[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Fast Freddy 944

You da man, dawg! My buddies had a 81 Z-50 and it was bullet proof. My other buddy got a 82 xr-100 and it was pretty cool. All of past bikes were paid for by flipping burgers and hard labor. I wasn't blessed with a chance to race with the big shots, just local stuff. I had to pay for my schooling..working and going to school was how it went for me. You are da man!

Other than my dad's Z50 and aclapped out CT70 a friend gave him, all my bikes as a kid were clapped out clunkers that I bought broken then fixed with paper route and mowing money. That is why I never got to race as a kid.... My bikes were not race worthy and my parents did not have a pickup truck to haul me to the races nor did they have the money or interest to support me racing. My eventual racing in the late 80's was on a shoestring budget and was helped out by older friends I made at the track (helped me by taking me to the big races with their racing kids in their campers/motorhomes). My only "new" last race bike was stupidly purchased with a loan while in college (I worked my way through college with Army reserve money and part time jobs). By the time I was racing, it was primarily against highschool kids with parents who supplied them with brand new bikes and gear. When they got hurt they got to stay home from school... when I got hurt I missed work and rent payments.

Still.... it was the best time of my life.