We began our motorcycle journey in 2017, taking a class & passing a test to receive our endorsements. We each purchased a Harley Sportster, which James quickly advanced out of & into a Harley Street Glide. After 4 years of riding & gaining experience, I needed to upgrade too. I wanted more power & more comfort for road trips. I didn’t know I wanted to ride in dirt mode until I saw the brand-new Harley Pan America 1250 Special!

James pointed out the display at the dealer, commenting how he wished it had been released before he picked out his Street Glide. 2021 was the very first year of the model, so neither of us had seen it before. I decided to research it more at home for the next few months. It would be a big jump from my little Sportster Iron 883 to a 1250 & I was hesitant to even test ride it, thinking it would be too much for me. Was that me doubting my ability, or was it doubt instilled by a society that screams girls can’t handle power?

I didn’t mention my interest in the adventure bike for months as I struggled with my confidence. Then the Enthusiast HOG magazine arrived, featuring the PAS with Jason Mamoa (great photos) & an article on Kalen Thorien’s journey. This article encouraged & pushed me to at least test-ride the bike. I shared my thoughts with James & he was thrilled, also wanting to test ride the bike!

In July 2021, we rode our bikes down to the Harley Dealer, where they had one Pan America (not the Special) in stock & we each rode it around a few blocks. Not an extensive test, but it was enough for me! I felt balanced, & capable & I wanted one! Unfortunately, so did everyone else, the entire 2021 inventory of PAS’s had sold out.

To order a 2022 model, they needed $2,000 each, which we didn’t have. We went home to evaluate the situation. We both wanted to trade in our street bikes & switch to adventure bikes, so we needed $4,000 cash. Time to downsize! We decided to sell our 1966 CJ Jeep, which we only used two weeks a year at hunting camp. By the end of October, we had the cash we needed.

By Nov 1st, we put our money down & placed our orders for one black PAS for James, & one green PAS for me (just like Kalen’s). Then we waited. Soon 2021 ended & so did the production of the color I wanted! But the 2022s offered some new looks, so I changed my order to the two-toned blue & white option.

This worked well when we went to Cycle Gear to pick our adventure riding suits. James picked out black Rev’It gear & I picked out a white, black & blue suit to match my future bike. Very functional, 3-layered system for riding all weather conditions & color coordinated! Then our bikes finally arrived.

Mine arrived first on Jan 29th, so James rode his Street Glide down while my mom & dad drove me to the dealer. That way, he could ride home with me on my maiden voyage. James’s cousin Jeff True happened to be there when we walked in, so it turned into a real celebration picking up my bike.

My poor husband was super jealous, but not for long, as his arrived just one week later on Feb 5th. Our 3-month wait was worth it & by the end, the Harley Team was family. LOL Khocco, Bryan & Doc made the experience positive, always keeping us informed & sharing our excitement. Now we just had to wait for decent riding weather to get out & explore on our new bikes!

May 1st was close enough to spring, so we rode up the Mtn Loop Hwy until we hit the gate for snow closure. Every weekend we explored & practiced riding in dirt mode on short excursions on forest service roads. I rode extremely slow, getting used to dirt for the first time. I am still amazed at the technology. With a touch of a button, it can gear down so I can go as slowly as possible without stalling the bike.

The weekend of June 10th, we loaded the bikes in our Toy Hauler to attend a family reunion in Ellensburg. Before meeting up with everyone, we got up in the mountains to ride through some of our hunting areas.

Not only did we get more dirt experience that weekend, but we also rode in light rain. The bikes handled phenomenally, but I did drop mine for the first time. We had stopped to look around at Rider’s camp, which was closed due to dead trees & when I tried to maneuver turning around, it just flopped right over. I was trying to muscle the 600# bike instead of using my throttle to do the work for me. James helped me pick it up & the bike & I were both fine, although James may have some hearing loss after I yelled so loud thru our helmet microphone!

These short rides gave us some experience, but we were about to jump into a full-on adventure just 7 days later with a week-long vacation moto camping. I’m not going to lie. I was pretty damn nervous, not knowing what we would encounter. By the end of day one, my nerves eased up & I really enjoyed our trip. Here is our YouTube video highlighting the first half of our vacation:

The second half of our vacation includes the 4-day event in Plain, WA, that we signed up for. The Touratech Rally for adventure bike enthusiasts! We were excited to be entering this world & learning more about it. We both had lessons coming our way, but I will wait to share that with you in the next blog. Until then, plan out your own adventure & GO DO IT! #JACTventures