'The Lamonster Chronicles'

[BajaRon]

#1
As you probably know, I went to visit Lamont a few weeks ago. It was a great time of seeing an old friend, and I posted a short description here. https://spyderlovers.com/threads/a-day-with-lamont.165107/

I just returned late last night from a week at the Maggie Valley event with Value Accessories, Trick LED, and other vendors. We had a great time meeting and seeing familiar faces along with many that I have never met in person before. Several asked about Lamont and thanked me for posting here about our time together on that Friday in September.

As you can imagine, I’ve been thinking a lot about my good friend, the great times we’ve had together, and what I might be able to do for him. And I don’t find myself coming up with many options. So, I thought what I might do is try to describe the man that I wish all of you could know as well as I do. I’m calling it ‘The Lamonster Chronicles’, for lack of a better term. This being the first installment.

Talking to Lamont in our recent visit, I think we decided that we met in the early 80’s. Though dates escape me, I remember my first sighting of Lamont well. I was sitting in a pew at our church in San Diego when he walked in and sat just in front and to the left of me. He was all ‘Biker’ decked out. Leathers, boots, and his classic biker wallet. The long leather kind, a flap running the length of it, fastened with 2 snaps and a long chrome (or stainless steel) chain running from one corner and hooked to his belt. He may also have had his signature red bandana around his neck. That detail I am not sure of.

At the time, I thought he was as out of place there in our Baptist church as anyone could be. But then realized that seeking God has no limits or protocols. And since Jesus Christ places no restrictions on seeking Him, then who was I to judge. (John 7:24)

Little did I know, or could possibly comprehend, what the appearance of this man would mean to me, my wife, and my 2 sons. A person who I was later to learn was the man, Lamont Bryden.

He came that day of his own free will, looking for Jesus Christ to change his life, (which He did). Then the Lord used him to change mine.

 

[blacklightning]

Haven’t known him as long as you, but I can honestly say that the few times that I have met him, it was a joy. I learned of him back in 2006 with his M109 day. We kinda ran in the same circles, but I didn’t get to meet him in person until 2015. We happened just by chance to both be staying in the same hotel in Maggie Valley. I had a 2014 RT then. He was on his F3S with the Corbin bags. We talked and I told him how incompetent the Spyder dealership was near me and how they didn’t allow me a test drive. He laughed and said ,”here you go” and gave me the key to take out his F3S. He said, I know how we both liked the M109 and its power, so push this one and see how it compares. That’s just one example of this type of guy. BTW, we both currently have 5.0 Mustangs, although I think I made that move first.

 

[BajaRon]

#2
I can’t really say how Lamont and I ended up getting together. We are, in a lot of ways, complete opposites. Just my opinion, but taken objectively, I don’t think we would be two personalities that could be expected to build a lifelong friendship. Lamont is more of a down and dirty, get’er done kind of guy. And I’m over on the naive nerd end of the scale.

Lamont was welding for a large construction company near the harbor in San Diego. The first time I went to visit he was replacing the steel bed in a large dump truck. Later on, he decided that rather than continually patching up heavy equipment that kept breaking and wearing out, he convinced his boss to allow him to build the components from scratch, the way he thought they should have been done in the first place, so he didn’t have to keep repairing them.

Honestly, I think that is what brought us together. We both have a habit of looking for ways to make improvements with the skill set and interests we have. As different as we were, it turned out to be a once in a lifetime combination. I quickly gained a great deal of respect for Lamont’s fabrication abilities and his eye for what needed to be done. He never just ‘Fixed’ anything. He always made it better. Many times, a lot better.

He wasn’t afraid to think outside the box, or try something new. Definitely my kind of guy!

If I have my story right, he was riding a Harley Davidson Sportster at the time. I’d had street bikes in the past. A Kawasaki 350cc Avenger, a Kawasaki Mach III 500cc, and a Honda 750. I’d gotten away from street riding for a few years because the guys I rode with quit. But I also enjoyed off road and was riding a 390 Husqvarna dirt bike at the time.

Turned out Lamont also liked off road riding. He’d gotten out of it for similar reasons of me not replacing my 750 Honda. He decided to look for a bike so he could go riding in the desert with our off-road group. I think he’d tried some used bikes but didn’t find one he liked. A 390 Husqvarna, similar to mine, came up and he made arrangements with the owner to give it a try. He told me about it and was excited about the prospects.

The next time I saw him, which was shortly after because we got together several times a week, he was all torn up with a good dose of road rash. Turns out that the other bikes he’d been trying were not all that powerful. But when that 390 hit the powerband, he wasn’t prepared and he ground looped it.

According to him, he just left the bike where it laid, said ‘Sorry’, got in his truck the best he could, and went home to get doctored. It sounded pretty bad. And it looked worse!

That was the beginning and the end of our dirt bike history.