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My first bike was a 1986 KX80. I think the year I got it was probably 1992. I had worked all summer saving up my money washing cars, mowing lawns, shoveling driveways, whatever I could do around the neighborhood. By the time Christmas rolled around I was only about $150 short of buying my dream machine, this 1986 KX80. It was a whopping $600. Of course I begged Santa and my parents for the last little bit of money for Christmas, hoping for a miracle of some kind!
As Christmas morning approached, I was sure as shit I was getting the bike! I was so pumped, I could hardly wait! When morning arrived I ran out the x-mass tree and saw a crapload of presents but no damn bike. WTF – yep I cussed back then too. I open lame-ass gift after lame-ass gift - my parents were holding out one last box. They finally let me open it. It was a bottle of Kawasaki motor oil. WTF - they told me it had been a really tough year and they hoped the next year to be able to buy me a motorcycle, and in the meantime they told me to keep working and maybe I would have enough of my own money to buy one. I have heard of child abuse before, but until that moment I did not know what it meant. What a bunch of BS! I was pissed, then they had the balls to ask me to go to the garage and get some trash bags to clean up the mess! I was dam near crying at that point, but as I opened the door to the garage, there she was: the green machine, all beat up and barely able to start! But I had gotten my bike.
So with my savings, I was able to buy all my riding gear and I was off! And 15 years later, I’ve traveled the world, owned my own professional race team (before it was cool), raced for some of the biggest professional teams in the world, had some of the first outside industry sponsors, threw a hundred bitchin’ parties, made a great living, and met and became friends with the greatest people on earth! Not to mention retired from supercross with eight straight people’s championships!
Thank you to my parents and the sport!
Side note: I did not get to enjoy that bike very long, as my dad sold it after a month for a profit! Four months and six bikes later I had a new bike - for free, courtesy of the profits we made from those six bikes. People wonder where I get my hustle from - I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Thanks, Dad!
