This is my story about being a biker. Back in 1974 I bought my first bike. It was a1974 AMF Harley 100! Yeah, I had a Harley dirt bike! I was16 years old and though I was a biker. Hell, I had a Harley just like the Hells Angles! Well sorta! I was the happiest kid in town. Then after riding the 100 into the ground, I traded up to a street/dirt Honda 250. That sucker would fly or so i thought. Well, now my buddy Phil bought a 650 special Yamaha street bike and I had to keep up. So I went out and bought a 400 Yamaha special (all I could afford). Now that bike was so cool!� We took our first trip to Florida that summer.

Now its 1978 and Phil got a Sportster! Well ya know I had to get one too. I bought the first 1978 Sportster that the Harley dealer got in. A black 1000 Sporty for 3 gran.....Wow that was expensive, but now I am a true biker because I have a Harley again. Now I could look down at the damn Jap-bike riders!!!!!!! They didn't understand what it took to be a biker, hell they rode a rice-grinder! Now it's1982 and I am married and the Sporty was shot with 13000 miles on it! I traded the old Sporty for a hard tail 650 thumper.

  
I always wanted a chopper, but shortly after getting the thumper I had a industrial accident and lost most of my left hand. So I sold the bike thinking I couldn't ride it anymore. Now it's 1997 and I haven't rode in 14 years, though I bought Easyrider and dreamed of having a hog again. With 2 kids and all the bills of being a responsible adult I couldn't afford a hog,

so I thought there is no way I am buying a Jap-bike! Then one day a friend of mine who rode a Honda Shadow knew of a great deal on an old Virago for $300 bucks. I checked it out and decided to buy it. Back to a Yamahammer again!�Now I am President of our local ABATE chapter and an avid Biker riding with all kinds of bikes. Thanks to a friend I learned that it's not what ya ride, it's what's inside that makes you a biker!