For the gun lovers amongst us...

[cowpuc]

Hey DragonRider, knowing how much you love guns too and going thru this long healing process I thought I would write/post this, I know its long but what the heck, its winter - your healing (hope all is going well) and reading is good for ya:bighug:As always, all true and right from the horses mouth... Here's the way it happened...

I was born and raised with hunting and fishing in my blood.. Very early in life I got my first BB Gun, a Crosman 760.. Those were the days.. I will never forget following my dad thru the deer woods as a child carrying that little pump up..

That ol Crosman was the start to many many fun years of growing up, everything from living off the land camping with buddies - shooting squirrels/birds/chipmunks, frying in a tin can over an open fire to having "war games" with the boys (parents would have killed us if they knew).. Shootin, hunting and developing advanced survival skills were a way of life back than..

It even helped me survive through my early teen years in school.. I did a speech on survival techniques in 8th grade that went like this.. Took the 760, shot a pigeon, took the pigeon/760/tin can/lard/can of sterno (no actual wood fires allowed in school back than) and news papers to class. Demonstrated hunting/shooting skills, dismembered bird in front of class while lard was heating (a couple kids left during this part), fried the bird parts up, passed cooked bird around - even teacher ate some, got an A on this one - NOT BAD!!

As I aged my interest changed and of course I got into real fire power, became an avid rabbit hunter (had hounds), an avid pheasant hunter (had bird dogs), an avid big game hunter (both gun and bow) and spent a lot of time at the local VFW gun shoots blowing up dynamite (100 yards - 1/4 stick hangin on a string - blowing in the wind - sounds easy but try it) and the turkey shoots were a blast!! And shooting with WW2 Vets, listening to actual war stories, learning about Mauser actions and being around REAL men was priceless!!

Deep in my heart I never did loose interest in BB/Pellet guns though,, there was always something magic about air guns to me,, maybe it was their lowly air power,, maybe it was how "real" some manufactures made em back then, maybe it was cause they were an affordable way to feed the gun need, or maybe it was just that I never really grew up - I always liked being a kid..

Pickin around yard sales and flea markets and going to gun shows I found myself not able to pass up those little wooden stocked $5 bb guns that nobody wanted,, they always seemed to follow me home... Thankfully my wife never seemed to mind and the kids,,, they loved em!! When Tippy would go out for her weekly "moms night out" I would hang an old rug in the living room, pin up ballons and have all four of my kids laying on the living room floor popping balloons and getting a piece of candy for each one they popped,, crazy eay.. They all became excellent marksman, learned to respect guns and became my favorite hunting partners too,,, what a blast!!

A few years ago Tippy and I came across some pretty hard financial times and took a serious look at stuff we really didnt need and could sell.. Unknown to us, the antique airgun market was going strong - for some reason the "bug" that had followed me thru life had actually become a virus and had spread like wild fire across the country.. We did a gun count (took me forever - I couldnt stop playing with em) and came up with well over 700 of the little shooters... I stuck a few out on Ebay, instantly got BANNED from there for violating their fire arm rules (banned for a year from Ebay for selling BB Guns - wife/kids and friends laughed and laughed over that one - my son still calls me "gun runner" to this day - my youngest daughter keeps telling me I should write a book about things like that that have happened to me in life)..

After the Ebay thing I got a hold of a couple of air gun collectors who had found a way to make a living off my "little" virus.. I ended up having folks from all over the country calling me, having me send pictures and the like.. My first real offer came from down south, guy was ready to give me $20 bucks a gun and $800 bucks for all my parts, pieces, old pellets and stuff but I just had a gut feeling to wait and see what all these other "experts" came back with (besides, I just wasnt really emotionally ready to see em go yet, ta heck with those medical bill collectors - they could wait a lil while longer)...

