We still don't do fear.... Right?

Ten years ago, Harley-Davidson bought a full page ad in the USA Today to try to change attitudes during the financial crisis that had befallen the country.  It was of a young man on an '08 Crossbones plastered across a red and white striped background.  Above him, written in a way that made it appear as an American flag.  The blue field held the words, "We don't do fear".  The rest of the text, written in red (of course.  All gospel is written in red) declared, "Over the last 105 years in the saddle, we've seen wars, conflicts, depression, resistance, and revolutions.  We've watched a thousands hand-wrenching pundits disappear in our rear-view mirror. But every time, this country has come out stronger than before. Because chrome and asphalt put distance between you and whatever the world can throw at you. Freedom and wind outlast hard times. And the rumble of an engine drowns out all the spin on the evening news. If 105 years have proved one thing, it;s that fear sucks and it doesn't last long.".  The capstone of the ad were the words, "Screw it, Let's Ride.".

That ad worked wonders for the MoCo.  It reengaged a distracted customer base and reminded people that our country is strong because its people are strong.  It reminded people that their mindset dictated their actions, and reactions to what was going on around them.  Our country did persevere.  And Harley-Davidson Nation indeed did say, Screw it, Let's Ride.  And they rode.

We rode all the way up to 2018 and now here we are.  Here's what else is still here.  Wars.  Conflicts.  Depression.  Resistance.  Revolution.  Along with that we are up to our noses in political polarization, our children being mowed down, scandal, hate, division....  We live in the age of instant communication, yet we rarely communicate with our fellow man on a personal level.  We believe lies and ignore truths.  We don't react to news.  We dictate news to fit our agenda.  We yell at each other and hear no one.  We think we have the answers but don't give a damn whether we actually listen to the questions.  We give credence to every outlandish theory that some stranger spews but are doubtful of the things our heart tells us.

We listen to memes instead of neighbors.  We look at our phones more than our family.  The give and take of civil discourse is now, "I'm right and F&ck you".  We are divided by who we voted for, the color of our skin, where we go to church or whether we even choose to.  We are divided by who we love and what we believe.  Bitterly divided.

I'm often left wondering if we still are our brothers keeper.  Do we have time enough in our daily lives to love?  To listen?  To live?  Are we happy with the example we set for our children or is it just easier to call the younger generation useless...soft....lazy...stupid?

What is it going to take for us to get back engaged with our lives?  What will it take for us to be happy and content with the world around us?  We will always have conflict.  We will always deal with things that depress us.  Revolution and Resistance are as American as apple pie, but how much of either are you truly getting done sitting on your ass or buried in your phone?  We NEED a revolution!  One that brings us back to why our time on this Earth is important!

I do love how the 2008 Harley-Davidson ad brought the solutions of the world and dumped them on the open road and left us with the thought that all we had to do was go and find them.  I'm also not so naive that I think a marketing slogan is going to bring us out of this National funk in which we seem to wallow.

But what if it could?  What if we truly did start to put focus on things that brought us together? 

What if we started to realize the worth of our fellow humans and the value of real interaction with them?  What if we put more time into loving each other for the things we have in common, rather than hating for our differences? 

What if we truly started treating each other as our own brothers and sisters?  What would the world look like if we got back to seeing it in person rather than through a screen?  What if we were to relearn the art of communication?

What if we were to actually be able to change the world?

I like to think that those of us who live in that small percentage of the world who ride on 2 wheels understand this.  Our passion is centered around experiences.  Real, visceral experiences. 

We seek out the beauty and danger of the world.  We understand that our time here is limited and that if we truly want to experience what God has given us here on Earth, we'd better go and get it.  When we ride, we know who our brothers and sisters are.  They ride next to us.  Our brothers and sisters are not categorized by their income, their color, their politics.  We wave at each other as we pass as if we've known each other all our lives.  We know more about them than some of our own family know about us.  We have a bond. We find the good in each other before we seek the bad.

We look out for each other.  We care about each other.  We stop on the side of the road when one of us is in need.  We come together.  We ride together.  We laugh together, and we mourn together.  We love each other, though we may not even know each others name.

Sounds a little corny, doesn't it.  Sounds like a weird little utopia, doesn't it.  The, "Yeah, but whaddabout"'s can try with all their power to say that things like I'm describing don't matter, but I firmly believe that they do.

What if everyone tried relating to each other in the manner which riders do?  What if we tried to all find common ground and love first?  What if we got off the couch, and out of the house and saw America? 

Could we change the world?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But it damn sure beats what we are doing now.

Thomas Paine wrote, "We have it in our power to change the world over".

We who ride can start by trying to look at every piece of the world through the same goggles we wear when we ride.

Maybe the rest of you can start acting more like motorcyclists.

Ride Safe, and with Purpose.

SMB

Because I Really Rode My Motorcycle Today

I am a Harley-Davidson Dealer.

