Sure some prefer to ride alone, I do too sometimes. But this thread is about positive vibes riding with your buds, dad, brother, wife, club. Destinations and events?

Who do you ride with?

For some of us riding is transportation, others recreation, some a mix.

How do you use your bike(s)?




I like the 3-4 guys, longer rides with guys you hang with on a regular basis.

The bigger group rides, anything from 7-12 riders are cool too. Usually hit a great restaurant, maybe see the ocean and hit some breweries.

I don’t like large group rides.. anything over say 12 riders as much. Don’t really wanna ride with strangers of unknown skill or sense.

Twice a year I try to hit Sons of Speed, usually 4-5 riders come.

The last week of October I’m doing a 4 day up/Dwn the coast in ABNB’s with about 7 people.. should be a good time.. taking the Road King for that one.

Next year we’re talking going back to NC. But we’re also eyeing Blak-Hills.

I’d go crazy without riding.

 

I'm good with about 6 in the group. Anything more than that, on a road trip, it just gets to be too much every time you stop. It's like herding cats! My #1 preference is me and my wife. She rides her own.

 

My antique friends get around pretty good considering we're riding bikes as old as 80+ years old. There's been 18 or so of us sometimes.
Breakdowns are rare, and they ride tight, They avoid city riding, because of stoplights and tank shifters/foot clutches. For stuff like Sturgis, I split off on my own. It's usually too hot to ride slower. My Shovel will do 70 all day and I ride full tank to empty when riding solo. I have the cold beer ready when they pull in later.

 

I have the slowest riding buddies on earth. And they don’t follow worth a flip. They are otherwise great guys, and three of them are neighbors. But as riders they sorta suck.

There are two other people I know who will keep up with me, and I’m not that fast of a rider, or so I thought. One is a deputy sheriff forty years my junior who hauls *** around his county for a living in a hemi, and been riding and racing bikes since he was six. He bought my Road King. The other is a guy who came off of sport bikes and sport touring bikes, and bought my Road Glide.

So, I ride solo most of the time, because they are younger and still work for a living.

 

It’s all about the ride. I enjoy riding solo, just with my wife and with large groups on HOG chapter rides. Adapt and adjust accordingly for maximum safety and enjoyment.

 

I’ve got really close friends. We’re friends outside of motorcycles. In fact it was snowball effect when one started riding. I got back in after a medical hiatus. Are wives are close, we do some vacations together.

I’ve got a few friends that I’m not as close to who don’t drink. Great guys, but many of our stops and destinations are built around great beer, bourbon and whiskey. So it’s awkward to all go to a tap house or brewery and 2-3 don’t drink.


There’s a big diversity of riders too.. a good bit are super bikes, some sport / cafe bikes, a couple of Harleys. Everyone likes to move though. No slowskies in the group. I like that they are all cautious to some degree. Nobody is purposely un-safe. In other words, I’m not overly worried what they may do. It’s a beautiful thing when your cruising on a high with folk you trust. Build memories we all share. No jerks.. not a one.

 

I got back on a bike in 2018... 75K miles later, I've quickly found what I like and what I don't when it comes to riding.

I thought I'd like big group rides – I don't... I thought I'd love riding with ALL my buddies – truth be told I don't... Some are reckless and looking for trouble (the accident kind of trouble). Some ride beyond their limits and worry me. Some are way too slow. Or too needy or anxious while out on the road. Some need to stop for gas too often. Some need the bathroom a lot. One guy plays his stereo WAY too loud for me. I could go on, but I suspect most get it.

I truly love riding and I can spend all day in the saddle. I like to ride my ride. As Jim Croce says, "If you're going my way, I'll go with you..."

I've got one buddy that I've ridden tens of thousands of miles with over the past few years. It works well. Presently, it's with him or it's on my own.

Funny... I suspected to see tequila on this list...

 

Love Tequila… but there just aren’t any bars, Taverns or resturants that serve good Tequila remotely near any destination we ride. In fact I only know one place in the entire State that has an amazing list.

I still drink about 4-5 oz of Tequila in the late afternoon cause I enjoy it and cause it helps thin my blood. I’m such a snob that 99% of my tequila drinking is at home. I still have at any given time a good 25-30 different bottle open. Main stays or standards for me are Pasote Repo, Arte Nom 1414 repo, tequila Ocho repo, Wild Common repo, Feunteseca Blanco and Pasote Extra Anjeo. These are staples… others come and go.

Two guys in the group prefer tequila and scotch to all else like myself… but they’d rather swing by my place and drink my stock lol. I’ve turned them into snobs too. Beer is the common ground. And Beer destinations are everywhere.

Every great resturant seems to have a good beer list. Every great destination has a brewery near by.

My only issue with Beer is the popularity of these nasty fruit sour beers..

Give me 4-7% Stouts and Porters or the occasional IPA with Salad or Fish.

 

Absolutely and totally get it...

Prior to going gluten-free a few years back (another story) I got deep into craft beer. I was never a big beer drinker and wine was either good or not good – I couldn't get the nuances. Craft beer I got, but no more. Love a good cider!

When living in Northwest, NJ I'd be riding every day for any reason. Commuting, touring, pleasure or basic transportation. If I needed something and it fit on the bike, I am taking the bike, all year round.

The past few years here in FL it's about the same, but with a bit less "pleasure riding" due to the weather and the lack of scenic personality here. Road-trips are a big thing for me – this time next year I plan to head to the far-reaches of the Northwest to see the remaining 5 contiguous states left on my list. Year after that I've planned a Southwest tour, including Sedona, Albuquerque and San Diego with a little Route 66 100th Anniversary experience for good measure. I'm a planner.

I've enjoyed them all – good stuff! I've been on a high-proof tear recently; Wild Common Still Strength is phenomenal. Other favorites include Cascahuin Tahona, Arette Artesenal Reposado and ANYTHING from El Tesoro.

 

We do our rides one of four ways. Since my wife has her own bike, sometimes we will ride together, just the two of us. Sometimes a day trip somewhere. Sometimes just a short ride to a restaurant for an evening meal. To avoid complicated coordination of schedules, we will ride to rallies just the two of us and meet our friends there.

About 10 years ago met me a great group of people from Gettysburg - about an hour away from us. Sometimes we'll make it there for a weekend, but it is usually the long weekend for the annual rally. We'll hook up with whoever is available and bar hop. One day these guys. Another day those guys. Sometimes my wife and I will take our own day trip somewhere and explore different roads there. Same with the OC Rally at the beach. Some of our local friends go. Some of our Gettysburg friends go. Same deal. We'll ride during the day, then hang out and watch the bands at night.

We have also been riding for the past two years with a local group. We knew them before but have been included now in "their circle" We've gotten to know how everyone rides so we typically even have the same riding order. We have the leader who maps out the rides and the stops. Some of those guys ride fast and love the mountains. I ride tail since I ride much more cautious and do not trust PA roads. I have a fast bike and always catch up on the straightaways. Sometimes we'll do a long weekend with them and explore new territories.

Lastly, I have a second, older twin cam Dyna and occasionally I will take her out by myself for a few miles. Usually to the military cemetery where my dad is buried. It's nice to get out by myself and enjoy my first Harley. I am thankful I did not trade it in.

All in all it is nice since we've been with these groups, someone usually knows the roads best to lead and we just follow. We respect each other for who we are, our riding styles and our personalities. It's a great time to be alive!