Nikolay Pasechnyk completed the 500 mile Easy Rider, the 1000 mile Full Throttle and the 1500 mile King of the Road in 36 hours.  He rode his Honda XRV-750 a total of 1525 miles in less than 36 hours.  He began his ride in Temryuk, Russia and finished in Sim, Russia

 

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Congratulations to Werner Schiemann on his 1500 Mile King Of The Road certification riding his Honda Goldwing GL 1800

 

 

 

Wissam Zebian (Captain) Fat Boy

Olivier Mercien-Ferol - Fat Bob

Dominique Gandilhon - Road King

Driving through the oasis filled town of Liwa with 20 metre high sand dunes.  Some of the best scenery in the UAE.

Three new LDR members victoriously celebrate the end of the journey.

 

 

Tina rode a 2006 Road Glide, front end below after 1250 miles in 20 hours.  Bug Carnage!

 Coming back from Devil's Tower, with John and Joy Brison in front of her.

 Orange Bandana rider is Tina's husband Jeff Yeager, next to him is Tina's son Hunter Napier and friend Joy Brinson.

This last picture was taken as Tina reached South Dakota.  Looks like a beautiful day.

 

 

 

 

This Full Throttle 1,000 mile ride was just the beginning of my ride to Sturgis! Originally I was supposed to ride with fellow LDR rider Reed Kleinman. We were going to do the I.B. Border to Border ride, then we were going to split up and he was going to do the west coast and I was going to head to Sturgis. Unfortunately he had an appointment with the doctor who told him he could not ride until some tests were ran on his heart. (so far nothing to worry about). When that fell through I decided to do the LDR Full Throttle 1000 miles in 24 hours and get to Sturgis in 2 days instead of 3 like I did last year. That was only the first leg. After Sturgis I rode across Montana on 212. Had a spiritual experience at the Battle of the Little Big Horn monument then on to Red Lodge, Mt. Two years ago I took my family to Yellowstone and we drove the Beartooth pass in our Suburban. since then I have wanted to take my bike! I made the ride that day and spent the night in Cooke City. the next day I spent the day in Yellowstone and Teton and spent the night in Jackson Hole. Spent the last night in Beaver, Ut and then crossed over to highway 89 and took one of my favorite roads to Kanab, Ut then on to Flagstaff, Az where I took my favorite road (Lake Mary) to Payson, Az and then back home to Mesa, Az! All said and done I logged 3403 miles in six days!

 

Submitted by Mike Jenkins

LDR Member Thomas Morrison and fellow riders Neil Rhoades and Thomas Mondalvo completed the Easy Rider 500, Full Throttle 1,000, and the King of the Road 1,500 rides. Great Ride.

First is our picture, drying our pipes at Rhinehart's Oyster Bar -- Augusta, GA
Great meal, real hole in the wall, "beyond casual"





This is our witness in Lake Park, Officer Lightsey with a student officer patrolling with him.

Congratulations to Ryan Kester, Long Distance Riders youngest rider. Ryan is 8 years old. His birthdate is April 17, 2003. Ryan was a passenger and took this ride with his father, Sean Kester, and fellow riders Ron Clanton and Mark Nichols. The competitive edge must run in the family. See Sean Kester's member profile September 2011 on our web site.

The 2011 Eid holiday is upon us, the family is not back, what better opportunity to go on a ride through the United Arab Emirates, composed of 7 Emirates: Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Kaimah, Fujeirah and Abu Dhabi.

Having missed out on the HOG Dubai, LDR Ride earlier this year I decided why not give it a try; ride 1,610 km, in less than 24 hours with the additional twist of the summer challenge where temperatures in the UAE reach the 40 45 degrees Celsius during the day.

Now that the challenge was laid out, got my bike checked, read up on the rules for an LDR ride, read the advise on planning a long distance ride, set up my road plan, and informed a few friends of my adventure. That s when our Director Kevin R. Smith said if you do it on Thursday I will join you Can t let you go alone and miss out on a fun day of riding he said.

And so it was on September 1st 2011 we set off from Dubai at 2.15pm with the objective to come back to the starting point within the next 24 hours.

The trip took us from Dubai to Ras Al Kaimah along the E311, passing the Emirates of Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain. In Ras Al Kaimah we did a sharp right down the E18, a left on E87 to catch the E89 that took us to Dibba a small fisherman village along the Indian Ocean. Now going all the way down the E99 to Kalba, last town before entering Oman, passed trough the Emirate of Fujeirah on our way there. From Kalba we made a right turn onto the E102 which took us through the Hajjar mountains all the way to a small town called Al Ruwayyah where we turned left onto the E611 until the exit 50 where we made a left to go on the E66 (Not as famous as your Route 66 and not as scenic) to reach Al Ain, the birth place of the founder of the UAE. From there a straight ride down E22 into the Abu Dhabi Emirate, towards Abu Dhabi city, which we avoided by turning left onto the E 11 towards KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and the harsh desert area of the UAE. A short ride along the E11 to exit 306 before turning left to go into the Liwa desert, following the E65 until the end of the road at which point we had reached halfway. We made a right turn on the E 90 heading for the town of Liwa itself. From Liwa we followed the E45 back towards the E11 which we reached 1 hour ahead of our scheduled time. There a left turn back on the E11 heading for Ghowaifat the last town before entering KSA. Upon reaching the town center of Ghowaifat, we made a beautiful U-turn in front of the border guards (not wanting to enter KAS). And from there onwards, we started our long straight stretch back to Dubai. Just before arriving in Dubai, our friends from the HOG Dubai chapter met us at the petrol station and escorted us to out final destination which we reached at 10.20am. A feeling of satisfaction and pride overcame my fatigue. We had achieved our goal: Riding the 7 UAE Emirates in less than 24 hours (It was Kevin s third Iron Butt and my first).

