Month: July 2015

Air Force Veteran 25 years Fighter Pilot – F-4 Phantoms & F15C Eagles Current occupation: Pilot flying international routes for UPS airlines

I began riding in 1972 on a Yamaha 350 street bike. After an extensive time period without motorcycles while overseas in the Air Force (13 of my 25 year career) we now ride an HD Ultra Classic Electra Glide. Dianne and I bought it new in 2008 from Adamec HD in Jacksonville, FL. Riding the backcountry canopy roads of South Georgia and North Florida is a great stress reliever after coming home from my 10-12 day flight schedules. I’m blessed to live where I can ride year round.

I have three Bad to the Bone LDR designations, all Easy Rider 500/12 awards: The first was a solo ride from Tallahassee to Louisville, KY to go work. Louisville is my home base for UPS. The second was accompanying our younger son on his 2008 Street Bob from his home in Palmdale, CA to Napa Valley. Once there, we all had a great weekend in the wine country! My third award was for another solo run, this time from Tallahassee to Roanoke Rapids, NC on my way to visit our oldest son and his family in Hartford, CT.

I also rode to Washington D.C. for the Ride to the Wall over Memorial Day weekend 2010, although, it wasn’t an LDR ride. I have ridden to both Sturgis and Daytona for their rallies, as well as all over Colorado. There is absolutely nothing better than the Harley “potato-potato” sound echoing through the Rockies!

My next LDR goal is the King of the Road award, 1500 miles in 36 hours. That seems easier than the Full Throttle 1000/24 ride since you have time to get a serious rest stop of about eight hours in the middle of the 36 hour time limit. Also on my “bucket list” are the Born to be Wild coast-to-coast award and a non LDR group ride to Alaska. I fly to Anchorage, AK once or twice a month for UPS and I see how beautiful the ALCAN is from the air. It’s time to see it up close on two wheels.

Perhaps my 39-year history of flying airplanes instilled in me the value of good, proper planning. As a result, I enjoy the planning phase of long distance riding almost as much as the ride itself. Investigating routes and stop points, and alternative options, goes a long way to building confidence that the ride will go safely as planned. I’ve also learned you need two things to successfully achieve long distances on a motorcycle, comfort and understanding. By that I mean a comfortable bike and an understanding spouse.

I am a member of National H.O.G., Tallahassee H.O.G., and the American Motorcycle Association, in addition to LDR. If you see us out on the road, stop and say hello. We’ll be on the air force blue Electra Glide with a Florida plate “3LOVES,” which stands for, strangely enough, my 3 loves: 1) Dianne and our family, 2) the F-15 Eagle, and 3) the HD Ultra Classic that we ride. I encourage you to Live Free, Ride Free!

Type of Bike: Kawasaki ZX9R

Occupation: Self Employed – Refrigeration

Favorite Ride: Not really sure which ride is the best, I just like riding and things change with the mood from day to day. It does not really matter as long as it’s a ride 🙂 Recently did a ride of about 8000 kilos which took me to 24 points around south Africa, it was really interesting and got to meet some and see a lot of people and things one would never see in the usual way of life.

Future Rides: 2012 I want to do the full throttle ride, hopefully early in the year

Interesting Facts: I have a thing about bikes and the ZX9 Ninja, I have started a project to build a ZX9 ninja street fighter now and hopefully I will get to do a long distance ride with it, the road and long distance is the ultimate in life for me and I just wonder what people do with them selves if they do not have bikes to ride, strange I guess – www.ericchill.blogspot.com is a bit more

People say I have a sickness… I pretty much enjoy everything that has to do with motorcycling. I am a member of a AMA chapter motorcycle club called the Iron-Knights. And their overall membership is based on long distance rides. I also find and repair vintage motorcycles. Wrenching on them is something I like to do, but going for a long trip is therapeutic. My mile eater is a 2000 ZX-6R which was once upon a time setup for supersport riding but know has a few sport tourer attributes. Such as bar risers, gel seat pad, custom gps mount, stock gearing with steel sprockets, Vaio touring windscreen, cruise control, throttle rocker and power adaptors. I think this summerizes my addiction. So as I alway say: “Ride On Ride Hard.”

Type of Bike: 2000 ZX-6R
Occupation: A@P Mechanic, Lead Mechanic at Montgomery Aviation, Inc.
Favorite Ride: Last summer went and did the Tail of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway and Blue Ridge Parkway. Miles and Miles of Curves!
Future Rides: Would like to do a North/South Coast to Coast (Mexico to Canada Border.)
Interesting Facts: This Coast to Coast was practically on three cylinders.