We sold a number of them thru Gunbroker.com, worked a lot like Ebay (had to play some tricks with Paypal cause they dont like little BB Guns either).. Found out in short order how finicky antique gun buyers could be - I took really good pics (I am highly skilled with a camera as you know:no-no-no:), always described in full detail condition of the little shooters BUT still ended up giving away a few of them because of people griping (the old "here's your money back and keep the gun for your trouble routine).. You think bikers are finicky wait till your dealing with people who always wanted that little wooden stocked M1 Carbine Crosman BB Gun when they were a kid, buy it and find out they cant get their childhood back,,, sheeesh...

Then one day it happened,, Tippy finds this website called "American Airguns" or something like that, notices they have a "free classifieds".. I stick an ad on it for the whole shootin match (pun for fun) starting at 3 times the offer the collector had offered,, just for kicks.. About 2 hours later we get a call from a young man in New York, says he is very interested in my disease and would like to come, with cash and clean us out..

Young guy and his friend rented a truck, drove all the way from Upper New York, rolled the truck over between Lansing and Grand Rapids Mi, stayed in a motel there while the truck rental place got them another rig, showed up the next day and sure enough, my lifetime of collecting the peashooters evaporated.....

Well, not quite, still got my original little Crosman which still helps keep my BB gun virus active - a couple little $2 cowboy lookin CO2 pistols followed me home just the other day.. Look out Ebay,,, Pucs on the loose again...

 

Growing old is given, staying young at heart is a choice..

Puc

[rutman]

that's a pretty cool story.

[cowpuc]

that's a pretty cool story.

 

Thanks Rutman,, by the way, I LOVE the area you live in,, our daughter went to school and worked at BJU in Greenville SC x6 years... Man did we have fun biking down there when she was doing so!!! BEAUTIFUL area!!

 

Hi-Jacked my own thread...

Puc

[ragtop69gs]

Nice collection you had there. Too bad you had to part with them. I have a few old ones but near as many as you.

 

I had to chuckle at your talk of "war games" . We used to do the same as kids, the whole neighborhood looked like a war zone, kids in trees, on roof tops, under cars, you never knew where the next shot would come from. I still can see a BB through the skin on my thigh. Usually I could just pop em out, like a pimple, but this one was just too deep.

[Yammer Dan]

I keep one around to chase tree rats and cats away when the warden ain't looking.

 

I had one of the old Daisy 357's gas powered but wore it out. Went to find another and they are gone. The one I got now is a Powerline 15 shot.

[Jayceesfolly]

Puc:

 

I worked as a senior design engineer for Crosman for about 15 years and designed a few of the guns in your pics. I had a collection that was about twice what your pics show. But, I collected only the old guns that were hard to find even back in the 80's. The Model 600 (the semi auto one) was a very hard to find model and to this day, is almost impossible to find one with the cams in good shape.

 

I sold my collection when I moved a few years ago but I did hang on to all my gold plated models I managed to acquire. They are all one of a kind. I also have two or three guns that were presented to me with my name engraved on them. I also have a gold plated Model 760.

 

It's been many years since I have fired one of those guns.

 

Jim

[cowpuc]

Puc:

 

I worked as a senior design engineer for Crosman for about 15 years and designed a few of the guns in your pics. I had a collection that was about twice what your pics show. But, I collected only the old guns that were hard to find even back in the 80's. The Model 600 (the semi auto one) was a very hard to find model and to this day, is almost impossible to find one with the cams in good shape.

 

I sold my collection when I moved a few years ago but I did hang on to all my gold plated models I managed to acquire. They are all one of a kind. I also have two or three guns that were presented to me with my name engraved on them. I also have a gold plated Model 760.

 

It's been many years since I have fired one of those guns.

 

Jim

 

How cool is that Jim!!!!!!!!!!!! wow!!!!! Sounds like you were way more serious about it than I, I just did it cause,,,, I liked em.. It is a SMALL world my friend - go figure meeting a design engineer from Crosman on a biker site I would LOVE to see your signed guns someday and shake your hand my friend, (YOU made childhood an outstanding experience - THANK YOU!!) - THAT would be an honor!!!!

