my knuck in front of the "Classy Chassis"
- a topless bar in San Jose, circa 1967 -

Am I a rebel? uhhh... it's often been said that I am a rebel, so, I reckon so... did it piss my parents off that I liked motorcycles?... yeeeees... did I ride to piss my parents off?... no... well then, why?... it is the thrill... yup... for forty-five years now, it's been the thrill... a thrill that has not gone away or faded... the ground going by so fast right there at your feet... the feel of power and acceleration... the sound... the wind in my face... the rain... well... sometimes there is rain, but, riding in the rain is still better than being at work. And, roller coasters... I like to ride roller coasters a lot... I'm sure it was the intention of the designers to create a ride with ups and downs and turns that thrills... and, for me, a motorcycle is my own personal roller coaster... on mountain roads... give it the gas going up hill, roll it off as you crest the hill and begin down hill to get the rise feeling in your stomach... give it the gas going down hill as you go through a dip to get the sinking feeling in your stomach... and turns... go into them slow enough that you can screw on the throttle through out the turn feeling the acceleration, the increasing lean and being pushed down into the seat, and, my most favorite turns - "s" turns... leaning right in the right turn then quick push on the left handle bar to make the bike stand up and lean left for the left turn and feeling the rise in your stomach as the bike transitions from laying over to the right to upright to laying over to the left!!! And wheelies?... short ones only for me from a standing stop, on 1st to 2nd gear shift and on 2nd to 3rd gear shift... beyond that I'm not comfortable... and dirt?... ahhhhhh... powering through a broadslide on a dirt track or on a dirt road... oh yeah... that's a thrill!!!

Riding with other bikers... used to years ago; those friends are not around anymore, but, we had many great rides, jammin' two abreast and drafting each other a wheel length off each other's bike on freeways and in the mountains... nothing can compare to that experience!!! However, there are a lot of young fast riders and a lot of old slow riders but not very many old fast riders (for obvious reasons), and with the passing of many years riding, group riding for me has become much tamer, but still, even so, the fellowship with other people who enjoy the pleasures that the Motor Company has been providing for so many years is not a camaraderie I have found anywhere else.

And the escape... for me, riding a motorcycle is just that - a thrilling escape. I am merely an amateur at piloting a motorcycle (never reached professional level in any type of sanctioned motorcycle event), so, I cannot classify myself as a motorcycle driver, merely a rider, and as such I am especially careful not to ride outside my comfort zone, constantly playing the "what-if" game and looking as far ahead as is possible, picking my "crash spot" as far ahead as possible so that I can never actually reach my "crash spot" - where you are looking is where you are going, and thus, the escape, because, there is no room in my brain (as if a scarecrow actually had a brain) for other daily worries, concerns or extraneous thoughts, there is only room for concentrating on being in tune with the bike and the road and the good feelings... and that's why I ride... for the thrill and the escape... and... as an added bonus... Sharon likes to ride for all these same reasons and that makes the experience totally complete.

Russell Holder