1993 - 1999 With the insurance money from the demise of my Honda Shadow, I had enough to seriously think about getting a Harley Davidson. Truly, it was the motorcycle of my dreams. I used to read Easyrider in college and even bought a Harley imitation. Now I wanted the "real" thing. I had some reliability issues concerning the older AMC models, but these were reportedly resolved with the new Evo engine. I started haunting the local Harley shops in hopes of satisfying my hunger. In the fall of 1992, I put a down payment on a brand new metallic blue FX Dyna-Lowrider to be picked up the following Spring. I briefly thought of saving money and buying a Sportster but it was just too small for my tall frame. I needed a big 1340cc twin. I don't know if Harley Davidson still does this or not, but I opted for the "ride-away" plan. This is where Harley rolls out the red carpet and you get to drive your new motorcycle directly out the door of the York Pa. factory. If they still offer this, I definitely recommend it. I was given a personal tour of the plant, a free T-shirt and lunch and then was presented with my new Harley. Unfortunately, I was unable to drive away because of the sleet and freezing rain on that gray day in March, 1993. Once I received the bike I joined the Tri-State HOG club and participated in all the area events. A year later I was elected as an officer and assistant road captain. I was definitely born-again Harley hard! I not only joined the club to go on runs but in hopes of finding a woman who enjoyed riding as well. In this, I would not be disappointed. During a Rolling Thunder rally in Washington DC, I met Peg on the back of another Tri-State member's bike. I was captivated by her eyes and her sense of humor. OK, so I didn't really "steal" her on the spot. I knew the guy, Joe, and bided my time until he eventually stopped seeing her a couple of months later. Funny, but the first things she remembered about me was that I had laser blue eyes, was young, told good jokes and that I bummed five dollars from Joe during lunch! We've been together ever since. That's her in the above photograph taken on our local Rolling Thunder rally to Philadelphia in 1994. I've heard rumors that Harley's were unreliable, and through my experience I found this to be true. My problems started out minor, with the horn breaking off twice from vibration and a few electrical shorts. It got a little worse when a sprocket flew off in the gear box and then the rear main cylinder gasket spouted a leak. The final straw came when the main shaft sheared off from the fly-wheel causing damage to both the upper and lower ends of the engine. By a miracle I was able to limp the bike 40 miles to a H-D shop. I must give Harley credit though, for they footed the bill for all of the above even the last mishap, when the bike was a year out of warranty. With all the problems I had, when I was riding the hog I averaged over 10,000 miles a year.
193? - : Indian 1971 -1973: Buffalo 1972 -1984: Kawasaki 100 1979 -1983: CB 350 1984 -1992: Shadow 750 1993 -1999: H-D FXDL 1994 -1995: Honda Hawk 1995 - 2004: Shadow 700 1996 - Present: Valkyrie
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