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Release your inner road warrior

You don't need tattoos or a leather halter top to gain an appreciation for seeing the country on the back of a bike.

By GARY McKECHNIE
Published June 27, 2006

According to the Motorcycle Industry Council (a trade group that monitors things like this), each year riders as a group are becoming more affluent, better educated - and older. No matter the age, however, these RUBs (for Rich Urban Bikers) exude youthfulness and independence. And that seems to be contagious.

There now are tens of thousands of motorcycle clubs across America. The changing demographic means that the infamous Hell's Angels, Outlaws and Warriors are being joined by more placid gangs, including the International Order of Old Bastards and the Bald Guys Motorcycle Club.

Many riders, however, prefer to ride solo or join a small group to explore regional back roads, or maybe to embark on a personal voyage of discovery.

Fred Good, 63 and the owner of a 2003 BMW R1150RT and a 2005 Honda GoldWing, reached his goal in 2003.

"Everyone has their dream vacation, and 'Edelweiss' was ours," Good says of the 10-day European motorcycle vacation taken by him and his wife, Charlene.

"We planned it for a couple of years and if I ever win the Lotto, we'll go back again. There were riders from England, South Africa, Australia, France. We had a blast."

Back at home in Mount Dora, Good settles for two to three domestic journeys a year, heading with a few other riders into the hills of north Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Occasionally he will ride to New England or the Western states.

Camaraderie is part of riding's appeal, he says.

"Our little group rides every Thursday night and Sunday morning," he says. "We've been doing that since right after Charlene and I settled down in 1965 - 41 years!

"This isn't a formal club or organization; we just like to meet for a 50-mile ride on Thursdays and maybe a few hundred miles on Sundays. There's no real itinerary. Somebody suggests a destination and we go."

Good's status as a recent retiree has opened up his riding calendar, but even riders who hold full-time jobs can find time to hit the road. Provided they have "permission."

Tom Morgan, 53, is CEO of Hughes Supply, which in January was purchased by Home Depot for more than $3-billion. But, Morgan says, at home he answers to his wife, Dianne.

"I had ridden a motorcycle in college," he recalled recently, "but gave it up when I got married. When I turned 50 and the kids were grown is when Dianne gave me permission to ride again."

He does so now astride his 2006 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. Morgan's companions now are the I-Hogs, a platinum-level motorcycle club that he created with friends from the monied Orlando community of Isleworth.

When the roads of Central Florida feel too confining, Morgan heads north to Big Fork, Mont., where he keeps his second bike, a Harley Road King. Here the land is wide and free, just the right place for the homes and barns Morgan is building with a few of his fellow I-Hogs. They hope this will become the base of their summer rides.

"For me, riding is a great way to be with friends who enjoy the same things," Morgan says. "It's also a method of relaxation: There's a great sense of peace that comes along in the late afternoon when it's the end of the day and you're by yourself, cruising along.

"I've enjoyed a lot of those moments with just the wind in my face and the sound of the (exhaust) pipes in my ears."

That is similar to what prompts Thomas Wenski to ride. That would be Bishop Thomas Wenski, leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando.

Five years ago, for his 50th birthday, he decided to respond to a neglected desire to ride. Soon after, a Honda Shadow 1100 gave Wenski a new outlook - as well as a new way to get to work.

"I oversee nine counties in Central Florida and I've used the motorcycle to explore the diocese," he said. "During one weekend last February, I went out and rented a Harley-Davidson Road King.

"I figured if I had my (clerical) collar on, I'd become a traffic hazard, so I had an assistant in a car carry all my vestments and the things I'd need when I'd reach a parish. In two days I covered about 360 miles, and when I'd reach a church, it was like Superman running into a phone booth - I'd take off the jeans and the boots and put on the collar and robes and black clothes and perform the service.

"It took almost everything out of me not to buy that bike."

But even on his Honda, Wenski sees the world from a different perspective.

"There is that spiritual pleasure in riding a motorcycle," he said. "You can smell the countryside and experience things that you don't get inside of a car.

