Is this the 12-step program?

GoldenMotor.com

lonjack

New Member
Sep 21, 2009
2
0
0
North Carolina
Hi everyone-

My name is Lon

I have an addiction -

Seems like ever since I was a kid, I enjoyed tinkering with things. Most of the time I was lucky and managed to fix or improve them, but at times not so lucky and ended up in the worse case destroying something that I didn't really want to. Most of the bad ones were little things, but I can rember Dad was none too happy when I proceeded to buy a '48 Chevy woodie for $400, that was one step away from the junk yard (based on the price I probably didn't have to mention the junk yard) and proceeded to dismantle it in the back yard with pieces everywhere, and never quite having enough time to put it back together. So, as a teenager, my first restoration project was a bomb, but I ended up learning and actually selling the car for 2x what I paid for it. The greater fool theory lives.

Flash forward, I'm now 62, have restored a few cars in my day and a couple of old wood boats. Hopefully some of those skills will help me with this new scratch that I have to itch.

Grew up in the 50's, which was good and bad. The good part was that Detroit was king, every kid wanted a Lionel train for Christmas, and Columbia & Schwinn were duking it out for supremecy at the playground. I was kind of partial to Columbia's, since dad had a gun shop and the supplier he bought from was also a Columbia distributor. Every fall, the distributor would have an open house, showing off all the goodies for the holidays, and at the end of the day mom & dad would have to pry me away from the Columbia display.

My favorite was a bright red and white Columbia Fire Arrow that had chrome fenders, front and rear mousetrap racks, 2 headlights mounted in the tank, white walls and a 2 speed Bendix shifter. Son of gun if I didn't get that one for Christmas that year.

The bad part about growing up in the 50's is that I'm freakin' old. Some days I feel just like a dinosaur just waitin' for the comet to hit me.

Living now north of Charlotte, NC, retired, hoping to enjoy myself with an old bike. The great part about sumbling across this site, is with one of these if I get pooped pedaling (yes I do plan on pedalling maybe at least once) I can just start the engine and get on home.

Well, I guess I've rambled on long enough (That's what old people do, by the way, remembering the good old days) and I've finally figured out that this isn't the 12 step program for motor-aholics, so I might as well as jump in with the rest of the addicts here and enjoy myself.

Regards

Lon
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
Lonjack,
You have most definately come to the right place. I think you'll be pleased to find there are a lot of guys here your age, me for example, and older. Many, if not most of us have a history or cars, boats, airplanes and almost anything mechanical. We've all stumbled on motorized bicycles by some freak of nature and have found an outlet for our passion for things with wheels and motors. I think you'll have fun here...we all do. Keep in touch and keep us informed of what you build. There is a world of talent just waiting for your questions and concerns regarding these little beasts. Have fun and ride careful.
Tom
 

BarelyAWake

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
7,194
21
0
Maine
I'm a bit younger (but don't always feel it lol) but I was struck by the familiarity of your tale. I too have run the gamut, starting out with bikes - moving on to motorcycles, cars, small aircraft and boats. Both restoration and scratch builds - I find myself full circle... right back to bikes again o_O

Now I probably wont be motorizing a Huffy Wrangler anytime soon (my first bike lol) but the fun is there nonetheless. There's just something about these kits that bring out the kid in me :D

Good to have ya on the boards and welcome to the addiction ;)
 

noco

New Member
Sep 9, 2009
343
0
0
fort collins colorado
if this was a 12 step program it would be like an aa meeting at a bar...a na meeting in a crack house...a nymphomaniacs meeting at the strip club...wow did someone suggest booze drugs and strippers...yeah now this is a partydance1
 

bandito

New Member
May 22, 2009
783
0
0
colorado
Welcome lonjack, im 49 and theres just some thing fun about zipping around the hood with a motorized bicycle, parking lots, bike paths, side walks. Its a different feel than a m/c and to me a thrill.
 

freewheeling frank

New Member
Mar 10, 2009
440
0
0
73
ridgway colorado
welcome to the place, ya booze and hookers have ..... well maybe been replaced at 59, i just love terrorizing the villagers on my bikes, im sposed to be selling these things but dont make that much effort to do so i figure that riding them is the best way to put them out there. long live the fifties! and the sixties. i was thinking the other day that if i still had all the 50 dollar cars that i left dead on the road i would be a millionare, the list is so long. how about a 55 merc i left just because the battery came loose and put the fan thru the radiator working 16 hrs aday and didnt go get it got towed oh well anyways theres a couple other threads here for us young oldsters, you might be a geezer if, and the other is for those over fifty might wanna check em out , later frank
 

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
9
0
north carolina
I live a little north of you. I am in High Point. I moved up or down in life depending on where you are in the bike hobby. If you are new to it, then I moved down from working on cars, to building a gasoline kit bike, then to DIY weed eater bikes, now I have sunk to the very bottom of the bike building hierarchy. I build DIY ebikes. Actually I promised my wife that I had built the last one. But then I promise her that at least once a month.

Welcome to the madness.
 

lonjack

New Member
Sep 21, 2009
2
0
0
North Carolina
Thanks for the welcome guys.

It's good to see a lot of similar tales here.

Just starting out with the MB's, but will appreciate all advice, am a quick learner, and hopefully will enjoy the ride.