It is my profession.  It is how I pay my bills, provide shelter, feed and cloth my children, etc.  The life of a Harley-Davidson Dealer is not extremely different than that of most any small business owner.  I still wake up, shower, dress professionally and come to work every day.  Like other businessmen, my day consists of projections, budget reporting, managing, dealing with vendors, human resource issues, bank negotiations, making sure we are compliant with the government and other legal requirements, etc.  We are salespeople and marketers.  We plan promotions that will help us to maximize sales opportunities.  We seek better and more efficient ways of positioning ourselves and out products in the marketplace.

We do all of these things because we are businessmen.

But there is so much more.

Today is March 20, 2014.  Today is the vernal equinox.  Today is the first day of spring, and it couldn't come too soon.  Our winter has been brutal, and seemingly unending. "First Day of Spring" rides are an essential tool in the toolbox of motorcycle dealer marketing.  Today was ours.  Like any dealer principal who understands the importance of "keeping the wheels spinning", I stepped up to the plate to lead today's ride.  My seat was my office today, and this morning, under a brilliant sun and crisp temperature, I went to work.

That said, work stopped as soon as I hit second gear.  Today, I rode my motorcycle.  Really rode it.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I didn't just get to lead a group of customers, I got to ride with my friends.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I got to remove the excel, peachtree, CONNECT, Talon, HDNet and other digital pieces of the Harley business from my hands and replace it with what really matters, handlebars.  Throttles and clutches instead of budgets and percentages.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I was able to reconnect with the reason I do what it is that I do.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, my eyes are again opened wide to the beauty of being outside.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I got to spend some alone time with Him.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I took time to eat at a great greasy spoon restaurant that I'd never stopped at before.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I was able to recharge my batttery, and right my ship.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I was able to lose the worry and stress of responsibility and replace it with smiles, joy, and adventure.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I was able to let go, and just be a Harley rider, not a dealer.  (Thank you Jonathan Clemmons for taking the lead for a while and allowing me to just ride and follow).

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I'm a better man.

Thank you to my friends, old and new, that were able to join me and as well, allow me to join you today.  

If you can't relate to what I'm talking about..... There is a remedy. 

Never forget, you only get one shot at life on this Earth.  Make it count.

Until next time...

Ride Safe and with Purpose.

SMB

In My Brain (As I Ride)

Preface

There is a magic about road trips, one that is difficult to describe to those who have never travelled by motorcycle.  There is a strange separation from consciousness that occurs when your senses are overridden by the sound of the motor and wind across your ears.  The next few posts are snippets, same day when possible, of what happens in my world when covering miles the way God intended.  By motorcycle.

August 28, 2012

10:30 AM

“You will miss sunrise, if you close your eyes.  And that would break my heart in two….”—Townes Van Zandt

On the road at an abandoned gas station just north of Fulton KY and listening for that drone of engines that tells me that the group is approaching.  This place brings back so many memories for me.  As I said, it’s a filling station from yesteryear that has obviously been bought by someone with the same desire for authenticity as I.  He has renovated it into a sort of adult toy box.  I’ve stopped in this gravel parking lot what seems like hundreds of times.  I’m literally just across the border from Tennessee and this is the spot where we used to stop to remove our helmets before the trek north into Kentucky and Illinois, back in the days when I would ride lidless.  Memories of my old friend Blake, and his friendship that he forged with a stray basset hound that once hung around the place.  Tips of a nasty plastic bottle of Kentucky Tavern before our foray with old pals. 

This trip finds me riding back to Milwaukee with the Memphis MVP group.  For a Harley rider, the trek to Milwaukee really never gets old and the MVP Old Milwaukee trip caries a feeling all of its own.  I’m looking forward to experiencing it all again with this new group of folks that, at this point, really don’t know what lies ahead of them.  I had breakfast in Medina this morning with Angie and Haiden before she headed back to school.  I was fortunate to have the rare opportunity to close my mouth and open my ears and a good lesson was learned.  Parents, stop trying to constantly ‘fix’ your children and learn to listen to them .  Good advice Princess, thank you.

The drone approaches…

12:30 PM

Great feature of the bike I’m riding, the iPod interface.  I can plug my iPod into a harness in the saddlebag and control it through the regular controls on the handlebars.  I find that  the correct playlist is an irreplaceable ally on a trip by bike.  My own personal soundtrack and it has not let me down today.  It sings to me, it is my companion and drives my thoughts as the miles pass. 

“I’m gonna live forever.  I’m gonna cross that river.  I’m gonna catch tomorrow now.”—Billy Joe Shaver

Stopped for ‘dinner’ (Hold on to Southern colloquialisms for they are dying) at The Blue Boar between Jonesboro and Cobden Illinois.  It is an out of the way place that I found with the recommendation of my friend and great American character, Shad Zimbro.  Shad is one of my mentors in the Harley-Davidson business.

Anyway… Many places are referred to as ‘biker friendly’ and you can assign any definition to that which you wish, but in my book, it is the pinnacle of ‘biker friendly’.  Not that it’s a “biker bar” or anything like that.  It doesn’t have the finest amenities for motorcycle parking, unless you are the type that digs gravel parking lots, but where it shines is in its character and personality.  I’ve talked so many times about ‘character’ and ‘characters’ and their importance in life.  NEVER EVER BLEND IN and the Blue Boar doesn’t.  It is a diamond in the rough.  In a world of cookie cutter eateries with the same old worn out menu, the Blue Boar is built upon incredible hospitality, inviting atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and great food.  If ever in Southern Illinois, don’t miss it.

