Gregg Eldred

Last year, MWLUG was in Milwaukee. As is usually my practice, I arrived a day early. On the train from Chicago to Milwaukee (train travel is the best), I took a call from Bill Malchisky who wanted to know if I was interested in a trip to a museum. Being a sucker for that sort of thing, I accepted. Then, I asked, "Which museum?" "The Harley-Davidson Museum," came the reply. Snooze fest I thought, but what the heck, it was a museum.

It was fantastic, beautiful, and amazing.

On our way out of the museum, there was an area where you could "ride" a Harley. Sure the bikes were up on rollers, but you started it, accelerated/decelerated, and shifted. With just a little instruction, I jumped on a Soft Tail and "rode." It was at that point that I "got" the Harley mystique. That simple ride drove home everything that I had seen inside the museum.

In January of this year, I attended Lotusphere. As is my custom, I arrived a couple of days early.

Friday afternoon, I left the Dolphin, walking out the main entrance. There, in the parking lot, were about 20 brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycles lined up. This was the preparation for The Lotusphere 2012 Hog Ride. Damn, they looked nice, so I asked Paul Mooney, "How do I get to do this next year?" He told me I needed a motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license. Okay, sounds easy enough.

One evening, a friend invites me to a pub. He commutes, every day that is nice, from his home to his place of work in downtown Cleveland, on his motorcycle. A perfect person to ask about riding and the bad habits of drivers. Not only do I need to get my endorsement, he recommended the Ohio Motorcycle Course, but as the Hog Ride is a group ride, I will need to practice riding before the event. "How do I do that?" "You need to buy a bike and ride."

I waited for the online registration to go live and scored a class in mid April (these classes are extremely popular and inexpensive - $25). The class is 3 days, with the first day dedicated to classroom work. The second and third day are for riding in a very structured environment. After getting off the Honda 250 on Saturday afternoon, I drove out to a motorcycle dealer where I had my eye on a used Yamaha 950. Sadly, it had been sold. So, I went with a new bike, a Yamaha V-Star 950 Tourer. In addition to the bike, I added a few extras; engine guards, rear luggage rack, and passing lamps. Delivery was scheduled for Tuesday of the next week.

Sunday, I passed the class, which allowed me to get my endorsement without having to pass the riding test at the BMV.

Tuesday, the bike arrived. That evening, I was riding.

To date, I have ridden 7,000 miles. I've participated in a Firefighter Memorial Ride with 1500 other bikes. I've ridden through western Pennsylvania with two friends (gone all day, put 200+ miles on the bike). After that ride, I replaced the stock seat with a Mustang seat - what a difference! Finally, I joined the Cleveland Chapter of STAR as I wanted to go on more group rides, meet new people who ride, and participate in motorcycle related events. Using motorcycleroads.us, I've ridden all of the recommended rides in the northern part of Ohio. I've ridden from Toledo to Erie, Pennsylvania, and as far south as Columbus.

The bike has been a blast to ride. Plus, I think it's made me a much better driver. And, I've witnessed some really moronic drivers.

I think I'm ready for the 2013 Hog Ride.

My bike, before many of the accessories had been installed.



Because the summer was so unbelievably hot, I bought another helmet, which made riding much more enjoyable.