The seventy one year old man set down his coffee cup and opened the garage door. He was greeted by the bright desert sun which filled the garage with light. A warm smile appeared on his face as he looked down on her. The object of his affection was a motorcycle, but she was no ordinary bike. She was a 1950 Vincent Black Shadow.
The man had found her while in the Army, stationed in West Germany in 1960. It was love at 1st sight and he called home to beg his dad for a loan to get it shipped home to Nevada. His father agreed and when the man got home in 1961 the bike was waiting for him still packed away in its shipping crate.
Although her paint had slightly dulled over the years, the little chrome she had shone and she ran like the day she was born.
"A super bike before there was such a term," the man mused, "capable of 125 mph in a time when most bikes could barely achieve 80 mph."
The Black Shadow featured a 998 CC engine, a sprung rear sub-frame, and extensive use of aluminium alloy. Her Overall weight was a relatively light 458 lbs. While other contemporary motorcycles tended to be polished and chromed, the "Black Shadow" was unusual in being predominantly black.
The black enamel crankcase was effective both for marketing and heat dissipation. Fewer than 1,700 Vincent Black Shadows were made and all hand-assembled.
The man straddled the bike and gave her a kick and she roared to life. His well-tuned ear listened for any irregularities and found none. As the black beast purred, his mind drifted back to his youth.
It was the summer of 1964.
He was known as Vinnie and was a member of an Outlaw biker club.
Vinnie heard the rumble of three bikes slowing down in front of the truck repair garage where he worked and had an apartment on the top floor.
He took one last look in the mirror to check his club vest. He wore blue jeans, engineer boots, black T shirt and blue denim jacket and on top his club vest: "The Rattlers MC." His hair was a sandy brown slicked back with a dab of pomade and he had a well-trimmed goatee.
"Vinnie, You handsome devil, while were young!" Snoopy the resident club funny guy yelled as Vinnie bound down the stairs and joined him in the yard.
Snoopy was not alone. Chester and Iron-butt sat on their idling bikes waiting for him.
Vinnie sat astride his beloved Black Shadow, gave his bike a kick start and followed the three Rattlers out to the street.
They owned the road as they rode.
A few miles down the way, they saw the rest of the club members at the Texaco station near the highway.
It was late Friday afternoon and the Rattlers were milling about. Some were topping off their tanks and others were just joking around anxious to hit the road with their biking brothers.
A short time later, all were set. The club president, Ike Wilson, gave the signal and the club roared off onto the highway. Their destination was the Oasis Hideaway a roadhouse/gas station/motel about 30 miles down the road, out in the middle of the desert.
As the club rode out, the line of bikes began to stretch out in an impressive convoy.
Out front, the swift British café racer bikes, Triumphs, Matchless's and Vinnie's Black Shadow vied for the lead. The newer Harleys and Beezers (BSAs) did their best to keep up, and the older Harleys and Indians brought up the rear.
The Oasis was considered "neutral territory" and a favorite meeting spot for biker clubs and cross country truckers. The food was decent and the bar had live entertainment on weekends.
The proprietor was a tough old SOB who went by the name Tonopah Pete.
Pete was a B-29 pilot during WW2, then finished his service out of the secretive Tonopah test range and air base that was nearby.
The Oasis was a rough and tough place but it was generally understood by the patrons that all "disagreements" were settled outside.
If a fight broke out in the bar, Pete would quickly restore order with a baseball bat he called "The Babe" that he kept handy behind the bar. He had enough respect from his patrons to know better than to mess with him and his bar.
As the club rode down the highway, Vinnie mulled over his current status in the club. Patched in last winter, he was well liked by the other club members but had yet to make his mark.
His club vest was relatively free of embroidered patches. The Rattlers went by the "bought and earned" patch system.
Vinnie had the "1% percent" patch which meant Outlaw biker, the "number 13" patch which meant the 13th letter in the alphabet - M for marijuana and he had a "RIP" patch to honor "Bowser," a club brother who had been killed when hit by a truck that spring.
Other brother's vests were adorned with earned patches like:
the "MOM" patch stood for "Man of Mayhem" earned for a notable fight and
the "Ace of Spades" patch was earned for taking care of a club vendetta.
Snoopy had told him not to fret about it, he had "Club spirit" and to their club "Prez" Ike, that was the most important thing.
As the club rode closer, a reshuffling of the bikes took place. Ike was not a stickler of biker club protocol, but when the club arrived at a destination he liked to take the lead. With Ike leading the way now they filed in to the parking lot and parked their bikes in a long angled row.
An hour later, Vinnie sat at a table with his brothers.
Snoopy who wore a vintage leather fighter pilot helmet and goggles when riding;
Cy short for Cyclops who had lost an eye in a job related accident and
Iron-butt who earned his name by riding 1500 miles one time only stopping for gas.
At the next table, the manic brother known as "Auctioneer" for his "Benzedrine fueled mile-a-minute" way of talking, was babbling about the Beatles the British band that was taking the country by storm.
Snoopy rolled his eyes listening, and then slammed the table.
"Vinnie, your turn. Decorate the mahogany," meaning "buy a round of beers."
Vinnie went to the bar and returned with the beers when suddenly the song "Leader of the pack" by the girl group the "Shangri-La's" began to play on the juke box.
Snoopy jumped to his feet and using the beer as his microphone began to mouth the words as he serenaded Ike much to the delight of the club who cheered him on and the entire club joined in on the refrain yelling, "THE LEADER OF THE PACK! VROOM VROOM VROOM."
The song over, Snoopy took a bow to loud applauds and laughter and sat back down.
A brother came in from outside and said something to Ike who turned his head and stared at the door. A moment later a large biker dressed head to toe in black leather walked in, followed by 7 or 8 similarly dressed bikers.
It took Vinnie a moment, then it dawned. He realized they were all women!
In an instant the bar got quiet.
"Oh fuck, its Big Ruby." Snoopy said quietly.
Ruby stood at least 6 feet tall, weighed 200 pounds, her jet black hair was slicked back and she had a large stogie cigar in her mouth. She slowly looked around with an evil grin. Spotting Ike, she walked up to his table.
"Well well well, if it isn't Ike and his Rattlers. Hope you and your boys don't mind a little company tonight." Ruby said with a fearless laugh.
"Not at all Ruby, as long as you and your girls play nice." Ike said kicking a chair in her direction.
"Pete! Open a tab for my girls and bring me my Bourbon and leave the bottle." Ruby said as she sat down on the offered seat.
And with that, things got back to semi normal.
The brothers, sitting and standing at the bar, made room for the female bikers and the women who had rode out with the Rattlers quickly found their boyfriends and stood close to them.
Vinnie watched from his table. He saw immediately the new arrivals were a club, but had never heard of them.
With questioning eyes he looked at Snoopy for an explanation.
