March Ponderings - Uncle Brent Revisited

Back in August, I wrote about my Uncle Brent being the person who first exposed me to motorcycles and that it would be pretty cool getting to ride with him someday. Well, early in February, the opportunity to share the road with him got a bit closer. My cousin Brett (his son) and I had talked a bit more over the winter about this ordeal and he finally made the decision that the only way to get his dad back in the saddle was to provide him with said saddle.

I had a co-worker in my office before the holidays telling me that he had two bikes for sale and really wanted to get them moved so he could go pick up his new Ducati. One bike was an ancient dirt bike – no good. But the other ride was right in my uncle’s wheelhouse. He had talked about wanting an early to mid-80s Honda in-line. Low and behold, the other bike on the block was a black with blue ’84 Honda Nighthawk S, just what the doctor ordered. A  few emails, a couple of phone calls and soon my cousin and I are loading up my truck with the very bike that I had dreamed about since I lived in Denver back since ’85.

I knew it got delivered a week later when I get a one-word text from my uncle – “Unbelievable”.

It felt pretty good to be part of giving back. Some of us ride just for ourselves, some of us ride for others, and some of us just ride just for the hell of it.  As for me, I’m in it for me, but the rest of the two-wheeled crowd ain’t too bad neither. It’s a pretty good day riding with people you like hanging out with, and I always like hanging out with Brent. Hopefully, this will give him back a little something he lost along the way, that love of riding.

Next… he needs to attend an A.B.A.T.E. meeting with the Heartland Chapter in Pontiac!

“There are no bad riding experiences on motorcycles – except the shallow hostility between American and Japanese bikes.”  --  Tim “Nestter” Renaldi

Brett taking in his new purchase to surprise his dad.

Unstrapping the new scoot.

Down the ramp and up the driveway.

A new back skin, a little elbow grease and a tweek here and there,
and she'll be ready to take to her new owner.

Brett delivered her the next week.

Too damn cool!