Jack Powis

I have been riding motorcycles since 1972. Our family had moved to Louisville, Kentucky and a bunch of the kids in our neighborhood had dirt bikes. I wound up with a Honda 90 and used to love riding the trails.

I had a few beaters while I was going through school, but my first real bike was a Honda CB 750K. I got my first touring bike in 1988 when I found a 1978 Honda Goldwing 1000 sporting a Windjammer fairing and bags with only 5000 miles on it. In 1996, I rode that bike 1200 miles from Saint Louis, Missouri to Durango, Colorado. I currently ride a 2015 Harley Davidson ElectraGlide Ultra Ltd that I have ridden to both the east and west coasts.

We are Bill and Debbie Jeffries and we love to ride. This is our first Long Distance Riders Easy Rider certification. We ride long distance rides on a regular basis so, we thought we should get one certified. We even took our honeymoon on a Harley. It was a toad strangler rain on the first day of our honeymoon, but we kept on riding. Stopped now and then when it was raining so hard we couldn’t see. I’m sure people thought we were crazy, riding and smiling in pouring down rain.

We take our vacations on our motorcycles every year. We agree if we can’t go on a motorcycle, we don’t want to go there. Some destinations of interest – Moab, Utah a 10 day excursion; New Orleans, LA another 10 day ride, Tail of the Dragon, and Sturgis, SD. And this year’s vacation is a 2 week trip to Glacier National Park and Lolo pass. One of our favorite rides is northern Arkansas. We make a yearly pilgrimage there each fall. The mountain roads there are quite the challenge. Mount Nebo, Pig Trail, Mount Judea, to name a few. After we rode the Tail of the Dragon, we both agreed, we had ridden much more challenging roads in Northern Arkansas.

When we aren’t on a long distance ride, we ride day rides and weekends. It’s a passion, not a pastime.

King of the Road Challenge, 2415 kilometers in 36 hours

I have been riding motorcycles for almost 40 years now. Started at 13 years old on a 50cc Garelli at my family’s farm. Riding just trail and big trails until 1995 when I bought a VMax and changed my style to street and travels. Never stop riding them, but had my phases from every day to once a week rides. My current bikes: Yamaha VMax 1995, Harley Deluxe 2013 and Harley Ultra Limited 2021.

I have completed some long-distance challenges before and really enjoyed how much I learn about my body, limits and the machine while accomplishing those rides. I really enjoy spending that much time riding and fulfilling some planned route. Then I learned about the LDR website and loved the proposal, the logo, and the beautiful people sharing their experiences. After that I decided to be the first Brazilian in the group, and here I am!

My challenge started at Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil, went through São Paulo, Minas Gerais, back to São Paulo and finished in the São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro border. It included: 3 states, 53 cities, 2516 Kms, 29:30 hours and 79 gas gallons at last September 18/19 2021.

I’m planning to do a new challenge next year, probably in the first quarter. On June 22 will also make an expedition starting in Seattle-WA through Canada and Alaska, Prudhoe Bay and back. Can’t wait to accomplish another long distance ride!

Greetings everyone,
Adriano

805kms in 12hours, Easy Rider challenge with a Ninja ZX-10R in Tamil Nadu, India 06 September 2021

Hi, I’m Gokul Pradeep P, 32, from Tamil Nadu, India. My love for motorcycles started at a very young age. Always fascinated at riding on two wheels. The young boy’s love for motorcycles came true at 21 when I got my first motorcycle, a TVS Apache RTR 180.

Then in 2014 I bought my Ninja 300. Learned a lot about riding with my 300. Did a lot of memorable tours and rides with my 300. As time flew by, the young boy became a man and the man finally realised his dream. Got my hands on a 2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.

My brother who completed the Easy Rider challenge in 2019 on his KTM RC 390 asked me to try this challenge. Initially, I thought of doing it with my Ninja 300. Later, I went on and browsed through Long Distance Rider’s members list and found that just 3 ZX-10Rs have done this challenge. So I thought, why not do this challenge on my ZX-10R.

