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| LOVE THIS OLD ORNATE BUILDING IN NEW HARTFORD HAD TO SHARE IT WITH YOU |
BACK IN THE SEVENTIES I WORKED ON
A SMALL CONSTRUCTION CREW--WHEN THE WORK WAS AVAILABLE..MY WORK ETHICS WERE
PROBABLY NOT THE BEST..AND MY BOSS MADE IT KNOWN THAT IF I COULDN’T START
MAKING IT TO WORK ON TIME I SHOULD PROBABLY THINK ABOUT GETTING ANOTHER JOB..I
REALLY DIDN’T LIKE THE WAY WORKING CUT INTO MY RIDING TIME-MY DRINKING-AND
SLEEPING TIME..I GUESS I FIGURED THAT MY TIME IN THE MARINES WAS ENOUGH
DISCIPLINE TO LAST ME THE REST OF MY LIFE—BUT I WAS WRONG.
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| WAS GETTING READY TO HEAD HOME WHEN THIS BEAUTIFUL MONSTER PULLED UP |
ONE MORNING I WAS RUNNING LATE (AS USUAL) AND
I WAS DOING MY BEST TO GET TO THE JOB SITE AS QUICKLY AS I COULD (STILL ABOUT
TEN MINUTES OR SO LATE INSTEAD OF A HALF HOUR OR FORTY-FIVE MINUTES)..YEA, I
WAS FLYING LOW ON MY BIKE (A SUPER-GLIDE)..ABOUT THE TIME I WAS FLYING TO WORK
ONE OF THE LARGE FACTORIES IN TOWN WAS JUST CHANGING SHIFTS..IN FRONT OF THIS
FACTORY WERE FOUR LANES AND TWO OUTLETS FROM THE PARKING LOT EMPTIED ONTO THE
MAIN ROAD..
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| THIS BEAST HAS BEEN CLOCKED AT 135 MPH AND STILL HAD MORE TO GIVE. SUPER-GLIDE FRONT END-5 DEGREE RAKE--SANTEE HARDTAIL AND WAY TOO MANY GOODIES FOR ME TO LIST HERE.. |
AS I WAS RIPPING DOWN THE ROAD IN
FRONT OF THIS FACTORY A CAR PULLED OUT INTO THE LANE I WAS ON, TRAFFIC WAS
BACKED UP AND HE COULD NOT PROCEED INTO THE ONCOMING LANE--HE STOPPED DEAD IN
FRONT OF ME..I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO SWITCH LANES AND GO BEHIND HIM—WELL JUST
ABOUT THE TIME THAT I HAD SWITCHED LANES ANOTHER CAR PULLED OUT OF THE PARKING
LOT AND OF COURSE STOPPED RIGHT BEHIND HIM..NO WAY I COULD STOP IN TIME (MY
FAULT-SPEEDING, THEIR FAULT-DIDN’T LOOK BEFORE THEY PULLED OUT)..I’M NOT A
PANIC TYPE OF GUY—LOOK FOR A WAY OUT..NO WAY TO STOP IN TIME-LAY DOWN THE BIKE
AND I’LL JUST BE A MESS UNDER ONE OF THE CARS..ONLY ONE CHANCE—GO BETWEEN THEM-DON’T
HIT THE BRAKES AND MAKE THE BACK END COME AROUND, DON’T FREAK--JUST GO BETWEEN
THEM..IF I CLIP THE BUMPERS SO WHAT—I’D RATHER BE TOSSED INTO THE OPEN SPACE
BETWEEN THE CARS INSTEAD OF COMING TO A DEAD STOP BY SMASHING INTO ONE OF
THEM..HELMET OR NO HELMET, IT WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN PRETTY..