The whole adventure lasted 1,713 km, took us 20 hours 8 minutes, and we consumed over 40 bottles of small water and 20 cans of so called energy drinks each.

Our bikes, a CVO Road King for Kevin and a Softail Heritage Classic 2008 for me, they were in for the ride and stayed faithful and reliable all the way. Not a single worry

It was just pure pleasure all the way... with a few pains here and there I must admit.

Written by : Philippe Le Gaulois

New Items Available


Long Distance Riders would like to announce two new items in our logo related merchandise created exclusively for our members.

Now available on our web site under the store tab, an item that was created due to overwhelming member request is an exclusive Long Distance Riders member patch. The same high quality as our designation patches, this patch comes in a black and metallic silver color combination.

The second addition to our official LDR merchandise is the Long Distance Riders Member T-shirts. These T's have the official LDR member patch design on front and our newly created Bad to the Bone symbol on back. These shirts come in either black or white, short sleeve, and range in size from small to 3x.

If you are interested in receiving either of these items, just fill out our merchandise form and add your member number, determine the cost including postage and send it to us for processing.

Rick Hendricks and his son Ricky rode from Ricky's home in Palmdale, Ca to Fairfield, Ca. They spent the weekend touring Napa Wineries.



Ricky and I are overlooking the California countryside from Monitor Pass on CA Hwy 89 heading west to Markleeville, CA. Beautiful scenery that we never knew existed in California.

A Good Long Ride
1500 miles in 36 hours - June 2011



No one in sight for fifty miles
Sleeping fields sigh as I glide across their spines.
If I can just reach the crest of that hill
This whole day will tumble and out the night will spill.
By Brodie Lodge and Michael Timmins

Along the road in the southwest dessert, at times I felt as if there was no one for fifty miles, or even five hundred miles. And though it was early June and I was riding in the afternoon heat, I found that magical point that we all sometimes experience on a motorcycle. It was 100 degrees when I got out of El Paso, TX headed east, but the air seemed cooler riding the speed limit in that area of 80 mph. As I drifted through portions of the Davis mountains near Van Horn, TX, the air rushed past me as if I were standing still and the earth was moving underneath me. Traffic was light and I enjoyed a hundred miles of this sense of contentment as I was doing what I loved and not thinking about the past or worrying about the future. I was in the groove - in the zone - and loving every minute! Now I'm not saying the ride was not tough or challenging. I was tired, sleepy, hungry, thirsty, cold, hot, and all the other senses we have on a 1500 mile ride over 36 hours. But for that brief period of 100 miles or so, my mind was consciously focused on the task at hand and all was at peace. No phones, no computers, no meetings, no chores - just me and the bike, the wind, the mountains, and the pavement. I like that little place in my mind and I look forward to getting there again on my next long ride.

I got a peaceful easy feeling.
By Jack Tempchin as sung by the Eagles

Randy "Harley Doc" McCamey

The 1500 Mile Adventure with Sean Kester and Ron Clanton

We began in Fate, TX with me, Ron serving as the navigator. This was fine until about 1 mile into the trip when my GPS attempted to take us East in order to go West. As you know, riding down the highway is no time to fight your GPS so I went with the route I know. The trip to Albuquerque and on to Flagstaff was uneventful after that rough beginning. I did enjoy getting to stand on a corner in Winslow Arizona.



After arriving in Flagstaff and completing our documents, we ate at Cracker Barrel and then went to wait for Grand Canyon Harley to open. Two hours later, we got back on the road to pick up our wives in Las Vegas and then continued on to Zion National Park. Just before reaching Las Vegas, we realized that we could fairly easily complete the 1500 in 36 if we could get the girls loaded up quickly. So sitting in Vegas, we had 300 miles to complete and 6 hours to do it in, easy right Sadly, our lack of foresight and wasted time in Flagstaff caught up to us when a MASSIVE storm rolled over the mountains as we arrived in Mesquite, NV. We rolled through some tight, twisting canyon roads at a pretty quick pace until it was clear that the rain was only getting worse. 80 miles short, we pulled over for dinner. Ah well, we still had the return trip to go.

Our time in Zion was great, including an unexpected ride over a 9900 foot pass with snow 5 foot deep on either side of the road. I say unexpected because the temperature dropped to the low 30's and I only had a t-shirt. So while everyone else was dressed appropriately, I looked (and felt) like a fool.



Back to Vegas for three days and then Sean and I started with getting our picture taken in front of the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign by an enterprising young woman who would take your picture for tips.



We then head to see the Grand Canyon, which was my first time.



