Saturday, October 1, 2016

~ Fred's Harley ~



"Man does not weave this web of life.  He is merely a strand of it.  Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself" ~ Chief  Seattle


The Harley-Davidson in Scott's driveway


The statute of limitations will help me now tell this story, but I was a bit nervous as the details unfolded.  

It began innocently enough when my neighbor Scott asked, “Bob, could you do me a favor.”  “Sure” was my immediate reply.

It seems that he needed me to ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle parked in his driveway over to a friend’s house in Three Rivers.  “You can take it for a nice ride too if you want,” Scott added.  

It has been a long time since I rode a Harley, so I jumped at the chance.  The bike fired up nicely, sleek, and looked like fun.

Then the details began to unfold and now I’m thinking what did I get myself into.  Scott said that it would be a great story for my blog, but at the time I wasn’t so sure.

The Harley was light and quick ~ Sequoia National Park in the distance

These are the details Scott presented: 

“Fred (a friend and local contractor) was offered a great deal on a very low mileage, 2012 Harley.  Fred bought the bike before asking his wife, so in the interest of marital bliss, I offered to store the bike at my house until he found the right time to tell her.”  

Ok, now this sounds like a hot potato I whisper myself.

Scott continues.  “The bike was originally going to be a "Christmas present" from one of Fred's clients, but he broke his ankle in a construction accident and the time didn't seem right...

A New Year's plan was overruled in favor of visiting friends so Fred started planning his next attempt to get his wife interested in getting a Harley...

The plan was to show up with the bike on Valentine's day and take his wife for a ride through the Sierras but she had other plans and vetoed his bike trip idea...

Four months later he had still not found the right time. The bike sits covered with a tarp in my driveway ~ but hey, that's what friends are for.   So, with a little help from his friends, Fred hatched a new, and hopefully more successful plan.”

The infamous note
Scott continues to explain that the plan was to take his wife boating on a nearby lake. Meanwhile, we would drive the bike over to Fred's house and leave it in the driveway with the attached note from his friend Dave who he bought the bike from originally.


Fred and his wife stopped by River View on the way home and ran into Dave, who mentioned that he had left a birthday present at Dave's house.  When Fred and his wife arrived home they found the motorcycle. Fred's wife insisted that Fred call Dave and thank him but just before Dave answered, she ask Fred to put it on speaker.  

Evidently, Dave did a masterful job of maintaining the ruse and today Fred can finally park his hog outside his house.

I don’t know Fred or his wife, and this plan seems like it could back fire on me delivering his motorcycle to their house under these conditions.  

But I did it.  

The bike ride was awesome and this Harley handled well.

The bike was delivered, and to the best of my knowledge, the Harley has a new loving home.




Fred's Harley is delivered