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 Here on
page 251 of the Sears 1969 Christmas Wish Book is something I wanted in the worst way
as a kid, but my parents could not afford to buy me - a mini-bike. Literally every other
boy in my neighborhood who wanted on had ones. As with my second-hand bicycle, I would
have settled for any mini-bike. Understandably, the other kids' parents warned
them not to let anyone else ride their mini-bikes because they were expensive commodities
in the day. The woods behind our house were wiled with that wonderful 2-cycle lawnmower
engine sound all afternoon after school and on weekends, but alas, I was not to join
in on the reindeer games.
Occasionally, someone would give me a ride on the back of his. Once, a guy promised
to let me ride his mini-bike if I helped him deliver papers for a week. I did so, and
after a week we went out to a field where I was to get to ride. He said he was going
to take a short ride and then come back to get me. I sat there for about an hour before
realizing I'd been shafted. If he hadn't been a lot bigger than me, I'd have knocked
the crap out of him.
Use the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics'
inflation calculator
to see what items cost in today's dollars. That $189.95, 2-speed mini-bike would cost
$1,139.82 in 2011 money.
Posted February 20, 2011
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