Jimmy, the Sleeping Motorcycle Passenger

**1966 Yahama Big Bear Scrambler**

In the spring of 1967, I bought a new 1966 Yamaha 250cc Big Bear Scrambler. In those days you could work a few months, save your pennies and pay cash. Since the new 1967 bikes were already in the store, I paid $550 out the door. We, Jimmy and me, worked in a piano factory for $2.50 an hour.

There was plenty of overtime that winter, thousands of factories dotted the Chicago area landscape. Nearly every one had unfilled job openings. Unemployment was unheard of.

So Jimmy and me had it made, we partied hard. Like other young males, we sometimes came in to punch the clock without any sleep. We'd drop off whatever girls we were with and go straight to work. Jimmy liked to get home before the sun came up and get at least two hours shuteye before the next day began.

When we drove, I'd always end up running the home leg while he slept.

But sometimes we'd ride the Yamaha, which really wasn't built to carry a passenger safely. Banana seat, no hand grabs or sissy bar.

Jimmy didn't care though, when he was tired he just wrapped his arms around me and went to sleep.

"You're gonna fall off, don't sleep back there."

"Yeah....zzzzz."

So one summer night after midnight we were crossing a dark section of Illinois blacktop with corn maybe 4 feet tall across each ditch. Grass was wet with dew, and few cars were out. In those days, things got real quiet after midnight and on Sunday.

Maxed out at 72 mph, we met two cars running nose to tail. At the last minute, the second car pulls out to pass, confronting us head on. Most likely a drunk.

But there wasn't time to discuss it, and I couldn't flash him the bird and lean the bike into the ditch at the same time, so we took the ditch. At full speed: Sleeping Beauty, the little Yamaha, and me.

Now I had been a passenger in a '56 Buick that hit the ditch and did fine for about 100 yards until it encountered a farm culvert. I knew we weren't staying in that rut long.

So I wobbled a little and climbed right back out on the road without braking. We were airborne for a split second and fishtailed a little on the blacktop. Throttle back on 100%.

Coming down on the blacktop woke my passenger. Unbelievably, he was still on the seat.

"What the Hell was that?"

"Go back to sleep, you missed the greatest thrill of your life."

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