I KNOW what cha mean about the feed cam on the 600s, mine always loved good round nose pells to feed correctly (dug out many twisted up lead pile jams) but when they got sloppy you couldnt get em to feed worth a hoot.. I sold a few 600's to guys who were "hopping them up" somehow, never got into it myself but I guess they were something..

I LOVED the (what I called) copy cat guns of yesteryear, Pump shot guns, Model 99's, M1's ect all made by Crosman.. Had a bunch of 101's (way before your time), bunch of the 400's (good shooters), .. Those pics just barely scratched the surface, here's a few more for your enjoyment, the one with my wife in it is about half way thru the process of gettin ready to sell (notice the layers starting on the bed - I had it bad..).. Tippy worked her tail off making lists of them, I just played with em while wiping em down and crying about losing my babies....

Oh yea, I think my oldest one was the first year model of the Benjamin muzzle pump, really neat ol popper...

 

This place never ceases to amaze me!!

Puc

Edited January 23, 2014 by cowpuc

[Carbon_One]

Fascinating post here. Brings back some of my memories as a youth too. Had a couple of these poppers as you call em too but down to just one now. Local sportsman's club has a regular air gun league during the winter months.

Larry

[Barry1951]

This brings back sooo many memories of good, fun times, , , ,

I need some help from you guys, , , , , my first bb gun was a gift from my older brother, a Daisy Golden Eagle, , , top of the line back then. It had a gold tones plastic stock and a SCOPE ! ! ! !

I have been looking for one for many years to give back to him so if anyone knows where one is, , ,I would love to find it, , ,

And to make it motorcycle related, ,I would deliver it on my Venture, , , , lol.

[Dragonslayer]

Interesting story. Just wanted to add a few comments.

Hey DragonRider, knowing how much you love guns too and going thru this long healing process I thought I would write/post this, I know its long but what the heck, its winter - your healing (hope all is going well) and reading is good for ya ( Just a heads up, Lewis has politely mentioned to me on more than one occassion that I was too wordy, Just saying):bighug:As always, all true and right from the horses mouth... Here's the way it happened...

I was born and raised with hunting and fishing in my blood.. Very early in life I got my first BB Gun, a Crosman 760.. Those were the days.. I will never forget following my dad thru the deer woods as a child carrying that little pump up..

That ol Crosman was the start to many many fun years of growing up, everything from living off the land camping with buddies - shooting squirrels/birds/chipmunks, (I was known as the Birdslayer back in them days)frying in a tin can over an open fire to having "war games" with the boys (parents would have killed us if they knew).. Shootin, hunting and developing advanced survival skills were a way of life back than..Hunting and fishing has been an interest of mine since reading The Boxcar Children as a child and the characters had to find, gather and catch their food when stranded on an deserted island.

It even helped me survive through my early teen years in school.. I did a speech on survival techniques in 8th grade that went like this.. Took the 760, shot a pigeon, took the pigeon/760/tin can/lard/can of sterno (no actual wood fires allowed in school back than) and news papers to class. Demonstrated hunting/shooting skills, dismembered bird in front of class while lard was heating (a couple kids left during this part), fried the bird parts up, passed cooked bird around - even teacher ate some, got an A on this one - NOT BAD!! (Like Phil Robinson giving a career day speech at the grand children's school, Funny episode)

As I aged my interest changed and of course I got into real fire power, became an avid rabbit hunter (had hounds), an avid pheasant hunter (had bird dogs), an avid big game hunter (both gun and bow) and spent a lot of time at the local VFW gun shoots blowing up dynamite (100 yards - 1/4 stick hangin on a string - blowing in the wind - sounds easy but try it) and the turkey shoots were a blast!! And shooting with WW2 Vets, listening to actual war stories, learning about Mauser actions and being around REAL men was priceless!! ( I have a pretty good collection of military rifles)

Deep in my heart I never did loose interest in BB/Pellet guns though,, there was always something magic about air guns to me,, maybe it was their lowly air power,, maybe it was how "real" some manufactures made em back then, maybe it was cause they were an affordable way to feed the gun need, or maybe it was just that I never really grew up - I always liked being a kid..

