I met Bruce when he was Parts Manager at a Hyundai dealer. He introduced
me to Milton, who introduced me to Fred. Who all rode, and who all had
different backgrounds, with one common trait, all worked for Datsun in the
1970’s, before they went Nissan. Each rode differently when I met them, Bruce
had a FXR-SP, that he rode to Canada with me, only problem a clamp holding on
the muffler vibrated and cracked. He later bought a BMW...trying to be a
Yuppie. Milton rode a V-Max, an animal of a bike, and with his new wife rode
one weekend through California with us, until the seat threatened their
marriage, and they broke off in Coulterville. But it was Fred who would turn
out to be the character among characters. He was riding an old Gold Wing, that
had seen better days, with a coffee cup glued to the tank, like the ones so
popular back in the 1980’s. The one that should have been glued to the dash of
his Yugo. His project bike was building a Mazda rotary engined bike from the
frame up, he had the engine in the frame last time I saw it. He was a technical
man, and at the time was National Service Manager for Yugo. If you have to ask,
then all the therapy must be working. Which put him on the road most of the
time, as they were junk, based on a cross between a Fiat and something Russian,
and made somewhere behind what was once the Iron Curtain. He was instantly
likable, if you kept your distance, and was known for tapping you on the
shoulder when he rode past wanting to talk, at 70 mph. Which can be a bit
scary, suddenly a hand reaching out to you....but that was Fred. He did things
his way...but somehow got the job done.
My favorite Fred story comes courtesy of Milt, who worked with him back in
the Datsun days. It seems a certain model was having driveshaft problems, they
would cause the car to vibrate at a certain speed due to not being balanced.
Some had a slight bend, some warped, some you couldn’t see, others so much for
Japanese quality. And easy fix for the tech, easy money for the dealership, and
without the owner knowing it, fixing a problem he may not have known he had, or
even had. Fred was the Service Rep. in So Cal for Datsun, and had see too many
fraudulent drive shafts, and finally had it with one dealer who was known for
abusing the program. When he was taken to the storage area where all the
driveshafts were stored for inspection, awaiting warranty OK, it was evident
something wasn’t right. So He proceeded to grab shaft after shaft and swing it
like a baseball bat, slamming them against a steel pole. The sound could be
heard through out the dealership. BANG! BANG! No doubt about their defects
now...they were definitely bent...and the dealer got the message. But so did
Fred’s boss, who promptly fired Fred for what he did, after the dealer called.
He exempted the dealer, blamed Fred, it seemed all the dealers did it, and it
wasn’t Fred’s place to do anything about it. Responsibility with no authority
had led to his demise. And then along came Yugo.....
In my mind’s eye I can see Fred swinging those drive shafts, cussing out
the dealer, and sending a message loud and clear. He hated dishonesty, but
eventually became a victim of it himself. No one ever listened to his side of
the story. Proverbs tells us that “a story seems true until we hear the other
side of it.” It takes not only a fair judge, but open communication to solve
problems. Solomon used it when confronted by two women each claiming a child to
be their own. Simple, cut the baby in half and share it. Only the true mother
would give it up to save its life. Case closed. Yet we are all quick to judge,
to go into a defensive posture when we feel threatened. Who do those who make
decisions that effect our life answer to? Scripture makes it clear, Christ is
the head of the church, then we are head of our families. A right priority, as
we are the church with God having the headship over us. Including the church.
We have been given the ability to go right to Jesus, without a priest of church
to interfere. We can be governed by the spirit if we listen to and for it, and
obey. Sometimes in line with church doctrine, sometimes at odds. Sadly too
many confuse the church for God, and avoid God altogether. Following teachings,
pastors, denominational rhetoric, or trendy social moods. We are not immune
from it. So we need to be in constant contact with God. Listening to his
spirit, and if it doesn’t sound right, asking questions. We want to make the
right choice, but the right thing doesn’t always make sense. So how was Jesus
so smart and never sin?
First he was all God, and all man. The God part knew all, the man part
needed his Father. So he was in constant contact with him, a relationship, and
only did what his Father told him to do. He led by following, and many times
when the Pharisees tried to trip him up, exercised extreme wisdom. Wisdom we
can have if we stay in contact with him. Constantly. Simple enough, just hang
out with Jesus like Psalm 1 says. Knowing him you know what to do, he will
handle the details. He knows when warranty claims are false, and also doctrine
when we don’t. Go to him, and seek his answer, testing the spirit to see if it
is of God. Then obey trusting him. Jesus is not only the answer, but the right
answer every time. So, who do you turn to? Do you know Jesus? Do you trust
him? Or just say you do?
Fred was right, but was wrong at the same time. It cost him his job, but
his life went on. His legacy still told among Datsun/Nissan dealers. So think
of Fred when you catch someone cheating or lying. Handle it how Jesus would,
with authority and taking responsibility for your own actions. Listen to both
sides of the story, and in all cases trust God. For all things work out for
good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. His
purpose, not mine or yours. Where your eyes go you will follow, so keep your
eyes on him. One last Fred update...
We were in a group of 5 riding through Malibu, and Fred was riding in the
rear. The rest of us stopped and pulled in to eat, he was busy elsewhere, and
at the last minute saw we had stopped. Slamming on his brakes at 80 mph, he
skidded the whole length of the business sideways, every head turning to see
what the noise was, then sliding sideways into the parking lot. As if it was
planned...but panicked. He wasn’t paying attention....are you? Missed by that
much....is still missing. Don’t miss Jesus.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com