Your greatest motorcycle experiences in 2008
January 5th, 2009 20 Comments » | View blog reactions
If someone asked you, what was your greatest motorcycle experiences in 2008, what would you answer? And “things are great every time I ride my motorcycle” doesn’t count. If I was to pick a couple of things from top of mind, here’s what my greatest motorcycling experiences in 2008 would be.
But first I’d like to use the opportunity to wish all of you who reads this blog all the good stuff you can handle in 2009. All the comments and feedback I get from you guys mean a tremendous lot to me and I hope you’ll continue to join the debate in 2009.
Enough of the sentimental sobbing. Here’s what was indeed great experiences for me in 2008.
Super Rally 2008 in Denmark
My bike was just finished from the rebuild I had planned and collected parts over two years. The weather was bloody brilliant. Even if everything else had sucked, the ride there would easily have made up for it. But the rally was awesome as well, and the acknowledgment I got from Cole Foster on my bike topped it of to be a very memorable weekend. Read more about it here.
Solo trip to Hamburg
Riding to Hamburg to meet Scott and Zack from Choppertown was also one of the best trips I had in 2008. I met so many great new people and made good friends that it stands out as a really profound experience. Until now it’s still the best example I’ve experienced that you can go anywhere on a motorcycle and you’ll meet friendly people that will help you out. Read more about it here
What is you plans for 2009?
You got to have some plans right? or at least dreams of thing you want to do. I know of two things I’d like to do this year. One is taking a couple of weeks with my girlfriend riding up the coast of Norway on my Honda. Second I’m fiddling with the idea of going to the Bottrop rally with a couple of the lads on old bikes. Besides that, we all know that planning is for sissies and all you really need is just to go.
Well after a very dry 2007 with no motorcycle 2008 was a motorcycle geyser. In Sept, I purchased a 66 Triumph bobber from a custom builder here in Atlanta (British and American) after lusting for one for over 8 years. (Don’t care if the trend is over). Then I went to Barbers Vintage show for the first time and walked away with a 71 Triumph basket case $500 less in my pocket, that is now on the upswing of the rebuild process AND if 2 bikes are not enough I purchased a third, a 71 BSA Rocket 3.
Looking forward to a lot of riding and wrenching in 09.
BTW – sentimental sobbing back at ya – keep up the great work.
My greatest motorcycle experience was to finally get the narrow glide front end off of my pan bobber, with a wide glide font, now I can keep the front end on the ground, kind’da.
Jesper, keep it up, I have you pluged in my google reader so I don’t miss a thing, ride safe.
Electra Glide In Blue
My greatest motorcycle experince was buying a bike at Long Beach Motor Sports in Long Beach CA. They treated me with such respect and kindness, they deffinatly are worth every penny. You must contact them if you are in the Southern California area.
I was at Super rally 2007 in Bussloo. I wish I was still in Europe and could have went to Denmark, that would have been great. As for me, I didn’t really have any spectacular rides in ’08. I spent most of the year in Afghanistan but I came home on leave in September and me and the wife did around 1000 miles to Memphis and back. We did the tourist thing and hung out around Beale street.
I drove 500 miles on my bike without stopping for a minute, I think this is a kind of a record! isn’t it?
Riding to the Yukon, Canada, with a 2002 BMW and 2007 Triumph Bonneville. 5,000km of moose, bear, big horn sheep, caribou and stunning landscape.
Sounds like you had some good times guys. I know I wouldn’t mind riding to Memphis, Yukon, any old vintage show or even shop at Long Beach Motor Sports (you shameless plugger).
Nice photos btw. LumpyCam, thanks for sharing.
The loop in Daytona is my favorite.
Susan White
The best bit of 2008 has to be taking my new to biking girlfiendon a weeks touring holiday round Scotland on my 1200 bandit. Great roads, good company, fine weather and a headful of memories. Here’s to 2009, may you all find what you look for in the coming year!
I ran the 2008 AKA Rally from NY to LA with a bunch of lunatics in cars! Hopefully 2009 will get me on the Gumball 3000 or maybe even the Cannonball Bike Run out in Morocco! Great pics & coverage!
My best motorcycle experience of 2008 would be hopping on my boyfriend’s 1976 Yamaha XS500 in Seattle, WA and taking it down through the U.S. to go all the way to the tip of South America… oh wait… I am still on the best motorcycle experience of 2008. Does this count?
Jen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Riding a trail and seeing a black bear cross my path. Scared the hell out of me, but what a sight!
Hi,
The best experience till day is when my Yamaha Fz6 Motorcycle was replaced with Honda Vtx1300r Motorcycle.Is really an unforgettable experience.
Isn’t it cool>>>
That’s something of a change. 🙂
Best of 2008. My ride TO Kansas City Mo. (the ride back was good…but to was better…)from the NE hills of TN.
Great ride…with weather, adventure, new roads, and of course the obligatory interstate. Not the best ride of my life…not even close…but for 2008…that was it.
If spending weekends riding in the Mountains of North Carolina and Georgia on my KTM wasn’t enough, i took it to an isolated mud pit near the house and got stuck till the wheels were covered. Now that was fun
Every year (for three odd years now… I’m still new 🙂 the Christmas Toy Runs are probably what I look forward to more than any other biking occasion. The bikes, the festivity, the sense of actually doing something worthwhile (toy donations)…
http://2009-motorcyclist.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-2008-sydney-toy-run.html
This year I’m doing a lot more touring, so I will have more memories of my main riding passion, but last year’s Sydney Toy Run would be about the top of ’08.
Hitting the road on a sunny winter day, when there is snow in the fields but the roads are dry and the temp is just above zero! Nothing like the versatility of a side car equipped URAL! Just bundle up!
Just posted a piece about the fun of riding my URAL on my blog, if anyone is interested!
http://loveubecause.com/2009/04/13/loveubecause-you-are-my-motorbike/
Enjoy the ride!
[…] things I’ve done. You can read the story here. Back then I only thought it was one of the best things that happened that year. But looking back two years later, meeting all those cool people who worked on their own things and […]
Hey guys, I was just part of a trip through Chile, Argentina and Boliva. It was great. Motorbiking through the desert at high altitudes its awesome. The Andes rock! I used these people: http://www.samttours.com. They treated me well and did everything for me. Check it out. JC.