The worst Event 2008

The worst event of the year was the passing of one of my dearest friends certainly my oldest friend. I met Ellwood James Smith in 1982's winter. He was a customer where I worked and he always wanted me to work on his bike. A CX500 from 1978. I kept it going for him until he bought his new 1983 GL650I. He rode and worked hard. Maybe too hard because late in 1984 he had contracted a disease know as Alopecia. pic This is the loss of the ability of the follicles to hold onto the hair. It gave him problems with riding because it even affects the eye lashes. He took a break from riding but not from me. I rode much more in those days but we managed to keep up with each other. He decided that he liked riding more than not, so we found a way to keep the dust out of his eyes and he was back. pic He bought a 1983 VF750F I had and began a long care, upkeep, continual restoration of that bike. We had many good times and many good rides. He was a quiet, hard working, honest man. You can not ask for a better friend than that. He will be missed by all who knew him. I think I will speak for all of his friends by saying "You never knew he was hardly there, until he is gone forever." Ride on my friend.