It’s the journey, not the destination

James Zahn loves a ride challenge, and nothing will stop him from eating up the miles on his Street Glide^®.

Words by Jeremy Pick

It’s fair to say that James Zahn has a passion for long-distance riding and the H.O.G.^® ride programs that enable those rides. This year alone, he has earned his 60,000-mile patch, completed the 15 Rides for ’25 challenge and visited 105 dealerships. Next up, he’s racking up the last two remaining U.S. states to complete the 50 Rides, One Nation challenge.

James, originally from Chicago, got involved with the H.O.G. ride programs after moving to Florida, buying a Street Glide^® and joining the Daytona Beach H.O.G. Chapter. A ride with his brother to Key West and back, was the start; with that initial 1,000-mile journey, ever more ambitious rides followed – a 6,000-mile ride two months later, then an 8,000-mile trip, a 15,500-mile journey in 2025 – and no plans to stop anytime soon.

“That first ride made me fall in love with long-distance riding,” he says. “A couple of months later, we headed out from Florida to the Harley-Davidson Museum^® in Milwaukee, then out to Mount Rushmore and had a great time. By then, I had discovered the Ride 365 program, so I picked up 13 of the states on that trip and did three of the 10 for ’21. I really enjoyed how it gives an incentive to ride that adds to the whole experience.”

The following year saw James chasing the 10 Rides for ’23 Challenge, picking up six more Challenge Coins, plus taking his tally of U.S. states to 35 during an 8,000-mile ride covering Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Ohio, and Maine in the 50 Rides, One Nation challenge.

Then in 2024 everything got thrown into disarray when James was diagnosed with cancer, putting travel plans on hold while he underwent treatment and focused on recovery. 

“Before the chemo began, I thought ‘screw this,’ and headed off with my brother to ride the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway,” says James. “Then after my treatment was finished I was off again; my brother and I heading to California, and meeting up with Dean Howe, our H.O.G. manager in Mississippi, and then in Northern California [with] one of our chapter members, Perry Givens, who is a long-distance legend in our chapter. On this one trip, I covered 15,500 miles and completed the entire 15 for ’25 challenge.”

Priority number one now for James is to acquire the last two coins in the 50 Rides, One Nation challenge – Alaska and Hawaii – and then to complete the 2026 challenge.

James has some advice for those who like the idea of covering high mileage but may be hesitant about how to begin. “Join a chapter! If you have several nearby, find the one that fits you best and you will soon find lots of friends to ride with. If you don’t want to travel alone, you’ll be able to find someone in the chapter who has similar aims in mileage per day and the sort of roads they want to travel. That said, it is also nice to ride alone, so don’t be afraid of that; people are friendly wherever you go in this country, even if they are not riding a bike themselves, and they will always be fascinated by the traveler on his Harley-Davidson.^®

“Also, get enrolled in the H.O.G. ride programs; they are a great incentive to get out and do it. You will find roads you would never have discovered otherwise. I recommend starting with the dealership challenge – riding to [a] dealership gives you a destination to work towards and a chance to see roads you would never have seen otherwise, so it is absolutely an adventure. I’ve done 105 dealers this year, and the most is 125 a few years ago. At the end of the day, it is really not about the destination, it is about the ride.

“Finally, don’t forget to just enjoy the ride on its own terms. The diversity of this nation we live in is unbelievable, and the saddle of a motorcycle is the best way to experience it. Just getting out onto some of the curvy roads and just seeing the diversity, getting into the mountains, experiencing everything going on around you – there is always something to look at and honestly a great feeling of freedom. “Don’t be afraid to just get out there and ride. I am 64 now, but when you throw your leg over the bike and get going, it is such a great feeling, like you are 18 again.”

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