So everything came to fruition on 06.09.2021. I planned to start the ride a bit early, but I was able to start around 8.45 AM only. Started at Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. I planned to complete the ride in 8 hours. The climate was very good, but there was a lot of construction work going on the highway which hampered my ride.

Finally I touched the 800kms mark in 9 hours. Since I had a lot of time left, I took some rest and finally completed the ride at 838kms in almost 10hours.

It was a great experience for me and opened the door for trying endurance rides. Looking forward to completing the Full Throttle ride. I have also shared my experience in my youtube channel – Dashcam Dasher.

My foray into any long-distance riding began the day I registered for the Scooter Cannonball Run 2020 in early 2019. However, due to Covid-19, like many other events, this event was rescheduled to 2021 with a route change necessitated by the Canadian border being closed. This caused the route to expand to 4500 miles over 10 days.

To participate in this event, a scooter must meet 3 of 5 requirements: unit construction of engine, transmission and rear swing arm, wheels no larger than 10 inches, originally equipped with a step through style frame originally equipped with running boards or leg shield and a single engine design. My scooter was a 2006 Vespa GTS250 which met 4 out of 5 requirements as the wheels were 12 inches.

The Long Distance Rider’s qualifying ride was on Day 7 and was 527 miles of which 75 were dirt and gravel and elevation changes from approximately 3,000 ft at start, rising to over 10,000 ft and then finishing about 7,000 ft. The start was at Hot Springs, SD and traveled through parts of Wyoming and Colorado finishing for the day in Rock Springs, WY.

It was a memorable day of riding with amazing scenery and riding a scooter really allowed for one to soak up the beauty and vastness of this country.

I started riding on the street when I was 14 years old, I’m 45 now. I took a few years off after kids came along, but in 2019 I was able to buy a 2001 Heritage Softail that belonged to a guy that was near and dear to me. He “adopted” me as his own. The bike was concord purple & diamond ice. He named it GRIMIS. He lost his battle with cancer in 2007 and the family sold GRIMIS. I was not able to afford it then, but was able to buy if when it was for sale in 2019.

Fast forward to 2020. I wrecked on Arkansas Hwy 7 and totaled out GRIMIS. Three weeks later I bought a 2014 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited with 9350 miles on it that I named BIG PIG. That’s when the fun began.

I have a riding buddy that really likes to put down the miles. We have been on a trip to the Natchez Trace Parkway in its entirety and back home that ended up being 5 states in 4 days 1390 miles. We rode Arkansas Hwy 7 in its entirety and back home that ended up being right at 900 miles round trip. We rode all that was open of the Blue Ridge Parkway and through the Smokies that was 8 states, 8 days and just over 2500 miles. That was the most I’ve been on two wheels in one trip. Started that trip off with 592 miles before we stopped for the night. I also rode the Talimena Drive round trip that was right at 600 miles total. I’ve put 15,000 miles in 14 months on The Ultra with many more to come.

At this time, shipping both inside and outside the United States has become very difficult. We are suggesting a more cost-effective alternative.

Long Distance Riders will be happy to certify your ride by sending your certificate electronically. This special $20 package includes:

1. Certificate of Achievement (suitable for framing).
2. Your name and achievement listed on our Long Distance Rider’s Web Page.
3. Your name and achievement listed on our Long Distance Rider’s Facebook page.

The cost for this service is just $20 instead of the full package price of $35 (not including shipping). Once our postal service is running more smoothly, you’ll be welcome to apply for additional items via mail.

Note: Long Distance Riders is still accepting orders for the full package if that is what you prefer. However, please note that we cannot guarantee a timely delivery.

After your ride is completed, please send your documentation to jackp210@aol.com, and let us know if you’d like the $20 special package.

This is an unfortunate circumstance for businesses in the U.S. and abroad. We hope to ease the burden on our members by offering an easier, more cost-effective solution.

Member of Road Toads, UAE MC

Road Captain – BIKER BUDDIES Leap Legends Group Endurance Ride 2500km in 30 hours, UAE (28th-29th Feb, 2020)

When I first heard about Motorcycle Endurance rides, I was unsure if it was something I would like to attempt and could not get my head around the concept of riding such a long distance, with minimal rest, racing against time, it was not exactly my idea of a weekend ride.

