All,
Well I finally got my Dad's bike sold for my mom. It was a bittersweet day to see it go. I would have loved to have kept the bike but financially it was better for my mom to sell it.
I was told that if you put something on the internet that it stays forever....not sure how true that is (especially when BA.com probably needs to save the space) but I am posting this in the hopes it may stay forever.
My Dad loved his Triumph and riding in general. There are pictures of me in diapers on his old Honda Dream. Once I was a little older he would put a big belt around him and me and drive me over to my Grandmothers house (mom was ok with it but I was told my Grandmother hated it).
Dad had not ridden in years when one day I found a 1979 Kawasaki LTD 400 in mint condition(about 16 yrs ago). I bought it home and rode it for a while. One summer I had to go on Army Reserve duty and left the keys with Dad. He rode it a few times and within a few weeks he had an old 750 Honda and was on the road again.
A few years later he purchased a V65 Honda Magna. WOW what a fast bike. I ended up following suit and getting one just like his but a year newer.
Then the Triumph Bonneville America came out. He loved the looks and the fact it wasn’t something anyone else had......Off to Lexington Motorsports he went (because they would let you demo one) a few weeks later we hooked the trailer up and went and picked it up. We drove back home and took it off the trailer and installed the sissy bar. I remember it was cold that day (20's) and I was actually the first person to ride it....around the block and back with just a regular coat and gloves on and no leathers....COLD but AWESOME. Dad then took it for a quick spin....here is the pic from that day
Then the next year they came out with the Speedmaster and I loved how it looked....another year later (after talking the wife into it) I got one myself. Here is a pic of me, Dad and the Wife the first day I had mine.
My Dad was a wonderful father, a hard worker, a hero in my opinion and my best friend. He was a Vietnam Veteran and a member of the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles. He was wounded twice and finished out his tour of duty in the USA at Ft. Bragg. After returning from Nam he worked for years at a local owned steel shop as a Welder and Foreman. He finally got a job with the US Army Corps of Engineers as a welder and actually worked with me in the field on major maintenance repairs (I work as a Project Engineer). We saw each other all the time. Working together, riding when we could to work and some on the weekends (Me mom, dad and the wife liked riding to a local bar called Frogtown), and hunting any chance we got. Most of my hobbies are things I did with him. Unfortunately on 23 March 2006 there was an accident at work that took his life prematurely. I miss him and think of him everyday. Sometimes it makes me smile and sometimes it makes me cry. I know one thing for certain. I don’t think the saying “Time heals all wounds†is true. Time deadens your senses to it but the wound is always there.
I don’t have children yet but I can only hope that I am half as good a parent as my Mom and Dad are. The reason I turned out to be a half way decent person, obtained a college degree, have a nice house, loving wife, etc….is because my parents knew how to raise me in a loving family. And speaking of my Mom and Dad here they are together at our annual work picnic.
Remember to always hold your family close to you each and every day. Take the two extra seconds to give that hug or kiss and tell them that you love them instead of hurrying out the door because you are running a little late.
The new owner of the bike is a new member of this forum. Gbman is his nickname and his real name is Gary. Gary I hope you enjoy the bike. Clean her up get her on the road and send me a pic every now and then of where you ride her.
Have a great evening everyone and thanks for reading this long post.
