Joe Berk

Ecuador’s Presidential Motorcycle Escort!

I wrote a book several years ago about police and military motorcycles, and I receive some interesting emails as a result. Back in the 1990s, one of those emails was from Captain Jose Paredes Desiderio, who at that time headed Ecuador’s presidential motorcycle escort unit. Capitano Paredes sent this narrative and these great photos to me and I want to share them with you. The photos are awesome, especially the ones from the old days. The translation came from Google with a few minor tweaks by me. Captain Paredes, thank you very much!

My name is Jose Paredes Desiderio and I work in the Transit Commission of Guayas province (we are traffic police in the province of Guayas). I have the rank of captain and I am head of the Department of the Presidential Escort. I saw pictures of the motorcycle riders who have used different motorcycles of different brands worldwide and I am sending some photos to have so that you can know that my country ECUADOR has also used different brands of motorcycles. Here is a short history of the institution to which I belong.

The Transit Commission of Guayas Province purchased its first motorcycle for traffic control within the Province of Guayas.

You can see how the public admire Guayasense, a motorcyclist and Lord of the Transit Commission of Guayas Province at that time.

During the beginning 50 years, the Presidential Escort was established with the primary mission of escorting and providing security to the President and Vice-President of the Republic. They lit the alarm sirens, lights flashing resplendent in their motorcycles. The seated gentlemen guards were ordered in strategic caravans taking custody of the Presidential car with professionalism and responsibility.

We appreciate the members of the Presidential Escort’s professionalism and accountability. Here they are with His Excellency, Mr. President of the Republic of Ecuador, Dr. Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra.

Here we can see Vigilante Vicente Alvarado doing acrobatics and practicing on his motorized vehicle (motorcycle) at the start of the Training School of Presidential Escort.

In the 80 years of its existence the Transit Commission has renewed its fleet by acquiring brand new 750 cc Suzuki motorcycles, which were used for the Presidential Escort. Here we see Mr. Transit Chief Mayor Jorge Peñafiel Ball, and Mr. Sub Chief Transit Mayor Carlos Palacios Torres.

In the 1990s, the leading institution for transit renewed its fleet by acquiring 750 cc Honda motorcycles.

In gratitude for the performance of motorcyclists who were part of the Presidential Escort, the department received Harley Davidson Motorcycles.

Festivities in Juliana’s staff. Here is 92 years of motorcycle experience in the Presidential Escort to the President of the Republic Arch Sixto Durán Ballén, from left to right subway. Miguel Leon Czech Subway. Miguel Rosero Huacón, Sgt. Ely Lopez Duran and subway. José Paredes Desiderio (current head of the Department Presidential Escort).

In 2004, the Transit Commission of Guayas Province acquires new motorcycles for the department of the Presidential Escort. These are the 1150 cc BMW brand.

The Escort also received Suzuki Motorcycles of 500cc, which were acquired together with the BMW for the Department of the Presidential Escort CTG.

Here are Motorcyclists who took part in the caravan escorting Mr. Former President of the USA George Bush during his visit to the city of Guayaquil.

Here is the Head of Department (Cap. Jose Paredes Desiderio) planning with the class officers and gentlemen vigilant routes before a shift is going to escort some of the important people who visit the city of Guayaquil and Guayas Province.

This is the Staff of the Presidential Escort doing acrobatics on BMW motorcycles.

Like any other institution in the country and the world, women now form part of this great institution in the GUAYAS transit Commission. These beautiful and distinguished ladies who have the mystique and taste for wearing a uniform have the ability and skill to drive a motor vehicle, which has led them to join the select group of the Presidential Escort of the Province of Guayas.

At present I am trying to communicate with police elsewhere in the world who are interested in training with modern techniques and exchange knowledge. We ask them to share their his knowledge by writing to my mail (jparedesd@ctg.gov.ec). If any groups use Harley Davidson, BMW, Honda, Suzuki, etc. and would like to educate two members of this institution which I represent I ask you to contact me.

Wow, that’s quite a letter, and quite an impressive collection of vintage police motorcycle photographs. Captain Paredes, thanks again!

Motorcycle art…

Motorcycles and things related to them are interesting..the bikes themselves, the people, the events, and more, so it was with some interest that Sue and I noticed a small piece in our local newspaper about a motorcycle show in nearby Chaffey College. Faster, Faster! The Art of Motorcycle Culture was the name of the show, and that sounded like it might be fun. Not having anything pressing to do, we decided to ride over and see it. I had my Nikon, thinking that the show might have some interesting motorcycles worthy of a photo or two.