I attempted to play it cool as we walked up on the edge but couldn't stop "WOW" from escaping. Sean was a patient tour guide as we spent far too long admiring the view. I also didn't count on the next 50 miles having a speed limit of 35 MPH. This combined to put us about an hour behind my schedule. On through Tuba City towards Teec Nos Pos where we went through a 2 hour sand storm of red clay (yes over 100 mile wide sand storm). We continued to Farmington NM and then headed for Los Alamos and our hotel.

You might notice from our route that we never made it to Los Alamos. First my GPS once again struggled with the idea of heading the direction I preferred, so we stayed a while longer on 64 than we should have. This was all trivial compared to the excitement to come.

There are 3 realistic routes from Farmington to Los Alamos. The safe one on the interstate, or two different 2-lane back roads. I chose to take the one called the Los Alamos Highway out of Cuba, NM. This would have been a beautiful ride in the daylight but as it was now midnight and we had been on the road for 13 hours, it was all we could do to stay focused on the twisty mountain roads. Then the real excitement... ELK! I don't mean a single elk; there were moms and kids in groups. One group, a second, and a third and a fourth. They were beautiful and huge and definitely got our adrenaline pumping as we both knew a single impact would end our trip in a bad way. Just about the time we had gotten into a routine with the elk, an odd cattle guard appeared and then...DIRT ROAD. I couldn't believe this was happening so I continued on. Sean being a real trooper is still following and so far not cussing me out over the CB. The road stays dirt; one corner; and another; and another. Finally I was mad and embarrassed so I pulled to a stop. Sean quickly concurred that a rutty dirt road at night on Harleys in Elk Country was more than we signed up for, so we turned around.

Back down the twisty roads and yes, the elk are back. Even one group of mule deer this time. All of these paled to the final act. Just before leaving the forest a HUGE 6x6 bull elk was in the road in front of me. His escape route of choice was to go directly up a vertical cliff on the right side of the road. He was beautiful but my only thought was "don't fall on us!"

Back onto 550, we headed towards I-25. We arrive at Bernalillo, NM just north of Albuquerque at 2 am and I decide that Los Alamos isn't worth the 160 mile back track. Sean agrees and we head for a Hampton Inn in north Albuquerque. Little do I know that sleep is not soon coming. Something called the Gathering of the Nations has hit Albuquerque and there are no hotel rooms. As we sat in the lobby of the Hampton, I called over a dozen hotels with no luck. Finally a Super 8 in Moriarty NM said they had a no show and if we got there first, the room was ours. I told Sean to follow me and back on the bikes we climbed. What I failed to tell him was that Moriarty is 48 miles away.

I also learned one more lesson on this short stretch. NM has evidently decided that snow plows will no longer destroy their road reflectors, so they cut holes in the road to lower the reflectors. That is fine except that the holes are just the right size for a motorcycle tire. That would normally not be a big issue but 15 hours on the bike and being 3 am, I didn't handle it so well. A few bone jarring hits and I swerved out of the rut and then aggressively back into our lane. Sean's only thought...I wonder why he didn't use a blinker.

Well we got the room, slept 4 hours, and beat a straight line for Fate. I realized that we would be about 10 miles short if we went directly home. So a jog down I-35 to I-20 to 635 gave us an additional 12 miles and we were home free.

Thanks for laying down the challenge and letting us know it was possible. Those were great rides with my best friend that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Now for the coast to coast!!!

Thanks
Ron Clanton

Here are some pictures taken on the 500 mile ride through Southern Nevada by Kaitlyn and her Dad Sean Livie. Kaitlyn is a big Ghost Adventure fan and seeing the Goldfield Hotel was her highlight. They enjoyed the Extraterrestrial Highway.
Kaitlyn is also the youngest Long Distance Rider Member. She is 10 years old.

Written by Mike Bastow LDR Member and Friend
On 11th March 2011 a group of 15 riders including 3 women and one of our youngest members, Akash Dube (just 18 years old) successfully completed a 1700km journey around the UAE. We are particularly proud of Akash, in addition to being one of our youngest members he is also a Leukaemia patient and was still on chemotherapy when he undertook this challenge. Despite my reluctance to accept him onto the ride for his own safety his parents assured me that he was so determined to do the ride that I could not refuse. I have to say he kept the pace all the way and never complained (which is more than can be said for some of the veteran riders!! ) Many of us learnt a great lesson in humility and determination from this young lad. After the ride I received an email from Akash thanking me for organising the ride saying it was "one of the greatest experiences of my life. I cannot wait for the next King of the Road challenge and then on to Born to be Wild Coast to Coast!

I wanted to share this experience with you and also thank you for initiating these challenges. You may not realize this but LDR has given us all, and one particular young man a positive outlook on the future and something to look forward to. I am proud to have been part of this journey - thanks Jack!

LDR Member Valery Minkov starts his ride in Pskov, Russia and finishes in Murmansk, Russia. Murmansk (Mypmahck) is the largest city in the world above the Arctic Circle. He completed the Easy Rider and Full Throttle designations.

LDR Members Andrey Kochetov and Nikolay Nikolaev's Easy Rider 805km in 12 hours.

