Zoom! Zoom!

Back in the late seventies, my hubby bought a new motorcycle. He had owned several, but this one was special. It was the epitome of motorcycles at the time. It was fast. It had this neat new fairing. It was this sweet silvery-blue color. It looked innocent, but it was hiding its true self.

It was a Kawasaki Z1-R


I don't know if you know anything about motorcycles, but this thing could move!!

We were living in Colorado at the time and it was really fun to take the beast out for rides through the beauty that is Colorado in the spring. But then came winter. Our Fiat developed an illness and needed some part that couldn't be delivered until the snow was gone. Green Grasshopper (the Fiat -- don't you name your cars?) was buried under the snow. Poor Grasshopper, just a mound in the snow. 

So the beast was our mode of transportation all that winter. What was a fun ride looking at flowers and trees became an ordeal to get to work. We lived in Avon, seven miles from Vail, and we both worked in Vail..... as night auditors, working from 11 pm to 7 am so as to be ski bums during the day.  And let me tell you, it's COLD on the back of a motorcycle driving through the mountains for seven miles every night.  I can't imagine what it was like to be the driver!! We wore a couple pairs of socks, long underwear, T-shirt, long sleeve pullover, sweaters, ski jackets, jeans. Hat under the helmet. Ski gloves. Boots. Man, it was freezing!!

Poor Grasshopper didn't make it though the winter. When spring came the poor thing just wouldn't start anymore, ever. So hubby bought an old Ford truck for $25.00 (honestly!). It was awful. So back to the beast until we bought another car. Green. But a Buick.

We both had Z1-R T-shirts -- we were so cute with the motorcycle on the back! 

This shirt was mine. He wore his until it wore out, but I didn't wear mine as much so it lasted the test of time. It got stored away for years until one day my daughter discovered it. So she has been wearing it and wearing it out! 

See the holes in the motorcycle just under the seat? She doesn't care. 

But it sure does bring back memories when she wears it! 

Outasight!

So, in remembrance of The Beast, my Z word for AlphabeThursday is Zoom Zoom for the lovely Kawasaki Z1-R!!  Zip on over to Jenny's for some more Z's.

♥♥

p.s. (motorcycle photo from ebay - my pics are in some box somewhere.....)