Pickin around yard sales and flea markets and going to gun shows I found myself not able to pass up those little wooden stocked $5 bb guns that nobody wanted,, they always seemed to follow me home... Thankfully my wife never seemed to mind and the kids,,, they loved em!! When Tippy would go out for her weekly "moms night out" I would hang an old rug in the living room, pin up ballons and have all four of my kids laying on the living room floor popping balloons and getting a piece of candy for each one they popped,, crazy eay.. They all became excellent marksman, learned to respect guns and became my favorite hunting partners too,,, what a blast!!

A few years ago Tippy and I came across some pretty hard financial times and took a serious look at stuff we really didnt need and could sell.. Unknown to us, the antique airgun market was going strong - for some reason the "bug" that had followed me thru life had actually become a virus and had spread like wild fire across the country.. We did a gun count (took me forever - I couldnt stop playing with em) and came up with well over 700 of the little shooters... I stuck a few out on Ebay, instantly got BANNED from there for violating their fire arm rules (banned for a year from Ebay for selling BB Guns -I got banned for life from paypay for using paypal to raise money for charity. Word to the wise, do not use the word raffle when dealing with paypal. wife/kids and friends laughed and laughed over that one - my son still calls me "gun runner" to this day - my youngest daughter keeps telling me I should write a book about things like that that have happened to me in life)..You got a decent pump up Benjamin for sell. I have an epidemic infestation of tree rats (Squirrels) and birds that LOVE to use my car as target practice. The neighbors don't approve of my 22 cal population control methods.

After the Ebay thing I got a hold of a couple of air gun collectors who had found a way to make a living off my "little" virus.. I ended up having folks from all over the country calling me, having me send pictures and the like.. My first real offer came from down south, guy was ready to give me $20 bucks a gun and $800 bucks for all my parts, pieces, old pellets and stuff but I just had a gut feeling to wait and see what all these other "experts" came back with (besides, I just wasnt really emotionally ready to see em go yet, ta heck with those medical bill collectors - they could wait a lil while longer)...

We sold a number of them thru Gunbroker.com, worked a lot like Ebay (had to play some tricks with Paypal cause they dont like little BB Guns either).. Found out in short order how finicky antique gun buyers could be - I took really good pics (I am highly skilled with a camera as you know:no-no-no:), always described in full detail condition of the little shooters BUT still ended up giving away a few of them because of people griping (the old "here's your money back and keep the gun for your trouble routine).. You think bikers are finicky wait till your dealing with people who always wanted that little wooden stocked M1 Carbine Crosman BB Gun when they were a kid, buy it and find out they cant get their childhood back,,, sheeesh...

Then one day it happened,, Tippy finds this website called "American Airguns" or something like that, notices they have a "free classifieds".. I stick an ad on it for the whole shootin match (pun for fun) starting at 3 times the offer the collector had offered,, just for kicks.. About 2 hours later we get a call from a young man in New York, says he is very interested in my disease and would like to come, with cash and clean us out..

Young guy and his friend rented a truck, drove all the way from Upper New York, rolled the truck over between Lansing and Grand Rapids Mi, stayed in a motel there while the truck rental place got them another rig, showed up the next day and sure enough, my lifetime of collecting the peashooters evaporated.....

Well, not quite, still got my original little Crosman which still helps keep my BB gun virus active - a couple little $2 cowboy lookin CO2 pistols followed me home just the other day.. Look out Ebay,,, Pucs on the loose again...

 

Growing old is given, staying young at heart is a choice..I too am a Peter Pan want to join the club?

