All I can say is thanks and can I borrow a hankie. Keep the shiny side up. Another old fart who loves to ride. I'll be 65 next month.

Another old guy with a R*. I'll be 68 next month.

Started riding in '65 with a new '66 305 Honda scrambler. I have six bikes now including a '01 and '02 R*. I was walking around in '07 at the race track in Daytona at bike week when I saw this great looking bobber with 17 inch apes, no front or rear fender, a huge tank and wide white walls. I loved it. It was parked at a vendor semi trailer from New Jersey. They said a buddy of theirs owned it and would be back in a while. I came back to see what kind of bike it was. A '99 R* he said. No way, I said, I know what a R* looks like and that isn't it. I went to find a stock R* and couldn't believe it when I found one. What a difference it makes to add apes and make it a bobber.

I took some pictures, came home and started looking for a used R*. Finally found a '01 on Ebay in
Detroit for $5100 with 8500 miles. It is now a bobber with 17 inch apes, no front fender, front fender on the back, powder coated red wheels, foot clutch, hand shift and wide white walls. What a ride and now has 28k. My '02 Silverado is all stock with windshield and leather bags.

What a great country.

Back in the 80's a friend and I bought a $20,000 Searay Boat with a 350 Chevy engine. It was awesome but expensive. One day he said "look at all the beater boats out there and they're having just as much fun as us". It's about the ride.

driller wrote:
You guys make me feel REALLY OLD ! I bought my first bike,(1947 HD 125) at the age of 12. It was only used to run my paper route.I have over 500,000 miles on HD motorcycles,wrenched for the local Harley dealer for a nimber of years.

Things surely have changed since the old days. Harley actually makes a decent bike nowdays.There was a time guys that you didnt dare leave home on a motorcycle and not carry a box full of tools and a couple of quarts of oil!

My wife and I rode until 2005 and we decided we had gotten to the age where there wasnt much left to see from a bike,so we gave it to one of our twin sons who both rode. The other twin died of cancer last year leaving me his 02 Shadow 1100 Spirit. I rode it home and cried every inch of the way. I was on a bike that wasnt mine-it belonged to someone I loved beyond myself. I had asked my son before his death if there was anything he had always wanted to do and never had the chance. His answer was that he had always wanted to ride the Dragon. I made him the promise that I would do it for him. His twin brother,my grandson(the dead sons kid)and I took the trip and once again the tears flowed like downhill water.

When we got back my grandson wanted a bike and I told him to take his dads bike because I had a hard time getting on it. Te grandson had the same problem I did with riding that paticular bike so he bought himself a Kawasaki road bike and then told me he would buy me any bike I wanted if I would ride with him. We looked at a couple of Heritage Softail Classics then found a 01 MidnightStar loaded with goodies. I fell in love!!!! The grandson bought it and------- AWAY WE GO!!!!

This "olde farte" is pushing 72 now and still on the road every chance I get.

Driller, what an incredible awesome story. Thank you for sharing. Seriously stopped me in my tracks.
Anybody with enough life experiences under his belt knows how brutal life can be sometimes. But the way one man's experience can effect another, is some pretty powerful stuff.
Thank you, and may your son(s) and grandson and you have many many more miles in the saddle together.

smokescreens wrote:
great. just great, im a 29 year old "old guy"

+1 on that, i only have a few more months to the big 30. i guess we are just wiser at a younger age.

Driller, As a father of two sons I can't imagine the pain of losing one. I have stopped my boys from doing stuff I did everyday just because now I am old enough to know how dumb it is.
Thanks for sharing your story and be safe.

Driller, I appreciate you sharing such a personal and touching story with us. Just goes to show there are a lot of stories I'm sure all the members must have.

I get too ride with my two boys every once in a while who both have bikes and it is a privilege not lost on me.

I'll take the "Pepsi Challenge" with any other cruiser. I've now got over 30K miles and never been on the side of the road; at least not for my bike (I do help the other guy). I got my R.S. because I like to ride more than I like to wrench.

Driller, that is a great way to remember your son. I mean THE GREATEST! I do the same for my father. He died in 2009 after an asshole with a suspended license; from his third DUI; drove his car into my father and his Stratoliner killing him at 69 years of age. It was strange after a month of riding across the country for a HS class reunion, got into a fight in MO, he saw all his kids & grand kids (NE, IL, PA), rode back through a tropical storm to get home (West Palm Beach) he died two days later less than 25 miles from his house. Every time I get on my bike, I think of him and the fun we had. Maybe someday he and I will ride again either upstairs or in another life. Until then my father always said “Die Living” and that is what I’ll do.

ColorBlind wrote:
I'll take the "Pepsi Challenge" with any other cruiser. I've now got over 30K miles and never been on the side of the road; at least not for my bike (I do help the other guy). I got my R.S. because I like to ride more than I like to wrench.

Driller, that is a great way to remember your son. I mean THE GREATEST! I do the same for my father. He died in 2009 after an asshole with a suspended license; from his third DUI; drove his car into my father and his Stratoliner killing him at 69 years of age. It was strange after a month of riding across the country for a HS class reunion, got into a fight in MO, he saw all his kids & grand kids (NE, IL, PA), rode back through a tropical storm to get home (West Palm Beach) he died two days later less than 25 miles from his house. Every time I get on my bike, I think of him and the fun we had. Maybe someday he and I will ride again either upstairs or in another life. Until then my father always said “Die Living” and that is what I’ll do.


WOW bro..... sorry for your loss. Got a chill reading this because I belive I met the guy that now has your dads Strat. The guy was a sales guy at Greater Yamaha in military trail. Ran into him at the tiki hut in riviera bch one day and the story he told me re his bike matches your story.
Sorry for your loss regardless if this is same bike or not. Good luck.

It probable was his bike, his business owned it and the partners sold it when it was released from the impound. I never really keep up with all of that though. FYI my dad’s name is Jon Canaday and the accident was in downtown West Palm. Thanks for the kinds words.