What's Your BMX Story?
There was a time when the coolest thing a kid could own wasn’t a gadget, but a bicycle. And not just any bicycle. In the late 70s, the ultimate status symbol was the Raleigh Chopper. With its long banana seat, high-rise handlebars, and gear shift that looked like it belonged in a fighter jet, it made you feel like a stuntman even if you were just going to the kedai runcit.
Mine was second hand. It was blue. And I loved it.
But then came 1982… and everything changed.
The movie 'E.T.' landed. And suddenly, we all wanted a BMX.
Not just any BMX — it had to be a Kuwahara. The same one Elliott rode across the moonlit sky, with the alien in the basket and John Williams playing in the background.
In my school, one lucky boy had it. A real Kuwahara. Every recess, his bicycle would be parked like a celebrity — and the rest of us would just stand there, pretending not to care, but seething with envy. It was beautiful. And untouchable.
Then one day, my own dream came true.
My late father went all the way to Woodlands, Singapore, bought one, and didn’t stop there. He paid someone to cycle it across the Causeway and deliver it straight to our home in JB.
Okay, so it wasn’t a Kuwahara — probably a Mongoose. But it was gold in colour and looked absolutely glorious.
I loved it like only a 10-year-old could love a bicycle and rode it at every opportunity. Took a few hard tumbles too — and I’ve still got a couple of scars on my knees to prove it.
So, what's your BMX story?
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