Ray told me, "Jeremy, old motorcycles belong in a museum. If you are going to ride hard you need to have new stuff. I am never riding that Knucklehead again." After being repaired, the red Knucklehead ended up in the Blue Springs store as one of the decorations on top of the sales office.
Grandpa John can't ever seem to learn this lesson. He usually has some old bike that he is always working on. I say that because I have watched him do this for 40 years. His latest Shovel is the worst of the worst, a 1979 FXE. It looks pretty cool with the SU carburetor and the custom parts, but it is just like the rest of them. He has been hauled home five times that I know of (which means there have been more...)
We attempted to go to Ralph Wayne's Backyard Nationals in 2010. Before we got halfway there the taillight fell off, the mirrors fell loose (and where hitting Grandpa John) and it started running on one cylinder. He had to limp it home down Blue Ridge all the way back to his house in Independence.
A few weeks later I called him to go to the HOAME deal at the KC downtown airport. He said, "I want to go. I will ride the Shovel."
I said, "Are you sure you want to do that? It doesn't seem very reliable."
"I have worked out all the bugs now. It runs good," he responded.
"You said that last time when we tried to go to Ralph Wayne's."
Grandpa John paused for a moment and then quietly said, "F#*k you."
At least this one has an electric start. I watched him kick his 1966 Shovel fifty four (54) times before it would run. He even laid down on the ground next to it twice to catch his breath. It was a homemade heart stress test courtesy of the AMF Corporation!
I had enough kicking on my 1969 Triumph back in the 1980's. I say hit the starter button and away we go!
