Sunday, June 19, 2005

Chuck's New Harley

Anyone who knows me knows exactly how passionate I am about riding my Harley Davidson Fatboy. I love it! I ride everyday, cold or hot, rain or shine, and one of my favorite things to do is ride my Harley with a group of friends through the winding Illinois roads.

Today, one of my oldest and dearest friends, Chuck, bought his very first Harley Davidson. He walked into the local Harley Davidson dealership and rode out on a new Harley Davidson Road King. Nice Choice Chuck!

While Chuck’s new bike was getting set up in the shop he dropped me a call to tell me the good news. An event like this couldn’t go without notice. Knowing that it would take at least another half hour to finish up the work on his bike, I quickly offered to climb on my ride and boogie up the highway to the dealership and join Chuck for his maiden voyage home.

I jumped onto my bike and started the ½ hour ride that would take me to Woodstock Illinois. The weather outside was perfect with blue skies and warm weather and I couldn’t help but feel excitement for my friend. There is nothing like buying a new Harley Davidson.

I met Chuck at the dealership and we waited for what seemed like eternity for his bike to be finished. We walked around the dealership looking at all of the great rides while Chuck explained to me exactly why he choose the Road King over all the others.

The bike was soon fished and we were called to the back of the shop for the walk around. Chuck’s new ride looked great in the sunlight. The color is called Lava Red, and that is exactly what it looks like. The Road King is long and low with black leather saddle bags and wide handlebars, the classic Harley. Chuck is every bit of 6 feet 3inches and 280 pounds and he fit the bike perfectly.

As we pulled out of the parking lot and down the country roads that would wind us back to his house I could see that Chuck had a grin on his face from ear to ear. With the wind in our face and the sun on our backs we started out on his first ride.

There is nothing quit like the sound that roars out of the tailpipes from a Harley Davidson’s V-Twin motor. It’s deep and powerful and something very much like an addiction to those of us who are lucky enough to own one. Chuck and I rode side by side, something we hadn’t done in over 18 years, and the sound of the two bikes together is something that I will never forget.

Sure, the bikes are great and the sound is unbelievable, but my favorite part of the trip was riding alongside my friend Chuck and seeing that genuine smile on his face as he headed down the road on his new Harley Davidson Road King. If you try and ask a Harley Rider why they ride you will usually get the response “if I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand”. It might seem rude, but it’s true. The best answer I can try to give you is that it is more than the bike and the freedom of the road, it’s more than the sound of the pipes and the wind in your face, its about sharing times with good friends, its about living life on your own terms, its all about enjoying the ride.

Today was a great day!

I definitely enjoyed the ride.