After publishing the first and second stories in my Moto Friends series, I realized I was remiss in not mentioning several people who are more than worthy of inclusion.
Joe Hansen
I met Joe at the 2018 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship. I was covering the event for my full-time job and Joe was hired to be the event photographer by my employer. We saw each other at a bunch of events during the next two years, and he’s another Kawasaki KLR650 enthusiast I know.
We’ve kept in touch outside of those events, and Joe’s advice on photography has proven to be very valuable. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences working with him as a journalist, and he’s another person I can talk to ad nauseum about nearly every aspect of the motorcycling lifestyle.
Chris Boisvert
Chris and I met while we were both working at a Columbus, Ohio-area Home Depot. Chris had already developed an interest in motorcycles by that time, and he and I became friends through our conversations about motorcycles and hard rock/metal music.
I remember Chris’ first motorcycle – a Honda Rebel 250 – as well as the time he brought his bike over to my then-apartment in Delaware, Ohio, because it was running rough. I feared the worst, but it turned out to just be a loose spark plug. Chris also came over now and again to help me work on my 2003 Yamaha FJR1300, and he later sold the Rebel to buy a Suzuki Intruder 800.
I haven’t seen Chris in a few years, but I’m hoping he still has the Intruder or has moved on to something new.
Eric Shalosky
I met Eric through my girlfriend when she worked at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Eric was just getting into motorcycling and rides a Suzuki SV650. I’ve offered Eric all the advice he’s asked for (and probably a bunch that he didn’t) during the past several years. I was happy to help Eric choose a set of properly-fitting riding gloves one evening when I was working at Iron Pony Motorsports.
Kris King
Kris is the most addition to my group of motorcycling friends. He’s a frequent customer at my current employer and may – one day – join the legion of Yamaha FJR1300 riders. He currently owns a Yamaha cruiser (the model name escapes me), and I’m looking forward to doing a bike swap with him one weekend this year or next.