My Evolution of Riding From Newbie to 1% and Back
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- Fingers shares his evolution of riding Harley Davidsons throughout his years of throwing a leg over the American icon of motorcycles. from his first HD to riding with 1%ers and bringing it back to the basics. Relax, sit back and listen whikle remembering your own journey of biking.
MSG Retired UA-cam Channel - / msgretired
Veteran Biker UA-cam Channel - / veteranbiker
Thanks Brother I really appreciate the shout out ! We are more alike than you think ! Next season I hope to get out to the mid west for some of my Road Racing, good time to meet up and catch up ! Stay safe and never change !
For the algorithm, I just landed in Chamberlain SD from New Haven CT. Keep up the good work Brother. C u down the road.
Thanks brother. That Missouri River always makes me stop when I get to Chamberlain. Enjoy the journey!
great video! Love the clip
Thanks for the visit
Interesting stories enjoyed listening to your show
Great channel!
I started riding in 1980 when I was 5 yrs old on a Honda Z50. Raced motocross from 1986-2001. Broke plenty of bones including my knee.
Rode sport bikes until a few years ago when I got my Road Glide.
I still wake up morning looking forward to riding. By myself, or in a group, as long as I’m moving.
Thanks Don. Sounds like ya got some miles down.
Love the video! I am 71 years old riding since my 40's. I ride a Harley Heritage. . Never in a crash. Retired navy (submarine sailor/ nuclear operator). I was a private pilot with my own airplane. I drive a stick shift mustang. I guess I'm into adrenaline.
Den - make sure to check out Veteran Biker channel. He’s a Navy submarine guy too! Thanks for tuning in and commenting. I appreciate ya.
Very interesting Fingers. You know I like sharing experiences so you opened a can of worms! (ha ha) Growing up in So Cal having a motorcycle was a no brainer. I got my first one as soon as I could drive. It wasn't a Harley, but it was my only transportation so I rode the hell out of that bike (A 750 Suzuki). Then 23 years in the Army and many bikes later, I finally got my first Harley in 1999 and I still have it to this day (an 89 Springer). I retired in 2002 and moved to Florida, Daytona Beach no less. I started to look for a club so I could be with other military people and share my military experience with other like minded people. After 8 months of being a probate, I became a member of the "US Military Vets MC". That lasted many years, but events outside of our control required that I, and 4 other members left our chapter to start our own club. As you know Florida is controlled by the Outlaws. As Secretary in our new club, I wrote up or bylaws, and a meeting was set with a local Outlaw chapter and I was picked (by another 1%'er club of all things) to represent our club so we could "do it right" and wear a patch. We were "approved:" as a riding club only. (although later, we became an MC) We had no territory, no club house and we spent most of our time together riding and partying. All that changed when we got a club house, the best club house of any other club house in Central Florida. Although that was great to have a "home", the priority changed. We got noticed by well established clubs in the area, not only for our club house, but by the way we "handled" ourselves. We were tested and gut checked by other clubs, to include the local one percenters, so more and more time was spent supporting the club house (rent and guard duty) and partying with the surrounding clubs. The riding slowed down and the central interest of motorcycles changed. As we got gained more members, we also gained the attention of more and more clubs. Come to find out we were sucking in members from their chapters. (At this point, you could probably finish my story for me). The aspect of having "quality" members gave way to "quantity" and standards were dropped to allow for more members... the wrong kind of members. After a few years of that I was approached by the same 1%er club that chose me to represent our club in that meeting mentioned earlier. So I left a club that I helped start and ventured into the 1%er world. I'm not saying I was a member, and as a matter of fact, I started another "group" that lasted 6 years before I had to move to Tn. Can you tell I miss it a little? I'm now 65 with a lot of stories and tattoos and the same 89 Springer.
My friend - that was an epic post! we definitely share some of the same experiences. No one can say we lived a dull life. lol. Thanks for always being here and willing to chime in. It's ALWAYS welcomed here.
