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How
does a guy get to the point that he feels like he needs a
web site
to
tell his story? Or
that he even HAS a story?
Read
on. |
Born in the late fifties, in Hollywood California, Pat
"Patman" Hall, was the son of a young waitress from
Florida, and a Breakfast Cook from Tinsel town. As a baby, I was
taken to see folks like Roy Rogers, & that Hollywood
bunch...though I don't recall any dirt bikes in their garages.
A couple of years later, growing up in the Sunshine state, and
spending much time on the beaches of Daytona, it seemed that the
interest in Motorcycles, and Racing in general, was inescapable.
Along with Surfing, Loud Music, and Girls in Bikinis...( duh ! )
Many days, nay years, of the young Patman's life were pissed away
on the beach, surfing, playin' Frisbee, & watching the
beautiful babes cruise by on their rented Honda Trail
Seventies...life was good.
Some of the Patman's early years were also spent here in The Great
State of Texas, where my first cycle was purchased with the
proceeds of a summer job working at the apartments my mother
managed. A Suzuki 90. Eight speed.
I
learned to ride some motocross here in Texas, & later in
Memphis, after the apartment management company moved my family
there. A Suzuki 125..TS, if I recall. Stripped
down, & painted yellow to match Roger's.
Back in Daytona again, a more serious scooter was purchased...A
Hodaka Super Rat 100, with lots, & lots of mods. So,
more motocross, a few Hare Scrambles, and lots more bikes of
various types, from the Screamin' Yamaha 100 MX, &
Puch 175, to the Ossa Stiletto, and even a Penton 175, were all on
the Patman's platter in the early days. This, along with midnite
Poker Runs through the Florida swamps, mid-day wheelies through
the halls of the rival high school, and even the chance to run the
Alligator enduro, were all afforded me...Patman the hoodlum,
Patman the ruffian, Patman the nare-do-well.
I was in the Theater there in Daytona...instead
of school, for the very first showing of 'On Any Sunday', & I
still keep a copy of it close at hand, in case I get caught up in
politics, & crap, and forget what cycling is all about.
I read every issue of Dirt Bike magazine in those days and
tried to absorb as much info as it had to offer, and to this day,
Rick " Super Hunky " Sieman, is one of my all time
heroes ( Rick if you ever happen across this...you da man brother
).
I've ridden the open class for the most part ( mo Powa! ) the CR5,
the KX5, the ATK, and the KTM. Every one was a blast...in
fact, as far as I'm concerned, like they say about fishin',"
a bad day ridin' is better than a good day anywhere
else"....( 'cept for in the sack of course ! I
think you know what I mean. ) !
I've ridden in the north, & east, & of course in the
south, and even in Germany, & Belgium, so now, the western
desert race is the next thing on my list, though I'm quite
enamored with this Texas Cross Country Racing Association thing at
the moment.
It's
been a fifteen year moment, so far !
I've
served as an officer of the club, run this website to entertain
the members of the club, and have shot hundreds of rolls of film
and boxes of tape to capture the ...uh..."special"
moments that we as racers enjoy on the track!
I've done most all the work on my machines through the years, from
porting & fork revalves, to special little Patman mods that
remain secret. I like to think that there's no bike I can't fix,
as long as I got a rock & a blunt stick handy.
Though these days there are a few shops I trust to work on my
machine...in the interest of time saving...after all, I gotta work
for a livin' !!
And
yes, I do streetbikes as well, and for nearly as long. Since
it was easier to get a drivers license on a motorcycle than a car
in those days, I started street riding when I was sixteen. Since
then I've had this thing for high powered street bikes as well as
my great love for dirt bikes. I've owned several Suzuki
Katanas ( my first big street bike ) a few turbo bikes, big bore
sport bikes, and even a couple of vee-twins, to include my current
Ducati 900 SS.
It'll come as no surprise to you then, that by day, I'm
an Aerospace technician, for a local air ambulance outfit. I
have a heavy background in electronics, turbine engines, design,
& to some degree, a liking for these damned computers. I
like a clean machine that never breaks down, be it my aircraft, my
computer, or my YZM !
Anyway,
I love these damned scooters, and all you folks who ride 'em,
don't really know why, I just do.
A
guy told me once, that " if yer havin' a shitty day, just
laugh, & pull wheelies"... It's a good sayin'.
As
my pants are gettin' tighter all the time, I find myself usin' it
more & more!
What
else ? Well, let's see, for some years, now ( about 20 ), I've
enjoyed Martial Arts . I like a little Kung Fu before
breakfast, now & again, though it's not holding my interest as
much as it used to. My wife holds a black belt herself,
and my boy is starting to get involved as well.
Movies
? I love a good movie, Science Fiction, action...the usual guy
stuff, but a good movie is still a good movie...even if Arnold
doesn't rip someone's arms off.( Joe versus the Volcano, Patriot
Games, Medicine Man, The Matrix , Contact, and The Replacements, are some of my
favorites, oh yeah, don't forget Six days & Seven Nights
- Go Harrison ! ).
Mountain
Biking is something I took up a few years back to stay in shape
for the real races, but I found that it's a sport unto
itself, and I try to ride a couple of times a week now. It's great
fun, and it's quiet enough that you can visit with yer ridin'
buddies as you go. ( Kona is what I Ride)
Music, lots, & lots of Music. I like fooling with MP3s,
I Play some Electric Bass, & Enjoy a nice Audio / Video
System. And like I said earlier, I'm also into photography and video production.
In fact I'm making a video to show some 8-900 folks at this year's
year end award cerimony.
In
the old days, I liked bands like 'REO Speedwagon', &
'Fleetwood Mac', & 'Rush'. Now that I'm younger, I like 'No
Doubt' & more alternative music. And some acid Jazz on a quiet
Sunday mornin' while drinkin some coffee on the back patio is cool
as well.
Patman believes in Science, Treading Lightly on the Planet, The
Right To shoot anyone who invades my castle, Equal Rights,
Free Speech, & fun toys !
" Just do what ya know is right."
Patman
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