Wow, were we ever surprised. No motorcycles. It was an art exhibit, where the topic was, well, motorcycles and things related to them. At first we were a bit surprised because there were no motorcycles (we were expecting a bike show), but the exhibit was well displayed and we had a good time. There were paintings of motorcycles, people, custom helmets, vests, and oil cans. That last one might sound a bit off the wall, but Jeffrey Durrant’s paintings of oil cans were, to me, the best part of the show. I can’t explain why. I guess that’s one of the elements of fine art…something that is appealing in a way that is difficult to put into words.

Chaffey College had an interesting booklet assembled for the exhibit that included a number of essay prompts. That’s fascinating, and it made me wish I was still in school taking courses with assignments like that. The folks who organized Faster, Faster did a fine job. The show runs through March 9th.

Mesa Verde in Motorcycle Classics

Native American cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park.

The latest Motorcycle Classics has a cool article on Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado. Sue and I were there last year and it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. Nah, let me change that last sentence: Mesa Verde National Park is worth a visit all by itself, wherever you are. It’s only an 11-hour ride from Los Angeles on the freeways, although if I were going there again it wouldn’t be a freeway ride. There are just too many interesting things to see on the our secondary roads. I’ve been writing for Motorcycle Classics for about a decade now, and you can see more of the MC articles here.

The Three Flags Classic: Day 5

Day 5 would have us crossing another international border (this time in Canada, the third country of our 2005 Three Flags Classic rally), and it would be yet another grand day. If you haven’t read the first four days, you might want to catch up by reading our prior blog posts here:

The 2005 Three Flags Classic Rally: the Intro!

The Three Flags Classic: Day 1

The Three Flags Classic: Day 2

The Three Flags Classic: Day 3

The Three Flags Classic: Day 4

On to Day 5!

Day 5 would take us all the way in to Calgary, Canada!

We loaded up early again the next morning and headed north from Whitefish, Montana. Wow, was it ever cold! It was 34 degrees when we rode across the border into Canada, and even though the sun climbed higher into the sky on that fine bright day, it grew even colder as we continued north. I had my electric vest cranked all the way up and I was still freezing.

We stopped for breakfast in Fernie after we crossed the border to warm up a bit. Our route took us through a brief bit of British Columbia, and then we entered Alberta. The route took us into the Kananaskis National Park in Canada on our way to Calgary, our destination that day.

The Canadian Rockies in Kananaskis National Park, on our way to Calgary. That’s my Triumph Daytona 1200 in front, and Marty’s BMW K1200RS behind it. Wowee, it was cold that morning!

Another photograph with the Rocky Mountains in the background. This was in Canada’s Kananaskis National Park, and that’s me next to my Triumph.

A comparable photo of Marty at the same spot with his Beemer.

We saw signs warning of mountain sheep crossing the road. I thought it would be great to see one, but I didn’t expect that I would. Then we started spotting the things all over.

Look closely. Way up the road. Just past the sign on the right. Do you see the mountain sheep standing there?

The first one was that lone sheep you see in the photo above. We stopped to grab a photo, but I realized I had my Sigma 17-35 wide angle on the camera. I grabbed a quick shot from the motorcycle, but I knew the distance and the wide angle lens would make the animal just a tiny bit in the photo. I didn’t want to get off the bike because I thought I might scare it away. I fumbled to get my longer range 24-120 zoom lens on the camera (it was in my tank bag). The entire time I thought the goat would run away before I could get the lens on my Nikon N70.

Then the sheep looked directly at me and starting slowly walking in my direction.

“Uh oh,” I thought.

I didn’t know if mountain sheep bite or if they are aggressive. Maybe it would come over and try to butt me. I could see, even at a distance, that the thing had horns. I had visions of it knocking me and the Triumph over. My Triumph had never been on its side. The scratches on that beautiful Daytona fairing would be tough to explain. I remember wondering if I would be able to keep the bike upright if the thing butted me.

Little did I know….

The sheep literally walked right up to me. I took this shot while sitting on my Triumph, at a distance of maybe 4 or 5 feet.

My new best friend. We were both feeling kind of sheepish. I guess it was as curious as I was.

