Driving across the country in the winter. My oldest friend, Charles, took my 2010 FXDF Harley Davidson Fat Bob to store until summer. I now needed to sell it to help fund our retirement. The bike was being kept in Newport, KY. It was October. It was cold in Kentucky. So, of course this is when I decided to fly to KY, pickup the bike and drive south. The original plan was to bring the bike to Florida and sell it on Craigslist or take it to a Harley Davidson dealer if it didn’t sell and it was time for us to leave. The story went the same way the best laid plans of mice and men always go.
I arrived at the Northern Kentucky Airport and called my good friend Jake. Luckily he was off work and available to give me a ride from the airport. We spent the next couple days catching up while he was kind enough to chauffeur me around town. He even put me up for the night at his house. Since the bike was stored for so long I had to get it serviced and some new tires for the long trip home. Charles was out of town for work and I didn’t get the chance to see him. He’ll just have to visit us in the Caribbean for a drink or two.
The first day of the ride I got a late start since the bike was being serviced and didn’t even make it out of Kentucky. I got a hotel for the night just outside of Corbin, KY. The next morning I impatiently waited for the temperature to rise above 35F before getting on the bike. I made it to the next exit, which was about 3 miles down the highway. In case you’re not familiar, it’s bitterly cold at 35F and a 65mph wind in your face. I stopped at a gas station and picked up a facemask and heavier gloves. All suited up I jumped back on the road. It was just a little brisk going down the highway but it was at least manageable. The next night I had made it to Southern TN. Another day and I was in Atlanta. That is where I should have ignored my phone. Another friend wanted to buy my bike. How serendipitous! Here I am already on my bike and I have a buyer. He says he’s getting a loan, I provide the VIN and other pertinent information. Unfortunately he’s in Texas. Well I have about 10 days before I have to start class so I make a right turn and start riding towards Texas. A couple days go by as the buyer and I are exchanging texts. He tells me he wants the bike and will buy it in no uncertain terms. Unfortunately I think the Texas border has a cell phone border wall. When I passed Louisiana I couldn’t get a response. No worries, I think. He has a job that sometimes requires time away from a cell signal. Surely he’s not flaking. I continue on for another two days with no response. When I arrived in town I got no response for another couple days. I finally decided that he no longer wanted the bike. A little heads up would have been nice. But no matter, I got to ride a motorcycle across Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. So on to Florida I went. I don’t know if you’ve ever gone from West Texas to Florida before but Texas is hhhuuuuuggggeeee. A couple days later and I was back at Nettles Island Marina. A little worn out, but it was the longest bike ride I have done. It was pretty cool to ride across half the country. I got an epic ride out of it. I would thank the Texas “buyer”, but oddly enough I’ve never gotten a text back even after 5 months.
We ended up taking the Harley to a HD dealership near Stuart Florida right before we set off on our journey.
I arrived at the Northern Kentucky Airport and called my good friend Jake. Luckily he was off work and available to give me a ride from the airport. We spent the next couple days catching up while he was kind enough to chauffeur me around town. He even put me up for the night at his house. Since the bike was stored for so long I had to get it serviced and some new tires for the long trip home. Charles was out of town for work and I didn’t get the chance to see him. He’ll just have to visit us in the Caribbean for a drink or two.
The first day of the ride I got a late start since the bike was being serviced and didn’t even make it out of Kentucky. I got a hotel for the night just outside of Corbin, KY. The next morning I impatiently waited for the temperature to rise above 35F before getting on the bike. I made it to the next exit, which was about 3 miles down the highway. In case you’re not familiar, it’s bitterly cold at 35F and a 65mph wind in your face. I stopped at a gas station and picked up a facemask and heavier gloves. All suited up I jumped back on the road. It was just a little brisk going down the highway but it was at least manageable. The next night I had made it to Southern TN. Another day and I was in Atlanta. That is where I should have ignored my phone. Another friend wanted to buy my bike. How serendipitous! Here I am already on my bike and I have a buyer. He says he’s getting a loan, I provide the VIN and other pertinent information. Unfortunately he’s in Texas. Well I have about 10 days before I have to start class so I make a right turn and start riding towards Texas. A couple days go by as the buyer and I are exchanging texts. He tells me he wants the bike and will buy it in no uncertain terms. Unfortunately I think the Texas border has a cell phone border wall. When I passed Louisiana I couldn’t get a response. No worries, I think. He has a job that sometimes requires time away from a cell signal. Surely he’s not flaking. I continue on for another two days with no response. When I arrived in town I got no response for another couple days. I finally decided that he no longer wanted the bike. A little heads up would have been nice. But no matter, I got to ride a motorcycle across Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. So on to Florida I went. I don’t know if you’ve ever gone from West Texas to Florida before but Texas is hhhuuuuuggggeeee. A couple days later and I was back at Nettles Island Marina. A little worn out, but it was the longest bike ride I have done. It was pretty cool to ride across half the country. I got an epic ride out of it. I would thank the Texas “buyer”, but oddly enough I’ve never gotten a text back even after 5 months.
We ended up taking the Harley to a HD dealership near Stuart Florida right before we set off on our journey.
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