It all started as I was going thru Atlanta, GA heading for Jacksonville, FL that I ran out of gas at 158 miles. Which I usually get 180 miles before reserve. And that the bike was running sluggish. At a steady throttle setting the bike would lag then run and so on for miles. Assuming bad gas, or pinholes in vacuum slides, or just that it was 113 degrees I new something was up. I said to myself once I’m in Jacksonville I would take apart the carbs to see if I could repair the vacuum slides and change spark plugs. But once I found a hotel close to the beach I did not work on the bike since it was a super nice clean hotel. But starting out the bike was running fine but the gas mileage was not where it was supposed to be. So right before I crossed into Texas I bought a gallon fuel can and strapped it to my luggage. I think I used it only twice when I pushed a little further. I had planned on eight or nine stops but ended up doing fifteen fuel stops. Made it too San Diego, CA in 43 hours and 48 minutes. But on my way home in New Mexico the bike had no power at all. So I changed spark plugs (used) at a truck stop parking lot. Still no power. I was trying to make it too Albuquerque, NM but only made it too Grants, NM. I found a auto parts store and bought brand new spark plugs. I noticed that #1 plug was not being used like it was not firing. So I assumed it was a coil. I checked the vacuum slides by pushing them in and listening for air, everything seemed good. So I found a motel to start calling dealerships, no coil to be found. Plus it was after closing for most places. I camped out in Grants, NM for two more days waiting on a coil to arrive thru mail order. Expedited means 3-5 working days, after the third my girlfriend and I tried other resources. Still nothing except she wanted me to get a part number off the coil. Not looking forward to take apart my bike again I went too work. I tried my vacuum slides again and was not gentle with them this time. Rattle, rattle… I heard something loose inside the slide. I took the carb top off and noticed loose parts and nothing holding the needle down. The needle holder and spring were just bouncing around inside the slide and nothing holding the needle down. So I put it back together and took off on a test drive. Hooray it was fixed, and could have been fixed earlier if I troubleshot better. So journey continues with a kinked chain even though I was lubing the chain every stop. Gas mileage was back to normal and everything was running good just having the worn chain in back of my head worried me. After nine days on the road 5,408 miles later I made it home. Wanting to do it again with the much improved gas mileage. Just to see what my time would have been then. Maybe some other time.

Dwight built his first bike starting in ’64 as he was being discharged from the Marine Corps, a ‘55 Panhead Chopper. Riding over 40 years, supervised the building of a touring Harley without a front fairing in ‘91. Shown in the H-D Ride in Show in Sturgis that year then Daytona. H-D introduced the Road King in ’94. Dwight worked on the first MotorClothes show in Sturgis for Karen Davidson, was a model in the Harley catalog and guest of the Davidson family for a ZZ Top Sturgis concert that year (‘91) In ’03 showed his latest, an ‘Ultra King’, a Road King with everything from the Ultra Classic except the front fairing. Showed at the H-D Ride in Show, Sturgis that year. Though Dwight has talked with the execs of H-D, they have yet to introduce this model. In honor of Harley-Davidson’s 100th, Dwight took the year to criss-cross the US, including, the Lincoln Hwy, Route 66, Santa Fe Trail, Lewis & Clark Trail and rallies like Daytona, Laconia, Laughlin, Sturgis, Milwaukee, over 20,000 miles.

Best known in the hair industry, as instrumental in building some of the largest professional hair care companies, creating hair trends and headlining major industry hair shows worldwide.

Member: LDR – Lifetime HOG – Patriot Guard – Marine Riders – ABATE – Confederation of Clubs

Way too many years ago, several of my middle-school friends started riding motorcycles. More truthfully, they were riding scooters, mopeds and a few of the old dual-purpose Honda CT Scramblers. It did not take long for the bug to bite and I talked my dad into buying me a used Honda CB 100. It was a street bike, but it saw more than its share of off-road action! I took the front fender off just to make it look “cool”. A few years later my little brother wound up with a 185 Suzuki dirt bike and man did we have a blast! In our part of rural central Texas, there were plenty of gravel roads, lake shores and dirt fields to explore. We made our own jumps and pretended to be great motocross riders. We also managed to bog those poor little bikes to their axles more than a few times in either deep sand or mud.

As I grew older, bikes came and went. I spent most of my 20’s on a Suzuki 650 street bike. To me, the best sounding bike has always been the old Honda CB 750 Four (sorry Harley). The most awesome crotch rocket I’ve ever seen was the old Kawasaki KZ 1000. It sounded mean and it would really move! I never owned one, but I always wished I had.

Time moves on and I eventually graduated to the big Harleys. I ride a Softail Deluxe these days. As the wife and I are “empty nesters” now, we have more time to explore and enjoy the backroads and we attend a few bike rallies each year. We enjoy the mountains and we’ve ridden the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado and toured most of the mountains of New Mexico. Not long ago I stumbled across an article about long distance riding (Thanks, Sean Kester) and thought I might give it a try. The first one, the 500 mile Easy Rider, was….easy. A few weeks later, the 1000 mile Full Throttle was…hell! When I got home around midnight, I was stumbling, mumbling, and swore I’d never try to do 1000 miles in 24 hours again in my life. A few weeks later…yes, I managed to capture the King of the Road, 1500 miles in 36 hours. Truth be told, it was actually easier than the 1000 mile ride because of what I’d learned along the way.

Now I have my sights set on the coast-to-coast Born to be Wild ride. Maybe fall, maybe spring, but I’ll get there. Motorcycling has never ceased to amaze me, to thrill me, or to provide me with a sense of pride, accomplishment, satisfaction, and freedom. And while times have changed and the world seems to be standing on end these days, I know that motorcycling adds something special to my life and it makes it easy for me to drift back the those carefree days on that old “Honda ‘Hunderd”. Good riding to all.

Randy

Ps; Don’t let the 1000 mile Full Throttle scare you. It’s really not all that bad. It just takes a lot of planning and about 18 hours in the saddle!

I’ve been riding the crazy streets since the mid ’80’s, but only got super serious about the lifestyle in the last 5 years. In February of this year, I bought my dream machine and I’ve averaged better than 1500 miles per month with Wolfie II.

Type of Bike: Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra, in the fastest color – vivid black.

Occupation: Director, Supply Chain Management, for a 1000 bed hospital in Dallas, TX. I’m the guy who makes sure the nurses and docs have everything they need to help people heal, while constrained by budgets. I work so I can ride!

Favorite Ride: April 2011, my bro Ron “Scrapes” Clanton and I ran out west (over 3000 miles). That trip is where I certified the 1000 and 1500 mile rides. Within that ride, we picked up our wives in Vegas and rode up to Zion, UT for a few days of absolutely beautiful riding.

That was my favorite, but I love riding anywhere, anytime, for any reason. I commute on my bike, and take short and long trips regularly. A lot of fun is had running to various rallies and benefit rides. Any time I get to have the Harley running strong and the wind in my face makes for a better day.

My 500 mile intro into this sport was in October ’10. On that journey I rode a Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster – a Hugger no less! – from LA, CA back to Texas. That was a fun, solo journey and it set my addiction to do more of these challenging rides.

Future Rides: Ron and I are planning our C2C in 48 for the Spring of ‘12, but I’m really looking forward to making a 500 mile/12 hour run this September with my youngest son and my little bike buddy, Ryan.

Interesting Facts: I’m completely blind and ride using an advanced, military grade, sonar system located in the shark nose fairing. Just kidding, but wouldn’t that be cool!

Now the true part: When I bought my first street bike (’84 Honda V30 Magna) in Phoenix, AZ, I somehow bypassed my stupid teenage brain and signed up for riding lessons. Being young and cash poor, I found a very reasonably priced individual who provided private, one-on-one, lessons. I took lessons from a lady older than the grandparents I was living with, and she had a funny English accent. She knew her stuff, and to this day I recall the lessons and points she made. She told me a tiny bit about her adventures, but I was too young and dumb to really appreciate her. I took riding lessons from Theresa Wallach.

I began riding dirt bikes at the age 12 on an RM125. My father had a hard and fast rule: I was not allowed to ride a street bike until I turned 18. A month shy of my 18th birthday I bought myself a street bike, a KZ550LTD, much to my father’s disapproval. On the verge of being kicked out, I was able to smooth things over enough to get through the next month. I kept my room and the bike, but I was not allowed to ride it. The month-long wait to ride was excruciating (even though I managed to sneak in a few rides without his knowledge!). I have been riding ever since and have never looked back.

I currently live in Arizona and own a 2006 Honda VTX1300C. I began doing LDR’s in the summer of 2009. One of my most memorable moments occurred while on an LDR from Tempe (AZ) to Boise (ID). My route from Lake Powell (AZ) to Kanab (southern UT) was a crystal clear night that proved to be very cold. By 1 a.m. I was extremely tired. As I turned west, the full moon setting over the horizon filled my entire vision. There was no roof, no door jamb, or no rear view mirror to obstruct my view. For the next hour, the chill of the night air with its subtle but definite temperature changes enveloped me as the terrain rolled past. The solitary sound of my engine was accompanied by the fragrant aromas of juniper, cedar and sagebrush mixed with the occasional stench of decaying roadside remains. I was the only one around for miles, and I felt as if the road were truly mine. I hope that my love affair with two wheels and the open road never fades.

