So it's not my fault that the tape recorder randomly edited out about half of my interview with Ty, a Twinline intern since October. At least, I think he said he started in October. The recorder edited out that part.
"Does it pick up 'mumble' all right?" Ty asked, eyeing said device.
"Yes," I said, "but only if I set it much closer to you than to my loud mouth."
Ty started at Twinline only a couple of months after he learned how to ride, which makes him a newbier newby at motorcycle mechanics than I am. (He did have an idea or two about why my bike has started surging and jerking, though. I think I'm gonna try a new air filter, spark plugs, and an oil change.)
"Riding is something I always wanted to do," Ty said. "I just never got around to it. My girlfriend got both of us riding lessons for my birthday, and that led to us buying a bike."
Okay, so he's a new rider. I knew what that meant for me: dumping the bike . . . a couple of times.
"I haven't dumped it," Ty said. "I guess the first time I do it is the last time."
I laughed.
Already, Ty plans to make motorcycles his career. It gets into your blood fast, it does.
"I just want to be around bikes," he said. "I haven't done much, but I want to do more. I like the creative aspect."
He started work at the Eastside Harley-Davidson the day I interviewed him.
"The first day there went good," he said, "but it was a little nerve-wracking. Those guys do things way different than they do here. The guys here just give me shit--call me 'HD Boy' and tell me to have fun pushing the big bikes around. They're great for learning."
"What would you get if you could have any bike?" I asked.
"If I had a garage and the money, I'd have a number of different bikes. There are aspects of different bikes that I like."
"Like what?"
The tape recorder deemed the answer unsuitable for publication.
