Thursday, May 10, 2012

Harley Feud Fades with Passage of Time

       When my brother and I were about 13 or 14 in the early 1950' we asked our Dad if he would buy us a motor cycle. The answer was pretty easy for Dad and he also took the opportunity to tell us in no uncertain terms that he didn't want us to get a motor cycle. 


      This set back didn't stop us from dreaming about getting a motor cycle. Shortly after Dad's refusal and lecture we saw an ad in the paper for a motor cycle. It was about 80 km away and was the closest motor cycle available. We gathered enough money for the machine and one Sunday afternoon went with a few friends to look at the vehicle. We tested it out and road  around the block a couple of times. And then, as is characteristic of 14 year olds, we bought it . It  was a Harley Davidson 80. With 14 year olds, what you see is what you get. 


      We had a lot of fun taking the motor cycle back home. Everybody had a turn riding the new machine. About half way home we looked at each other and said , "But Dad said we couldn't have a motor cycle. "   In a matter of seconds we had a solution . We would put it in the bush on an isolated part of the farm. 


     We got home and found the selected bush and parked the motor cycle in the trees. 


      With such an exciting machine nearby we would go out and have a little ride everyday. 


      Time went by and one day my brother drove one of the vehicles out to have a ride. When he came to start the truck to come home the truck wouldn't start so he drove the motor cycle home. I guess the suspense of being caught was too great and he decided to end the suspense. Dad  came out of the house and was speechless. He did find out the barest of details which were only 50% right. He also took a test ride so he was incriminated   and we were sure we could keep the great machine.


     While the motor cycle was in the bush Dad had been working in that area and had noticed strange single wheel tracks. Someone had also reported seeing a motorcycle on the local road. Dad had gone into the local Credit Union and the manager said, " Hey Emil, did you know that your boys took all their money out of the Credit Union?" Dad had no idea about this. So when the motorcycle ended up in the yard everything fell into place. Dad had been busy and had not got around to an investigation of all these clues. 


     We became excellent mechanics as the motorcycle was ancient and needed constant repair. Maybe that was because we always wanted to find out how fast the thing would go. The speedometer didn't work so we had to have a car follow behind to get the speed. It's a wonder we survived.


    Interest in the great machine soon faded and we sold it to a kid we knew. The kid didn't have any money but convinced us he could pay. The kid got about 75 km down the road and as usual the great machine died.


 The kid left it in the ditch and came back the next weekend to pick it up and of course, it was gone. Did the kid pay us? No. 


    Now my brother and I had to live about 40 years not mentioning this part of out lives when Dad was around. We would be reminded of our wrong doing. By the time Dad was eighty he was talking about this event. By the time Dad was ninety he was laughing about our escapade and thought it was a joke.


    So with the passage of time the feud faded away. I'm not sure if you want to wait quite so long. Dad was about 40 when this happened and it took almost forty years for the anger to die away. 

26 comments:

  1. oh, my. what a great story. glad you ALL survived the motorcycle and the feud it caused too.

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  2. We survived more from good luck than good management.

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  3. Parents never forget. I recently told my eighty-six year old mother a story about how I snuck out my bedroom window when i was ten, and she got hopping mad as if it had happened yesterday.

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    1. Her first reaction would be to e upset, but then I think the next day she would see the humor in it.

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  4. What a wonderful memory to have! I am sure your dad secretly enjoyed this as much as you did. I bet it reminded him of something he would have done. Great story!

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    1. Young men think they are invincible and I'm sure he had some hair raising fun too.

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  5. A wonderful story and well told :) A reminder of things the adventures of a bygone age and a sad nod to the cliche that kids these days may never experience this type of lesson.

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    1. Yes today kids are micro managed and then when they gain some independence they have no clue of how to cope. I'm for free range kids!

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  6. What a wonderful story this morning, Red! I am so glad you survived both the motorcycle and the anger! How funny...thanks for the chuckle.

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    1. How it worked was we were always into some new adventure and there wasn't time to dwell on things. We invented ADD!

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  7. I can just see it now, trying to sneak around on a motorcycle like your Dad would never know...after being a parent Red, isn't it amazing the things children think they are fooling us, all the while we know exactly what's going on. But 40 years, that's a bit harsh, funny but harsh!

    Have a wonderful weekend, cheers.

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    1. Yes I would freak if it had been my son. However, my kids have told me stuff that went on and I didn't know.

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    2. Red some of the stories my boys have told me of whats transpired in the past, while all the while I thought I knew what was going on, well they slipped the wool over my eyes a few times, brats! lol

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  8. I love this story - are you sure you didn't grow up in my neighbourhood?
    Yes, we have had our "secrets" exposed 20-30-40 yrs later and Mum and Dad THEN laughed about it. You've no doubt heard those words - "If I had known then, you would have been banished to your room for a month". I have 3 brothers, so there was always this kind of excitement around the house. Thanks Red, for reminding me of our childhood and the fun we had.

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    1. We wee given "free range." We started driving at 10 and by 14 were fairly mobile. We were not restricted as kids are today. We didn't have TV either so we had more time.

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  9. whew! what a story!

    I think we all did our fare share of mistakes when we were kids, despite negative outcomes it caused, at least we have something to laugh at or talk about at the end of the day and most importantly, a lesson well learned we can share with others.

    : )

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    1. Thanks for visiting Hiawatha House.
      Yes I firmly believe that there were lessons to be learned by going through new and challenging experiences/

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  10. Motorcycles scare me, because they are so exposed and go so fast. But it seems that young men especially love them for just those two reasons! I too am very glad you survived, and that the feud finally became a good story your dad could tell. :-)

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  11. And then there are some people who "jump out of perfectly good airplanes." Got ya!!

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  12. My Dad actually bought my brothers a Honda 50 when we were in high school. I used to love to ride it around the dirt roads where we lived.
    I was just visiting my daughter who has a privacy fence around her back yard. I peeked through the fence and I don't think her neighbor ever mows. The grass was thigh high and in the middle of the back yard was a bright red Harley sitting in the weather. I cringed. :)

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  13. Your Dad had the right idea. I don't think the 50ccs were allowed on the road. Kids could ride all over the property.
    The harley we had was the biggest one there was at that time. Too much for kids.

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  14. Great story. In the fullness of time all our wrongdoings fade into near insignificance.

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  15. Good line..In the fullness of time...

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  16. Now THAT was a fantastic story!! You little devils!

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  17. That is a very funny story. It must have been very thrilling to ride a harley at 14!!Cheers, Ruby

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  18. You tell wonderful stories. A life well-lived. Different ways in different times, yet many hold familial grudges. So sad.

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