All my ponies.....

[Trout]

As a young man I had worked most every day of my life and at times I wondered why.

The past 20 years have been a mix of frustrations and satisfaction & it has taken that long to have established a solid business. I am now 64 years old & hoping to retire in the next few years & I am feeling very grate full for all those years of steady work that now allows me to enjoy my ponies.

 

[abbienormal]

I hope to retire and enjoy my bikes some day also. Glad to see you are about to make it. I have about 5-6 more years. Those of you who set up your own business and take that huge chance I envy. I was never brave enough.

 

[Ken Cooley]

I too worked my butt off for many decades building a business in America. Then Mr. Obama comes along and says "you didn't build that business". Yea, well that's another story but he couldn't run a soda stand if he tried. OK no more political commentary.

So, I too worked hard but I'm thankful that we have built a company that allows me to take time to ride and own motorcycles.
Way too many.
Last Summer in August my son who was 19 at the time and I rode our bikes to Sturgis, did many famous roads and parks and all the way to Vegas and then California and back. 5600 miles in 22 days of riding and having fun father and son.
I'm now 55, he's a mechanical engineering junior at the University of Illinois with a full time paid internship here locally in engineering
and we may get a few days to take a short trip this Summer so I'm very thankful for the near month I had with my son last year.
My wife graciously said, "Go! this is the year for it", and I'm glad she did.

I've owned 30 bikes in 10 years and logged 100,000 miles. Very happy man.

 

[ghezzi]

Almost same story, plenty of bikes before self employment not so many now. But I have more time to play and fiddle than ride - on call.
Went to a bike night at Harry's Diner last night, saw a Griso and a few other nice bikes plus a crap load of hardleys.
Some bloke commented on the amount of money I would have spent on Bella.
I replied. "$20k over 5 years, $4k pa, $80 per week. That's 2 packets of cigarettes with current taxes, and I don't smoke, drink or gamble. I think I'm in front compared to most people here (at Harry's).

Just wish I gave up drinking sooner, I would have had more ponies. Plus the dreaming, researching and planning customization is better therapy for me than rum.

Nice little stash you got there Trout!

 

[Trout]

Hey Ghezzi!
Thanks I feel like I've got a good representation of different style bikes:
Mille=Cafe racer, Jackal = Bobber, Griso= a perfect blend of retro modern & Victory=American V-Twin Touring.

All my bikes in the early years were somebody else's "throw aways", picked up on the cheap, fixed & rode.
I quit smoking in 2010 & in 2012 bought my first ever brand new bike, a 2011 Guzzi Black Eagle.

Did not realize you'all had the hardley plauge down under!

 

[Ken Cooley]

As I look back on my 55 years but only 9.8 years of riding motorcycles I think about all the cash I lost in trading bikes. Was it smart and worth it? Not really but at times a learning lesson.
I was looking for perfect when I realized perfect comes with three different bikes in the stable not one.
Type of riding has a lot to do with it.
I like different and not just "cookie cutter" and Guzzi and my Yamaha TW200 gives me that. My Heritage is a premium bike but just another Harley.
My wife gave me 25K for our 25th wedding anniversary to buy any bike I wanted.
The rest is history.
A good one though.

I'm thankful for these years of riding and learning and having fun with my son and watching him become a greatly skilled motorcyclist and having time to ride across this great nation with him many times to same places in the mountains and sometimes just for breakfast in Indiana.
I've learned a lot.

I too have never smoked, never drank and never gambled and certainly no drugs and my wife noted this during our 35 years and wanted me to have a gift based upon my restraint in spending. This was very kind of her. I've benefited from meeting many great folks in the motorcycling world and it has added to my life.
Thanks to you who have shared.