As a boy growing up in Idaho, I was always around some form of bike I started out getting a tricycle then quickly graduated to a bicycle. My father was an avid motorcycle rider and I remember the family going with him to the hills above town where he and his friends would ride dirt bikes. He made it look effortless as he careened down the walls of the canyon and shooting up over the edges of the hills. After he was finished riding, he would place me on the front and take me down the trails letting me feel what it was like to ride. These memories stuck with me throughout my childhood. Other priorities took over my dad's life and he slowly stopped riding his motorcycle.
I have continued to be fascinated by motorcycles and have been riding one form of bike or another since I was a kid. At first my riding was confined to off-road and enduro courses due to my young age. Then as I got older I moved towards motocross where you could get some air and spray some dirt. It was the wide open riding I loved the most and soon I was back to riding the open country.
During my teenage years I bought several motorcycles, my favorite being a Yamaha IT175. That was a joy to ride. My dad had a similar bike while my younger brother rode a Honda. Each spring as the weather began to warm up in Idaho so that the snow would start to melt our family would put the motorcycles on a trailer pulled behind our pickup and camper. We would find off-road trails that were just on the edge of the receding snow. We would spend the entire weekend exploring on our bikes. This excursion would repeat itself throughout the spring and summer in to autumn. We would finally put the bikes away after the first snow that would stick to the ground and not melt. I would spend the rest of the fall and winter dreaming of being back on my bike.
My mother was adamant against me having a street bike regardless of how hard I begged. I tried every angle. There was the cost savings of a motorcycle over a car and the reduced amount of insurance we would have to carry if I rode a bike. Mom had seen too many accidents and given my aggressive riding style off-road there was no way she would be trusting me or the other drivers. Besides, growing up in Idaho there were only a few months out of the year that did not contain snow so my riding season would be minimal at best. I knew if I were ever going to get a street bike it would have to be after I left home so I patiently waited.
I finally had my opportunity in 2004 when I bought my first street bike, a Harley-Davidson Night Train Softail. A full description of the purchase process can be found on the Bikes page linked below. Besides motorcycles, I've also included a section on accessories. After all, if you have a Harley you just have to trick it out. I'm not positive but I think that's a law. I've added a few photos I've taken of my Night Train.
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| Bikes | Accessories | Photos |
If you would like to talk about motorcycles, accessories, or rides please contact me and I’ll be happy to talk about it.
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