Whizzer, Cushman Scooter, Czechs and Hondas are the subject for today. All are self-propelled two-wheel vehicles. They were all used by me while growing up (except Hondas -- these were part of my adult life).
As a kid growing up, Dad had two motorcycles from Czechoslovakia (1948 & 1949). We called them "Czechs." Cousin Alvah ended up with the 1949 and Dad kept the 1948. It was a great mode of transportation for me. More about that later as I had no license! All cycles were properly licensed!
Also available to me during the "pre-license Czech" days were various other motorized rides. The Doodle Bug was a very small vehicle. It was not much larger than a circus clown cycle. It was fun to ride but was not very powerful. The Whizzer was nothing more than a bicycle with a motor on it. One could even help the engine out by peddling. I recently went to an auction and bid on a Whizzer that sold for $1700. It was worth the money but not to me.
I had a couple crashes with the Cushman Scooter. The scooter had a sidecar. After trying to drive the scooter with sidecar, I have great respect for those riders I see on the highways with sidecars. One day I was in the store's backyard and was practicing turning to the right while lifting the sidecar off the ground. I was fooling around. This resulted in a smashed headlight. As I brought the sidecar back to earth, I was late and ran into the back of Dad's old dump truck. Headlight smashed! Also one day I decided to give a cousin (Malcolm Holland) a ride. As we went down Pleasant Avenue I wanted to turn a little left, but with the extra weight in the sidecar I couldn't do it. I ran the side car right into the telephone pole. Speed was not a factor so no injuries occurred. All I had to do was turn left but I wanted to lean left as I do on cycles. I did have some fun on the scooter but never "mastered" the sidecar. Hence the respect for riders with sidecars.
Between the ages of 12-15 I rode the Czech quite a bit until one day. I was 14 at the time and was riding down Main Street towards the store. In my mirror I saw a blue license plate of a State Trooper. Needless to say, I reacted. I properly signalled for a right turn and proceeded down State Street. No cop following so I relaxed a bit. I continued riding a bit but was more selective where I rode. Then one day a local cop told me they were aware of my activities and were on the lookout for me cycling around. The cop lived close to the store (three blocks away). I took Officer Bob Rae's advice and stopped riding as I would be license-eligible in about one month. I got my license 10 days after I turned 15 and went to the stock car races at Sanford Speedway that evening (in my Model A pickup). No more worries of driving without a license. Didn't need a special motorcycle license back then. At times I wonder why Dad let me ride without a license. Well, it really doesn't matter now.
Dad also had a 1928 Harley at the time. It was way too big for me and had two seats with a handle to hang onto for the rear seat. Alvah rode it once. The clutch slipped out and he went over a stone wall. He never tried it again. He stayed with the Czech.
Around 1970 Dad picked up a used Honda 150. I think he got it from one of his tenants. I got it from Dad and traded it in for a brand new Honda 200. By now one needed a motorcycle license. I took the test and still have my cycle license. I don't know if I'll ever use it, but if necessary, I have it. I didn't ride that much and I sold the bike around 1978. This ended my motorcycle career to this day. Who knows what the future holds? Only "the Shadow knows."
Until next time;
Toodle Pip!
Derf!
P.S. There are two large cycles in our garage now. Lew and Glen own the bikes, and Glen's will be gone shortly for the summer months. So, both local sons-in-law have bikes, so why not me??? I doubt it!
No comments:
Post a Comment