Fast Facts About Marv:
- Riding since 1958
- Makes 350-mile day rides every week
- Most recent ride is a 2008 Kawasaki ZX14
How long have you been riding?
I’ve been riding since 1958 when I bought my first bike, a ’55 Norton ES2 500cc single, followed in sequence by a ’37 Indian Scout, a ’53 Vincent Black Shadow, a Honda CB1100f, a Suzuki RF900R, two Honda CB1100XX Blackbirds, and a 2008 Kawasaki ZX14, currently with 126,000 miles. I estimate I’ve ridden 500,000 miles over the past 63 years. Now, at 85, I make 350-mile day-rides nearly every week, and two or three multi-day rides a year. I find it best to stop every hour or so, which breaks each day’s ride into manageable segments.
Favorite Aerostich gear?
I’m a faithful promoter of the Roadcrafter Classic one-piece. In addition to proper riding gear, there are two items absolutely necessary for me, those being heated gear and a pocketed air seat cushion.
Aerostich-related stories?
Several years ago on a ferry here in Washington State, I was wearing a Hi-Viz yellow Roadcrafter. While in the passenger area, an elderly lady came to me, tenderly put her hand on my arm, and proudly said, “My son is a firefighter too”.
We had ridden to Sunrise on Mt. Rainier, and had been at the Sunrise Lodge several minutes when a female park ranger arrived in a pickup truck, got out, and approached me. She said it was reported that a group of riders had been passing vehicles over the double-yellow, and one of them was wearing a bright yellow suit. The ranger said that, if she had seen the infraction, she would have cited the rider. Wearing a Hi-Viz Roadcrafter is a double-edged sword - the good thing is that you’re noticed, the bad thing is that you’re noticed!
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