It is 2:45 pm, Friday. I glance at the clock, 45 more minutes of work and I would be free for two days. Our motto is, Live For Weekends! As I left through the door after hitting the time clock, the feeling of being free at least two days was a real high! I pushed the starter button on my bike, nothing happened. The electric starter solenoid on my bike conked out again! The good old kick starter was pressed into service again.
I had about four hours to kill as Bob did not get off at the Honda shop till 8:00 PM. I rode the Loop Route in Lancaster,PA to waste time. I picked Bob up at 8:00 PM and we headed for the Lititz Twin Kiss for our usual Gourmet supper of subs and french fries. After stuffing ourselves we hit the loop route again to catch some action. After two trips of the loop, we connected with George who had a cast on his right ankle from a bad wheelie. When he landed sideways, his ankle was between the road and the swivel for the kick starter lever. Guess which one broke? Yes, hot rod bikers get a lot of X-rays and casts!
We lost a lot of friends that we met on the loop route. We laughed when greeting each other. "I did not see your name in the news paper yesterday" Local teenager fails to negotiate curve. My friend also named Randy, lived on the road which claimed the title "Dead Man's Curve" He was about 100 yards from the curve. When he heard a high revving motor pass his house he prayed they knew about the curve. A lot did not, or they were the teen that cannot be hurt. About 25 years old that wears off, that was why at 25 your insurance got a discount, or when you got married even before 25.
We saw Uncle Mitch, he lost his drivers license 30 days. He had a new bike. Said when you lose your license, its a good time to get a new bike, you must drive low RPM'S to break in the engine right. About 1 year later, Uncle Mitch was coming to town on Columbia avenue. It changes into one way right before a curve, Uncle Mitch was doing about 60 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. We did that a lot at 1:00 AM like Mitch was.
Someone in a pickup truck pulled out in front of him. He hit about the front wheel, flipped up over the hood, slid across the road and was pushed under a parked car. Unfortunately it was a English M G. They sit low. Mitch's head did not fit between the road and the frame on the M G. If he had a helmet on, he hit with so much force he would have died anyway.
Next we say toothless Jim. Everyone had a biker name. Even the cops called us by our biker name. From a police officer I got mine. He watched Bonanza, said I looked like Hoss. He had just made a holster on the side of his bike. Some clown ran him off the road. If he had the hammer then he could have broke a window so we could find them and turn over to police.
We went to McDonald's for cokes. Need lots of caffeine to keep up all night. People traveled far to take a picture of their vehicle under the drive tru Golden Arches. Two years ago on a Friday night I was doing wheelies under the arches, because of trouble a township officer made extra money by keeping order. Well I did not see him, he was inside the McDonald's. He came out, and came over to me, I was talking to friends. He gave me a citation, Disorderly Conduct on a motorcycle; $35.00. I was 2 years younger then! Smarter now??
We saw about 25 bikes parked there.12 guys said lets make a pack, and I always was always the leader of the pack. I always won the hare and hound runs. I was the hare, and no one could catch up the way I rode. I said Bob & I are headed for the shore, wanna join us. They all had places to go sat. & Sun. Bob and I mounted up and headed for route 41 passing the gap tower clock. It was like a big light house, but had a clock mounted about 10 feet from the top. Since my parents best friends had a trailer at Wildwood, NJ, I said let's go there. Bob's parents always went to Ocean City Maryland. Since I was never there, and Bob knew the roads there by heart we left for O C Maryland.
The trip down route 30, about 6 miles of 30 east was known as suicide alley. Lots of accidents, lots of places to pull in to shop, eat, or bars, and pulling out on 4 lanes was suicide.
I was getting used to midnight runs every weekend. We rarely slept weekends. Like my father said when people said he does not sleep much either, I work now, when I am in the ground, I have a long time to sleep. 2018, he is sleeping about 34 years now!
No comments:
Post a Comment