I have been fascinated with bikes ever since I was a kid. However, it was only after I bought my first Harley and joined a group of like-minded friends who shared the same love for motor bikes, I realized it had turned from a hobby into a passion. Over years the appetite for riding has only grown & now long bike rides are more like meditation, wheels on an open road clears my mind leaving it relaxed and focused at the same time. Nothing brings me more at peace than a good ride into the mountain routes with the wind breathing through the helmet.

After several years & Kms of Motorcycle rides locally & internationally, through different weather conditions and terrains, I wanted to do something different. While riding is my passion, organizing and planning is something I really enjoy. These ideas brought together an opportunity for me, not only to plan but to attempt an endurance ride as a personal goal, that I decided to do for myself, to feel a sense of accomplishment and for the ultimate morale boost.

I thought Endurance Rides will help riders gain more confidence on their riding capabilities and stay motivated to keep their passion alive. I completed my first endurance ride in 2017 with a short 805 Kms to test waters, with 8 members of our MC joining the ride. Next we attempted the 2415 Kms in 2019 and again in 2020. The numbers kept growing with the February 2020 riders being one of the largest group in the region, with 18 riders from 3 different MC’s participating in the BIKER BUDDIES Long Distance Riders Endurance Ride as one big tribe, always riding together from start to finish.

With a large group of riders; coordination and refueling at gas stops with set break time was a tough task. Moreover, with 18 different bikes performing at different mileages based on their tank capacities especially when riding at high speeds, increased the number of refueling pit stops at every 200Kms. It was this challenge of planning and routing for a group this size that made it even more exciting with our eyes set on multiple LDR Endurance ride milestones of 805Kms / 12 hours, 1610Kms / 24 hours& 2415Kms/ 36 hours all in one attempt. Though all riders participating had years of riding experience, quite a few of them were attempting the endurance ride for the first time and had to be made aware of what to expect and how to prepare.

The ride plans were well laid out and all riders were in sync, with the weather gods almost in our favor. The actual riding and distance were not much of a task, however as we went past the 20 hours mark, fatigue started setting-in and cold was not the only thing we were fighting, but sleep causing loss of focus and concentration. Five out of the 18 riders took an informed call to stop at the 1610Kms mark for safety reasons well within 22 hours, while the remaining 13 riders went on to successfully complete the final milestone of over 2500 km in 30 hours.

Having done the endurance ride a few times earlier, I was confident about completing it, however a thought crossed my mind a few times through the ride – “What’s in it for me now?”, but having seen the joy on the faces of my fellow riders upon completion and being instrumental in guiding them to this success was a priceless and undoubtedly the best feeling. It took away my fatigue and going forward will always be my motivation to do these rides over and over again. I am sure hitting this milestone has taken the morale of all the riders to the next level and they are more confident about their capability to endure long rides.

Finally, this ride has been a mark of biker brotherhood where riders from different walks of life, putting aside their difference shave come together for the one passion they share, their love for motorcycles.

Thanks to Mr. Vivek Mehta, President of BIKER BUDDIES, for having sparked interest in more riders across the region and I appreciate his support and guidance for being a part of this special leap year endurance ride. I hope together we can make this an annual affair for interested riders in the region.

For any rider considering endurance rides, hope this write up gives a picture of what to expect and helps you make your choice. However, an advice from experience, understand your capabilities and learn to assess the situation to make an informed decision, keeping safety as a top priority.

‘Ride Hard, Ride Safe’.

Endurance rider (from right)Brian Pereira, Sanjesh Mascarenhas, Christopher Bazil Lazar, Girish Narayanan, Inam Abul, Shuja Jashanmal, Sujay Kumar, Ani Chacko, Chirag Rami, Shanker Govindan, Moiz Soyab, Jameel Usman, Ajith Jacob John, Jeevesh Cheethaparambil, Ayub Aga, Nissan Sasidharan, Sabir Aboobackar& Vivek Mehta – The Leap Legends – Biker Brotherhood Endurance Ride – 28th – 29th February 2020.