L-A Harley Great American Open House

It's taken almost 24 hours for me to recover from an INCREDIBLE day spent at L-A Harley Davidson for the Great American Open House. I'm not sure how many people attended...but it was a lot! Thanks to everyone in Frank Nation that stopped by just to say hi to Heidi and me.

The morning started off in fine fashion as I picked out my very first Harley. Here she is...a 2007, Pacific Blue Pearl, Sportster XL 1200C. To say it's sweet would be a HUGE understatement.

In all honesty, it isn't the bike that I was originally interested in. After weeks of research, talking to other riders, and taking the two day safety course last weekend, I was convinced that I wanted a Sportster 1200 Nightster like the one in the picture below.

John Story and the guys at L-A Harley listened patiently, smiled, and then recommended that before making any decisions that I sit on a few bikes, see how they feel, and then decide.

Man, were they ever right! After sitting on the Nightster it was very apparent that the bike just wasn't made for a guy 6' tall. So shaking off the disappointment I went about finding the bike. This was an important decision...it's my very first bike after all...and just like a kiss, you never forget your first!


After sitting on at least 10 bikes, I narrowed it down to three. As I went back and forth between bikes, sitting on them, walking around them, and asking questions, I got it down to two. By that point it was just a matter of which one felt right. Back and forth I went...waiting for a sign...and then it hit me: blue is my favorite color, I was in the United States Air Force and wore blue a lot, I love Blues music, Blue Sky by the Allman Brothers is one of my favorite songs...I'm sure more stuff passed through my brain in that split second...but I can't remember what. I was just thrilled that I had found her!

From that point on, I spent the rest of the day on the air and taking in the sights, the sounds and the smells of the Great American Open House. It was a day full of bikes, BBQ, and bands. Of course I would occasionally run back in and look at the bike, taking time to point her out to anyone that showed the slightest interest. Looking back at it now it's sort of how I acted when both Jack and Nick were born!

After the event was over and I was done working for the day I went inside to find just the right motorcycle jacket and boots. Who knew shopping could be so much fun...and time consuming! Mike is the guy that helped me find my helmet a few weeks ago, so it was only natural that I'd ask for his help this time.

After explaining the pro's and con's of each jacket, tossing in a history lesson on each, and pulling multiple sizes to ensure the right fit...I narrowed it down to two jackets. At that point I thought Mike would just say pick one, and ring me up. But instead, Mike went one step further to make sure that I was properly outfitted. He had me put each jacket on and then sit on my bike so that I could feel the weight of the jacket, and the freedom of movement that I could expect while riding. He did the exact same thing with my new boots.

Needless to say, this sort of customer service is why people shop at L-A Harley. I truly didn't feel like a customer...I felt like family. Everyone from John Story, to Bert, to Mike, to Stormi who rang me up...treated me as if I was the most important person in the building. And I've watched them do that to everyone that comes through the doors. It doesn't matter if you've been riding motorcycles for 25 years or if you're a new rider like me...you walk out the door feeling great about the experience. That's pretty rare in this day and age of get 'em in and get 'em out, just get the money.

Tuesday, once I get off the air, I'll head back to L-A Harley and pick up my bike and ride her home to Hollis. I'll keep you up to date with how it's going both on the air and here on the blog.

Thanks again to all of you that have been encouraging and supportive as I take on this new adventure.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend.