SHINY SIDE UP
Only on a Bike A few weeks ago, I had lunch with fellow MOA member Randy Crank, who told me a story I’d bet will resonate with many riders. Running down a deserted stretch of highway in northern Wisconsin, Randy said the sky to the southwest had taken on an ominous appearance. Ahead was a wall of what looked like rain under a ragged line of black and blue clouds. It looked so threatening Randy pulled into the first driveway he came to, leading up to a farmhouse and barn. As he approached the house, a man came running out, frantically motioning for him to drive his bike into the barn. “Tornado headed this way!” he yelled. Once the bike was stowed, the farmer led Randy into his cozy kitchen, where his wife plied him with hot cocoa and cake. Though they had never met before, they rode out the storm together, and Randy said, “I’ve never had a better slice of cake!” The story got me to thinking about the kind of singular experiences motorcyclists have that never would have happened had they not been on two wheels. I polled a few of my colleagues here at Owners News to see what kind of “only on a motorcycle” stories they had…
Mark Barnes (“The Ride Inside”):
“Back in 2018, I went on a dual-sport tour of central Colorado with some friends who were all more skilled and daring than me. Among the many death-defying challenges my fearless compatriots found irresistible was a climb to the top of Mt. Antero, the tallest of the area’s famed over-14,000-foot peaks. The nearly impassable “road” up the mountainside was strewn with large boulders that required lots of momentum to ride up and over, but that momentum had to be halted immediately upon surmounting each obstacle or it would hurl bike and rider to a grisly end over the unshouldered edge of the sheer precipice waiting on the other side, often forming a hairpin turn for good measure. I don’t know how long this nightmarish ascent actually
60 BMW OWNERS NEWS | May 2023
lasted, but it felt like many hours and was easily the most terrifying experience of my entire life. The reward at the summit was a breathtaking vista impossible to capture in words, second only to my first view of the Grand Canyon, along with the satisfaction (only afterward!) of having done something so outrageous and lived to tell the tale. Not only would I have never had this experience if traveling by car, I would have never had it left to my own appetite for risk. Such a big part of motorcycling is our association with fellow riders (some of whom are crazy).”
Jon DelVecchio (“Street Skills,” Cornering Confidence):
“Early in my motorcycling life I got the bright idea to do an Iron Butt Association’s SaddleSore 1000 ride. I did this thousand-mile tour in under 24 hours on a 1995 Suzuki Savage 650 thumper with printed MapQuest directions and a duffle bag strapped to my seat. At the time, I had no idea how comfortably one could actually ride a motorcycle all those miles. Minimal creature comforts and stopping for gas every 90 miles sure made it challenging. I was so high on adrenaline that I could have succeeded on a pull-start mini bike. This was my first big adventure! The feeling of solitude at 3 AM when I left my driveway on such a long solo journey was surreal. I experienced so many things that day, from a moonlit start near Lake Ontario, to Atlantic Ocean beaches, through the ghost town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, and returning once again to that warm place called ‘home.’” Taking this motorcycle trip encouraged me to continue riding far and wide over the next 20 years. In those early days I rode alone, but now I more often do it with great riding buddies. At this point, I’ve forgotten more small towns than most people remember. It really is true that the destination isn’t the point when riding a motorcycle. It’s the journey along the way that matters. I can’t wait to see
what fascinating places my motorcycle takes me next!”
Jack Riepe (“Jack the Riepe”):
“I was headed east on the New Jersey Turnpike one afternoon on my Kawasaki triple when a car with two beautiful young women pulled alongside. The blonde in the passenger seat turned to me and lifted her shirt, leaving nothing to the imagination. They sped off, laughing, and I never saw them again.” Jack insists that never would have happened if he hadn’t been on his “Widow Maker.” Incidentally, Jack assured me all his stories are true. He said if he ever told a story where he rode into a little town and picked up a young lady for a ride and nothing happened, that would be a lie.
Wes Fleming (“Torque of the Matter”):
“My ’78 Honda CB750 came up with a flat front tire in the middle of Wisconsin nowhere. I was alone because the friends I was travelling with in summer 1992 had no problem going across the Mackinac Bridge a second time, while I obviously wasn’t going to do that. I had a patch kit for the punctured tube, but it wasn’t just punctured, it was torn, and of course I didn’t discover this until I had the wheel off and the tire sitting in the dust next to me. The destroyed tube was my spare, and I’d neglected to get another, so I was kicking myself. A local in an old beat-up pickup truck drove past me, then pulled to the side. We discussed my troubles and he said he thought there was a ‘motosickle’ shop a couple towns up the road and he’d give me a ride if I liked. Of course I liked! He was a nice guy, didn’t talk much. The motorcycle shop was a Honda dealer, and they had tubes (I bought two) and even put my tube-tirewheel back together and filled it with air. The local commented it was getting late and I’d probably have trouble putting the wheel back on in the dark, so I might as well stay with his family and get a fresh start first thing in the morning. He spent