The Bike that Started it All!

 

On March 5^th 1982, I bought my first brand new Harley Davidson. I bought the bike at a now defunct Harley dealer in Fort Worth, Texas. It started life as a 1982 Harley Davidson FXE Shovelhead. I paid $5277 for her! When I bought the bike on March 5^th 1982, it was a cold, rainy Friday night, so I decided to come back the next morning to pick up my new bike. So, on Saturday, March 6, 1982 at 9am, I took delivery of my very first, brand spanking new Harley. I shook everybody’s hand at the dealership & they all wished me well & I eagerly climbed on my new pride & joy for the first time & I was anxious to ride home to Irving so I could show my new bike off to all my pals, (both of them). So, with a smile on my ugly face & a crowd of well wishers looking on, I turned the key on & I hit the start button…click…click…click...DEAD BATTERY! I’m thinking, oh no, my first problem & I haven’t even ridden the bike out of the dealership yet. So, we charged the battery & off I went into the 32 degree weather with a permanent smile on my face & a quickened pulse! I think I put 300 miles on my new bike that day & I never left DFW. At that time, I was living in an apartment & I kept the bike in my living room & she looked good parked there next to my Magnavox TV! I have torn this bike down & completely changed her up many times, but the way she is now is the way she’ll stay.  I have ridden this bike all over the country.  Here is a picture of me & my bike as we looked when I brought her home & a picture of my daughter Lena riding it recently. This is the only bike that’s ever been on the cover of Easyriders magazine with 4 girls! We shot her for Easyriders in Daytona in March 1995. That trip & that photo shoot was one heck of a swell time…but that’s another story for another day! Anyway, this March 5^th, 2012 will be 30 years since I bought this bike. Dang, I was 25 years old when I bought her, so now I guess I must be about…uh…um…OLD!


Ya’ll come see me.


RF