The Bikes

January 3, 2015

Ten years ago I was 19. Most of my friends left on missions for the LDS church to various places around the world. My band dissolved and my girlfriend broke up with me. I was turned on to the idea of buying a motorcycle, which excited me and seemed like the perfect escape from what I was dealing with.

Since then I have been through a series of bikes including a sport bike, dirt bike, and two cruisers. The bike I've ended up with is a 2013 Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide Custom. The bike has a 103 ci engine and is the most powerful machine I've had yet. I bought it almost exactly one year ago to the day and have ridden almost 17,000 miles.

It all began for my friend, Brad, at almost the same time. Brad and I were both friends with many of the same people who left on missions for the LDS church. We both went to high school together, but never really knew each other. I guess it was bound to happen at some point, but having all our friends leave caused us to bond very quickly. We ended up playing music together in a band and our friendship only grew from there.

Just a few months after that I purchased my first motorcycle, Brad also gained an interest in motorcycles. One summer day I rode my Kawasaki Ninja 500 to his house and he rode bitch to a Honda dealership where he bought his used Kawasaki cruiser. Soon after that we moved into a shady apartment in South Salt Lake together.

Years passed and I ended up selling my first bike. Brad continued riding his motorcycle until the seat started fraying and coming apart. I remember it was a warm day in March 2012 when I was driving away from my house and I saw someone on a motorcycle. It was early in the season but perfect riding weather, and I remember the moment I decided to go back to two wheels. I called Brad up on the phone and shared my plans with him. Two days later we came home with these. Two brand new 2009 Kawasaki Vulcan Custom 900s.

At a certain point I became interested in Harley-Davidson, and as soon as I started entertaining the idea I couldn't stop. My Vulcan was still pristine and worth about four thousand dollars so I figured if I was going to make the move then the sooner the better. I listed my bike for sale and began looking for buyers.

Early in 2014, after I had already purchased my Harley, I was hanging out with a friend of mine, Jake. Jake has also been a close friend of mine for about a decade. He is a couple years younger than me and plays drums for our band. I mentioned that I was selling my Vulcan and noticed he was taking interest. We decided to take advantage of the win-win situation we had. He got a good bike for a good price, and I got another rider cohort who happened to be a close friend. Not to mention, I would be seeing my old Vulcan regularly, which always puts a smile on face.

A month after Jake bought my old motorcycle, Brad and I left on a 1700 mile trip with Aric, a friend of Brad's and acquaintance of mine at the time. Over the course of five days we all became closer friends. Since then we have continued to ride together and Aric has even started playing music in the band with Jake and me. During our venture to Arizona, Aric rode a Harley Heritage Softail but as of last Fall he traded it in for a brand new 2014 Road King. This photo is from a trip we took to Southern Utah soon after.

Brad was deployed with the military from May until November so he was unable to join us for the Southern Utah trip. While in the Middle East, however, Brad turned to Harley's as well. When he got home he test rode a couple and purchased one right away. Like old times, I gave him a ride on the back of my bike to the dealership where he purchased a new 2014 Dyna Switchback.

All of our Harleys have 103 ci engines, and both Aric's and my bike have had custom engine work done. These bikes will be taking us through Arizona in a couple of months, along the Pacific coastline this Summer, and Yellowstone in the Fall.