In Russia, the winter lasts 6 months of the year and sometimes more. This is a hard time for real bikers who want to ride all the time. During the winter, bike events take place where winter motorcycle enthusiasts could meet and cheerfully spend time in the company of fellow riders and friends. Many people attend these events but most travel by car. I made this journey on my 1987 Honda GL 1200 Aspencade equipped with an old Soviet sidecar IZH-56 that was over 60 years old!



The usual Russian winter temperature is -15c to -25c and there is a lot of snow. Not the best time for a motorcycle trip, as it can be very dangerous! But this doesn't stop some bikers. Some attach the sidecars to the motorcycles, put iron spikes on the tires, dress themselves with a lot of warm clothes and go despite everything. Me and my friend Nikolay had decided to risk it and go to one of the winter bike festivals on my motorcycle. It was a Belorussian bike fest called "Zima 2011", organized by a chapter of our Rolling Anarchy MCC.



We bravely started our trip early in the morning. Temperature was -15c. There was a strong snowfall the night before and all the roads were covered in snow when we left. I couldn't find winter tires for the motorcycle, and it was necessary to go on the usual tires. It became necessary to travel the first 200 km at a speed of 40-50 km/hour because of the snow but after that the snow ended the ride became easier. The snow had accumulated on the windshield and it became necessary for me to look over it instead of through it. Around the Belorussian border the weather became warmer.



The Belorussian roads were wet, but without snow and at times it was possible to be dispersed to 100-110 km/hour. The last 200 km to the bike festival were the most difficult. We had to move down from a highway and make our way through small towns and villages where the roads were seldom cleared. At dark, the snow began again. All the people were asleep and there were few cars, only dark houses and snow fields. We nearly turned the bike over when approaching a turn that night. I pressed to strongly on the brakes and we spun on the road. The full run to the festival was 1050 km from Moscow.
It was a difficult trip but God saved us.



The trophy is for riding longest distance on a motorcycle..

LDR Members on Easy Rider 805km Starting and ending at Dubai Harley Davidson.

LDR member Tom Neal tells about his King of the Road 1500 Miles in 36 Hours and also the Full Throttle 1000 Miles in 24 Hours ride.

Family and Friends Motorcycle Trip Day 1 -
The ride started in Olympia at the Shell gas station on the corner or Union and Plum. We all gassed up, said our goodbye's to our families, and started up I-5. The goal was to reach Gold Bar by 8pm. Traffic in Olympia was thick, but moving at the speed limit. By the time we reached Fort Lewis, we were in stop and go traffic. The group of 5 bikes made the way to hwy 512, and onto hwy 167 with no issues. A little slow down towards the end of hwy 167 as we neared I-405. I-405 was pretty clear as was hwy 522 into Monroe where we caught hwy 2. Monroe is a nice little town, and Hwy 2 took us to Gold Bar. The moon was a day away from being a real "full moon", but it looked full to me. It was a beautiful orange glow behind the mountains.
We arrived at the Stevens Pass Motel a little after 8:30 pm, and stayed in a pretty decent room. It's not a 5 star hotel, but I would definitely stay there again.
Day 2 -
Gold Bar was about 54 degrees and clear, the ride up Stevens Pass was spectacular, and the temps didn't drop too much lower. We followed Hwy2 into Leavenworth, which is a beautiful little Bavarian town. Gassed up, and grabbed some warm drinks in Wenatchee, then continued on. Next stop was Coulee City, where we met up with my wife Jahanel, and my kids. They left Shelton that morning after Jahanel's dad got off work, made a stop in Soap Lake, then into Coulee City. Jahanel followed along with us for part of the trip. We made our way down Hwy 2 through Washington, into Idaho, and on to Libby Montana for the night.
Libby is another one of those great little towns, and the people we encountered were awesome. Did a quick repair on moms Harley, and she was ready to go. Her rear turn signal bar/ license plate holder has loosened from the fender. Many turns on the nuts, tightened it up, and was ready for action.
Day 3 -
The ride from Libby to Shelby Montana was not long for distance, but was a fairly long day in terms of time. We went through Glacier National Park, stopping along the way for a gift shop, a nice little hike, construction, Logan's Pass, and a picnic. The ride was spectacular, with winding roads, beautiful scenery, and I was on my motorcycle, could you ask for anything more While in Glacier, we traveled the "Road to the Sun" which was the part under construction, but was worth the extra time and "trouble". We joke around about getting caught in the best traffic jam. Stopped for a picnic lunch on the east side of the Continental Divide, with a gorgeous backdrop. Then made our way into Shelby Montana, where the bikes stayed the night, I said goodbye to my wife and kids again.... They all continued down to Yellowstone for a day of fun, then on home for work and school. We didn't see too much of Shelby, just the hotel and truck stop for dinner. I did spot a U-haul trailer with an advertisement of the city where we would be starting our trip in, Mitchell South Dakota.