I shot up a whole roll of film and the thing was still hanging around. I noticed that as it advanced, it would stop every few feet and lick the road. I’m guessing that it was enjoying the remnants of the road salt the Canadians put down when it snows and the roads ice over. Someone later said they are probably used to being fed. I prefer to think it just wanted a better look at the Daytona. After all, it was the only Triumph in the 2005 Three Flags Classic.

It warmed up after that and it was a glorious day. Our next to last checkpoint was in the Kananaskis National Park at a place called Fortress Junction. Marty and I chatted with the other riders and then we rode the final leg of the Rally into Calgary.

A guy named Dave and his friend at the final checkpoint in Fortress Junction, Canada. It was a glorious day.

Later that day, we rode along a highway and then into Calgary, the endpoint for the 2005 Three Flags Classic. I would be the turnaround point for Marty and me. We still had a lot of fun in front of us…a couple of days in Calgary, and then the grand ride home. On the ride home, we were on our own (it was not part of the Three Flags Classic, which ended in Calgary. That portion of our ride is coming up in future blogs, so stay tuned!

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The Rifleman’s rifle…

This is a cool story that goes like this…several years ago I decided I wanted to hunt pigs. I had last chased hogs in the woods about 30 years earlier, but I never got one. That was a character flaw I wanted to correct. It was just something I needed to do, but there were consulting gigs overseas, lots of travel, a few epic motorcycle rides, and, well, you know how it goes. Pig hunting stayed tucked away in my mind but I hadn’t acted on it. Then another thing happened: I stopped in a gunshop in northern California and saw a rifle I just had to have. It’s the one at the top of this blog. Specifically, a Supergrade Model 70 Winchester in God’s caliber, the mighty .30 06.

Okay, back to the pig thing. Back in the 1910s folks imported Russian boar into California so rich guys could hunt them without having to spring for a boat ticket to Russia. I guess that worked out okay, but what happened next surprised everybody. The Russian boars loved it over here and I guess they felt right at home. They bred like rabbits. Then, being pigs, they crossbred with domestic hogs. The bottom line? Today, the US has a runaway wild pig problem. If you think you don’t have wild pigs, you either just don’t know it (the more likely case), or you don’t have them in your neighborhood yet (the less likely case, but if you don’t have them yet, you will). Wild pigs are everywhere and they’re destructive. Farmers know they’ll tear up an acre every night looking for food. That’s a problem that guys like me and my good friend Paul are only too happy to help solve.

Here piggy, piggy, piggy... — Here piggy, piggy, piggy…

So who’s Paul? Well, I’ve known Paul all my life. We were next-door neighbors back in rural New Jersey in the days when you could set up a range and shoot in your back yard. And we did. We fooled around with guns, we hunted, we fished, we rode bikes…we did the kinds of things kids did 60 or 70 years ago, before they invented ADHD drugs, safe spaces, cell phones, computers, social media, and all the stuff kids today get to struggle with. Rural New Jersey in the 1950s was a good time and a good place to grow up.

There’s more to the story: Our fathers were outdoorsmen, so Paul and I were, too. Both of our fathers were competitive shooters and hunters. Paul’s Dad had a Model 70 in .270 Winchester and my Dad had a Model 70 in .243. In their day, those two cartridges were the hottest and best things going. There have been newer cartridges and newer rifles since, but both the .270 and the .243 are still dynamite chamberings. And the Model 70 Winchester was (and I still think still is) the ultimate rifle. It’s been called the Rifleman’s Rifle. It’s that good. And it’s what our fathers shot.

So when I saw that new maple Model 70, I bought it. Just like that. I knew I would hunt pigs with it. It’s one of the finest rifles I’ve ever handled.

I suggested a pig hunt to Paul, and hey, who could turn down an offer like that? I took the Model 70 you see above, and Paul had his magnificent pre-’64 Model 70 in .270 Winchester. Paul’s Model 70 has a real pedigree: It was handed down to Paul by his father, and this particular Model 70 is rifle royalty. It doesn’t get any better than Paul’s pre-’64 Model 70, and the .270 Winchester cartridge is the quintessential chambering for it. Google Jack O’Connor, the guy who put the Model 70 and the .270 Winchester cartridge on the map, and you’ll see what I mean. O’Connor wrote a book (The Rifle), in which he explains his reasons for the .270’s superiority. I have O’Connor’s book and it’s a great read. That said, I just like the .30 06, but they’re both great cartridges.

