General Lee Rides Again!

I took an old Schwinn to the local bicycle shop for restoration for a neighbor kid. While there, I saw something I've not seen in many years - A DK General Lee.

When I was a kid, DK's iconic General Lee was one of the BMX (bicycle moto-cross) bicycles to own. It was an iconic fixture in the BMX scene, there would often be a local rider at the park or trail with one, and it was always the envy of everybody else. 

The bicycle pays homage to the 1969 Dodge Charger from The Dukes of Hazard television series, generally painted in "Hemi Orange," feating an "01" on the seat, the words "General Lee" on the frame, and confederate battle flag bicycle pads.

DK bicycles added some other curious details; the pedals and chainring were iron crosses. Iron cross valve stems were also available. 
The General Lee From DK Bicycles
I asked the shopkeeper about the General, assuming it was in for service, hoping it might be for sale. I have not seen one in probably 20 years. The keeper told me he had just taken it in on trade and would like to get rid of it with haste. "Why?" I asked. "The controversy," he replied.
I suppose I was in an unusual bucolic sort of mood, having spent the afternoon riding a bicycle in the countryside, my mind far from the politically correct paradigm that infests every aspect of our lives. 
The controversy relating to the Confederate flag, General Robert E. Lee, among other confederate figures, the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, and Dylan Roof, he replied. 
Oh, That controversy. Back to America in 2022. 
He told me that DK bicycles had recently (June 05, 2020) officially canceled production and sales of the General Lee bicycles, releasing a statement on the matter. DK bicycles wrote;

A wake-up call is sounding in America.
We've heard it loud and clear.
BMX is a small space.
There's no room for racism. 
There is no perfect right thing to say.
But there's clearly a right thing to do.
Effective today DK is discontinuing all General Lee model bikes.
We won't stop listening and learning.
Thanks for sounding the alarm.

This statement from DK came after the owner of the General Lee car announced he will soon paint over the Confederate flag on the car's roof, which he announced via Twitter two weeks after the Charleston church shooting. 
The timeline of events is something like this;

June 17, 2015 - Charleston church shooting. 
July 02, 2015 - The owner of the General Lee Charger announces he will paint over the flag.
February 2017 - Charlottesville City Council votes to change the name of Lee Park to Emancipation Park, now known as Market Street Park (as of July 2018)
August 12, 2017 - Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, opposing the park's renaming and removing the Robert E. Lee statute. 
June 05, 2020 - DK Bicycles announces they are canceling the General Lee bicycle

Comments regarding the news were varied, as to be expected. Some cheered the cancellation. Others insisted the General Lee bicycles were merely a pop cultural symbol, too far removed from alleged racism to warrant this treatment. As for me, well, I'll leave that up to the reader to figure out. 
Facebook Comments
DK Website Comments
A piece of BMX history, my childhood, and now, oddly enough, a part of American history as it stands in a long line of excised artifacts unceremoniously removed by liberal iconoclasts. 

I asked how much for the bicycle.

"$150." General Lee sold for $530 most recently before its cancelation and cheaper than eBay or BMX forum members selling one. 

"I'll take it." 

I had new tubes, tires, brake pads, and chains installed. I found a "new old stock" set of original DK grips and a set of the Iron Cross pedals from a BMX forum. The bicycle now looks like it did when it was new after a thorough cleaning and the new parts. 

I've already put over 20 miles on the General Lee, riding around town at night after work, a good amount for a BMX bike. It has earned many compliments, some smiles, and the occasional sly thumbs up as I cruise along the avenues while the sun fades behind the trees.