Hi! Mel Kossen (KLEM) here. Finally going to make a post today and found I hadn’t properly introduced myself…
At the moment I don’t think I have a motorcycle in the garage but there is always parts and manuals. Just sold my Y2K Valkyrie a few months ago.
It all started when I turned 16 in 1965 and needed transportation from Green Lake to Garfield High in Seattle. Cheap to keep was a Honda S-90 complete with windshield and custom made wood box on the back. Most weekends I would switch from street to knobby tires to ride the City Parks. The knobbies were too wild on wet pavement, especially crossing the metal bridges. One night I stopped at Aurora Cycle to swap tires, I had loaned my tire irons to a friend and thought I’d just buy new ones. The bicycle folks were working and said I could borrow a set and do it on the sidewalk but they had none to sell. Handing the Irons back to them one fellow said “come by during the day and talk to Don or Gary if you want work”. The next day Don said “you can swap a tire?” and I said “usually do it every weekend”. Don pointed to a row of wheels needing tires replaced on a rack and said “pick any one and swap it”. And got a job selling bicycles to kids and swapping motorcycle tires.
Smiling ear to ear I asked to test ride a bike I swapped tires on ….. ahhhhh a sweet reward. And on evenings and weekends I could take any used bike on the line and give it a test ride. Stop light to stop light on an X6 Hustler was a special rush. Maybe a Thumper in the park or head out to the new freeway north and do a 126 top out on a Lightning. Caper Cycle?
To be continued ... it's a long story : )
At the moment I don’t think I have a motorcycle in the garage but there is always parts and manuals. Just sold my Y2K Valkyrie a few months ago.
It all started when I turned 16 in 1965 and needed transportation from Green Lake to Garfield High in Seattle. Cheap to keep was a Honda S-90 complete with windshield and custom made wood box on the back. Most weekends I would switch from street to knobby tires to ride the City Parks. The knobbies were too wild on wet pavement, especially crossing the metal bridges. One night I stopped at Aurora Cycle to swap tires, I had loaned my tire irons to a friend and thought I’d just buy new ones. The bicycle folks were working and said I could borrow a set and do it on the sidewalk but they had none to sell. Handing the Irons back to them one fellow said “come by during the day and talk to Don or Gary if you want work”. The next day Don said “you can swap a tire?” and I said “usually do it every weekend”. Don pointed to a row of wheels needing tires replaced on a rack and said “pick any one and swap it”. And got a job selling bicycles to kids and swapping motorcycle tires.
Smiling ear to ear I asked to test ride a bike I swapped tires on ….. ahhhhh a sweet reward. And on evenings and weekends I could take any used bike on the line and give it a test ride. Stop light to stop light on an X6 Hustler was a special rush. Maybe a Thumper in the park or head out to the new freeway north and do a 126 top out on a Lightning. Caper Cycle?
To be continued ... it's a long story : )