Dudleys Diary

When I was about 7 years old, my friend Russell rode over to my house on a brand new purple mini bike his dad had brought home. It was love at first sight. I jumped on the back and we took off. We rode that bike all over town. I always wanted a mini bike of my own but my mother would not hear of it. Too dangerous in her view, pure fun in my opinion. I rode friends bikes through the years whenever I could. About seven years after my parents divorce, my mother started to date. I was about a sophomore in high school. She had been on three or four dates, my sister and myself had rated each one and we had rejected them all for a variety of reasons. She then went out on a date with Howard. My sister and I were asking the usual questions, I asked if he liked to fish, she said no, strike one. Does he like to hunt, he used to but not any more, strike two. My mother then interjected that he owned four Honda trail bikes. I could not believe my good luck. My mother and Howard have now been married over thirty years. Neither one of us is able to ride motorcycles any more but we did our share. We rode the bikes for years at the Flying P Ranch in Weatherford, TX. We took the bikes to Colorado and rode in the mountains. We took the bikes to South Padre Island and rode on the beach. When I was in college, Yamaha came out with the Yamaha Special. I wanted one so badly but did not have the money. In 1995, I was driving one night in downtown Tyler and went by the Yamaha dealer. I looked up and saw a brand new Virago 750 sitting in a picture window cross ways, it was red and white and had a spotlight shining upon it. It was beautiful. I went back the next day and bought it. I did not ask my wife for permission, I figured it would be easier to ask for forgiveness. I rode that bike for a year and a half. I have some great memories of my Virago and all of the bikes I rode through the years.