• Mt. Juliet to Lewisburg
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Mt. Juliet to Lewisburg

The insistent buzz of the alarm hits me at 4:30am, and I slowly drag myself out of that soft warm bed into the shower. Just another routine day, except today my commute will be on my 96 Goldwing! That makes the dreaded 75 mile commute to work some what exciting. I have been doing this 150 mile round trip commute now for 15 years from Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, to the little town of Lewisburg, Tennessee. My employer moved our warehouse closer to our plant operations, thus saving the cost of trucking our product 75 miles north.

I bought my first Goldwing last June — a 1985 that was in excellent condition, and begin riding to work as weather permitted. This past January, a visit from family who live in Shipshewana, Indiana resulted in the 1985 finding a new home, and my 1996 arriving here at its new home within a matter of days. I immediately sent my new bike to the local Honda dealership for a routine check-up to get it road worthy for my daily commute.

This morning as I am checking over my list, kind of like a pre-flight checklist for a small plane, my wife brings my lunch box to me, and quickly closes the door for her retreat back to that cozy warm bed for a couple of hours, as she doesn’t have to arise again till 6:30am. Lucky her!

It seems I never can shake the feeling I’m forgetting something as I am preparing myself for the ride. I check and double check, and laugh at myself as I hum the tune, “He’s making a list and checking it twice!” Finally convinced I’ve remembered all I need, my adventure to work begins. It is now 4:50am. I live only 6 miles to the interstate, and all the traffic lights are blinking their caution yellow, as Mt. Juliet begins to awaken.

Construction is underway as I enter the on ramp and gain cruising speed on a brisk 54 degree morning. The weather today is calling for 80 degrees, but up to 30 mph winds this afternoon. I will manage to avoid the interstate this afternoon, thanks to Mother Nature, and take the back roads home. This route is longer, in time and mileage, but much more pleasant as it winds through several small towns and open country.

Once downtown Nashville is behind me, southbound traffic grows. The Saturn plant is just off I-65 south of Nashville. GMC employees seem to love their jobs as they hurry, surpassing the posted speed limit and everything else on the road to reach their destination. Once clear of their exit, it is a most wonderful ride the rest of the way. Lately the 18 wheelers have slowed down, some only cruising at 60 mph. It seems strange I am passing them, instead of them blowing me around! A thought crossed my mind the other day, what if everyone slowed down 10mph? Would that mean cheaper gas prices, the war ending earlier or maybe just one soldier being saved?? I guess fuel prices have affected all of us in different ways.

The sun is starting to rise as I am passing the 45 mile point, casting a warm glow over the landscape. To me, this is the best part of the day for riding the open road. There is very little traffic, the temperature is almost perfect, and a freshness lingers in the air. I continue on to my exit, fighting the urge to keep heading south. This rural road is known for the deer that lay in wait until unsuspecting travelers make contact with them! Knowing this, I shake off the relaxed mood I’ve been in the last few miles, and concentrate on every little glowing object (could be eyes) ahead. I manage to arrive at work with one thing in mind, wanting the day to be over, so I can turn around and begin my trek back north.

I guess most would question a commute this long, but we do what we have to do, and now that I have my Goldwing, I am wishing the trip was a little longer! Retirement is in the foreseeable future, but my open road travels on my Goldwing will continue until…

Bill Allen
Mount Juliet, Tennessee

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We now have three jackets that are designed with armor pockets in the liner: the Black Rock, Vented Bomber, and Commander. Jeff S. from San Diego asks:

We’ve found Forcefield TProbe armor inserts from Johnson Leathers work well with our jackets.

Back inserts are the small shape B pad. The Forcefield small Shape B back inserts fit the back armor pockets (16.5″x13.5″), and the elbow and shoulder Limb inserts are Type B. We recommend four shoulder pieces to use in both the arm and shoulder pockets (9″x7″).