Rosy’s Harley Story
I grew up on stories of motorcycles. Both sides of the family lived on adventure, open air and two wheels. On my mother’s side, two brothers who raced the circuits in England and worked to afford parts, gas and fees. Uncle John’s favourite motorcycle was a BSA Gold Star - he felt like he owned the track! On my father’s side, Harleys, Nortons, Triumphs - the epitome of leather jacket cool. It wasn’t about riding in an oil painting, with the landscape smeared by speed, but enjoying the open road. My dad’s favourite: a 1944 Panhead .
I would sit enthralled by stories for both sides: heart racing hearing about hairpin turns and high speed corners or dreamy eyed about long road trips on curvy, tree-lined highways. When we were kids, my mother would drop my brother and I off at the Good Times Center in Ottawa and we would sit on everything, try everything on - it was our Saturday daycare while she did the groceries.
It took me from 6 years old to 11 to get up the nerve to tell him that I was not in love with speed bikes as he was: Harleys had stolen my heart. He hung his head, my 12 year old brother, and said: Where did I go wrong in raising you? Whether in fields or on backroads, I would ride behind my brother anywhere he would take me. He was the one who taught me to ride, even though he was only a year older.
In highschool, I promised myself that by the 100 year anniversary, 2003, I would own my own Harley and I would ride in Daytona at the big biker party. I had no money, but I had that dream.
While I was paying off my student loans, I was somehow tuned in enough to know that if all I did was pay debt and did not and to my dreams, I would fall off that wagon hard. Thanks, Psych 101! So not every penny I earned beyond my living expenses went to Scotiabank. The biggest dream I had was to own a Harley before the 100 year anniversary. So I opened a savings account at TD in 2000 - not the same bank as my regular banking: this was my Harley Account. The guy at the bank knew what I was saving for. He saw me when I was mad, he saw me when I was frustrated - instead of emotional shopping, I went to the bank and deposited money into my dream; instead of celebratory shopping, I deposited money into my dream - let your emotions lead you to your dream!
One day, I showed up with a pay cheque: two weeks of full time work. He asked what Todd (my then boyfriend, now husband) had done and if I needed an alibi! I revealed that I had just turned down a 3 month extension on a government contract because I no longer wanted to work the 3-11 shift after I worked my day shift somewhere else and still had my weekend job to go; if I was willing to give up the contract, it followed that I did not need the paycheque. There wasn’t going to be one in 2 weeks, so into the bank it went.
Fast forward November 2002 - I bought a Harley on eBay for $8,000 in time for the 2003 anniversary. And we celebrated! My best friend threw me a baby shower. :) And I continued to pay my student loan. AND I committed to the couples dream – our own home - that my boyfriend had been trying to engage me in, and the savings started up again. He had been focusing on that account, while I had eyes only for my Harley. Priorities, right? ;)
First family photo
I loved my little red Harley. It was part of me and I rode every chance I got. I did not ride in groups, preferring solo tours or just one or two friends. But that little red bike wasn’t my dream bike - it was my Mr. Right Now, if you will, of my dream. In 2009, I started looking for my dream bike. I put my bike up for sale and got an offer of $4500 from someone who would love and cherish my bike. Many test drives and online searches led us to a small town in Quebec on Valentine’s Day 2010 to pick up the most incredible, perfect, Mr. Right bike: a 2009 Nighttrain for $15,000.
A few months later, I won $10,000 from a Knights of Columbus ticket sold to me by my Uncle. As this was my only debt, I paid off the loan on my bike. This picture was used for many years when Uncle Lorne and his friends sold tickets.
Me ad Uncle Lorne
Since that day, life has changed a bit. We welcomed our beautiful baby boy into our lives, I have had a number of car accidents causing whiplash, reducing my ability to shoulder checks. In 2022, I am hoping to solve some of those problems and get back to riding frequently, and introducing my son to the joys of the road.
Baby’s first photo shoot
Putting in the battery on dad’s bike