Friends That Ride Motorcycles and Scooters

Haunted by Ghosts

Without this post becoming a treatise on psychological therapy, I should point out there are broken aspects of my character that having friends that ride helps cure. For years I thought no one liked me. It’s origins likely dwell in very early romantic rejections. Combine it with the isolation and solitude that often accompany being an only child and it’s no wonder those feelings spread far beyond singular events to embody the ideas of not being liked and an irrational fear of being rejected. And what emerges is a pattern of doing things isolated and alone.

Intellectually, I understand it’s not true. But emotionally there’s a 15 year-old-boy running the show.

Riders often speak of riding and wind therapy but seldom are specific. Discovering friendship through riding is a specific result I’ve found beyond the rides themselves. And it was apparent again when my friend Dom Chang visited for a few days as he was traveling from Colorado towards Maine in his RV with his Yamaha TW200 (Yagi) on the front rack.

I’ll share a few of the experiences of having friends that ride.

My Default Setting

A desire for lonely, empty roads is my default setting. Is that by design or a genuine recognition of my desire for solitude? A good question. Connecting with friends that ride and the enjoyment I find with them suggests I may have a pattern of behavior that is isolating and lonely. I still enjoy riding alone for many reasons. But one of the greatest gifts of riding is I have become more social, more connected, more willing to reach out to others despite any irrational fears of rejection.

A Serendipitous Start

Dom and I first crossed paths for the first time during the spring of 2011. I was in Denver attending a conference and posted pictures of the view of the city on my blog.

Not long after I received an email from Dom inviting me to dinner at his home.  Looking back, and knowing what I’m like, I’m amazed I accepted.  Turning down invitations to anything social has been and often still is my modus operandi.  But there I was on the light rail heading to the instructed destination.  It was around 1PM when I got in Dom’s SUV and he informed me that he would be working the rest of the afternoon but he would give me a motorcycle so I could explore the area.  The only requirement was I be back for dinner with he and his wife.

Since that time Dom has visited me three times.  Once hauling his URAL rig, and twice with Yagi. I’m grateful to call him a friend. 

The First Morning

Starting issues rendered Dom’s “Yagi” out of riding service. The only polite response in such a situation is to open the garage and offer a suffering fellow rider a choice of machines. Curiosity led him to the Honda Trail 125 and its unusual way of shifting and controlling the power band. By the time we wound our way along the 28-mile route to the Meandering Mallard Coffee House for breakfast Dom was ready to try the Himalayan.

One of the advantages of friends that ride are those opportunities to try out different machines.

Canine Recognition of Good People

Aiden is a love sponge. You would think he’s starved for attention. After returning from our morning ride we spent some time making plans for dinner. Aiden leaned in hard for every scratch, pet, and massage he could get. He doesn’t treat everyone that way. Aloof with some people after an initial friendly greeting. Dom told me it was his third black dog encounter so far on this trip. Aiden probably wanted to make sure he was Dom’s favorite.

Old Men Speak the Same Language

There are no healthy choices in restaurants when you’re older and have any sort of health issue that might influence what you eat or drink. And invariably the conversation will spin towards the woes of aging, medical issues, how riding is affected, and a litany of regrets or missteps that you can only dream of doing over.

Aside from the normalcy of such conversations dinner with friend that ride is a satisfying way to spend an evening. I led Dom to Otto’s Pub and Brewery in State College, Pennsylvania. My only regret is that I didn’t minimize the dinner amount so I could have had the chocolate brownie with ice cream.

Next time.

Scooter Salesmanship

Now that the motorcycles in my garage outnumber the scooters some believe my love of Vespa scooters has waned. It has not. I’m merely spreading the love a little wider. Dom had the chance to ride the GTS and ET4 to and from dinner at Otto’s.

He didn’t say much about them and I didn’t sell.

The Grand Adventure Interrupted

An early morning ride on the Honda Trail 125s to Rothrock Campsite #5. Dom was waiting, the starting issues solved with a new battery, and ready to ride through the mountains. My grand plan was to visit as many of the sweeping vistas as possible to present Central Pennsylvania is a bright, shining light. Unfortunately the road to many of the great vistas had a road closed sign on it. So Dom carries with him the idea that Pennsylvania is nothing but trees.

The Yamaha TW200

Before purchasing the Honda Trail 125 I looked hard at the TW200. They’re not common here and I couldn’t find one to try out so I erased it from the list. Dom gave me a chance to ride Yagi and I have to say those big tires make the gravel roads seem paved.

When we stopped at Whipple Dam State Park I commented that the clutch seemed as if it were slipping. Or not fully engaging. That set off a roadside discussion of clutch cable tensions and adjustments. When that talk begins voices start to sound like the teachers in a Charlie Brown cartoon.

Sharing Experience

Howard is ready for another adventure of some sort. The Airstream is ready. We stopped by during the afternoon so the two could discussing RV camping, boondocking, and ways to navigate BLM lands.

I snacked on brownies and tea while the adults conversed.

The Most Comfortable Seat

The W650 was the last machine to ride. The verdict — it’s a really comfortable seat. And it has power when you need it. It’s a rare motorcycle in the United States. I’m glad Dom had a chance to ride it.

Friends and Motorcycles

Four motorcycles, Paul on his Harley 48, Dom on his TW200, Dave on his 1986 BMW K1000, and me on the Himalayan. A meandering ride across a mountain top to breakfast, good conversation, and then a winding ride towards home and the end of Dom’s visit.

I learned a few things. What we ride doesn’t really matter. Even when the size and power differences are great. And connecting with others, however it happens, well that does matter. To me at least. It doesn’t have to be one thing or another and there is plenty of time to have both solitary rides and connect with friends that ride.

The best of both worlds.

The Final Roundup

All good things must end. A day with friends that ride is no different. As we rode towards home after breakfast Paul went a different direction to visit an antique machinery show. I led Dave and Dom on a sweeping ride that would be near the place where Dom would enter Rothrock State Forest. As many times as I’ve ridden through Potters Mills I had never stopped at Homan’s General Store. Today offered the perfect excuse. A chance for Dave to say farewell to Dom, and for me to buy some cookies for my afternoon tea. A win-win scenario.

Dom joined Kim and I for dinner later that evening. And during the conversation Kim indicated an interest in being able to camp in the woods in an RV. We learned you can rent a Class C RV like Dom’s for $1200 a week. Maybe there might be some camping in the future for us as well.

I’m grateful to have friends that ride. And the opportunity to connect with them. Who knows what ideas and opportunities await when the circle of solitude is broken.