2:30 minute read

In an earlier blog post I described how I love my bike. Taking that idea a little further, I enjoy riding a bike, both motorized and pedal powered, more than driving a car, and tinkering with them at every opportunity. Mind you I have broken ribs (twice) and my left elbow. (f#*K it! It’s pussy stuff compared to prostate cancer) Riding a bike, in Fort Lauderdale is easy all year round and we have bike lanes in most places we need to get to. I tend to use my bike more than my truck (ute for you Aussies, and for my American friends, the trucks we drive were invented in Australia see below*)

My love for bikes started as a kid when I got a brand new Malvern Star for Christmas. It was soon disassembled and made into a chopper from that and another old bike I had. I was constantly stripping and rebuilding them, changing chains, gears, ball bearings, brakes etc. At 18, I bought my first motorcycle a Yamaha RD 400 a very very fast two stroke. I used to hit the ton (100 MPH) on the way to work every morning!

Fast forward 50 years later, I became a volunteer at a place in Fort lauderdale, a non-profit that recycles bikes for those in need. I found them after looking for a place where I could donate my first Trek Aluminium Road Bike, (I replaced it with a Trek Emonda the bike before my current Trek FX S5,) The donated bike ended up with a traveling racing group from a country which I don’t recall (it was a country not economically well off as I, or we are) and was needing another bike for their US tour ❤️ . Between that experience and since I was good at fixing what was broken or needed attention**, I volunteered and worked there 3-4 times, unfortunately the owner and I didn’t get on, and for those who know me well, I get on with most people. Perhaps I may revisit that after I retire next year, life’s too short.


Between us we have 5 bikes. We each have a road bike, both Treks, that have paid multiple times for gym memberships we no longer use or need and is our main form of exercise. My Trek has almost 4500 miles (7200 KMs,) on it – my truck has 5200 miles on it which includes a number of long trips too. We also have two “cruisers,” Treks as well, which as the name implies, we cruise around and also feel comfortable leaving locked, for example at the beach. (We have thieves everywhere here.) And the fifth… we have a new addition, well let me show you that in a minute.

My truck is due to be returned at the end of the year as the lease is ending. With so few miles on it after three years, using Uber when we needed a second car would have been far more cost effective. So we decided not to replace it and become a one car household. So ahead of returning the truck Kimberly bought me a present. Another form of transport which solves the problem of those times when we each need our own transport and which is simply a fun way to commute. In time she will get her licence for it as well. I smile just thinking of the picture of her taking off from our home on it.

Riding this round our town where the speed limits are mostly 30-35 MPH (48-56 KMPH) is a blast! Even better when my love is on the back!! Now to some (when you see what motorcycle I used to ride,) it may be considered a “step down” from what I used to have a few years back. No!! No!! No!! (Brian J are you reading this?) I feel no shame whatsoever!

• In fact it’s so much easier to ride
• Doesn’t have a motor thats 10X the size of the scooter and that you don’t need. (Oh boy I must be getting old.)
• No brutal heat coming from the bike that on top of the Florida heat was a real pain.
• Kimberly will ride the scooter with me, she stopped riding the Fat Boy

So the moral of this story is; 😀Happiness all round!😀

* Ford is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its Australian invention of the iconic ute, which led to the development of vehicles such as the F-Series and Ranger and propelled the company to years of truck leadership. Not only was it an Australian invention, but the concept has been exported to the world, reinterpreted by other manufacturers and gained a legion of fans everywhere. Full story if you are interested.

** I am quite mechanically adept. I had ideas of being a mechanic at one stage after meeting my brother in law John. We still love talking cars. I did not obviously but I dabbled in it. I used to tune up my work friends cars for $10, and I also rebuilt the engine (assisted) in my Mazda 929. I will tell you this story at another time