Couples take to the road on motorcycles
Quick. What do you picture when you think of a biker gang? Subversive? Unkempt? Looking for trouble?
Well, think again. These days, biker gangs are more likely to consist of a pack of doctors, executives or engineers heading to a beach house on the Outer Banks.
Whether it's a chrome-laced Harley-Davidson or a safety-conscious BMW, motorcycles have become one of the hippest accessories for a new generation of couples.
Vanessa & Daniel King
Occupations: Vanessa is the vice president of cardiac and surgical services at Cape Fear Valley Health System; Dan is the electronic senior engineer in charge of the flight simulator at Fort Bragg's Simmons Army Airfield.
Motorcycles of choice: Vanessa rides a Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe, and Dan rides a Harley-Davidson Softail Fat Boy.
The story: Five years ago, Vanessa King would have laughed out loud if you told her that she would one day be straddling chrome on her way to Myrtle Beach Bike Week. After all, the bubbly health care administrator and her mild-mannered, engineer husband don't exactly fit the stereotypes of leather-clad, loud-engine-loving bikers.
But all that changed about four years ago when Dan began reminiscing about his teenage motorcycle days. He talked about it so much, the couple decided to take a course in motorcycle safety at Sandhills Community College.
The couple's son, Bryan, had just gone off to college, and it seemed like the perfect time to find a new hobby. At first, the Kings thought they'd buy a large touring bike for Dan to drive while Vanessa rode on back. But that plan dissolved as soon as Vanessa got behind the wheel.
"Once you move to the front seat, you never go back," she said.
Now, the couple ride every chance they get. They've made day trips to Carthage and weekend rides to the mountains. In October, they rode all the way to the Outer Banks.
"It's taken us to places we otherwise wouldn't have been," Vanessa said.
And the ride itself tends to make the vacations that much more enjoyable, Dan said.
"When you get on a bike, the adventure starts in the driveway," he said. "It's about the ride. You see so much more, you smell so much more."
It also has helped them make more friends - hundreds more, according to Vanessa - who enjoy the roar of a Harley and the thrill of the ride just as much as they do.
"It's the best mutual hobby we've ever found," she said.
Source: Couples take to the road on motorcycles
Well, think again. These days, biker gangs are more likely to consist of a pack of doctors, executives or engineers heading to a beach house on the Outer Banks.
Whether it's a chrome-laced Harley-Davidson or a safety-conscious BMW, motorcycles have become one of the hippest accessories for a new generation of couples.
Vanessa & Daniel King
Occupations: Vanessa is the vice president of cardiac and surgical services at Cape Fear Valley Health System; Dan is the electronic senior engineer in charge of the flight simulator at Fort Bragg's Simmons Army Airfield.
Motorcycles of choice: Vanessa rides a Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe, and Dan rides a Harley-Davidson Softail Fat Boy.
The story: Five years ago, Vanessa King would have laughed out loud if you told her that she would one day be straddling chrome on her way to Myrtle Beach Bike Week. After all, the bubbly health care administrator and her mild-mannered, engineer husband don't exactly fit the stereotypes of leather-clad, loud-engine-loving bikers.
But all that changed about four years ago when Dan began reminiscing about his teenage motorcycle days. He talked about it so much, the couple decided to take a course in motorcycle safety at Sandhills Community College.
The couple's son, Bryan, had just gone off to college, and it seemed like the perfect time to find a new hobby. At first, the Kings thought they'd buy a large touring bike for Dan to drive while Vanessa rode on back. But that plan dissolved as soon as Vanessa got behind the wheel.
"Once you move to the front seat, you never go back," she said.
Now, the couple ride every chance they get. They've made day trips to Carthage and weekend rides to the mountains. In October, they rode all the way to the Outer Banks.
"It's taken us to places we otherwise wouldn't have been," Vanessa said.
And the ride itself tends to make the vacations that much more enjoyable, Dan said.
"When you get on a bike, the adventure starts in the driveway," he said. "It's about the ride. You see so much more, you smell so much more."
It also has helped them make more friends - hundreds more, according to Vanessa - who enjoy the roar of a Harley and the thrill of the ride just as much as they do.
"It's the best mutual hobby we've ever found," she said.
Source: Couples take to the road on motorcycles
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