"And it gives you time to center yourself and to think. . . . It's a healing experience that makes you better able to tackle your problems when the ride is finished."

For several years, Steve Goldman, 55, ran a little motorcycle club with his wife, Melanie. Having prospered as the CEO of a technology firm, he bought a home in the South of France and they also bought nine 125cc scooters.

When friends arrived from the States, the Goldmans would lead scooter caravans around cliffs and canyons and into the Alps or down to the Riviera.

Returning to Orlando in 2000, the couple bought a pair of Harley-Davidsons, a Softail Deluxe for him and a smaller Springer Softail for her. That's when the lure of America became too strong to resist. They shipped the bikes to Los Angeles, for Steve and Melanie's excellent adventure.

"There was hardly any planning and definitely no schedule," Steve Goldman says. "We planned on riding for six weeks, so we could do whatever we wanted when we wanted."

And with that they headed north. Following the Pacific Coast Highway for more than 1,100 miles between Los Angeles and Seattle, they lived a lifestyle dictated not by a clock or by a computer, but by life itself.

"It was incredibly memorable," Goldman said, "like the time in Big Sur when we went to this little restaurant that doesn't look like much, but they had set up chairs and tables in this little brook and we dined while sitting in the stream. There was a jazz band playing and people were there sipping wine. . . . It was beautiful."

Now home and planning their next voyage of discovery, the Goldmans can take their pick of four motorcycles, having added a Softail Deuce and Screaming Eagle V-Rod Deuce to their collection.

"When you are riding through the countryside in a car," Steve Goldman said, "your reference point is the car. On a motorcycle, you can smell nature and you can feel it and you can hear it. It's like flying low. It's nature. It's total exhilaration."

--Mount Dora resident Gary McKechnie is the author of "Great American Motorcycle Tours" (Avalon Travel Publishing, 362 pages); his Web site is www.motorcycleamerica.com.

READY TO RIDE?

Inspired by the tales of the open road? You should know that the motorcycles mentioned here range in price from Bishop Wenski's 6-year-old Honda Shadow, for $7,800, to Steve Goldman's Screaming Eagle, at $30,000. The other motorcycles mentioned generally cost between $17,000 and $18,000.

If you want to take a motorcycle out, you'll need to learn how to handle a motorcycle and to get your license. Several courses are offered in the bay area, but a good place to start is the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, a nonprofit supported by several motorcycle manufacturers.

The Basic Rider Course includes at least 15 hours of instruction, with both classwork and course time, most commonly spread over three days. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory to complete the course, so make sure your schedule is clear. Some locations may have extra instruction, so hours and prices vary. To find a location, call toll-free 1-800-446-9227 or visit www.msf-usa.org.

If you have your heart set on hitting the road on a Harley, consider the large dealership Jim's Harley-Davidson, 2805 54th Ave. N, St. Petersburg

But keep your dreams in check: The Rider's Edge New Rider Course starts you out on a Buell Blast, an easy-to-handle sport bike. The Harley will have to come after you've completed the five-day, 27-hour course taught by instructors certified by the Motorcycle Safety Foundationand Harley-Davidson.

The cost is $300; contact Tony Capo at 727) 527-9672 or via e-mail at edge@jimshd.com.

SHARE THE ROAD

There is no shortage of motorcycle clubs in the bay area.

You can find family-friendly groups (try the Bayside Riders Club; contact George Sines at Barney's Motorcycle and Marine (727) 576-1148) or groups devoted to a particular brand (the Florida Gulf Coast HOG chapter can be found at www.flgchog.com;). Your best bet is to search the Internet or ask motorcycle dealers about area clubs.

JUST LOOKING

If you're not quite ready to grab your leathers but still appreciate a fine machine, spend a Wednesday or Saturday evening gawking at cycles parked at the Biff-Burger Drive-In, 3939 49th St. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 527-5297.

Quaker Steak & Lube also has bike night every Wednesday at 10400 49th St. N (at U.S. 19), Clearwater. (727) 572-9464.

[Last modified June 27, 2006, 07:31:27]