From Humble Beginnings

We didn't have that bike long before dad sold it but I was hooked. Some of our relatives began riding in the late 70's and early 80's. Their bike of choice? Honda. When mom and dad decided to buy their own bikes it was therefore no surprise that they wanted Hondas. This of course created a debate as I was a supporter of Harley Davidson and thought they should buy Harleys. So convincing was my argument for the American-made icon that we went straight to a dealership in Brazil where one new and one used Honda were purchased. There weren't many miles put on these before my brother and I took them over. I used mom's and Scott used dad's.

I rode that bike when I was in college and it really saved me money on fuel. I don't quite remember when I stopped riding it but I do know that mostly it was due to not having enough money to buy new tires for it. Well, I also returned it to mom. It was about 10 years later that a co-worker offered to sell me his gold wing and I bought it. I really liked that bike -- at least until the fuel pump started leaking and I found out that the H in Honda means the same as H in Harley. "That'll be a hundred dollars sir." I had an accident on that bike involving oil on the road and rain, which ended the bike's life. I soon made a fantastic deal on a 1970 Electra-Glide and rode it home surprising my wife. She was hanging up laundry outside and all she said was, "Who's is it?" She was not convinced it was mine (and hers) until I showed her the paperwork.

I rode that bike for many years but constantly watched the reports of Indian Motorcycle's re-birth. I was extremely excited when the new ones hit the showroom but very disappointed that they had an S&S motor which to me was like putting skirted fenders on a Harley and calling it an Indian. I waited for the new motor to arrive and then I waited for it to improve. I finally announced to my wife that no matter what I had to do or how I had to finance it, I was buying a new Indian in 2004. Of course Indian closed in September of 2003. I didn't care. I searched the web, went to dealers looking for the best deal and finally found my 2002 Indian Chief Roadmaster in January of 2004 located in Tampa with only 1000 miles on it. Of course I HAD to customize it. Besides, I am a bit ......um.......height challenged, so I had to lower it and bring the handlebars in a bit. What I have now is a multiple award-winning bike that is unique and garners second looks wherever I go. I have a lot of pride in my ride and so does every rider I know. So if any of you think we get a bit crazy over our bikes and items that remind us of them, just remember that most of us developed this passion over a long period of time....from humble beginnings.