Remember R-R-R-Raw Power?

When I was a kid, we spent our summers outside. If we weren’t playing baseball, we were riding our bikes around the neighborhood. Almost every kid I knew would ride their bike and pretend it was a car or a motorcycle.

I was six years old and I remember seeing an add for this thing you put on your handlebars and when you twisted it, it made a motorcycle sound. I had to have it! I think I ended up getting it for my birthday. Here is the ad I saw:

I remember loving that thing! I rode around the block revving that thing the whole time. I was the only one in the neighborhood with one. As a matter of fact, there was a kid who lived down the street from us who was a HUGE trouble maker! Timmy. I’m not sure, but if there was any kid who should have wound up in jail, it was probably him. He was forever breaking windows, stealing things, and such. We fought all the time.

I bring him up because every time I would park my bike somewhere, he always had to go and rev that thing on my handlebars. I knew that eventually HE would be the one who would break it. He wouldn’t leave it alone! As a matter of fact, one day my parents had taken us out to dinner. We were pulling into our driveway, and on the side of the house was this kid walking my bike down our driveway. Fear entered his eyes when he saw us pull up. He immediately dropped the bike and ran home. The kid broke into our garage and was actually stealing my bike!!! All because of that motorcycle thingy.

Take a look at the above picture – the thing only cost like $7! I’m sure his folks could have bought one for him.

I don’t remember if my dad when down and talked to his folks or not, but there was no love lost between us. One time he ticked me off and I picked up a rock and threw it at him. I wound up hitting him on the forehead right between the eyes. That rock was like embedded in his forehead. I didn’t think I threw it that hard, but obviously I did.

It wasn’t a proud moment for me. I think he needed a couple stitches and I would up grounded for a week. All I could do was sit in my room and look out my bedroom window. It is the first punishment I remember serving.

I’m sure kids today would look at this toy and think it is super stupid. That’s ok. To me, it was something that furthered my imagination and turned my silly bike into a Harley!