Puc

Edited January 24, 2014 by Freebird

[Flyinfool]

Try using a 12ga for a while, the neighbors will be happy to have you back to the 22.

[stickhandle2]

Great story thanks. It kinda reminds me of my younger brother who started out the same way with a bb gun, then moved on the more powerful ones during Army Cadets, then to his stint in the reg forces and even with the Army reserves where he was a weapons tech guy.

 

My dad would give him hell for the guns that were apart in the basement and the squirrels that filled the freezer at times. Well my brother now as far as I concerned is living the dream, him and his wife have their own outdoors store up here in Ontario, he has a number of contracts with the major gun manufacturers for their warranty work. He can go hunting for deer (in season of course) by going out his back door or a little ways down the road, or what ever else is in season at the time.

 

Spending your day making a living doing something you love.....gotta love that.

 

Thanks again for your story, it brought a real big smile.

 

Mike.

[syscrusher]

Yes, you could have kept your toys by renting some space and opening up a air gun museum.

 

I have one for you, not old but it shoots a 9mm BB using air I fill from a scuba at 3000psi. The velocity is pretty similar to a 9mm handgun too! It's about as loud as a handgun as well, not "stealthy" at all.

 

http://www.airgundepot.com/big-bore-article.html

[Huggy]

AND you didn't shoot your eye out!!!!

[DragonRider]

Great read, I enjoyed every word of it. I still think you need to write a book, it would be a great read, you have such a way with words, but I think your problem is you cant sit still long enough to write one.............and take that as a challenge!

 

Great collection of air guns, I have one that my dad bought about 35 years ago, its a Daisy Red Ryder lever action. He bought it to shoo the dogs and cats out of the yard. He didnt want to hurt them just trying a little Pavlov Dog treatment, for some it took 4-5 times, but other either didnt feel it or didnt care. I sat on a shelf in my garage for about 19 years, so one day I pulled it down and cocked it, it fired mut weakly. So I added some oil and it started getting better. The first shots went about a foot and dropped like a rock, now I can hit my shed with some degree of accuracy and that is about 50-60 feet from where I am shooting. I am going to start my grandsons on firearms safety using this neat little gun.

 

Thanks for a great story and keep them up.

[DragonRider]

I said you were too wordy!!???

 

I think I might have said you were good with words.......................

 

And you do have a way with words, love reading your posts, some of them help me go to sleeep.......:stirthepot:.............did I say that out loud?:think:

 

Interesting story. Just wanted to add a few comments.

[Dragonslayer]

I said you were too wordy!!???

 

I think I might have said you were good with words.......................

 

And you do have a way with words, love reading your posts, some of them help me go to sleeep.......:stirthepot:.............did I say that out loud?:think:

Lewis,

You truly are a great diplomat. I am in awe of your left handed compliment skills. I am just proud to be of service to you in anyway I can... even if it is as sleeping aid.

[DragonRider]

You Bob, you are one of a kind, and in all seriousness you are a great writer, I am still trying to figure out who's writing style you are emulating or maybe combining several writers style to make your own. And thank you for all you do for me and VR! Even though you are riding a 2nd gen now. Good to see your slowing down!!:stickpoke:

 

 

Lewis,

You truly are a great diplomat. I am in awe of your left handed compliment skills. I am just proud to be of service to you in anyway I can... even if it is as sleeping aid.

[cowpuc]

This brings back sooo many memories of good, fun times, , , ,

I need some help from you guys, , , , , my first bb gun was a gift from my older brother, a Daisy Golden Eagle, , , top of the line back then. It had a gold tones plastic stock and a SCOPE ! ! ! !

I have been looking for one for many years to give back to him so if anyone knows where one is, , ,I would love to find it, , ,

And to make it motorcycle related, ,I would deliver it on my Venture, , , , lol.

