I did a lot of riding in my younger days. It was kind of part of my heritage as a mechanic. That is, it seemed natural that I should ride with as much intensity as I wrenched. In those days, motorcycling was a daily lifestyle, not the occasional weekend activity that it is for most today. All of us motorcyclists rode like cars didn't exist, back then. Had friends who thought nothing of doing three states in a day. You know, Ironbutt types. So, invited to a rally in the midwest, I decided to ride the distance from my home in southern California. Took the necessary time off from work, prepped the bike and myself, and took off. Made a beeline more or less through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa, to the northwest corner of the prairie state, Illinois. That was the first 2,000 miles. After spending a couple of days there, I departed to take the long way home through South Dakota, Montana and Idaho, holing up for a day in Oregon, another 2,000 mile leg. Soon it was time to go home, so I pointed the bike toward California, arriving in San Diego 1,000 miles later. A good 5,000 mile ride, at an average of 500 miles per day, and actually quite a bit more when the non-riding days are subtracted. All told, I managed to put over 40,000 miles on this bike in just the first 18 months I had it. Several trips up and down the west coast figured into it, as did other rallies.