World Domination From a Hot-Pink Banana Seat: Christmas in 1985
My last column for 2008 will run in tomorrow’s Oregonian, but if you don’t get the paper you can check it out online. In it, I begin my quest for world domination, inspired by a bike-accessory I received for Christmas. (It was the motorcylce noismaker that you mounted on the handlebars… did anyone else have one of those?)
Christmas 1985.
I tear into a shiny metallic package from Santa Claus to reveal a long-coveted toy: a motorcycle noise-maker for my bicycle.
I beg my father to install it immediately and then sit on my hot pink banana seat in the garage revving my new engine with a wild, reckless look in my 7-year-old eyes.
The harder you pull back on the toy throttle, the louder it roars. There on that bike, in the murky dampness of our garage, I realize that I am going to take over the world.
There’s only one problem — these blasted training wheels.
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I totally had one of those on my Schwinn! Banana seat too.
That was incredible.
So great…the kid crash is like a rite of passage for every young cyclist.
BTW, they still make the motorcycle grip…I just put one on my son’s training wheel bike this fall :)
Yes! I saw them on amazon! :)
You still had training wheels at the age of seven? I wouldn’t admit this in public. :-)
As you can see, I’m not too worried about it. :)
Great flash back! I do remember these as I was jealous that my little brother had gotten one and I was still using a close pin and an ace of spades!