camera56
Well-known member
It's not my place to get all melodramatic about someone else's story. One of our fellow members, Andre, sent me a note in response to a post about Randy Pausch (who is dying of cancer). So is Andre. It's a great interview. I hope you'll read it all. Here are a couple of snips.
What was the first bike you owned?
As I was about to turn 15, I announced to my parents that I wanted a motorcycle instead of a car for my first vehicle. My father objected. My mom was supportive. Dad said he’d had an accident on a Vespa when he was in the Marine Corps. Logic dictated that if my father was on a Vespa in the Marines, he was drunk at the time. Argument closed. I won.
I know you’ve ridden competitively. What got you started doing that? Do you still? Any memorable stories?
I saw a flier for the local road race association when I lived in Hawaii. I was 28. Basically I sent a check, got a race number, and showed up at the appointed time and place. It was an embarrassment.
I retired from active compeittion when I was 46, then continued with a couple of years of officiating with WERA’s Southcentral Region. Memorable stories? I’ve loaned my RC51 to Colin Edwards on a couple of occasions (promo stuff, not races). I watched Ben Spies grow up. I’ve interviewed Nicky and Roger Lee Hayden. When I look at the AMA finishing order, I know lots of the finishers personally. It’s been an interesting couple of decades.
I know you have a health condition. I know you’ve got lots online about this, but say a little bit about this.
I have an incurable cancer of the bone marrow. It’s called multiple myeloma. We’ve been battling it for 18 months. The side effects of the disease are ultimately fatal. The side effects of the chemo are merely devastating. I’ve blogged the entire thing at motocancer. No real need to go into all of it here.
I don’t even know the right way to ask this without sounding dopey, but does your health condition make you think differently about doing things like riding?
Definitely. I’m completely “carpe diem” nowdays. Do what you want, when you want, just because you want. None of us is guaranteed tomorrow (even me). I could get hit by a bus and ‘waste’ all that good chemo.
How would you describe your involvement with motorcycling now?
I’m trying hard to become one of those old guys who keeps his mouth shut while the youngsters tell each other how much they know.
What attracted you to motorcycling? Why do you ride?
I originally rode for the teenaged thrill of being different and cool. Now I ride for the companionship I find with like-minded people who share the road and the adventure. Regardless of our politics, rearing, gender, sexuality, experience, or objective, we all have a commonality that only we comprehend. Conversely, I ride for the solitude. I ride for the time I can spend with myself and myself alone. There are lots of reasons to ride.
What was the first bike you owned?
As I was about to turn 15, I announced to my parents that I wanted a motorcycle instead of a car for my first vehicle. My father objected. My mom was supportive. Dad said he’d had an accident on a Vespa when he was in the Marine Corps. Logic dictated that if my father was on a Vespa in the Marines, he was drunk at the time. Argument closed. I won.
I know you’ve ridden competitively. What got you started doing that? Do you still? Any memorable stories?
I saw a flier for the local road race association when I lived in Hawaii. I was 28. Basically I sent a check, got a race number, and showed up at the appointed time and place. It was an embarrassment.
I retired from active compeittion when I was 46, then continued with a couple of years of officiating with WERA’s Southcentral Region. Memorable stories? I’ve loaned my RC51 to Colin Edwards on a couple of occasions (promo stuff, not races). I watched Ben Spies grow up. I’ve interviewed Nicky and Roger Lee Hayden. When I look at the AMA finishing order, I know lots of the finishers personally. It’s been an interesting couple of decades.
I know you have a health condition. I know you’ve got lots online about this, but say a little bit about this.
I have an incurable cancer of the bone marrow. It’s called multiple myeloma. We’ve been battling it for 18 months. The side effects of the disease are ultimately fatal. The side effects of the chemo are merely devastating. I’ve blogged the entire thing at motocancer. No real need to go into all of it here.
I don’t even know the right way to ask this without sounding dopey, but does your health condition make you think differently about doing things like riding?
Definitely. I’m completely “carpe diem” nowdays. Do what you want, when you want, just because you want. None of us is guaranteed tomorrow (even me). I could get hit by a bus and ‘waste’ all that good chemo.
How would you describe your involvement with motorcycling now?
I’m trying hard to become one of those old guys who keeps his mouth shut while the youngsters tell each other how much they know.
What attracted you to motorcycling? Why do you ride?
I originally rode for the teenaged thrill of being different and cool. Now I ride for the companionship I find with like-minded people who share the road and the adventure. Regardless of our politics, rearing, gender, sexuality, experience, or objective, we all have a commonality that only we comprehend. Conversely, I ride for the solitude. I ride for the time I can spend with myself and myself alone. There are lots of reasons to ride.