 

Wish I had one Barry, I would give it to you just to get pictures back of the look on his face when he opened the package!!!!!!! I know exactly the popper your talking about and will keep my popper loving eyes peeled for one!!

 

AND you didn't shoot your eye out!!!!

 

No, thankfully!! Buddy had an old abandoned farmhouse across from his home, we used it all the time for a battle ground.. We had about 5 enemy soldiers trapped in the house while we hid on top of the old chicken coop.. I had already tried tossing grenades (old shoe with lit firecrackers inside it) in thru a window to spook em out - didnt work.. Ron (enemy) was hiding behind a window frame but left his hand showing on the frame work.. 10 pumps in the 760 was enough to peel the skin up from his middle fingers fingernail to the first nuckle, thats about the worst injury any of us ever got:whistling:

Oh yea, another great trick with that lil popper was 20 pumps, fill the barrel with bb's and use it like a shot gun...

 

Great read, I enjoyed every word of it. I still think you need to write a book, it would be a great read, you have such a way with words, but I think your problem is you cant sit still long enough to write one.............and take that as a challenge!

 

Great collection of air guns, I have one that my dad bought about 35 years ago, its a Daisy Red Ryder lever action. He bought it to shoo the dogs and cats out of the yard. He didnt want to hurt them just trying a little Pavlov Dog treatment, for some it took 4-5 times, but other either didnt feel it or didnt care. I sat on a shelf in my garage for about 19 years, so one day I pulled it down and cocked it, it fired mut weakly. So I added some oil and it started getting better. The first shots went about a foot and dropped like a rock, now I can hit my shed with some degree of accuracy and that is about 50-60 feet from where I am shooting. I am going to start my grandsons on firearms safety using this neat little gun.

 

Thanks for a great story and keep them up.

 

Your welcome Lew!!

Amazing how resilient the little poppers can be! Way cool you still have that old one from your Dad!!

[DragonRider]

You know now that I think about it, there isn't too much I have left of my dad's except all of his tools, and some of them are ancient, he started out as a mechanic around 1926, and I do believe some of these tool are from that era. I also have some very large wrenches from when he worked a Avondale Shipyards in Bridge City, La. They built a lot of Navy ships, Destroyer's, Destroyer Escorts, LST, and Navy transports. I mean some of the wrenches are like for 3 and 4 inch nuts, it takes two hands to heft them. But the BB gun is the one thing I will treasure and pass on to my son for his kids, or maybe to my daughter for her 2 boys.

 

Wish I had one Barry, I would give it to you just to get pictures back of the look on his face when he opened the package!!!!!!! I know exactly the popper your talking about and will keep my popper loving eyes peeled for one!!

 

 

 

No, thankfully!! Buddy had an old abandoned farmhouse across from his home, we used it all the time for a battle ground.. We had about 5 enemy soldiers trapped in the house while we hid on top of the old chicken coop.. I had already tried tossing grenades (old shoe with lit firecrackers inside it) in thru a window to spook em out - didnt work.. Ron (enemy) was hiding behind a window frame but left his hand showing on the frame work.. 10 pumps in the 760 was enough to peel the skin up from his middle fingers fingernail to the first nuckle, thats about the worst injury any of us ever got:whistling:

Oh yea, another great trick with that lil popper was 20 pumps, fill the barrel with bb's and use it like a shot gun...

 

 

 

Your welcome Lew!!

Amazing how resilient the little poppers can be! Way cool you still have that old one from your Dad!!

[cowpuc]

You know now that I think about it, there isn't too much I have left of my dad's except all of his tools, and some of them are ancient, he started out as a mechanic around 1926, and I do believe some of these tool are from that era. I also have some very large wrenches from when he worked a Avondale Shipyards in Bridge City, La. They built a lot of Navy ships, Destroyer's, Destroyer Escorts, LST, and Navy transports. I mean some of the wrenches are like for 3 and 4 inch nuts, it takes two hands to heft them. But the BB gun is the one thing I will treasure and pass on to my son for his kids, or maybe to my daughter for her 2 boys.

