The Bikes
Alex rides a 2008 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic and Ann rides a 2007 Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob. Check out our past and present bikes below.
Bike 2: Our 1985 Honda Shadow 700
Alex got his motorcycle license in July 2001, on the morning of our wedding! During our honeymoon in Florida, we decided to rent a Harley-Davidson. Alex had only ridden a few times during his motorcycle license class, but somehow Ann was crazy (stupid?) enough to hop on the back of the motorcycle with him. We explored Florida's beaches for a few days, riding about an hour, then sunbathing and swimming for a few hours, then riding another hour, then finding another great beach and relaxing for a few more hours... What a great way to explore the coast! When we got home, we couldn't wait to buy our own motorcycle.
A year later, we bought our first bike, a 1985 Honda Shadow 700. I think the bike only cost $800 or $900, but that sure was a lot of money at the time! Ann was still in college at the University of Virginia, so writing all those checks for rent, utilities, and tuition sure was painful. But, we really wanted our own motorcycle, so we adjusted our budget until it worked out. Well worth it!
We owned the Honda Shadow for about two years, and we rode it through central Virginia's mountains along Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway almost every weekend to give Ann breaks from studying.
A year later, we bought our first bike, a 1985 Honda Shadow 700. I think the bike only cost $800 or $900, but that sure was a lot of money at the time! Ann was still in college at the University of Virginia, so writing all those checks for rent, utilities, and tuition sure was painful. But, we really wanted our own motorcycle, so we adjusted our budget until it worked out. Well worth it!
We owned the Honda Shadow for about two years, and we rode it through central Virginia's mountains along Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway almost every weekend to give Ann breaks from studying.
Bike 3: Our 2008 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic
Although we loved our 1985 Honda Shadow, we really wanted a Harley-Davidson. We weren't sure exactly what model we'd buy, or when we'd finally be able to afford our own bike, we just knew it had to be a Harley.
Finally, in June of 2009, we bought a 2008 H-D Heritage Softail Classic, the same model we rented during our honeymoon in Florida three years earlier. Once Ann graduated college and had been working about a year, we finally saved enough money, and the bike was definitely worth the wait! We love our Heritage because it's stylish and it can hold plenty of gear for long road trips. |
Bike 4: Our 1983 Honda Shadow 500
During the fall of 2010, Ann was looking for a new challenge, so we bought her a 1983 Honda Shadow 500 so she could learn to ride on her own. It only cost $800 and already had dozens of dents and scratches, so it was a perfect beginner bike.
Even though she liked riding, she didn't love it. Ann says she missed riding on the back with me and generally zoning out and relaxing while riding. So, after a year, we sold the Honda Shadow and used the money to buy our trailer, Colonel Mustard. |
The trailer, "Colonel Mustard"
During a camping trip in the Shenandoah Mountains during the summer of 2011, we met a guy and his preteen son with a Heritage Softail. Come to find out it had over 200k miles on his bike and he was towing a popup trailer. He had spent a lot of time on the road was excited to tell us about his adventures and how having a trailer really opens up your options for camping during long road trips. After talking with him for a good while we knew what our next purchase was going to be, a trailer!
That night when we got home, I searched on Craigslist and just happened to find a trailer for a good price. We went that night to check it out and ended up buying since the previous owned took such good care of it. We weren't crazy about the yellow color at first, but cars definitely give us more space on the road when we're towing the trailer, which makes us feel slightly safer.
That night when we got home, I searched on Craigslist and just happened to find a trailer for a good price. We went that night to check it out and ended up buying since the previous owned took such good care of it. We weren't crazy about the yellow color at first, but cars definitely give us more space on the road when we're towing the trailer, which makes us feel slightly safer.