Not ALL traffic jams suck!!! We got "stuck" in construction on the "Road to the Sun" in Glacier Natl. Park
I don't mind traffic jams like this...lol
Day 4 -
The ride started great with some more of the beautiful Western Montana views, but then dropped into the plains. I am not a huge fan of flat area's, or the plains, so I was pretty bored, until the last 13 miles or so of Hwy 2 in Montana that was all torn up. We traveled on gravel, pot holed roads that were in pretty rough shape. Montana is making that stretch 4 lanes, which will be great when they get done, but until then, it's not too much fun. The day ended in Williston North Dakota. Nothing too exciting happened here, we stopped at Wal-mart for a few supplies.
Day 5 -
This morning we woke up to some killer looking lightning storms. Rolling thunder, and awesome looking bolts from the sky. I miss the mid-west thunder-storms!! Until it's time to ride in them. Dad has a tall sissy bar on his bike that makes for a great lightning rod, so he was a little unsure about riding in the storm. Good news is we started out at the front of the storm, didn't get too wet before we rode out. We stopped for gas and breakfast in Minot, North Dakota, where we realized Dan had a screw loose..... Actually it was his bike, he had a lot of screws loose holding his windshield on, and one fell out. We tightened them all up, had breakfast and moved on the Rugby, ND. Rugby was a stop for gas, but also a stop for mom. She has been to the "Center of the US" and wanted to stop in Rugby which is the "Center of North America". There was a cool monument there to show that you are in the center of north America. The day ended in the no-where town of Fosston Minnesota. If you ever get to the area, you have to stop in at the A&W restaurant! They make their draft root beer daily in the basement, and is the best A&W root beer I ever tasted. There was kid working that night, maybe 17 years old, who came outside to the picnic area we were seated at, and started cleaning up our mess for us. Awesome kid, great personality. Asked us if we wanted refills on the root beer, we said no until he informed us the root beer was made fresh in the basement, and he proceeded to tell us how. Needless to say, we all got refills on the great draft!



A&W in Foston, MN. - fresh draft root beer - AWESOME!!!!
Day 6 -
This leg of the trip took us through Minnesota, we had to make a stop in Deluth at the Harley dealer to pick up a new headlight for moms low rider. We had originally planned to stop at the Amsoil factory for a tour, but was never able to confirm a time. Partly our fault for waiting so long to contact Amsoil. It only gave them a week to make arrangements. Oh well, next time I will call sooner. We had a gas station deli, picnic lunch on Lake Superior. What an awesome lake!! This thing is HUGE!! The plan was to get to Iron Mountain, but we ended our day a little early in Ironwood Michagain instead. We all decided we wanted to get off the road a little early that day, the sun was hot, and we were getting worn out.



Lunch break at Lake Superior
Day 7 -
Well, we did not travel down through Michigan as originally planned, we took a scenic ride through Wisconsin, through Wisconsin Dells and into Monroe, where Dad and Dave got new rear tires installed. Mom made some calls while in Ironwood to get the tires, and these guys bent over backwards to get our guys in. We made our way into Freeport Illinois a day early to take a day of rest before our rough ride.
Day 8 -
This was a day to jerk around, do some laundry, see some family and the "sights of Freeport".
Day 9 -
We made our way out of town early as usual, through Galena Illinois which is beautiful, then into "Corn Country" Iowa. I swear I did not see anything beside corn fields for 300 miles!! This was the most boring part of the trip for me, until we gassed up in Nebraska. After gas we went north to South Dakota, but when we left our gas stop, we had huge thunderstorms! It rained so hard, cars and trucks were pulled over to the shoulder, the wind blew so hard, that when we stopped under an overpass, we still got soaked. Rain gear did a great job of keeping water INSIDE. Dad donated his rain gear to the homeless somewhere before Mitchell. We forged on through the storm, and into Mitchell South Dakota. Dan and Dave went to see the famous Corn Palace, I decided I had seen enough corn.
Picture taking pretty much ended when we got to Freeport, not much to see but corn, then it rained for most of the rest of the trip..... I don't have a waterproof digital camera...YET
Day 10 -
"The trek through Hell"! This was the day we would all remember... It was my 35th birthday. That's not the memorable part, but doing over 1000 miles in 16 hours on the bikes through South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana is memorable.... Especially when the first 500 miles in all thunderstorms and hard rain. Again my rain gear did a great job, it kept me wet inside....lol The rain stopped in Montana, I dried out the next day...We made it into Alberton Montana about 2 hours behind schedule, but still in time for our goal. Stayed at a great little bed and breakfast motel, called Ghost Rails Inn.
Day 11 -
36 degrees and clear at 6 am when we left, but as we rode up into the mountains, temps dropped to somewhere around freezing, maybe a little less. We made our way to Postfalls Idaho for gas and hot drinks. We are heading home!!! Just before we reached Moses Lake Washington, Dave's bike had issue's. He actually had a couple issues, the rear tire had been chewed up by a fender bolt, oil was flowing out of the breather tubes in the heads, and out of the air cleaner and the bike overheated. He tried to "limp" the bike into Moses Lake, but it gave up. We pushed it into the Shilo Inn parking lot, gassed up the remaining bikes, he saddled up on the back of Dan's bike and we continued on. 4 bikes and all 5 riders made it into Olympia with time to spare! We did it, we made 1000 miles in less than 24 hours, and 1500 miles in less than 36 hours! We succeeded in our goal.



All 5 bikes and riders at Glacier National Park

LDR 500 Mile Easy Rider Member Sean Kester talks about his qualifying ride.