Paul’s particular Model 70 (this very rifle, the one Paul used on our hunt) was my first exposure to high-powered, long-distance marksmanship a cool 60 years ago. Paul’s Dad used to fire that rifle across the fields behind our homes in the 1950s. We lived in a rural part of the state, and you could do that in those days. Before Paul’s Dad would send rounds downrange, though, little Pauly would always knock on our door to tell us all hell was about to break loose. That was mighty neighborly, as an unexpected bark from a .270 Winchester would have scared the bejesus out of us (I’m not sure what bejesus is, but I like the word so I’m using it here).

So, back to the more recent past. In preparation for our pig hunt, I worked up a load for my Model 70 and I found the Holy Grail..a load that was both hard-hitting and accurate. Two of them, actually. Here’s how it worked out…

Model 70 magic... — 100-yard Model 70 magic…

The deal on reloading and these cartridge development efforts is that you experiment with different powders, primers, bullets, and propellant charge weights to find an individual rifle’s sweet spot, and like I said, I found two. Over the course of two days, I fired all of the above loads (at 100 yards), and the bottom one in yellow is the one I used for our hunt. That load uses a 150-grain Winchester jacketed soft point bullet with 48.0 grains of IMR 4320 propellant. I bought a bunch of the 150 grain jacketed Winchester bullets about 10 years ago when it looked liked reloading components might dry up altogether (shooting-gear-related shortages are cyclical, always coinciding with whoever has just moved into public housing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue). After I settled on my preferred load, I’ve shot even tighter groups with it. I once shot a 0.244-inch 3-shot group with my Model 70 with the same load. For the targets we would be shooting (hogs, which get big), that’s good enough for government work.

While I was doing all of the above, Paul had a similar load development effort underway with his .270 Winchester. I found the secret sauce for my Model 70, and Paul found the right recipe for his. We were ready.

My Model 70 is a current production rifle and it’s awesome. The Supergrade Model 70s are glass-bedded and free-floated from the factory, the bluing is deeply polished, and the fiddleback maple figure on mine is exhibition grade. It’s not the kind of a rifle you would ordinarily take on a hunt and some folks have told me it’s too pretty to shoot, but I didn’t buy it just to look at the thing. It’s a shooter and it’s very, very accurate. I actually think the quality of the modern Model 70 rifles is better than the pre-’64 rifles (which are generally regarded as Winchester’s best ever), but don’t tell that to Paul.

Our happy hunting grounds at dusk, east of Kingman, Arizona.

So how did we do? Well, it was one of the best weekends ever. We rolled out to a hilly desert area east of Kingman, Arizona (we were well out in the boonies) and our hunt was hugely successful. Paul got a monster hog the first night out, and I nailed one a bit smaller the next morning. I have great photos of Paul and me posing with our pigs, but if I posted them here it would generate the inevitable comments from folks whose BVDs contract into tight knots over such things. You know, the folks who hate guns and hunting…people who assume their hamburgers come from suicidal cows or whatever. So you’ll have to use your imagination. But they are great photos.

Paul and I both ate pork for a year after that. Roast pork. Barbequed pork. Pork chili. Pork meatballs (pretty good, actually). Pork sandwiches. Pork breakfast sausage (also very good). A special pork/wild mushroom/barley casserole (my favorite). But no bacon. Bacon comes from belly fat and wild hogs are lean, so there is no belly fat. Yep, we had over a hundred pounds of dressed-out pork after our hunt. I came home with a whole cooler full, and I had the little pig. When we figured the cost of the rifles, the ammo, our travel, and the hunt, that pork worked out to about $34 per pound. And it was worth every cent. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Want more Tales of the Gun? Just click here!

Barron’s recommendations…

I guess more financial mags are zeroing in on Harley-Davidson’s plans to introduce an electric motorcycle. You saw our post a week or so ago about The Motley Fool and their thoughts on the Livewire. Barron’s, another financial newspaper/advisory service, similarly reported on Harley’s woes but with a twist. This most recent Barron’s article strongly recommended that either Harley move into manufacturing pickup trucks, or allow itself to be acquired by Ford. Yeah, that’s right. Ford. The car company.