We continue to make our way north through Illinois.  These are familiar roads to me.  Highway 127 north from Jonesboro toward Murphysboro.  How many times have I ridden this road through my youth.  As many of you know, I attended college at the nearby Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and this was one of my getaway routes on the old FXR that I spent many ‘formative miles’ on.  One of the great things about this road is that it literally hasn’t changed in 20 years.  Nothing about it has.  The scenery is exactly the same.  Who is intrigued by time travel?  Who isn’t?  Well, I tell you what… Today was a trip back in time.  Today as I careened my machine through the twisty curves I was 20 years old again, taking a quick break from the guts of the WSIU-TV edit suite that I spent countless hours of my life. 

“Look out here she comes, she’s comin… Look out there she goes, she’s gone….”—Guy Clark

That lyric, that was us.  My best friend, Eric Jones and I as we carved out our place in the world, just as we carved the corners of that magical road. 

Death took Eric from me right before we graduated, but today he was there with me again…. Smiling face, flat top haircut, ’79 model worn out, piece of shit, smoke billowing, oil spraying, Harley-Davidson Sportster riding gem of my youth.

“The Ghost has got me runnin…”-Whiskeytown

More on him some other day, some other blog.

Springfield Illinois tonight and tomorrow on to Milwaukee.  Good Night.

Ride safe, and with purpose.

Resolutions

Happy New Year!  Let me begin by thanking all of you that have been taking a few minutes of your life to read my ramblings.  A special thanks to you that have stopped me in the store and humbled me with your kind comments.  I truly do appreciate it.

New Years is the time when we make "resolutions" to do things during the coming year.  Small promises to ourselves to do new things, do things differently, or perhaps stop doing things.  Smoking, weight loss, etc.  I've never been much of one to make these promises to myself.  I guess that I couldn't stand the pressure.  I guess that the fear of not being able to keep up the promise might have been greater than my desire to change.  That being said, I do have a few resolutions that I'd like to make and each of them surround my passion for the greatest sport in the history of mankind, motorcycling.

Days like this kill me. 40ish degree temps, fog, spitting rain, snowy forecast... This is the time of year that can kill the soul of motorcyclists.  I do everything I can to keep that biker soul sharp and my mind races with everything I want to do and wish I could be doing right now.  It's these thoughts that lead me to this list of resolutions.  Some of them may seem pretty easy for some of you and others perhaps more challenging.  Some may seem silly.  I don't care.  It's my list.  Here goes...

1.  I will ride at least 8,000 miles this year.
     This may not sound like a huge one to a few of you out there, but for me, it's a biggie.  One of the downfalls of doing what I do is that during the best riding times, I'm working.  I know that there are ways to still get the miles in and I intend to exploit as many of those opportunities as I can.  The average rider, we've found, is riding anywhere between 7,000 and 10,000 miles per year, based on the mileage we've seen on bikes in the store.  Last year was one of my better years for miles and I logged about 6,500.  I'll do better this year.  I have some destinations in mind.  I've got to stop "hoping" I can make it, and start "making it".

2.  Unless absolutley necessesary, while on a motorcycle road trip, my bike will not lead me to "chain restaurants".
     This is one of those you might find a bit silly, but to me, it's not.  Now, I'm not "hating on" chain restaurants.  There are some fine people that work at Burger King and I have some great entrepreneur friends that own these businesses.  That being said, when I get on my bike, I want to escape the world of "sameness".  I want variety.  I want something "off the wall".  Something local.  I look at Mom N Pop locally owned eateries like they are landmarks.  Try one.

3.  Continue to remind myself that interstates have no soul and only serve one purpose to the traveling motorcyclist.
     That purpose?  To make time.  Whenever possible, get off I-40 and get on Rt 66.  You won't regret it.  The soul of America isn't on the Eisenhower Expressway System.

4.  See three different mountain ranges.
     Self explanitory.

5.  See an old friend.
     Also self explanitory.

6.  Take my kids riding with me more than I did last year.
     I got to take one great road trip last year with one of my kids.  I have two more that I want the opportunity to do the same thing.  I have one leaving for college this year.  Time is running out.

7.  Make a difference.

     I'm not really 100% sure what this means yet, but I can't get it out of my head.  When it happens, I'll know it.

8.  I'll enjoy the sheer beauty of cheese and cracker lunches on the side of the road at every opportunity.

     Thanks to my brother Tom, the master of roadside meals, for opening my eyes on this one.

Now, in the meantime, I'll go over my gear.  Make sure it's ready to go at a moments notice.  I'll look at that big red motorcycle pointed at the door.  I'll watch the forecast and my calendar.  And I'll dream about making it all come true.

Ride Safe my Brothers and Sisters.

Scott