Orange and black

The Trucker News Services

12/1/2008

Folks who own a Harley-Davidson seem to be a breed apart. That’s not to insult all the good people who own bikes that are not of the orange and black persuasion — but we thought we’d touch base with some people who do own HOGs and find out a little about them. After all, a fair amount of trucking industry members — drivers and corporate personnel alike—own bikes. And we also know they often travel together, attending various bike rallies and charity events around the country. If you also own a HOG, check out a few trucking companies who have dedicated folks with ape hangers, Fat Boys or maybe a cruiser or two.

Love at first Harley

James Warren, Rutherford, N.C., is a proud HOG owner. His first bike — his only Harley-Davidson — is a red 1998 Softail Custom, purchased seven years ago. This company driver for Barr-Nunn Transportation, Granger, Iowa, is the proud father of eight and grandfather of nine. Yet, between a great family and truck driving for a living, Warren finds the time to enjoy riding with his close friends who also ride bikes.

Warren took his longest ride to Washington D.C. to help another love of his: trucking. He took the 800 mile roundtrip to stand up and fight against high fuel prices. But was it his most memorable trip? “No,” says Warren. “This being my first Harley, the most memorable trip was taking it out of the crate and riding it home.”

A quarter-decade Harley fan

Larry Moody, recruiting manager for Lone Star Transportation out of — where else? — the lone star state of Texas, Fort Worth to be precise, has been a Harley-Davidson rider for a quarter of a decade. Currently riding a Pearl White 2008 Heritage Softail, Moody has also been owner to a 1982 Heritage.

Moody is currently single and is the proud father of three daughters and grandfather of five grandchildren. But don’t let the grandfather title fool you — Moody’s been seen at the “Bikes, Blues and BBQ” event in Fayetteville, Ark., and has traveled a tremendous 2200 miles during a trip on his bike, visiting the mountains to the West in Durango, Colo. That same trip was also his most memorable, he says, because of the scenery, the atmosphere and most of all, the friends involved. Speaking of friends — some he rides with often include AJ Byers, Will Allen and Larry Stewart.

Heart of gold plus an iron butt

Behind most Harley riders are hearts of gold. There are many charity rides and rallies going on all year and Harley-owners join in for good causes. One of the most clever, however, has got to be the Iron Butt Ride. Chris Van Meerhaeghe is familiar with this one, having joined in the ride that logs 1,200 miles in a 24 hour period, traveling from Kansas City, Mo. To Cheyenne, Wyo. Why do a ride like this? “You meet a lot of good people who share common goals,” says Van Meerhaeghe, a company driver for Kennesaw Transportation out of Georgia. Along with the Iron Butt, Van Meerhaeghe has also attended the Bikers, Blues and BBQ in Fayetteville, Ark.

Currently cruising on a Pewter 2007 Heritage Softail Classic, Van Meerhaeghe also owns a 2007 Ford H-D truck and has also been the proud owner of a 1990 1200 Sportster.

Chris hails from Grain Valley, Mo., where he is married and has two children.

Rallies: “I’ve attended them all”

One of the longest riding folks we talked to is Bert Wylie, a company driver for Kennesaw Transportation. Residing in Shelbyville, Tenn., and with six children and 14 grandchildren, Wylie reports his been to nearly every rally or bike ride you can think of. He’s got quite a few clubs he rides with including the Shelbyville Knights, Southern Cruiser, Christian Bike Club and Bikers Against Child Abuse. Currently, Wylie has a 1997 Sportster 1200 in Lamborghini Pearl Orange as well as a 1999 Black 1200. Far from his first bikes, however, Wylie’s first bike was a 90 hp Harley dirtbike owned proudly back in the 1950s.

Of all the rallies and events he’s attended, Wylie says the most memorable has to be the Bean Blossom Boogie Tour, though surely they time he flew to Hawaii for a rally racks up there near the top of his Orange and Black memories as well. Between there and Seattle, Wash., those are the farthest this rider has been on his bike, and the longest single trip distance covered? 3,000 miles on the Ride Across America.

Four-pack out of Black River Falls

There’s a crew at Millis Transfer, Black River Falls, Wis., who often cruise together on their respective HOGs. The friends are Mike Millis, Mark Chandler, Reid Ransom and Wade Meek. When asked how long these guys have been riding, their answer is simple: “Forever.”

So what do they ride? Millis owns a 2002 Road King; Mark also has a Road King, 1999 model; following the trend, Reid Ramson also has a Road King, from 2005; and Wade drives a 2005 Classic.

The group has participated in varying types of rallies or charity events, including Project Christmas, Youth Hockey and a variety of rides that benefit cancer research and fundraising. One of the best parts of riding in events like these is the fact that the riding isn’t just enjoyable but it’s riding to help others, says the friends.

Mike Millis has traveled the farthest of the group, at 2,000 miles. Millis reports Sturgis, S.D. as the farthest he’s been on his bike.

Not surprising—who’s your favorite group of folks to ride with? “Our Millis colleagues.”

Most recent addition to the HOG clan

Welcome Mark Warner, the newest Hog owner in the group of good fellows we heard from. Warner works as a recruiter in the Missouri office if O&S Trucking, and as of the day we heard from him, he’d been the proud owner of a 2001 Sportster 1200 Custom for five whole days. This married father of three — two boys and one girl — certainly plans to grow his list of Harley-Davidson rallies and events as soon as he can. Enjoy the bike!

H.O.G. member on Bike No. 4

David Warner is the V.P. of Asset Management for American Central Transport (ACT) and this proud H.O.G. member is currently cruising on bike number 4 in the line up of Harley’s he’s owned. His current bike is a 2004 Electra Glide Standard FLHTI but he’s also been the proud owner of a 45 ci Chopper, a 1976 Superglide and a 2001 Fat Boy. All told, Warner’s been riding for enjoyment and good works for over 30 years.

He’s participated in several local charity rides, attended a variety of local events, but he’s also logged some serious mileage on a Harley. “I’ve been to Sturgis several times,” says Warner. And he’s also attended Bikers for Babies rallies. But one of the most impressive items of note in his Harley experiences has to be the longest distances he’s traveled. How about 2,900 miles in a week? And he’s rolled down 765 miles in one day.

Most memorably, Warner reports, was the ride he took in Denver, Colo. “When we left Denver, the temperature was in the 80s. But by the time the day was over, we’d ridden through rain, sleet and snow. Now that’s a biking adventure.

Grand Canyon, here we come

Also with ACT, driver Lee Tillman is proud to be a Harley rider. This single father of four and grandfather of two currently has two Harleys to his name. One is a blue ’07 Streetglide and the other is a red 2002 Wideglide, sitting with just 34,000 miles on it.

In 34 years of riding HOGs, Tillman has been to some interesting places and attended many rallies and Harley-Davidson events. But the most memorable came recently when he and his best friend B. G. Jones rode together to visit the West rim of the Grand Canyon just last summer. Already considered the eighth wonder of the world by readers of USA Today, the Grand Canyon had to be breathtaking when viewed from a bike.

Tillman has traveled as much as 3,300 miles in six days before and has ridden in a variety of events, such as Toys for Tots, Hogs for Dogs and multiple Multiple Sclerosis Foundation runs as well. What’s most amazing about those types of events? “Seeing so many riders pull together for one common cause,” says Tillman.