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My New Riding Buddy

May 6, 2005 04:49 PM

CoreyBike.JPG

This is the day after my grandson's birthday and I am indulging myself a bit here. But, I am excited too, because I have a new riding buddy.

I have gone through two sons as riding buddies as well as an attempt at having a wife and daughter ride with me. My oldest son still rides with me, but he is rather far away (though I go to see him somewhere in Colorado each summer).

My grandson Corey is my newest riding buddy. He is just now 10 years old and I bought him a motorcyle so we can ride together. That's Corey on the bike in his new riding gear.

I chose the Yamaha TTR 125 LE because of its better (and adjustable) suspension (set up is as important as anything else and this bike has that), larger wheels and electric start. My last pure dirt bike was a Husaberg 501, which I gave to my oldest son, and I think electric start is an essential component of a good dirt bike in this era. The weight penalty is no longer high and the benefits are large, particularly if you stall on an uphill path.

The Yamaha's competitors just didn't offer the same components or performance. The Yamaha dominated even though I started both my sons on Honda 100s. Corey is tall and so we waited for him to get his coordination more in hand before putting him on a bike.

Corey wants to go to Princeton (maybe because I gave one of my last lectures there and showed him pictures of the baseball complex that I took on my visit). He also wants to be a baseball player and a writer. Both may be poor choices, but they are probably modeled a bit after me (a lucky UCLA student at a time in the Economics Department that was completely unique and with a cohort that still stands out in the Department's history).

I still love to ride alone on far off the highway roads. Long ago I realized that I am my own best company. I think as Corey grows that will no longer be true. Nonetheless, this attitude has made me completely incapable of riding in clubs and organized groups. Could it have been much different 40,000 years ago?

· Adventure Motorcycling

Comments

Posted by: Flower Online [TypeKey Profile Page] at September 12, 2006 3:28 AM


Sir ...yeas i 'remember' Corey.
You used to hike with him in a pack when he was a little lad didn't you.
What a pressie..superb.
Those Yams pack a mean punch.
I had a KZ750 roadie at the time my bro got a YZ 75 when he was 8 or something. I took it for a ride round the paddock and as small as it was when i opened it up and hit the power-band it nearly shot me off the back.

ref riding alone..suppose that the ones who did venture 'oot alone' and away from the pack were either chomped or maybe survived advantageously.
Reminds me of the bull elephants one sees all over Chobe park.Sometimes a few males congregate but by and large aside from the mating season they are alone.
Seeing them walk away from a lit water hole and into the dark of the African bush makes one feel small and wonderfully insignificant.

Posted by: simonfellows at May 7, 2005 1:41 PM

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