Fast Facts About Greg:
- Ridden over 810,000 miles
- Over 1 million visitors to his website
- Rides a 2019 BMW GSA
How long have you been riding?
45 years
First motorcycle?
1974 Honda 500 Four
Current motorcycle?
2019 BMW GSA
How many miles have you ridden?
810,000 happy miles!
How many IBR events have you completed?
I have ridden in 5 IBR’s and been selected for 7 IBR’s.
What is one piece of advice you would give to other long-distance riders?
Always keep alert and never let your guard down.
What Aerostich gear do you wear for long distance riding? Darien Jacket and AD1 pants.
What was your most difficult ride?
Riding to the Panama Canal, it was very challenging!
What's your favorite road?
It is funny but I really like riding on I-10 west of San Antonio.
Have you ever had a sudden flat tire at high speed?
Yes, in Guatemala and wow. Fortunately, I have TPMS, and it alerted me right away.
You've ridden a lot of places! Where do you want to go next?
After riding to the Panama Canal this year, I want to ride to South America next year.
Tell us about being a long-distance rider.
I first started riding motorcycles back in the 1970s as a cheap mode of transportation and my father was a Shriner and road Harley Davidsons in the Shriner parades. It always felt so good as a kid when I got to ride on the back with my father.
Being in the military back in the 1970’s meant that I did not have much money, so a motorcycle was a great way to get from Point A to Point B cheaply. This is when the long-distance riding bug bit me and it’s never gone away.
When I first started riding, I could not really afford hotels and that meant I had to ride straight through to my destinations, sleeping on the side of the road or in rest areas along the way. I made many trips from Great Lakes Naval Base, Illinois to Miami, Bike Week, Americade Rally in Ruidoso, New Mexico, and the Grand Canyon.
I was riding a Kawasaki KZ650 then with a National Cycle windshield, a duffle bag and sleeping bag strapped to the sissybar and a small pup tent attached to the front forks. The necessity of not stopping over the years started to grow on me and before you knew it, I really did not want to stop anymore. I really liked pushing the limits of how far I good ride before I needed to stop for rest.
I get so excited before a big ride and start my planning many weeks if not months in advance. I often spend many hours on the computer looking at mapping programs reviewing and finalizing the best route. For me the preparation is part of the fun of long-distance riding regardless if it’s undertaking an IBA ride or competing in a rally.
I have really taken to riding BBGs (1500+ miles in less than 24 hours) and have finished over 72 of them and probably ridden another 20 or more that were not documented. I have certified a BBG3000, three BBG Trifecta’s and a BBG Quattro Gold (four BBG’s back-to-back to back-to-back). One of the reasons I like riding BBG’s is that is a long ride that allows me to get that feeling I get when I am riding.
There are a couple great things about long distance riding that I really love, the solitude of riding mile after mile for long distances, day after day, and the people you share the road with and meet when you get there. The long-distance community is a group of great people.
For me hitting the road on my motorcycle means good times!
Tell us about your website:
I started my website over 15 years ago and I have had over 1 million visitors in that time. I have a lot of information on how I do different things for my motorcycles. I also have some good ride reports on my website. It is meant to be an educational website for others to learn.
Other thoughts?
I really like to help others break into motorcycle riding and especially long-distance riding! I get a lot of emails, phone calls and Facebook messages asking many types of questions.
Connect with Greg on his website and on Facebook.
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