My first real bike was a Honda CL-100 in 1969. Before that I had begged my share of “turns” on the neighborhood “mini bike” powered by a side mount Briggs & Stratton with a centrifugal clutch. The Honda offered me trail access as well as the opportunity to ride gloriously up and down my half mile street. I quickly grew envious of an older boy’s Yamaha 250 Enduro and that gave way to a Honda CB-350 within a year, but it was used and barely ran.
High School came and went and in those days, the draft was still in place and so after graduation, off I went into the USMC. In the desert of California, I invested in a ratted out 1959 HD Panhead on a rigid frame and immersed myself in what was becoming a lifelong pursuit. An impending marriage followed quickly by the planning of a new arrival forced a premature sale and an immediate re-evaluation of my priorities. A stint in Tech school in Indiana saw me on a 1965 HD FLH. It was big and heavy and required actual driving. Although there were running boards, bikes of that era offered little in “creature comforts”.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself once again in California. This time I was on a Honda 750-4 which was a very popular light cruiser of the day. I enjoyed many a trip through the High Desert to San Bernadino, Big Bear, Plam Springs and every inch of the Joshua Tree National Monument.
California gave way to Hawaii where motorcycle insurance was more than the cost of a bike and so I went without. After 11 years in Hawaii, I came back to California and actively toured with a number of bands doing lighting, rigging, pyrotechnics, and ultimately managing tours. I lived on a bus and in & out of hotels for nearly 15 years.
I left the road in 1994 and rejoined the working world. I had not been on a bike in years. I considered getting another ride, but designs had changed, requirements had changed and I was more than a little intimidated by what might lie ahead. I had aged as well and wasn’t sure I could actually regain my skills. I never lost my desire nor my memories of warm evenings and the close smell of the ocean breezes. In 2012, I rejoined the riding community, spurred on by the resurgence of the Indian Brand newly purchased by Polaris. I once built a model of a 1946 Chief and had longed for an Indian my whole life
I bought a 2017 Vintage. In Willow Green and Cream with all the pretty trimmings. It was an amazing bike and 20,000 mi later, I traded it for a Roadmaster. The Roadmaster has afforded me trips to Milwaukee, Chicago, the Great Smokies, Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It has taken me through MO, IL, IN, W. VA, VA, N. Carolina, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas, Iowa, and Wisconsin……so far. This year I will be making the Run For The Wall to Washington DC and then home.
The journey began with 100cc and continues. Whether it’s the grocery store parking lot, the river bottom back roads, the ferry, or the Great River Road along the Mississippi, the experience remains the same. The purpose of my endeavor is to bring the same sense of wonderment and unapologetic personal discovery to everyone I work with.
It all started with 100cc…..I hope to hear from you soon……
