Ahh, the infamous PK… The ‘ol Ripperino… the dream for every child in the early ’80’s.
One thing I did know well and that was that not everyone had the kind of cash it took for a PK. Especially if you were just riding it around the neighborhood. Growing up in Sioux City, IA (SUX) I had neighbor kids that raced BMX. There were four kids and they had race trophies lining just about every square inch of the family room. Two boys and two girls and a father that would rather buy the bikes than spend the time with the kids. It is at their house that I saw many firsts. But as far as BMX goes, it was also the first PK. Black over Gold with black Tuffs. WOW! I had never seen anything like it. There was no way to express the lack of understanding at age 8. I just thought it was pretty damn cool and everyone wanted to ride it. I didn’t bother to ask. I couldn’t have even if there was a remote chance he would have let me. The seat was too high and the bars were too far forward for my scrawny little body. I recall David not having his PK for long before it went the same way as many and broke. Sadly, I would bet it just ended in a dumpster. A couple of bikes later, he became the owner of a Pro Star. That was another WOW and another story.
Since that day the PK made such an impression on me, I periodically thought about how neat I thought they were, even yet today. I guess it is those stories of our childhood that allows for our hobby of collecting “old” BMX to exist and take such great pride in attempting to explain to a non-follower just what it is that you collect.
Please enjoy these few pictures of the PK Ripper that I was finally able to own, just a mere 25 years later.