Next summer I would like to ride in Colorado. I want to take a week and cross the Continental Divide as many times as possible.

Type of Bike: 1997 Honda NTV650V

Favorite Ride: LDR 1610km Helsinki (Finland) to Nordkapp (Norway)

I have been on 2 wheels since the age of 16, as soon as I was able to obtain a provisional licence in the UK. My first machine was a Honda SS50, small in power, but definitely big on impact, as it started something that has been part of my life ever since. It pre dated the restrictions that were eventually put on mopeds, so would do a massive 45mph. 48mph down hill. I progressed to a Honda 250 Super Dream (Hawk in the U.S ?), when I was 17 and passed my test 2nd time round, after `approaching junctions too fast` on the first. Next bike in line was a Suzuki GS550, my only deviation away from the Honda brand. A lovely bike on which I completed my first UK End To End, (Lands End to John `o Groats), in 1980. I thought this ride would be a good way to run the bike in and the journey was completed within a month of purchase. I think I was starting to find myself being drawn to riding long distances. The Suzi was sold in 1985 and after a short break without a bike, for reasons I can’t remember, I purchased another Honda, this time a CB900F, a bike I had spent much time admiring in various showrooms, when it was one of Honda`s flagship machines. I contented myself with relatively `normal` recreational riding for some years and apart from a few visits to Northern Europe, these rides tended to be in the UK, although I was still being drawn to rides that promised a bit of adventure. In the mid nineties, I bought a bike that was to become my mainstay. Another Honda, this time an NTV650. I am now on my second, the first being sold after completing 132,000 very reliable miles. My current bike, will pass the 100,000 mile barrier this Summer. Many riders probably find a bike or brand they love and this is definitely mine. In 2001 I took the Advanced Test, with the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Although 23 years had passed since my initial test , I felt it wouldn’t do any harm to accept the challenge of taking another, more structured one, particularly as the one that existed in the 1970`s was observed by an examiner on foot! Having done it, I felt I had made up for the lack of formal training that existed when I started riding and even after riding for so long, I still found that I got a lot out of it. In 2002, I had the opportunity to join a group of riders who planned to circumnavigate the globe. This resulted in a 95 day, 32000 mile ride, through 15 countries, including Mexico, North America, Canada and up into Alaska. The route also took us through Australia, South East Asia and India. It was during this ride that I came to know about the long distance riding community. Since returning from that adventure I have completed 17 Iron Butt rides and the LDR designations outlined above. I would love to return to America and attempt the LDR coast to coast. Another aspiration would be to ride the Trans Siberian Highway.

Type of Bike: 2008 Harley Davidson FLHT (Eltra Glide Standard)

Occupation: Sr. Mechanical Designer UTC Carrier

Favorite Ride: A trip that included Sturgis, Bear Tooth Pass, Yellowstone Park, this trip also included Deals Gap (The Dragon) on the way home.

My long distance riding didn’t really get started until the fall of 2005. You see I’ve been riding on the street for about 40 years and for one reason or another just never got around to it. But after a terrible motorcycle accident in the fall of 2004 and 9 months of physical therapy I said to myself no more excuses. Since the fall of 2005 I’ve qualified for numerous rides for both the long distance riders and the Iron Butt Association. It’s been the best time of my life. I’ve traveled through every state in the lower 48 except North Dakota, and all but 3 Canadian Provinces. Along the way I managed to get too all 4 corners of the US and to places I probably would have never visited in a car and to do it on a motorcycle really made it special. Places like Yellowstone Park were we saw Old Faithful, rode on Bear Tooth Pass, Route 66, The Grand Canyon, and Sturgis. I rode the Blue Ridge for about 400 miles and a quick run on the Dragon (Deals Gap). These are just a few of the places and roads I have traveled to and with a little luck I hope many more are on the horizon.

Future Rides: In the future I hope to visit Alaska and those last 3 Canadian Provinces along with another trip to California.

Interesting Facts: Interesting Fact: I’ve been awarded 10 patents while working for Carrier over the past 19 years. I am life member of HOG, a member of Syracuse HOG for 10 years, a member of the Iron Butt Association and a member of the Long Distance Riders