Ford has already produced F-150 pickups with Harley trim packages (seriously, I can’t make up stuff this good) and they are reintroducing a $100K Harley-themed truck for 2019…

Barron’s reasons that Harley’s brand recognition could help Ford (a company who’s stock price has been tanking for years). The Barron’s article actually recommends Harley as a buy (the stock, not the motorcycle), with a target price of $50 per share if such an acquisition occur (i.e., Ford buying Harley). Seeing as Harley stock (symbol HOG) is currently about $35 per share, Barron’s reasons that could be a wise investment if Ford acquires Harley (which I don’t think will ever happen).

I’m watching all of this in stunned silence. Well, nearly stunned silence, except for the tapping of my laptop’s keyboard as I whip out this blog. $35,000 electric motorcycles. Harley-badged $100,000+ Ford pickup trucks, which presumably will sell to folks whose judgement, common sense, and sobriety has to be questioned. Financial advisors recommending buying Harley stock because if Ford (a company with terrible stock performance) buys Harley (another company with terrible stock performance), the Harley stock price will go up (while Harley’s business has been tanking in a dive so steep they may not be able to pull out of it). Got it. Right.

My take on all of this? It’s hard to take it all in, let alone understand most of it. Your thoughts? Let’s hear them!

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To Hammock or not to Hammock…

You guys remember our good buddy Mike Huber, whom we met on one of the Baja rides. Mike is a former US Army paratrooper, a GS rider, and a great guy. It was good to get an email from Mike a couple of days ago, along with the following guest blog…

Combining my two favorite passions in life of motorcycle and camping is new to me, but I quickly fell in love with the lifestyle and have grown to embrace moto camping so much that over the past two years I make it a point to moto camp at least once a month.

As I developed my passion for moto camping I began following blogs and Facebook groups to seek out tips and tricks that can make my moto camping experiences more exciting and comfortable. I began to notice that some moto campers on these pages camped in their hammocks full time and didn’t even own a tent. This awoke my curiosity since I always travel with an ENO double nest nylon hammock. On most nights when I camp I usually hang the hammock when I have a few hours to kill where I can get comfortable and read a book or just gaze into the campfire after a long day of riding. Even though I travel and use a hammock frequently I never thought of sleeping in my hammock while camping prior to reading these blogs.

A short time later I was traveling from Arizona to Colorado and I found myself in a beautiful state park camping where I had spent over an hour or so sitting in my hammock next to the fire. I decided to give this hammock camping thing a try. It was a clear night and the moon and stars were really popping so I threw a few logs on the fire, loaded my sleeping bag into the hammock ad settled in for a restful night’s sleep.
Below are a few pros and cons I have found with my limited hammocking experience:

Pros:

• Able to see the stars the entire night without having to leave your bed
• Lightweight and compact
• No pressure points in a hammock so it can be much more comfortable and warmer being off the ground
• A level area is not required so at times you can be closer to bodies of water

Cons:

• Some parks do not allow hammocks to be hung on any park property or trees (see photo)
• If you are in an area with no trees (EX: deserts of the southwestern United States (and using a cactus is a really bad idea)) there may not be a place to safely hang your hammock
• Without a properly equipped hammock facing bad weather can be a challenge

I enjoy the unique experience of hammock camping and whenever conditions are right have continued to camp in my hammock. I am now in the habit of setting up both my tent and hammock at my campsites and go with how I feel, the weather, and my surroundings. Hammock camping is another option to have, and with moto camping having more options is never a bad thing.

Mike, that’s an awesome blog. Thanks for taking the time to think of us. Your photos are outstanding. Let’s get together for a taco or two the next time you’re in town. Gresh says he’s buying!

Punny stuff…

Hey, Gresh started it with that “assault and battery” blog title. We post our blog notifications on Facebook, too, and a bunch of guys weighed in. With shocking puns. I won’t spoil it. Read for yourself, folks…

And there you have it. No doubt there are more highly-charged comments posted by the time you read this. I stopped reading them and posting responses because I thought I might offend someone, or maybe even be offended myself. But then, I always have had a short fuse…

It’s like the time a neutron walked into a bar and asked “How much for a beer?”

The bartender, a proton, said “For you, no charge.”

“You sure?” asked the neutron.

“I’m positive,” answered the proton.

And with that, my friends, it’s time to, you know, pull the plug. Unless you have more. Well, do you?

Baldy on Mt. Baldy…

My mighty CSC TT250 posing in a turnout on the way up to Mt. Baldy. These are great motorcycles.

We had a short break in the near-nonstop rains here in So Cal, and that meant two things to me: Get out for a motorcycle ride, and get to the rifle range. That’s two separate things (it’s a bit of a challenge to carry a rifle on a motorcycle), so let me just post a photo or two from my motorcycle ride.