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| MEET JIM CALVO JR. HE PUT THIS BEAUTY TOGETHER OVER A PERIOD OF TEN AND A HALF YEARS. JIM'S BEEN ON BIKES SINCE HE WAS FIVE YEARS OLD (A LITTLE MINI-BIKE) THIS IS HIS SIXTH BIKE AND HE'S GOT PLANS FOR ANOTHER CUSTOM JOB BOUNCING AROUND IN HIS HEAD. NEED SOME BODY WORK DONE ON YOUR CAR HE'S THE MAN TO SEE. CHECK OUT 'CALVO'S AUTO BODY & MOTORCYCLE SHOP' ON SMALLEY STREET, NEW BRITAIN, CT. GREAT MEETING YOU JIM-AND I LOVED YOUR MACHINE |
I MADE IT BETWEEN THOSE TWO CARS,
BROUGHT THE BIKE TO A STOP AND SAT DOWN ON THE GRASS. I REMEMBER TREMBLING FROM
THE ADRENALINE AND THE REALIZATION THAT I HAD JUST SLIPPED BETWEEN THE FINGERS
OF DEATH’S HAND.. I HAD ALREADY HAD ONE ACCIDENT THAT HAD LEFT ME BRUISED, CUT
UP AND WITH A MESSED UP BIKE..THAT ONE WAS PARTIALLY MY FAULT-SPEEDING AGAIN.
BUT THE KID WHO HAD ROLLED THROUGH THE STOP SIGN DIDN’T REALLY TAKE THE TIME TO
LOOK BEFORE PULLING OUT..
I STARED AT MY SUPER-GLIDE AND
BEGAN TO WONDER IF BIKES WERE SOMETHING I SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM..I CAME CLOSE
TO LEAVING THEM BEHIND THAT MORNING. INSTEAD I LEFT BEHIND MY FEELING OF
INVINCIBILITY AND ACCEPTED MY VULNERABILITY..JUST COULDN’T LEAVE BIKES OUT OF
MY LIFE..
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| THIS COULD MEAN TROUBLE--HE'S BEEN BEHIND ME FOR MILES BUT EVERYTHING WAS COOL |
ON FRIDAY JUNE 8TH ONE
OF THE BIKERS I HAVE INTRODUCED HERE HAD A FREAK ACCIDENT.. HE WAS ENJOYING A
RIDE OUT IN THE COUNTRY WITH HIS LADY WHEN HE CAME OVER A RISE..THERE IN THE
ROAD WAS A TURKEY VULTURE CHOWING DOWN ON A ROAD KILL SQUIRREL..THE BIRD LIFTED
OFF AND FLEW RIGHT INTO THEM.. HIS LADY ENDED UP FALLING OFF THE MOTORCYCLE AND
HE RECEIVED HIS SHARE OF SCRAPES AND BRUISES BEFORE EVERYTHING CAME SLIDING TO
A HALT..HIS GIRLFRIEND WILL NEED SOME MINOR SURGERY BUT BOTH OF THEM WILL BE
OK..HE SAYS HE’S ALL DONE WITH BIKES AND HIS MOTORCYCLE IS NOW UP FOR SALE..I
REGRET HIS AND HER MISFORTUNE, BUT AM MORE THAN HAPPY THAT THINGS WILL BE OK
FOR BOTH OF THEM..BUT—IN ALL HONESTY, I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED IF IN A YEAR OR
TWO HE DECIDES TO STOP BY THE HOUSE TO SHOW ME HIS NEW BIKE…
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| MEET CHACY--BEEN ON TWO WHEELS SINCE HE WAS TEN. THIS IRON HORSE HAS CARRIED HIM ALMOST 200,000 MILES! BEEN ACROSS COUNTRY THREE OR FOUR TIMES--BEEN TO STURGIS, LACONIA ETC.ETC. 81 YEARS OLD AND WANTS TO DO STURGIS AGAIN THIS YEAR-GOD BLESS.. |
1 comment:
Hi Jim, so pleased to hear your lovely Mum is doing ok. Best wishes to her. Isn't Chancy amazing! and that Jim's talents with putting bikes together. The first picture was sure worth sharing with that gorgeous old building. Sounded like a great day out. :) Enjoyed this post very much.
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