Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Brothers who dream together...

Six young brothers growing up in Burlington, VT in the early 1960's all shared the same desire, to build a mini bike that they could all take turns riding around their big backyard on North Union Street. Of course, there weren't too many young boys in that era who had the disposable income to spend on mini bike parts. And the hard working parents struggling to raise six boys didn't exactly view the funding of a mini bike as a budgetary priority. Therefore, the dream was put on hold as life continued on with schooling, marriages, children, careers, grandchildren, etc., and pushed that dream continuously further onto life's back burner.
But now, over four decades later, the three remaining brothers, all into their 50's have come to realize that even though the dream had faded into an old "remember when...", the desire had always remained.
To make a long story a little shorter, WE HAVE OUR MINI BIKES! Not just one to share, but one for each of us. Built together a little at a time, some old parts, some new, and some homemade. Two are running and ridable, and the third is awaiting a few parts to arrive for final assembly.
Although it is now November and we will soon stop raking and start shoveling, we're taking advantage of every opportunity to ride.
Meeting each Wednesday evening, Jeff, Jack and I (Ron) work on our bikes, helping each other, and all learning as we go. None of us has any prior experience with motorbikes of any kind. Never rode them, never owned them. So to a group of 50 something grandfathers this is not just a new challenge for us, but a chance to be kids again for a little while. The long wait was well worth it as it has proven more fun than we had anticipated.

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