The final lap of the long gallop found me once again in the beguiling Canyonlands. It keeps drawing me in with the promise of the never-before-seen. If you surrender, you may find yourself pointing your big street bike at a dirt hiking trail, leading you right into the abyss just to get closer to out there.
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The pilgrimage to the Great American Southwest restarts with a stop. Battling unyielding desert winds and homogenized souvenir shops pervasive from Kingman through Sedona and into Gallup, it was time to give man and machine a break. Three days visiting close friends in Santa Fe and out of the saddle was the tonic I needed. It was hard to leave; it felt good to be back on the road.
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I don’t believe I’ve ever met anyone who wants to keep their Harley-Davidson motorcycle stock. Even before your new pride and joy rolls off the showroom floor, shiny ideas and images of style and performance changes rumble into your motoring mind. Louder and less restrictive exhaust pipes are usually the first thing, closely followed by an air cleaner that lets the motor breathe more oxygen. All in endless pursuit of fun and coolness.
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The West is still wild, vibrant and alive in its red rock wonderlands, ancient canyons, burning desert rivers, towering buttes and mesas still home to some native tribes. It resides in otherworldly forms born of water and wind, incomprehensible time and earthly forces beyond reckoning. It lives forever in our imaginations as part myth, part history, all adventure. Riding into the great deserts, dusty towns and alien landscapes is not just piling miles and eating sand, it’s riding into the history and folklore of what once was, and what we still want to be.
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After much meditation, thought, internal debate, posterior pain, and consulting with my witch doctor, I finally concluded it was time to find a touring machine, one with some built-in creature comforts. For me, this translated to a smooth, powerful motor and a seat that will stay comfortable for many a mile. Unfortunately, the 2012 Road King Classic I picked up came with an aftermarket saddle that was, as hard as it is to believe, too cozy.
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On my recent expedition to Tombstone, AZ for Helldorado Days, Harley outfitted me with two of their best sellers, the Triple Vent Passing Link II Leather Coat and Circuit II Weatherproof Leather Gauntlet Gloves. For an enthusiast, your leather is much more than just a protective second skin, it’s a lifestyle statement. It has to look good, feel good and fit your personal fashion and function needs.
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You may scoff and say I’m just getting soft, but I prefer to believe riding smarter is better than riding harder, at least in the long haul. Making slightly fewer dumb decisions is a nice perk of getting older. Comfortable bikes relieve road fatigue and extra storage space makes packing and unpacking quicker, easier and less tiring. Sit the roomy hard bags and big tour pak on a counterbalanced and rubber-mounted 117 cubic inch (1923 cc) power plant, load it with tech I can’t figure and you have Harley-Davidson’s luxury liner, the 2025 Street Glide Ultra.
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Tombstone has about a dozen primary eateries and all are busy during Helldorado Days, so make reservations if they accept reservations, or plan to dine early or late to avoid peak hours. Otherwise, since there isn’t a supermarket in town, your best bet may be the Circle K for snacks or gas station sushi. Instead, we sampled two toothsome places in town, and one in nearby Bisbee.
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The way to Tombstone, AZ can feel like a wagon trail that happens to be paved. Passing through small, dusty towns that aren’t much more than stage coach stops, a place to get some grub, put up your boots, feed your steel horse and get back on the trail. For those of us who watched too many westerns, this is the way of the west. Whether you’re pushing cattle, prospecting for precious metals, running from the law, endlessly searching for a homestead or riding to the next cold beer, we are always trying to get somewhere else. Just passing through, gone before the dust settles. The West is less a place and more a state of mind. It embodies wanderlust, adventure, independence. Not much more needed than our ride, big black boots, and shoulders covered in well-worn leather. It is freedom. And for three days and nights in the third weekend of October for the last 96 years, it is Helldorado Days.
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