Hot damn, the old Billy Bob didn't sleep in this morn'n. Rolled out of bed before 7am. I were get'n worried that I was gonna become a night person and start sleep'n till noon the next day. I did that one time in my life way back when I was a teenager. Didn't have no job, so didn't have no money neither. Hanged out at the "Suzie Q" cross the street from the "carburetor boys" hamburger joint hangout. Damn.....what was the name that place??? The Suzie Q was a hangout for out of work, uneducated, older teenagers what stayed up till the late hours listen'n to 5 for a quarter tunes on the jukebox, tell'n "stories" an' plan'n trouble for the next day.
We mostly drove old beat up second hand cars what we would pick up for bout $25 from some old folks that parked them in the back yard an' gave up on 'em years before. 1927 Buick....$12. 1946 Ford.....$5. 1949 Mercury.....$50. 1947 Nash.....free. 1946 Plymouth.....$15. 1950 (?) Ford full race flathead engine for the 46 Plymouth....$10. This was the late 50's....remember???
The first motorcycle I ever climbed on was an old Harley Davidson "hog".....saddle bags an' all. We was sit'n at the Suzie Q and here come Dick Loper down the street on this big ol' thing.....grin'n from ear to ear like a possum done fount his self a free meal. "Boy Howdy, I sure would like to ride that thang". I climbs on, gives her some gas, let loose the clutch an' I was rid'n me a big ol' Harley hog. I were go'n down the wrong side the street try'n to figger out how to change them gears, couldn't get the damn thing to go straight, wobbl'n one side the road to the other.....I'm get'n scared. Now let me tell ya a little secret. Ya don't ride a Harley 'xactly like ya do a bicycle. If'n I can't get 'er to go straight, I shouldn't have no problem turn'n this sucker round, go'n back to the Suzie Q and get'n off this death trap machine fore I get hurt or kilt or something like that. So how the hell do ya turn a motorcycle around? Ya gotta lean, ya gotta lean Billy Bob....and ya gotta be go'n faster than a slow walk. Yup.....that when I fall slap over.....right there in the middle the street. Then couldn't pick that heavy thing back up. Later in my life I've had numerous motorcycles ranging from little "putt putts" to a beautiful home brewed "basket" Harley chopper.
Today will be spent put'n stuff back together what was tore apart yesterday. Sorry to have bored you with so many details of repairs and such, but I....me....have an accurate record of what, when, where and how. That's important to me ya know.
More later if'n I make it back alive......
I always wanted to hang out at "Big Jim's", our version of Susie Q, listening to 5 for a quarter jukebox and flirting with the uneducated outta work teenaged boys. My dad would come in and yank me out of there - embarrass the hell out of me, I would have been to afraid to even sit on the back of a motorcycle back then, and stil afraid!
ReplyDeleteI think all of us "lucky" ones had a place like that to hang out at!
ReplyDeleteFun times back then!
My hangout place was a drive in eatery that had girl car hops. Dang I miss the '50s.
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