My Evolution is somewhat like yours, i lived as a small child in a small Boston Northshore town right on RTE 1A and i was on my bicycle when a motorcycle club rolled by and there had to be 100 bikes and it was the coolest thing i ever saw, and i couldn't stop talking about it. Well where i lived there was a big field and a sand pit behind our house, my parents got me a minibike for my 5th birthday, then a Honda trail 50 for my 6th birthday, by the time i was 14 i was working at black hills Harley/Yamaha in downtown Rapid City where we had moved when i was 14 and i was riding a Harley SX125, then an SX250 and when i graduated HS my parents got me a new Ford Fairmont that i drove back to the Ford dealer and sold it back to them and went to work and bought a new 77 FXS lowrider my 1st big twin ( i had had other metric road bikes after i got my license) i joined the Navy on the delayed entry program and hit the road and rode that harley from South Dakota back to New England and then from there to San Diego where i went to basic training. i was a MA in the Navy (Navy Cop/Gate Guard) and i worked part time at the local Harley Dealer, when i got out i worked for a security contractor for the USAF, then started training to be a police officer in a small town in Metro KCMO (on the kansas side) but that didn't work out and i went back to harley dealers full-time, my club experience started back as a kid on my dirt bike, i would hang around a local motorcycle club that was an AMA Uniformed club, and they made me an honorary member cause i was always hanging around the club was the Broken Spokes MC out of Rochester NH, well after my navy tour and AF job and LE job i went back to New England and found the Broken Spokes had folded, so i got together with a bunch of cool people and were reformed it, then my job with Harley took me to South Carolina and down there the staff started a motorcycle club that was in close support of the local 81 chapter and i became their SA, and 8 years later Job forced another move back to New England and the Spokes once again was gone, and again i restarted them but this time as a support club for a local 1% club because of my past in LE i could never step up to a full 1% club so support club was the highest i could achieve. well our parent club went thru some drama and split into 2 clubs with a chapter patching over to a new club, and this new club came to me and asked me to create a support club for them, and i did, but the drama was just too much so i left and prospected for a 99% club founded by Military police but open to everyone and i was with them for many years and then i decided to go lone wolf and i turned in my patches and now i'm a HOG member and a Member of the AMA RETREADS and Retired GM from Harley Dealers just celebrated 58 years riding and i still ride my 08 Road King all over New England.
Bruce - damn brother, you didn't let any moss grow under your feet! Yes sir, you have lived a life many only watch in movies. I absolutely love it. Thank you for making this comment. I know I don't need to say this but, keep on riding my friend. Oh, have some clam chowder for me too. I haven't had a good bowl of chowder since working a operation out on the cape years ago.
Been on twos since I was two. Almost 40 and ride everyday I can. Which is every day. Forget the rain. I stop when the snowplow comes out. Then I take the studded triumph to the frozen lake and ride. I ride.
Robert - that's freaking AWESOME! I've never done the ice riding with studded tires but it does sound fun. Keep putting the miles down and stay safe. Thanks for commenting.
My evolution has definitely changed! I started at age 12. I sold my horse and bought a Honda XL70, an act my cowboy brothers have still not forgiven me for lol. At 18 I bought my first Harley, a 1985 Sportster. I rode mostly solo until a few years ago when I finally convinced my wife to take a trip on my Roadking. She fell in love with riding. Now, we have a Roadglide and take our vacations souly on the bike!
Tim - Mrs. Fingers and I have hit damn near every state in the USA. Of course this long before UA-cam was around but we have had a blast traveling together. We often talk about "remember that time..." Brings a smile to my face every time. Enjoy the road and most importantly enjoy the company you keep.
Fingers, thanks for sharing your life experiences with us enjoyed the content brother as a young man I rode a lot miles life and raising a family rode when I could I retired my wife passed my motorcycle is my therapy rode a lot of miles this year just got home from a rally down in Tennessee I know what you mean by maintaining a motorcycle I have a number of bikes I rebuild wrecked baggers and sale them but I have 1997 Road king with 155,000 miles on it rode it to Sturgis this year I have wore it out twice but nothing rides like my old king as always respect brother
Robert I certainly appreciate the comment and taking the time to watch. I too love the Road King model. 155K on that scooter tells me all I need to know about you. Keep riding and stay safe. I’ll see ya down the road.
