7. The Boyfriend

In 1982, we moved to Big Spring, Texas; near Abilene, where I grew up in the early 50’s. Judy hated it out here, but I loved being able to look out the window and see Texas any time I wanted to. While we lived here, we became involved with the Big Spring Road Riders, a mixed bag of riders if there ever was one.

All were hard working, decent people. Some were very rich from oil holdings while others just barely scraped by. There was a police chief, a CEO, oil field welders, nurses, and other assorted professionals and non-professionals. Some were even...organic.

All had in common a love of independence, a wild sense of adventure and, of course, the motorcycles. Some wore old faded Levis with rope belts and others wore fancy silk shirts and designer denims.

The boyfriend appeared sometime around our second year out there. He came by the house to ask me to look at his bike, a 1979 Honda Hawk 400. The Hawk suffered from leaky forks, bad valves, dirty carbs, an air filter that weighed nine pounds and spark plugs that were original equipment four years ago! It was a case of extreme neglect!

Somebody sent him my way because I worked on my own bike - a 1979 Kawasaki KZ1300. I worked on my own bike because none of the shops in Big Spring would touch it. Folks figured if I could keep this 6 cylinder, overweight, top heavy beast running, I could fix anything.

So here he came one Bender Upgood. (name stolen from Keith Wilson's wacky character in Rider magazine from years before.) The name seemed to fit for reasons that will become clear soon. And I'll call him The Boyfriend because he was struck dumb by the lovely and talented Miss Judy. Yep, ol' Judy's still got it! Bender could think of more reasons to park next to her and talk to her than any love struck cowboy I ever knew.

Well, I fixed up the Hawk as good as I could, even putting on a luggage rack so he could carry his carpenter tools off to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I charged him a reasonable fee and sent him on his way. I thought that was the last of him, but true love is a damn strong magnet!

Two weeks later he was back. He wanted to get a bigger bike and asked me about a Suzuki GS 1100. This is the big one; with the shaft drive.

Now Bender was a little guy - only about 5 feet 4 inches tall with real short little old legs. Even on the Hawk he tiptoed around running into our car on the driveway and falling down on a couple of occasions. Every stop was a semi-controlled lurch and fall. No part of this bike was unscratched or undented. At each stop he'd seek Judy out and park next to her. What damage would he do to her bike with a bigger, heavier machine?!

Judy was concerned that he would fall over into her new bike, a beautiful black 1983 Yamaha Venture. She did everything she could to discourage him yet he continued to follow her and he continued to fall over - although luckily not on her bike. Some of the other riders also began calling him Bender Upgood and today I can't remember his real name!

Bender provided a great source of amusement to the Big Spring Road Riders. Every trip required a group effort to help him pick up the big Suzy. We even put a "shiny side up" sticker on it. He fell over one time in a small ditch and all we could see were his little feet wavin' in the breeze!

One day we learned the law was after him for writing hot checks, income tax evasion and teaching certain cute little tricks to an underage female! Yes, he was quite the lady’s man! He disappeared for good shortly after the law came to town and started asking questions concerning his whereabouts.

Then the IRS people showed up.

Following that, the outraged father of the underaged teeny bopper appeared. He was willing to pay good cash money to lay hands on one Bender Upgood, that little crap weasel! "Just for a minute," the fellow said.

Now it was said that Bender did not make good decisions, but he certainly made fast ones. After learning of the sudden interest in him, he immediately changed his occupation from a carpenter to a blacksmith, making a bolt for the state line!

Although we never saw Bender again after that but, in our own ways, we all sorta missed him a lot more than we expected. I think even Judy liked him a little.

She always did seem to attract odd types!