Running up the miles

The Harley Owners Group^® has helped member Rocky Gibson discover the U.S. on two wheels.

When Rocky Gibson was introduced to riding motorcycles at age 12 in his native Oklahoma, he set a goal: to ride across Canada before age 40. “My 12-year-old self was sure that by age 40 I’d be too old for long-distance riding,” laughs Rocky Gibson, 67, and a veteran long-distance rider with hundreds of thousands of miles under his belt.

Rocky attributes his passion for long-distance riding to three main things: his love of traveling the country where he was born; the steadfast support of his wife, Pam; and immersing himself in his local H.O.G.^® chapter, the Prairie Thunder Chapter in Wichita, Kansas, where he’s the assistant director.

“I’ve been riding bikes all my life, starting with dirt bikes and eventually graduating to my first Harley-Davidson^®, a 1990 Electra Glide^®, which I still consider the best bike I’ve ever owned,” recalls Rocky, a retired mechanic and service manager. “I put more than 200,000 miles on that bike, then swapped it out for a 2003 model that Pam and I put another 100,000 miles on.”

A series of more Harley^® models followed, including a 2010 CVO^™ that covered over 100,000 miles and Rocky’s current bike, a 2020 Ultra Limited^®, that already has more than 80,000 miles on the clock. In that time, Rocky has covered almost all the continental U.S. with Pam on pillion, including completing many Iron Butt challenges. Rocky is also a member of America’s Ultimate Long Distance Riders (AULDR), the Oklahoma sponsor for the veterans’ charity Tour of Honor and has led his chapter to win the H.O.G. Chapter Mileage contest, so it’s fair to say he has comfortably eclipsed that early childhood goal.

Rocky attributes much of his passion for high-mileage riding to H.O.G., his chapter and particularly the ride programs, including 50 Rides, One Nation.

“One of the best things I ever did was join the local chapter in Wichita – that helped me to understand what riding a Harley-Davidson was all about,” says Rocky, who has held officer positions from safety officer to director. “I got to talking to some of the older members, and listening to their stories inspired me to get out and ride every day at first by taking off at weekends to cover Colorado, Wyoming and Arkansas with Pam, and then branching out and going further to see more of our great country. I became road captain and then head road captain, meeting other clubs and finding out what their rides were like so we could support each other.”

Rocky and Pam, both Lifetime Members of H.O.G., are also strong supporters of the H.O.G. ride programs, including Ride 365^™ and the collection of Challenge Coins through 50 Rides, One Nation.

“Anybody who is not doing Ride 365 and using the app is missing out, and I push it hard to members,” says Rocky. “I say to them that when you enroll, H.O.G. is effectively paying you to ride your motorcycle. When you use the app check-ins, you are always visiting dealerships, accruing points for purchases and getting credits for riding your motorcycle, so why aren’t you taking advantage of that? The Ride Planner is also so much better to use now that it has been revamped – I use it a lot in conjunction with the app on my phone, and I have those two running all the time when I am riding.”

For those members who are thinking of covering higher mileages but who may be intimidated by what’s involved, Rocky has some tips to pass along:

“First tip, join your local chapter and ask lots of questions of the experienced riders; they’re an invaluable source of information and will be happy to pass on their experience.

“Second, many people get intimidated when they hear ‘long-distance riding’ but don’t be intimidated; you will be surprised by what you are capable of. Just take it easy at first and ride within the limits of what you are comfortable with – I always say, don’t ride faster or further than your guardian angel can fly. It’s your ride; just go as far as you are comfortable, then work your way back home and then increase the miles from your starting point as you become more comfortable.

“Finally, I know a lot of people who are now out there participating in the ride programs and are really invested in them, and that is what H.O.G. is all about – meeting new people, getting out and going riding, sometimes getting out of your comfort zone a little and seeing this great country from the seat of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.” We’re sure Rocky and Pam’s guardian angel would agree.