Speed the Wheel: A Father, a Son, and a Motorcycle

The object of my adolescent desires and unflinching obsession was the Honda Trail 70. A photo collage of the bike adorned the wall above my bed. But how were I to acquire the funds needed to purchase said motorcycle at the age of 12? My father solved that puzzle by creating a summer job for me in his office. Unhesitatingly grateful for my salary of 50 cents per hour, I was able to earn enough for a slightly used, gold-colored Trail 70. My dad taught me how to ride, thus beginning my lifelong love affair with motorcycles.

It was also my father who took me (after much cajoling) to see my first professional motocross race. Long after the heat, noise, and dust of the event had passed, he patiently waited as I collected the riders’ autographs. That experience inspired me to upgrade from the Trail 70 to a real motorcycle.