 

Way cool Lewis!

Sounds to me like you have some really cool reminders of days long gone by.. Also sounds like your dad was a quite a guy, can you imagine not only having to not only lift them big ol wrenches but actually WORK with them all day .. Neat that your passing things along to the kids coming up!!

Hey, if you look in the picture below at the wall behind the bike you will notice my old 760 hanging on the wall with a couple of air pistols.. Memories brother,,, ohh the memories...

[Dragonslayer]

Style What Style? At this stage of life we all slow down. At least I haven't Triked yet:stirthepot::stirthepot:

You Bob, you are one of a kind, and in all seriousness you are a great writer, I am still trying to figure out who's writing style you are emulating or maybe combining several writers style to make your own. And thank you for all you do for me and VR! Even though you are riding a 2nd gen now. Good to see your slowing down!!:stickpoke:

 

 

[DragonRider]

Don't knock it till you've tried it, I said the same thing, but you know what, I enjoy it more, I still miss being on 2 wheels, but the wife rides with me now, she just wasn't comfortable on the 83. Now she can ride comfortably, especially since I moved the rear box on the trike back by about 4 inches, it also raised it up a little. I did the same thing on the 83 and just that little change makes the bikes look so much different. But like I said, I didn't think I would ever go to a trike, but, as we get older we change our ways...............besides Charlene told me to buy it. What was I to do? She has never told me to buy a bike before, who was I to argue, that chance may never come around again??

 

Style What Style? At this stage of life we all slow down. At least I haven't Triked yet:stirthepot::stirthepot:

[DragonRider]

Puc, I cant see anything except that beautiful chopper. Is or was that yours and did you build it. Cool looking, I never owned one, but I roade a friend of mine back in the late 80's, it was a Honda 750 with the front forks extended out so far you needed binoculars to see the front wheel. Handled like a bus trying to turn it......

 

[/b]

Way cool Lewis!

Sounds to me like you have some really cool reminders of days long gone by.. Also sounds like your dad was a quite a guy, can you imagine not only having to not only lift them big ol wrenches but actually WORK with them all day .. Neat that your passing things along to the kids coming up!!

Hey, if you look in the picture below at the wall behind the bike you will notice my old 760 hanging on the wall with a couple of air pistols.. Memories brother,,, ohh the memories...

[Dragonslayer]

Don't knock it till you've tried it, I said the same thing, but you know what, I enjoy it more, I still miss being on 2 wheels, but the wife rides with me now, she just wasn't comfortable on the 83. Now she can ride comfortably, especially since I moved the rear box on the trike back by about 4 inches, it also raised it up a little. I did the same thing on the 83 and just that little change makes the bikes look so much different. But like I said, I didn't think I would ever go to a trike, but, as we get older we change our ways...............besides Charlene told me to buy it. What was I to do? She has never told me to buy a bike before, who was I to argue, that chance may never come around again??

I'm not trying to throw rocks or anything Lewis, I get it.... In the normal evolution of life it seems to go like this.

 

Join AARP

Grow a mustache, goatee and pony tail

Try to wash the grey right out of your mustache, goatee and pony tail

Buy a 1st Gen

Some one in your family starts calling you Paw-Paw

Start using the word cool as your new catch phrase

Meet some really cool Octogenarians at a M & E

Buy a car that is either convertible, sporty or red, a car with all three, even better

Realizing a 1st gen is way to fast for a person of your life experience/expectancy you buy a 2nd gen.

You don't go anywhere without your inflatable doughnut cushion

You fall over at a traffic light because you can't get your kick stand down and walker unfolded fast enough

You get an epiphany, Life is much easier if you just do what she says

You buy a trike

You start actually listening to the commercials selling Term Life Insurance

You buy more term life for those final expenses

 

Don't feel bad Lewis I checked ten of those items off MY bucket list so far.