When it rains in So Cal in the winter time, it’s snowing in the mountains, and the San Gabriels looked mighty inviting. I needed to get my knees in the breeze and I recently had good buddy Joey D put new tires on my TT250. I wanted to see how the new tires felt, and a quick run up to Mt. Baldy would be the perfect way to do that. I’m here to tell you I really like the TT’s new treads. A lot.

Yeah, I know. It’s the title of this blog.

While I was taking photos with my cellphone, a young lady pulled into the turnout in a 3-Series BMW M car. She asked if I wanted her to take my picture with the bike. Hey, why not? I probably should have grabbed a photo of her with the BMW, but I always seem to think of these things too late.

I stayed nice and warm on my ride up to Mt. Baldy, as I was wearing my R Heroes USA workshirt under my moto jacket. It felt great to get on the bike again, and the ride was made all the better by the crisp mountain air. Good times.

Regarding time on the rifle range, that’s a topic for another blog. Stay tuned!

R Heroes USA!

I’ll get to R Heroes USA, the title of this blog, in just a bit. There’s a story behind today’s title and it goes like this: About 10 years ago, CSC donated a Mustang replica to the Firefighters Cancer Support Network (the FCSN), a charity of firefighters focused on helping firefighters and EMS workers with the disease. The motorcycle CSC built for the FCSN was a great-looking bike, and when I picked the colors for my CSC 150 I had it built exactly like the Firefighter model…

A Mt. Baldy firefighter checking out my CSC 150 several years ago.

When Steve and Maureen donated the bike, the FCSN gave Steve and me each a sweatshirt. I liked mine immensely, and in fact, for the last 10 years it has been my “go to” shirt for knocking around, or whenever it gets really cold out here, or whenever I’m riding in cold weather. Yeah, I’ve got a heated vest and all the right motorcycle gear, but when it’s seriously cold and I want to layer up, nothing beats that sweatshirt. It’s warm and it’s incredibly comfortable. When we did the recent Janus Motorcycles Baja ride, I knew it was going to be a cold expedition and I knew I’d be wearing my blue pullover sweatshirt.

My 10-year-old R Heroes shirt. This is my favorite shirt. It’s still in great shape. R Heroes makes them right here in California.

Most recently, we’ve been in a cold snap here in So Cal, and I’ve been wearing my FCSN shirt pretty much every day. It made me think: I’ve been wearing that sweatshirt for nearly 10 years. That’s phenomenal. I thought about that a bit, and I realized: I need to get me another one of these.

I looked online, and I couldn’t find anything of the same style. You see, it’s not just a sweatshirt. It’s got pockets, it’s got a YKK zipper (the best there is), it’s fleece-lined,and like I said, it’s warm. It’s also just long enough to cover anything you might have strapped on your hip (even a big old .45). It’s perfect. I usually don’t get excited about clothes, but I fell in love with that pullover.

With no initial luck on the Internet, I looked inside the shirt. I couldn’t find a label that indicated any of the sweatshirt companies I thought I knew, so I looked a little harder. There was a tiny label that said “R Heroes USA.” What’s that? I thought, so I did a search on that name, and oila!

It turns out that there’s an apparel company called R Heroes USA, it was founded by a firefighter, they manufacture here in America, and they focus on gear for firefighters (that explains the great pockets and the uber-high quality). I sent an email to R Heroes USA, one thing led to another, and my new good buddy (and R Heroes USA founder) Chuck took my order for a new shirt just like the old one. It’s their Model 505 workshirt. It should arrive about the same time you are reading this blog.

I’m pumped, and I know I’ve got another good 10 years in front of me with this new shirt. You can do the same, you know. You can’t order directly off the R Heroes USA site, but you can get to a list of their dealers and if there are none nearby, you can send R Heroes an email just like I did.

Like I said, I had a nice conversation with Chuck (the R Heroes USA owner and founder). One thing led to another, and what do you know, R Heroes USA is looking to reach beyond the firefighter market. The Model 505 (and probably other R Heroes USA shirts) are perfect for riding, and ExhaustNotes has a new advertiser. It’s a win-win-win all the way around, folks. Click on the R Heroes USA logo below (or right here), give the site a visit, and get yourself what I’m here to tell you is the best and longest-wearing shirt on the planet!