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player ready...What drives the American love affair with motorcycles? Is it the sound? The wind in your face? The rumble beneath you?
Some would say it’s indescribable, a feeling attained only by hopping on and revving off. Just in time for summer riding, we spoke with local bikers and asked for their favorite area routes, and why they wouldn’t want to travel any other way.
Chuck Wilson and Elke Womersley
Ages: 49 and 39
Reside: Northlake
Occupations: Owner of fencing and deck company, nursing assistant
Riding since: 1975 (Wilson), and since she was 15, holding onto older riders’ backs (Womersley).
Bike: 2001 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic
Best part of riding: “The feeling for me is that life is good,” Wilson said. “I’m not worried about work, not worried about personal relationships. I’m enjoying my trip. A feeling of almost euphoria.” Womersley added: “Your worries drift off into the wind.”
Favorite local route: U.S. Highway 20 from Rockford to Galena. “You start off like anywhere else in Illinois with open farmland,” Wilson said. “Then it becomes more hilly and scenic near Galena. It’s a little bit cooler, with more twists and turns.”
Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker
Age: 57
Resides: Lincoln Park
Occupation: Manager, Chicago Cubs
Riding since: High school.
Bike: A custom 1999 Indian Chief, emblazoned in red, yellow and green with a picture of Bob Marley. His helmet reads “Baker Mon.”
Best part of riding: “It’s the feeling of being free. It’s powerful and dangerous. I like the sound of it–I used to put playing cards in my bicycle spokes as a kid.”
Favorite local route: Along Lake Shore Drive to Wrigley Field, “only when the weather is nice.”
Howard Jens
Age: 60
Resides: Winthrop Harbor
Occupation: Retired from the Round Lake Park Police Department.
Riding since: Age 16.
Bike: 2003 100th Anniversary Peace Officer Special Edition Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic
Best part of riding: “I own this one shirt that says, ‘If I have to explain, you really wouldn’t understand.'”
Favorite local route: Illinois Highway 2 along the Rock River, from Rockford to Sterling. “You get the best of both worlds: city and rural. It’s great on a nice sunny day when you go under the trees and in the shade. A nice scenic route.”
Shira Citro-Gurfinkel
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Age: 33
Resides: Highland Park
Occupation: Homemaker
Riding since: 1999
Bike: 2006 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883
Best part of riding: “Best feeling is at the gas pump, when you don’t have to pay $40 for the tank. And it’s an adrenaline rush. It’s an addiction that you just can’t describe.”
Favorite route: Sheridan Road from Highland Park to Chicago. “All the homes are beautiful. When you get to the lake area, you don’t want to rush through it. You just want to enjoy it.”
Joe LaBarge
Age: 63
Resides: Joliet
Occupation: Retired from the Illinois State Police
Riding since: 1968
Bike: 2006 Harley-Davidson Streetglide FLHX
Best part of riding: “The wind in the face you can’t feel in the car. It’s the freedom you can express.”
Favorite route: Illinois Highway 6 from Joliet to Ottawa. “When you get west of Morris, it gets nice and curvy and hilly. You’re running along the Illinois River on the south side, hills and trees to the north. You see a lot of wildlife late in the afternoon, early in the evening.”