1500 Miles on the 883

October 2, 2010, Saturday morning, my brother Ron "Scrapes" Clanton drops me off at DFW airport. He ‘commutes' to work in North Carolina every week, so he knows the way to the airport. I'm flying to Los Angeles to pick up my sis-in-laws Harley and ride it 1500 miles back to Fate, Texas. It's a solo trip, but all my biker brothers wanted to come along - and I wish they could have! But solo is a fun ride too and it's good for clearing your mind.

The bike is a hundredth anniversary XLH 883 Hugger - a sporty. Even with saddlebags, it's not one for riding long distance. The Hugger was the predecessor to the Low, perfect size for smaller riders. I'm just over 6' and closing on 200 lbs - huggable, but not a low kind of rider. It wasn't half a day into the three-day ride when I started wishing she'd bought at least a nice Heritage Softail instead of the piglet.

In advance of the ride, my dad-in-law, Craig "Papa" Matthews, shipped out some accessories to make the ride a bit easier. So when I arrived Saturday afternoon, my bro-in-law Harry and I got right to work bolting things on. We added a tiny little windshield (hey, it killed some of the bugs). We put on the engine guard and highway pegs so I had some place to stretch out my 34" legs (the Hugger has mid-controls). I strapped on a gel pad for the seat to at least prevent some of the inevitable monkey butt. We changed the grips to something more appropriate for my large paws. Last but not least, we added the cup holder - which turns any bike into a touring machine.


Ready To Leave California

Tool-wise I had my standard set of goodies which is typically enough to do anything short of swap the engine - assuming I can do anything with vise-grips and duct tape. Biker brother Craig "Big Hawg" Prigmore sent me with a fork bag and a tire repair kit. I filled the tires with nitrogen for an extra measure of security against having to use that kit. I put a 20 oz fuel bottle in the fork bag, and I had another bottle in the saddlebag. With just 3.3 gallons of petrol in the tank, and miles of nothing, I wasn't taking chances.

Harry and I changed the oil and filter, and I stowed a spare quart in the saddlebag. We changed the spark plugs too - which ensured I had a set of spare plugs. My tools, extra fuel, oil, and Frog Toggs filled one saddlebag. The other saddlebag held paperwork, some clothes, and my toiletries. I still had to strap a bag on the rear fender behind the solo seat with a bit more clothes, sweatshirt, and my ride bag with gloves, sunglasses, and a couple Schampa face masks.

The bike was packed and ready to roll, so Harry jumped on his Suzuki M50 and we took a ten-mile check out ride. Everything checked out great. Jiffy stand was going up at 7am, so I hit the shower and the bed by 10:30 to dream about the ride.

Sunday - I'm fine with directions, but getting out of the LA suburbs didn't appeal to me. I figured Harry needed an excuse to escort me to Barstow, and he agreed. He had a couple friends that wanted to ride too so we planned on four of us for the first leg. His friend rented a Street Glide for their day trip, and he rented his son a V-Rod. The son made it about five blocks from the rental place on Saturday night before he dumped the V-Rod. Not hurt (besides ego), but enough damage to the bike that it had to go back to the agent. Bummer, but I did have to wonder about renting a bike like that for an inexperienced rider. So at 7am, just three of us rolled out on a beautiful, cool, California morning.

We went a whole mile to the gas station to top off and get a receipt. I had to get fuel receipts to document the ride for a patch from the Long Distance Riders group (www.longdistanceriders.net). With 602 miles on the odometer, the three of us departed Garden Grove to wind through the LA roads and find a freeway north. Harry led us, Ed in the middle on his rental, and I brought up the rear. We went about 60 miles before the first stop (Fontana, CA), which I needed for a mileage check. At a slow rolling Sunday cruise out of LA, I was getting 50 miles per gallon - all good for my planned gas stops. We then rolled out toward Barstow, CA.

The 57 miles to Barstow was a beautiful ride through the area north of LA. During the ride I checked out various positions to get comfortable. Those positions worked great - for the first 110 miles. Pretty much after that comfort was out of the question, and it was purely endurance. We rolled into a Shell station in Barstow and topped off the tanks. I bid Harry and Ed good-bye so they could ride back to LA and I could run 1400 miles more solo. It was great to have the escort and company to Barstow.

Out of Barstow, I jumped back on I-25 north and hit the gas toward my next planned stop. It's an interesting feeling facing a solo ride of 1400 miles. Blues legend Buddy Guy sings a lyric that runs through my head as a ride.



"One leg in the east, One leg in the west and I'm down here in the middle just trying to do my best."

Buddy wasn't talking about a motorcycle, but the mood still seems appropriate as I traveled to the next gas stop. I pick up I-40 east and clock a quick 55 miles for a gas-n-go stop around Ludlow. A bunch of bikes heading west tell me I'm certain to hit rain on the next leg to Needles. They tell me it's not as bad as a storm in Oklahoma, but I won't miss it. For about 12 seconds I consider throwing on the Frog Toggs, but my leathers should be fine. It's the last time I even think about that raingear.

Needles, California is a 91-mile run on the interstate. It gives me a good chance to try out a few more positions on the piglet. About 30 miles out of Needles, I can certainly see the storm potential and lightening is shocking the ground. I get a bit of rain and crunch into the official ‘monkey-on-a-football' position. Ten miles out and it's a lot of rain! For the record, that piglet doesn't block rain, but the leathers do fine, and I'm only a bit damp rolling into a Shell gas station. For the record, I like that nitrogen enriched Shell gasoline. I seem to get a bit better performance and mileage using it on my bikes. Although it's not truly necessary, I typically run premium on rides.



