erikh

Thanks guys for the warm welcoming. Writing is fun, althou I've been in news papers and radio for 40 years it is hard to get rid of the habit. I promise not to drive thru Alabama with the ribbon - I would have to cross the Atlantic first! (I'm in Sweden...)

Do you necessesarily need to be young to be a biker? No way! We got new neighbors a few years back. The man in the house was a youngster, not even 40 at the time. And with the large expectations of the youth he bought a motorbike at the same time he purchased the house. The house was small, and he planned to triple its size. And his plan was also to use the spare hours between the full time job, the wife, the two children (6 and 8), and the construction work to get a bikers license! So, there we were: Him with a bike but no license - me with a 40 years old license but no bike. I drove his bike now and then and had a lot of fun. And so, up came my 60th birthday. And on the big day, by the garage, there it was, dressed in a red silk ribbon: A customized Yamaha XS500 from 1978! It turned out my wife and our three sons had been conspiring with the neighbor. He had finally realized his limitations, and his wife supported the conspiracy all she could, she did not really like the idea of the family provider risking his life at the job (he´s a cop) as well as in his spare time. So, to make a short story long, that's how it happened. My retirement days have been secured and I am looking forward to have some fun with you guys and other bikers! By the way: I also own another Yamaha item - an e-bass, also black, but with no silk ribbons Hence I can have Yamaha entertainment in any weather, may it rain or shine! By the way 2: A month back the neighbor was involved in a car chase with less fortunate outcome than in "Cops" - he turned over with the police car, the bad guys got away and the three cops hade to crawl out of the side window. Lyckily they were not injured.