2007 Harley-Davidson XL 883 Sportster

I'll never forget my first time on a Sportster. It was in Gulfport, Mississippi, the summer of '89. A 6-foot 1-inch tall redhead named "Mama Cass" who I worked with at a beachfront restaurant facing the Gulf of Mexico asked me if I wanted to go to the All Harley Memorial Day Blowout with her. On her bike no less. Which is good because I didn't have one at the time. My riding experience included learning to ride on my friend Paul's 1984 Honda Ascot 500 and a few spins on a Rebel. I was stoked at the chance to mount her Sportster. To me, I was moving up into the big leagues.

I met Mama Cass at her house that afternoon so we could ride over to the Gulfport Dragway. She had an 883 that had been bored-out to a little over 900cc with a chopped-out front end and custom bars. She gave the root-beer-brown bike a few kicks in her garage but it only flooded out and filled the space with gas fumes.