Since it's still raining and I see a Taco Bell nearby, I figure this is a good place to stop for lunch. Turns out I was right because as soon as I walk in the door, it starts really pouring. I place my order and the lady at the counter says its been raining like this for three days. Terrific news, so I enjoy a leisurely lunch. I no sooner finish, and the sun is out. Time to ride toward Arizona.

I hit Kingman, AZ for gas and I'm only running about 30 minutes off my planned schedule. Life's good and the ride proves to be beautiful with only a few showers -- off for a long jaunt to Williams (113 miles).

As I cruise alone I see a gas stop in Seligman, so I seize the opportunity for fuel. This is a practice that will serve me well in the isolated runs through New Mexico and West Texas. Feeling good, I continue past Williams and aim for Flagstaff. The ride is lovely, but as I roll the mountain roads to Flagstaff, I run into some more light rain. And a caution sign that indicates ‘fresh oil' - then a mile later ‘loose gravel'. Oh and then the really good one - ‘DANGER - ELK Next 35 miles". I just laugh out loud. If I meet an Elk at 60 MPH in the rain, on fresh oil, with loose gravel, on a sporty - at least I'll make the 5 o'clock news!

I make Flagstaff without killing any elk, and the rain stops. I take a nice break and gas up for the last leg for the day to Winslow, AZ. To get the patch I have to make Winslow by 7:02pm, but it's not a problem as I leave Flagstaff at about 4pm for the 60-mile trip.



At 6:34 I get my last gas receipt for this leg in Winslow! 528 miles in 11.5 hours on the piglet - I made it! From the Shell station I see my Super 8 motel just down the street. I check in right behind a couple old guys who did 750 miles on their Goldwings. The guy working the counter is just super nice and I ask for a clean, cheap, room for a night of sleep. He gives me a better deal than I found on the internet in a room with a ‘really nice recliner'. I unload my gear and call the wifey. Then I have to go find food! Around Winslow at 8pm on a Sunday, there's not a whole lot of options. Thank God for Sonic and the #2 burger with mustard, some ‘tots, and a cherry limeade! Back to the motel, lock up the scooter and off to bed.

On Monday, I get going about 30 minutes later than I wanted to and I make a stop in ‘downtown' Winslow for a photo opportunity on the famous Route 66 Corner. There's a sign that prohibits bicycles, skates, and skateboards - but not Harley's so...

And when the Winslow Fire Chief rolls up, I hop off the curb for a shot next to the ‘flat bed Ford' (I'm not sure where ‘the girl' disappeared to...)

Now that the Kodak moment is captured and the bike is warm, I check the oil and hit the road toward my next night's stop: Roswell, New Mexico.

It's always fun riding on a brisk morning. The eyes water - a lot! It takes a while to level out the tear flow and really see. Nonetheless, I find I-40 east and head toward Holbrook, AZ where I'll finally get away from the Interstate riding. As I glide through Holbrook to US 180, I see a VW repair shop. I don't need it, but it's cool because it's "Kester's VW Repair Shop"! Wooo-whooo - I feel famous! Too early for it to be open so I continue on to a gas station with one kind of fuel and pumps with old school dials. I tell the proprietor I haven't seen pumps like these since I was a kid. He tells me I need to stop by more often! As I load up to leave, I talk to a local mechanic/biker who tells me to watch out for the idiots and avoid Phoenix. I had my first street bike in Phoenix in the mid-eighties, so I know exactly who he's talking about.

Time for a nice morning run on US 180 to St. John's, and then on to Springerville. After about 85 miles, I find Springerville to have two gas stations - one without any working pumps and one station with gas. I talk to the old guy working on a Chevy and learn it's another 30 miles to any other gas, so I top off the little tank. There were a lot of cars being ‘worked' on, so I'm not too sure about his mechanic skills. Off on US 60 toward Magdalena, New Mexico.

After Magdalena, I'm aiming for a brief jog on I-25 south and then pick up US 380. While on I-25 I see a couple signs for the Owl Bar and Grill with the "Worlds Best Hamburgers". As I jump from 25 to 380, I gas up in San Antonio (New Mexico, not Texas) and right next to me is the Owl! Great timing for lunch! It's a nice dive, and I grab a seat and order one of those burgers (and the only beer I'll have on the whole trip). Damn if they weren't right - that sloppy green chili burger was the best in the world! Go get one if you ever have the chance.

Back on the bike and on US 380 for almost the whole way home. I'm trying to make some time up and get to Roswell before 6 PM. There's a Harley dealer there and I want to get a T-shirt and some koozies for my brothers back home. Through Capitan, it's about 150-mile ride with lots of open nothing in between. About 20 miles outside of nothing, a New Mexico State Trooper has the lane blocked, but he's waving everyone past him and a box truck. Nothing to see here, so I roll on. Ten more miles, a good 30 miles between nothing and nothing, the traffic is stopped. Since it's a dashed line I pass and pause next to a guy in a pickup pulling a trailer and ask what's up. He tells me traffic is stopped because they're filming a movie - in the middle of nothing. I tell him I don't have time for a movie and I gas it and go. Of course, another Trooper (or three) has the road blocked so I get stuffed back in line. Only for a minute, and they open the road. Sure enough, there's a whole big bunch of people and trucks and movie people at some rock store in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico. I'd have stopped, but I didn't spot Angelina Jolie.

