What inspired you to buy it, and when?

Me: It was 1982. I'd been laid off from a job, and took off on a solo tour to clear my head. (Best two weeks I ever spent!) I had not much idea of anything bicycle-related. One evening I was setting up camp at a state park when two Canadian bicycle tourists pulled up and we chatted for a while. Those two guys put me to shame in every way I could imagine, beginning with their precise diction, and including but not ending with their cycling gear.

Anyway, their safety gear seemed like a very good idea that (unlike their diction) would be easy for me to emulate. The next day, I rolled into a bike shop in a nearby town, begged them to take an out-of-town check (no credit card, and this was before ATMs were widespread), and rode away with my first puddin'-bowl Bell helmet and a pair of gloves.