I had been with out a motorcycle for quite a few years. My first ride was a 1962 Cushman scooter. I sold my horse to buy it. Broke my mothers heart, as she wanted me to be western horse rider like she was in her bronk busten days. Let me tell you, learning to ride a scooter in the part of Montana I grew up in was quite a feat. Gravel roads, and rutty trails are not kind to small wheeled centrificual clutch scooters. But what a thrill to zoom 35 miles an hour down a country road knowing if this iron horse threw you, there would be hell to pay for weeks.
Any who, long story short, in 1993 while living in Kalispell, I borrowed a friends 1981 honda CB 750 to take my wife on a ride over Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park. She was thrilled and said we should buy a bike and do the Glacier ride more often. I told my buddy about it, and he promptly offered to sell it to me. I had always wanted to take a long distance motorcyle ride, and the 750 with all its 16,000 babied miles, was not one to do it in comfort and style. I discussed buying a bigger bike with my wife and she agreed it would be best to get a solid road bike for my foolish desires. I bumped in to what is now my new iron horse in Lewistown, MT. It was used, not abused, and the dealer had been carrying the paper on it for far too long, and sold it to me at a very attractive price.
And this friend, is where the story begins.
After much thought about where I would go to acomplish my goal of a long distance ride, my love for Montana made it clear that of all the places to ride the great open spaces, Montana should be the starting point. I asked around to some bikers I knew, to see if they knew of anyone that has ever motorcyled to all 56 County Seats of Montana. Zippo was the research. I knew I wanted to be the first. To document the ride, I would take a photo of the bike and I in front of each County Courthouse. Little did I know at the time of my decision, I would be a Montana love struck biker by journys end. Now, if I can figure out how to post photo's on this site I will begin the tale of a road well traveled, next time on My Motorcycle Summer in Montana.
Any who, long story short, in 1993 while living in Kalispell, I borrowed a friends 1981 honda CB 750 to take my wife on a ride over Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park. She was thrilled and said we should buy a bike and do the Glacier ride more often. I told my buddy about it, and he promptly offered to sell it to me. I had always wanted to take a long distance motorcyle ride, and the 750 with all its 16,000 babied miles, was not one to do it in comfort and style. I discussed buying a bigger bike with my wife and she agreed it would be best to get a solid road bike for my foolish desires. I bumped in to what is now my new iron horse in Lewistown, MT. It was used, not abused, and the dealer had been carrying the paper on it for far too long, and sold it to me at a very attractive price.
And this friend, is where the story begins.
After much thought about where I would go to acomplish my goal of a long distance ride, my love for Montana made it clear that of all the places to ride the great open spaces, Montana should be the starting point. I asked around to some bikers I knew, to see if they knew of anyone that has ever motorcyled to all 56 County Seats of Montana. Zippo was the research. I knew I wanted to be the first. To document the ride, I would take a photo of the bike and I in front of each County Courthouse. Little did I know at the time of my decision, I would be a Montana love struck biker by journys end. Now, if I can figure out how to post photo's on this site I will begin the tale of a road well traveled, next time on My Motorcycle Summer in Montana.
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