After the scene, several cage drivers (cars) are flying, passing everyone. One guy in a minivan is making moves. Next thing I know, traffic is slowing again, and he's stopped on the side of the road - backing up everyone. I spot him off to the side of his ‘van - picking through the awesome black rocks (they must have been awesome to him, because he was in a hurry to get there). Somewhere later in the middle of empty land, I pass a whole big mess of huge radio antennas and surmise they really are looking for aliens near Roswell!

The clock is ticking toward 6pm and I'm still racing to the HD dealer. ‘Racing' is a relative term as the sporty isn't really that fast. But I'm keeping up with traffic just fine. I go into fuel reserve and roll into the dealer parking lot at 6:03 pm. The place is empty! I missed it!

Wait - it gets better. They started their winter hours October 1 and they aren't actually open on Mondays. Sigh. Window shopping, I see a 2011 CVO Road Glide Ultra - in black! Just what I want!! I text my bro's and they tell me to get a brick, report the sporty stolen and ride the Glide home! They are such a bad influence!

Not one to commit too many felonies in one year, I just continue on the sporty to the Days Inn in town. It's been another 11 hour, nearly 500-mile ride, and I'm tired (and butt sore). The girl at the counter at the Days Inn isn't as cool as the old guy in Winslow, but she still cuts me a deal for a room to flop in. As I unload stuff for the room, I see my spare oil spilled a couple ounces in my left saddlebag. Nice thing I find in the room is that they provide some rags for such cleaning needs. Smart, as that saved their pretty white towels. I clean up a bit and walk across the street to a local dinner place to grab a meal. Bad choice and I won't even name the place. Just don't eat anywhere near a Days Inn in Roswell, NM. I was there over an hour and never even got a drink! Too tired to bother with the BS and not hungry enough to worry about it, I walk back to the motel and grab a shower and a pillow.

Tuesday - the final leg to home!! I wake up plenty early to get back on Texas time and get home. As I loaded up I met a guy riding with his two friends. Wayne's from Mississippi and they've ridden to New Orleans, Houston, Austin, Roswell, and were still going for another couple weeks. Nice! They were on three nice Harleys: Electra Glide, Fat Boy, and a Dyna all customized.

Since I didn't get dinner last night - Did I mention that was the worst service I've ever seen - I head to a McDonalds down the road a piece. I roll into the parking lot and circle around to find a parking spot where I can see the bike. A Mickey-D's truck is rolling all over the lot, and as soon as I stop, the manager tells me I can't park there. I tell him I wouldn't if I knew where his delivery guy was trying to go. The guy was all over the place! So of course he ends up parked so I can't see the bike.

Roswell is a bit obsessed with aliens, and I joked about it when texting my friends and family the prior night. But when I got to the counter and saw the girl that was taking my order, I was certain one of her grandparents had been abducted and had a roll in the space hay. I ordered tin foil with my breakfast so the aliens couldn't read my thoughts. I finish my Big Breakfast, toss the foil and head out on the 500+ mile ride to home!

First stop is 100 miles to Plains, and back in The Republic of Texas! Next stop is Post, then Haskell, then Jacksboro, then Decatur - not much to report on this part. I'm just trying to get my butt home and off this seat! And of course, from Decatur thru McKinney thru Farmersville I hit every light red. It did give me a chance to meet and talk with a guy on a very sweet 2010 Ultra Classic. Almost all blacked out and sounding great, he tells me he just did 1000 miles over the weekend. I tell him his 1000 was a lot more comfortable than mine!

It's getting dark when he peels off for home in Little Elm, so I pull over and change to the clear lenses. Off US380 in Farmersville, I pick up 78 and I'm getting close to home. I grab 6 to cut thru Nevada, picking up a Farm-to-Market market road. Great - it's just been paved and they haven't gotten around to painting lines. Just the fun I need - tired, butt sore, dark, curvy road with traffic and no lines. I make it to 66, hang a right and a couple miles later I'm in the neighborhood. I ride that last mile home standing up, skid into the driveway where the family is waiting with an ice cold Shiner Bock. Made it!!

Just over 1500 miles total, and right at 33 hours travel time - great little ride! Next time I do it will be on an Ultra!

For now, I clean the bugs off the Harley and the leathers, get two days of rest and then we load up a bike that fits me (Wolfie). Time for a three-day ride in beautiful east Texas with the guys and wives. 500 more miles and a great time at the annual Boo Benefit (www.boobenefit.org) - the best charity ride around!
Thanks to all my friends, family and brothers for support on the ride!!

Sean "Wolf Rider" Kester

LDR member Aidas Petrauskas returning home from European Bike Week - Faaker See. He rode thru Austria, Germany, Poland to Lithuania. Aidas said while riding thru the mountains in Austria it was raining and the wind was howling, Germany was warm with sunshine, Poland he rode thru morning fog but was greeted with a sunny day in Lithuania. "It was a fantastic trip, the best trip of my life."