Prior to 1962 my family was a total Harley-Davidson family. My father and his two brother were WWII veterans. My Uncle James who was called Daniel (a reference to my fith great uncle Daniel Boone) rode a WLA during WWII. Many times he was behind enemy lines with the lights off saddle down and laying low. Their father, James Boone rode until he was about 80 years old despite having only one eye. The other one was glass following an accident in the steel mill where he worked in Owensboro, Kentucky. Later in life the boys installed a side car on his bike so that he could continue riding into his later years.
It was in 1962, when I was 8 years old my uncle, George W. Boone, known as Junior by most, opened Boone’s Honda Sales in Owensboro and thus the family began the transformation to Honda’s. I grew up in that store. It was a fun growing up in that store and working with my cousin, Billy Boone, who was an amazing flat track motorcycle racer. Billy could have easily been a successful Expert but for his interest in other things. When my Uncle sold the dealership I was 18 years old. Honda’s had become a big part of my life.
Fast forward until 1994. That was the year I purchased my first Harley-Davidson. It was a 1994 HD FLHTCU. You might know it as an Ultra Classic Electra Glide. That generation was an evolution engine with a carb. It became the 1st of 4 Ultra’s that I would own and record about 50,000 miles each. Having completely enjoyed over 200,000 miles on Ultra Classics I had developed a love affair with those bikes. Their slow speed handling is legendary yet at 75 mph with the cruise control set you could fold your arms and relax for miles on end. The stability combined with the aero from the batwing fairing made that bike a big mile eater. Regularly I would record 850 mile days without stress. With each passing mile I better understood why the Harley-Davidson’s were the ride of choice for my forefathers. The smooth V8 sounding power delivery was addictive.
Let’s fast forward again if you will. In August of this year at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP I was given use of a 2014 HD CVO Ultra Limited by the Harley Davidson Motor Company. The directive was to use the bike commuting to as many of the remaining AMA Pro Road Races and AMA Pro Flat Track events as I would like. Well…alrighty then. That would mean when I returned the bike to Milwaukee in November, this near $40,000 motorcycle would have about 30,000 miles on it’s digital odometer.
This 6th annual ride from Daytona Beach where I call home now, to Pomona, California has become the way that I end every single racing year. This trip will have a slight variation. After the Pomona Flat Track Finals in Los Angeles I will ride to Las Vegas Harley Davidson to drop the bike off for a new set of Dunlop tires a full fluid change service. I will catch a flight from Vegas to Daytona Beach to attend a friends wedding and the 2014 AIM Expo in Orlando. On October 21st I will fly back to Daytona, pick up the HD and begin a two lane rambling adventure across America as a type of victory lap.
Thank you for tuning in to my simple blog. My plan is to discuss the ride, the motorcycle and blend in some of the stories that are adding up to make the 2014 AMA Pro Grand National Championship season one for the record books.
Barry
Talking Motorcycles Adventures 