(The following is an excert of some of our ride journals)
Bitchy and the “47…
After 15 years, the 1947 knucklehead was restored… Actually I had been apprehensive for over a year about learning to ride it… Foot clutch, tank shift, distributor advance, drum brakes, etc… It was a rush the first time I rode it…
One day I started it up, Bitchy started her shovelhead and we rode to an outdoor bike show in Bonner Springs, Ks. People at the gate wanted to know if I wanted to show the Knuckle. It was easily the oldest bike there…Nah! Were just out for a ride!... After we left, we rode home, the knucklehead was just sitting there in neutral while I pulled out my shovelhead… I turned around, and Bitchy was sitting on the seat looking over the controls… trying to imagine riding it… I walked over and asked her if she wanted to take it around the block…
"Really??!!!..."
OK, push the foot clutch in, put the tank shifter in gear, let the clutch out just a little, and push it back in just to see how it feels"…
Well…She dropped the clutch, as it took off, she was sliding back on the seat which caused her to twist the throttle more… Bad to worse… Going faster made her swing wide coming out of our back yard… She hit the neighbor’s bush which launched her and the knuckle airborne… She nose dived it into the neighbor’s front yard!!! I came running around the corner and saw both on their sides in the front lawn… I was torn between which to help first!!! There was a guy knocking on the neighbor’s door, he helped Bitchy while I picked up the Knuckle… I never did catch his name, but he said as a kid he always dreamed about girls “flying thru the air”. Bitchy was bruised and a little cut on her leg… Mostly a injured ego. The knuckle had a original light broken and a bent crash bar…OK!!... “Engine protector” to be politically correct… but the knuckle was PISSED!!! Antiques can be temperamental, but the “Mistress” wouldn’t start for over a year!
Bitchy has yet to try riding her again…
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