xmas always brings back this memory for me. my affair with dirtbikes started when i was 12. i was over at a friends house who had a whites auto minibike with a 3hp briggs on it. you know the blue one with solid rear suspension and one inch travel up front and the semi ape hanger bars. oh yeah the best part was the brakes. you pushed a pedal and that put a block on the rear tire. with braking power like that you didnt need any up front. anyway, i got on the thing and took off. i thought wow this is cool as i rode around in the field. then i realized that i had this problem. seems like it wouldnt slow down. i started winging on the throttle and it just proceeded to go faster. i was looping around the house yelling that it wouldnt stop. things were getting hairy so i headed back out to the field. this thing was wicked WFO and i was panicking. i was scared to death to try and turn at that speed. i knew eventually i was going to come to a fence sooner or later. well sooner came before later but it was worse. there was a ravine full of old washers and junk and i was about to end up in the bottom of said ravine. needless to say i bailed and the scooter fell over without going over the edge. the motor died in the spill. i was scared silly. i pushed it back to the house and we put it away.
next scene 2 months later.............its xmas morning and im looking around the tree for my loot. ive got some cool stuff but nothing compared to what my sisters raked in. im chillin trying not to look disappointed. my pop says take out the trash (wrapping paper) and i do. as i open the backdoor, there it is. the BLUEBEAST!!! i freak out like any good kid. i sit on it and pop had cleaned it up pretty good. i knew santa had picked it up from my friends house but i didnt care. i was thinking of my death ride that i didnt tell my parents about. my pop is enjoying my excitement and says take it for a ride. im still flashbacking to the ravine and he kinda gets irritated when i tell him something is wrong with the bike. he says no theres not, ive ridden it. i still wont get on it. keep in mind that the minibike is in a corner of the house and pointed at the house. just for added scenery, pops is standing in nothing but his robe and slippers which i guess isnt that unusual for xmas morning. he then proceeds to throw a leg over it and gives the rope a yank. it barks off. of course he is tall and is more or less standing over the thing. he wacks the throttle and BOOM the thing takes off. these beasts also boast a rear sprocket the size of the back tire. its going WFO and is literally climbing the house. pop is standing behind it in his kung fu looking robe and is trying to hold on to the thing. its chewing up the siding pretty good at this point. the expletives are flying like dirt. he finally gets it pointed away from the house and lets it go. it goes 15 yrds and runs into the garden fence before falling over screaming like a banshee. he kills by pulling the plug wire (more hopping and yelling). i try not to have that "told you so" look on my face. further inspection reveals tire burns on my dads shins and a frayed throttle cable.
it took me two months to blow that motor. i was winding it out in our pasture when the rod let go and i was introduced to the term catastrophic engine failure. no, billy didnt ride it. the frame sat around the farm forever and the engine was last seen going into surgery. some 4H kids trying to learn about small engines. good times for sure.
next scene 2 months later.............its xmas morning and im looking around the tree for my loot. ive got some cool stuff but nothing compared to what my sisters raked in. im chillin trying not to look disappointed. my pop says take out the trash (wrapping paper) and i do. as i open the backdoor, there it is. the BLUEBEAST!!! i freak out like any good kid. i sit on it and pop had cleaned it up pretty good. i knew santa had picked it up from my friends house but i didnt care. i was thinking of my death ride that i didnt tell my parents about. my pop is enjoying my excitement and says take it for a ride. im still flashbacking to the ravine and he kinda gets irritated when i tell him something is wrong with the bike. he says no theres not, ive ridden it. i still wont get on it. keep in mind that the minibike is in a corner of the house and pointed at the house. just for added scenery, pops is standing in nothing but his robe and slippers which i guess isnt that unusual for xmas morning. he then proceeds to throw a leg over it and gives the rope a yank. it barks off. of course he is tall and is more or less standing over the thing. he wacks the throttle and BOOM the thing takes off. these beasts also boast a rear sprocket the size of the back tire. its going WFO and is literally climbing the house. pop is standing behind it in his kung fu looking robe and is trying to hold on to the thing. its chewing up the siding pretty good at this point. the expletives are flying like dirt. he finally gets it pointed away from the house and lets it go. it goes 15 yrds and runs into the garden fence before falling over screaming like a banshee. he kills by pulling the plug wire (more hopping and yelling). i try not to have that "told you so" look on my face. further inspection reveals tire burns on my dads shins and a frayed throttle cable.
it took me two months to blow that motor. i was winding it out in our pasture when the rod let go and i was introduced to the term catastrophic engine failure. no, billy didnt ride it. the frame sat around the farm forever and the engine was last seen going into surgery. some 4H kids trying to learn about small engines. good times for sure.
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