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I began my love affair with motorcycles and their ability to allow me to see what was over the next hill, around June of 1982. I had just gotten out of the Army, had a bike, cash and no job prospects. And, truth be known, not really wanting any job prospects at that! Having tired of endless days of cold beer, exotic dancers and spending money(funny how they all go togather so well), I decided to load up and head for my brothers house in Missouri. As I remember, I left Louisville, Kentucky at about 9am on a Tuesday morning, with everything that I owned lashed onto the backrest and seat of my old 1960 rigid frame Harley Pan/Shovel. Being young, dumb and a complete newbie to motorcycle touring, I neglected to bring what I now consider to be essential items. Namely tools, a tire repair kit, spare plugs and misc parts, rain suit (I was to cool for a rain suit!)water and snack foods. Now, all of these items and more are included in all of my trips, whether across town or across the country!

It was a beautiful morning when I left out of Louisville. The sun was shining, the temp was perfect, traffic was light on I-64 and life in general was just plain GOOD! How little did I know of what was to come. I was about to get the best education in motorcycle touring that I could ever possibly get.
One of the fundamental rules of motorcycle touring is to have a comfortable, mechanically sound motorcycle. Now, don't get me wrong, my bike was a nice custom built scooter that was perfect for bar blasting. The only problem was, that I was no longer running in town, doing little short hops from bar to bar just having a grand old time. Now I was out on the highway with a 475 mile trip ahead of me and not a clue in my head. I was cruising along about 60 mph and enjoying the sights, just taking my time. I had figured on breaking up the trip into two days to allow me time to stop and see the sights along the way. As it turned out, seeing the sights was not the only reason to stop. You see, you don't really build up any endurance just riding your bike around town or on short hops and you don't really know how comfortable your bike is to ride either. So, it wasn't very long before I started to notice a slight ache in my shoulders and back, followed by an uncomfortable feeling in my rear end. I just couldn't get comfortable on the seat at all! While it looks very cool on an older rigid frame bike, a small narrow solo seat is not designed for long rides. Not very well padded at all, it

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