A Boy and His Bike

Donny Addison got his first big bike when he was ten, a light blue and white CCM racer with hand brakes, narrow racing tires, curved handle bars, a skinny leather seat and a single speed axle. A surprise birthday gift from his dad–it was love at first sight, Donny and his bike became inseparable.

In the fifties a racer like this could really get attention, the only thing missing was the coveted three speed rear axle which at the time was unaffordable to Donny’s truck driver father. The three-speed would be added later.

Donny added accessories as money permitted, new handgrips with streamers, racing straps on the pedals, a headlight powered by a generator activated by the front tire, a small seat bag holding a patch kit, a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, wheel wrench and stuff.

The three-speed axle was added after an unfortunate circumstance. The one accessory unavailable to Donny at the time was a bike lock. Donny left his bike unattended while exploring an old abandoned church with one of his buds. When they came back out the bike was gone, heartbroken Donny walked home in tears to tell his parents.

A week or so later the police informed Donny’s dad that the bike had been found, overjoyed Donny and dad identified the remains in the cops holding area–everything was gone except the frame and handlebars.

They rebuilt Donny’s bike and this time it sported the fancy three-speed axle. Donny traveled far and wide on his bike–he rode it to school, to Scouts, to the grocery store. After a move to a new home he would even ride several miles to his old neighborhood to visit his buddies.

The bike opened a whole new world of exploration for Donny–new neighborhoods, the far away zoo, downtown, the river, the countryside–Donny became an avid explorer. Much to his father’s displeasure Donny loved to get up to speed, brake the rear wheel and do a donut–the rear tire turning to smoke and often blowing out blocks from home. After still another lecture from Dad about how expensive tires were, it was off to the bike shop for a new tire.

The memory of the lecture would soon wear off and the new tire subjected to the same punishment as the previous one.

Donny courted his first girlfriend on his bike and the two of them would ride around for hours exploring, racing and just having fun.

When Donny reached his teens his attention turned more and more towards girls and cars. At fifteen Donny hooked up with some older guys that were into drinking and partying. They showed Donny the way into a new lifestyle where riding bikes was not cool unless it was a motorcycle.

Donny’s bike was abandoned to the garage and eventually sold for beer and cigarette money.

Donny passed his driver’s test at sixteen and dad’s car replaced the bike. His passion for fast cars and good times grew stronger. He dropped out of school, got a job and bought his dad’s car on time payments–his first motorized wheels.

The boy’s passion for anything with wheels grew into Porsches, Ferrari’s and hand built hot rods. Donny still likes bikes, but his choice for going fast on two wheels is satisfied by a customized, light blue and white Harley Davidson Fatboy.