Larry and Jerry…

So today was the big day….it’s the day Larry and Jerry (the twins) were to take delivery of their matching P-51 motorcycles.  I had been thinking about this day for a month…ever since TK told me he not only sold two bikes at the same time, but he sold them to identical twins.  I knew the photo ops would be fantastic and I was excited.

When I arrived at the plant I didn’t see the two bikes parked out front.   Hmmm, that’s odd, I thought.  If the guys were taking delivery today, those bikes should be parked in front of our new showroom.  I walked into the plant…

“Oh, hey, Joe, how’s it going?” Steve asked.

“Where are the twins’ bikes?” I answered.  I had only one thing on my mind.

“Oh,” said Steve, sounding disappointed.  “You didn’t get the email I sent to you?”

Uh oh, I thought.  This was not sounding good.

“They were already here,” Steve said.  “You missed them.”

I couldn’t believe it.   I was shocked.   Steve let those bikes get out of the plant without me getting photos for the blog.   I was dumbfounded.

Then I saw it.  That grin he gets when he knows he’s gotten to you.

“Good one, Boss,”  I said.   “You got me.”

“Take a look at this letter TK received from the twins,” Steve said.

I did.  It’s the one you see in the blog entry below.   Just as I was finishing up the blog about that letter, literally, I looked out the front window and I saw a couple getting out of a pickup truck.  They looked to be about the right age.  Wowee, it was starting!

I went outside.   “Are you one of the twins?” I asked.

“I am,” said Larry.  Or maybe it was Jerry.  I couldn’t tell them apart once Jerry arrived, which was just a minute or two later.

Folks, I could talk (and write) about this morning all week long…but hey, just take a look at these awesome photos of Larry and Jerry…

Larry and Jerry were awesome, as were their wives Ruth Ann and Thelma.  Their story is well told in the letter they had sent to TK (included in the blog entry below), so there’s not too much I can add to it.   It was just awesome being a part of this and being there to capture it with my camera.

Steve went over all the details on the bikes with Larry and Jerry, and I caught a photo of that, too.  Larry touched the starter on his P-51, and it fired instantly.  Jerry touched his starter and that bike also caught instantly.  I kicked myself for not bringing my video camera.  It was an impressive scene.

“Could we run the bikes around your parking lot?” asked Larry (or maybe it was Jerry…these guys are literally identical twins).

“You bet,” said Steve.

After Larry and Jerry parked their bikes Steve told them a bit more about the P-51’s handling characteristics, maintenance, and other attributes.   The photo ops were just incredible.   How often do you get to see things like this?

After the ride, Steve and Lupe helped Larry and Jerry load their new P-51 motorcycles in their pickup trucks.  The twins kept up a running banter that was fun to listen to.   You can imagine…they’ve been doing this for 70 years!   “I got 22.4 miles per gallon in my pickup on the drive down here,” said one.  “I got 23 in mine,” said the other, not missing a beat.  It was fun being in the presence of such great guys.

If you’ve read the blog below (Larry and Jerry’s letter to TK), you’ll understand the license plate frame in this photo…

Dreams do come true, folks.   I know.  I saw it firsthand this morning!

Steve, thanks for a great morning (even though you nearly made my heart stop with that line about having missed all of this!).   Lupe and the rest of the folks in the factory, thanks for a super job in crafting these two motorcycle masterpieces.   TK, thanks for making a great sale.  And Larry and Jerry, thanks for being CSC riders!

What a story!   I think this was the most fun morning I’ve had in a long time!

Ride safe, my friends…