I've been riding for 10 years & 132,768 miles

I guess a little celebration is in order. This month marks 10 years of
motorcycling for me. OK, actually it’s more than that. I started riding in
May of 1992 when I purchased my first motorcycle, but since I only rode
the Suzuki GN125 one season and then didn’t ride until July of 1999 until I purchased the Suzuki GS500, I have always been counting my motorcycling years starting with 1999.

The number 132,768 represents the total number of miles I’ve put on my 7 motorcycles I’ve owned since July 1999. Below is guesstamate of how the miles were spread out over the 10 years and my riding highlights and lowlights.


1999 - 2,400 miles

• Purchased new 1989 Suzuki GS500
• After 7 years of not riding, I re-learned how to ride a motorcycle

2000 - 2,600 miles

• Sold the Suzuki
• Purchased new 2000 Honda CBR 600F4

2001 - 10,000 miles

• Discovered sport-touring
• Towed the F4 to Pennsylvania for a sport bike motorcycle meet
• First multi-day motorcycle trip - 4 day tour of Kentucky
• An overnight ride to Minnesotta

2002 - 17,000 miles

• Sold the Honda F4
• Purchased new 2002 Honda CBR 600F4i
• Did 5 tracks days with the F4i that season
• Had my first motorcycle (and so far the only) accident on a motorcycle - I only suffered some bruises and the bike some cosmetic damage - a car didn't see me and pulled in to my lane forcing me to the curb where my bike fell over at 5MPH on the sidewalk when the front wheel hit the curb
• Multi-day ride on the F4i to Missouri for a sport bike motorcycle meet
• Towed the F4i to Pennsylvania for a sport bike motorcycle meet
• Multi-day ride on the F4i to Tennessee
• Towed the bike to Tennessee/North Carolina to ride Deal’s Gap
• Organized a two day overnight ride to Minnesota called the “Flat 4 tour” which introduced riders to sport-touring. I continued to organize and lead this ride twice a year for the next 7 years until I moved to Colorado in 2008 and handed off the ride to another sport-touring enthusiast

2003 - 8,000 miles

• Started a new job and had very little vacation that year
• A multi-day ride on the F4i: Northern Wisconsin and Northern Minnesota
• A multi-day ride on the F4i: Wisconsin, Minnesota and Upper Peninsula Michigan
• Purchased new 2002 Honda CBR 954RR
• I now owned two bikes the F4i and the 954RR
• Towed the 954RR to ride Texas Hill Country over Christmas break

2004 - 17,000 miles

• Multi-day ride on the F4i: Tennessee and North Carolina - Deals Gap and Blue Ride Parkway
• Multi-day ride on the F4i: Indiana and Kentucky
• Multi-day ride on the 954RR: Colorado and Utah
• Towed the 954RR to Mississippi: Tour of Louisiana over Thanksgiving
• Towed the 954RR to Texas: Tour of Texas Hill Country and SW Texas over Christmas break

2005 - 30,000 miles

• Multi-day ride on the 954RR: Tour of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York
• Multi-day ride on the 954RR: Tour of West Virginia
• Towed the 954RR to Arizona: Tour of Arizona, Southern California and Nevada
• Unofficial Iron Butt ride on the 954RR: North Dakota (1,021 miles in 21 hours)
• Sold the F4i
• Purchased new 2005 Ducati ST3
• I was still a two bike owner: 954RR and ST3
• A two day overnight ride to Pennsylvania
• Femmoto: Rode Buell motorcycles at the Las Vegas Speedway at a womans moto event
• Rode a borrowed bike for a few days in Southern California over Christmas break
• This was my biggest millage year - 30,000 miles

2006 - 10,000 miles

• Purchased used 2000 Ducati 900SS
• Purchased new 2006 Yamaha XT225
• I now owned 4 motorcycles (954RR, ST3, 900SS and XT225)
• Two day overnight ride to Pennsylvania
• Multi-day ride on the ST3: Tour of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado
• The above ride was my first multi-day moto-camping tour
• Rode a borrowed bike in Alaska for a few days
• Towed the XT225 to ride dirt in Southwest Texas and camp over Christmas break
• The above way my first off road ride

2007 - 13,000 miles

• Towed the XT225 to ride dirt in Louisiana and camp
• Towed the XT225 to ride dirt in Mississippi and camp
• Towed the XT225 to Kentucky and did a multi-day adventure tour (dirt and pavement) through Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee
• Towed the XT225 to Upper Peninsula Michigan to ride dirt and camp
• Multi-day ride on the ST3: Tour of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio with camping
• Rode the whole Blue Ridge Parkway on the above trip
• Multi-day ride on the ST3: Arkansas
• Sold the Ducati 900SS (I was down to three bikes: 954RR, ST3 and XT225)
• Towed the XT225 to Iowa to ride dirt and camp
• Towed the XT225 to ride dirt and camp in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida over Christmas break (unfortunately the bike stayed on the trailer in Florida, there was just too much rain to ride)

2008 - 15,000 miles

• Towed the XT225 to Southern Illinois to ride dirt and camp
• Rode the ST3 to Southern Illinois and camped
• Multi-day ride on the ST3: Tour of Ohio and Pennsylvania
• Multi-day ride on the ST3: Tour of Missouri and Arkansas with camping
• Got laid off from work - spent 50 days riding the 954RR: Tour of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming (wanted to ride the ST3 but there was something wrong with it)
• The above ride is so far my longest ride
• I finally got published! Two articles in the (Honda Sport Touring Association) STAReveiw Magazine
• Moved to Fort Collins, Colorado in October

2009 - 7,700 miles ...and counting

• First overnight camping ride on the XT225: Northern Colorado
• Multi-day ride on the ST3: 7 days through Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona with camping
• Multi-day ride on the ST3: 13 days through Colorado and Utah with camping
• Multi-day ride on the ST3: 3 days through Colorado with camping

September 2001 - The bike (2000 Honda CBR 600F4) and the ride (Kentucky) that started my sport-touring addiction