First, let me explain myself. I am a Plaintiffs’ Personal Injury Lawyer who rides a 2020 Indian Chief Vintage motorcycle with a Hannigan Heritage sidecar.
So, you might ask, why do I ride a motorcycle, and why a motorcycle with a sidecar. The answer is simple; I love to ride; it’s fun. In addition, the sidecar is cool in my opinion, and it offers greater stability for an older rider like me.
Also, as a Plaintiffs’ Personal injury Attorney who represents injured motorcyclists, riding allows me to truly appreciate my motorcycle clients’ perspective; i.e., experiencing the road from my clients’ seat.
The Indian Chief Vintage motorcycle is the classiest looking motorcycle for a sidecar in my opinion; and Hannigan’s Heritage sidecar model suits it well. The Indian Chief also rides great, shifts beautifully, and is very comfortable for long trips as well as short jaunts around town.
I also like the Hannigan Heritage sidecar because it has a large side door and grab bar that make it very easy to get in and out of. Accessibility is important to me because I want to be able to share the joy of riding with people who might not otherwise have the opportunity due to age or physical limitations.
For example, I have a 97 year old neighbor, Bernie Robinson, who asked if I would give him a ride in the sidecar. Bernie told me that he had never ridden a motorcycle and wanted to see what he was missing. I was more than happy to give Bernie another life experience of riding in a sidecar. When I asked Bernie where he wanted to go, he enthusiastically answered, “where the girls are!” At 97, Bernie hasn’t lost a step.
Having purchased and broken in the motorcycle in Florida , it was time to ride it home to Pennsylvania. I started the journey on a Saturday at 6:00 am to avoid expressway traffic.
The first leg of the trip was on I 95 north. The motorcycle has a fuel range of about 200 miles, but I’m always ready for a break by about 120 miles and a couple of hours in the saddle. Here I am at the first fuel stop.
I saw the corniest billboards at regular intervals on the way north for a place called Buc-ee’s. I wasn’t sure what that was, so I decided to stop. As it turns out, Buc-ee’s is a mega convenience store and gas station. It must have over a hundred gas pumps, and the store was huge! The place was packed with happy customers! It was well worth the stop.
I initially planned to only ride about 300 miles or so each day, but I was feeling good at 300 miles, so I pushed on. After about 450 miles and 11 hours on the road, I pulled in for the night just north of Savannah. Here is a picture of the rig all tucked in for the night, under the hotel canopy.
Day two started early at 6:00 am. Here are pictures of the odometer and me getting gas to start the day.
After going farther than I had planned on day one, I decided to push day two even more. I continued north on I 95, and then took Rout 26 west. My plan was to go west and hook up with I 81 North in order to avoid Richmond and Washington DC traffic, especially on Monday morning. I headed west on Rt 26, then took Rt 77 north to I 81 north. My goal for day two was to reach Harrisonburg Virginia, home of JAMES Madison University. I figured that there would be plenty of hotels and decent restaurants in a college town.
After 550 miles and 13 hours on the road on day two, I was happy to finally make it to Harrisonburg, VA. I was bushed, but I found a great burger at Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint.
Day three started a little later than the first two days. I only had 180 miles to go, but I needed rest after two hard riding days. I met two nice couples from West Chester PA admiring my rig under the hotel canopy at the start of my final leg.
Finally, after the four hours in the road, home at last! What a great experience! I enjoyed beautiful scenery, and great weather the whole way. I was very fortunate.
Will I do it again? We’ll see. If I do, I will build in more days and spend some time in interesting places along the way like Savannah, Charleston and Asheville; maybe stop at the Wheels Through Time motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.
Life is short, and it’s important to enjoy the journey.