Hey Fingers…after seeing this video, it made me think, “he should write a book”. I’m serious. Your experiences would be interesting reading, even if you had to censor certain details. I know I’d buy a copy.
As for me and clubs, I knew in High School that I wanted to be a biker, in a club, when in the mid 60s I saw a Post Magazine. I liked what I saw and went for looked for a local club and/or other riders to ride with. I found both and loved it. BUT…the thing that I didn’t like was, it was like a full time job. It wasn’t a weekend deal, it was after work, M-F and S-S. I wasn’t expecting that. Still, I have the most respect for the ones that can devote YEARS getting in a club and the DECADES they put in being a patch holder.
Phil - I actually have a book done but I never released it. The main reason being I'm in contract talks with several production companies for television/movie and them wanting to buy my life story. So once that is settled or over, I'll re-think releasing the book. As always my brother, thanks for being always being here.
@@FingersFew
That’s just awesome as hell Fingers!!! Here’s hoping that you’ll get something worked out, whether it’s a movie or TV special or whatever it may be in the area, in the near future. I’ll go see it or watch it for sure. And I’m buying the book when it comes out too. And as always, it’s awesome being here and having a real good friend like you. 👍👍 Later Brother.
75 days in rehab from 9/25/21 till 12/1/21 back on the horse and now 5k in this year so far. It's in my blood
Paul - This post makes me smile. A biker never backs down and never gives up. Congrats on your recovery. Thanks for being here.
I was single digits the first time on a bike ( 6 or 7 ish ) farm bike , then worked on a farm to buy my first bike at 12 ... Yes it was a 2stoke KX80 , then got into racing , not my thing ,, was more happy to be in the bush with my mates then anything ,, was consistent with 80,s 125,s 250,s and 500,s well into my 20,s then got my first road bike gsxr 1000 and rode that thing like it was the last day on earth ,,, track days , 1/4 mile all the fun stuff ,,, mean while most my mates either died or married and moved on from bikes ... Not me in my 30,s got my first V twin .. TLR 1000 , K2 ... ( Which I still have this day 22 years later ) I fell deeply in love with the twin power ,,, got really sick , had to change my ride style due to medical ( was never ever gonna stop riding ) dropped my mate off at HD in Brisbane Australia and saw this Harley sitting there , I was sold .... Bought that big old bastard home and love it like life it's self ... ( Now in my 50,s ) I'm still aggressive the way I ride , but it's not balls to the wall , it's a little more read what's ahead first b4 fetching it into it ... But just lately I have had cancer , been told I will never ride again due to surgery.... Currently I have 2015 BO Willy G limited edition #42 of 150 ( big flex I know lol ) it's got all fun upgrade stuff ,,, my TLR 1000 and a KTM 300 ( still hanging onto the 2 stroke addiction lol ) 2019 model ..... I plan on ridding all of them again ... Against my surgeon and wife's wishes ... Bikes are bikes ... But once you own a Harley , it changes you , don't know why or how it just dose ....
I can’t agree more. Harleys stir the soul.
Was raised in a family that didn't want me to ride. Dad was in the insurance company and had seen too many accidents. I'm late to the party and basically just started. Wait and see
brian b - I totally get your dad's concern. I'm leery of my son getting into motorcycling but I think he's going to do what he's going to do at this point. No doubt, coming to party late is still better than not at all. Enjoy the road, the sunshine and yes, the rain too. Trust me, the rain, sleet, hail and snow has made me appreciate the sunny days even more. As one of my buddies said as we dodged a tornado on the way into Sturgis one year, "if it was easy, everyone would do it."
At 66 yrs old, I guess you can't teach the old dog ........
But us old dogs aren't on the porch like some of the pups. lol. Thanks for watching and commenting Paul.