I got to ride one exactly once. My buddy Dave's older brother picked it up (my best guess) in a drug deal. For what it's worth, not long after, he ended up in jail. Anyway, the bike was fitted with knobbies and had no title. Though his brother had been taking it out in the fields and trails behind the house, David was of course, forbidden to touch it. However, one day while big brother was out (doing who knows what), David came over to the house onboard the Kawi. He asked,"Wanna go for a ride?" Since I didn't have much sense when I was a teen, I agreed. My soul, what a ride. We were heading down the dirt road at about 15 when he punched it. Oh my soul. We were flying with the front wheel in the air with the beautiful sound of that three cylinder, two stroke symphony filling the neighborhood with the most incredible sound. What a thrill that was.
Sad to say a couple days later, Dave was doing the same thing with his girlfriend; with me following behind on my Suzuki. He tried pulling a 2nd gear wheelie again, but this time something went very wrong. He gave it too much throttle I guess, because the bike launched out from under him, completely off the ground, did a back flip and came down hard on the front forks. No wonder they call the thing a "widow-maker." Anyway, his girlfriend was banged up a bit, and Dave got a fat lip out of it, but that was nothing compared to what his older brother Louie did to him when he got home and saw the forks bent into the exhaust pipes. I was there to see that too. I never saw somebody get beat up with a helmet before... or since. Seemed like both those boys had a thing for living fast and dangerous. Just glad my lack of judgement didn't cost me more than I had counted on that week.
Hey Rich, what kinda car is that behind the Kawi in your picture?
Gary
darksider #44
