Don Stevens
E-Mail don.stevens@mac.com

In 1963, my Dad bought a new Honda 55, the trail version of the ubiquitous Honda 50.  I later purchased a Yamaha 80, a Kawasaki Trail Boss 100, and a Suzuki Sierra 185 in succession.  We rode on fire roads in the Santa Cruz mountains and it was a great family activity.  After a three decade hiatus, our son Keith purchased a Ducati 748 Superbike and came to Salt Lake to watch the World Superbike races at Miller/UMC.  Conversations led to us taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Basic Rider Course (BRC) to see if this was something Shirley and I’d enjoy.  It certainly was, so we bought a Ducati Monster 1000S and took turns riding it.  Realizing another bike was needed, Shirley bought a Ducati Monster S2R 1000.  As we began going on trips, I sold the first Monster and bought a Ducati Multistrada 1100S, then later a 1200S.  After touring the western states and southern Canada, we began renting BMW’s and touring in Europe as well.  Shirley then bought a BMW R1200R to send over, but she likes it so much, we’ve kept it stateside.  Our next motorcycle trip is to circumnavigate the south island of New Zealand in February, their summer season.