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"It's time to feel the freedom of the open road"
About Us
Welcome to Harleys Diners Rides! I’m Dave and along with my wife Lorilei, we are excited to share our experiences as we cruise on our motorcycles to many exciting destinations. We have been riding for many years and always interested in meeting interesting people and finding new roads to ride.
Our travels have taken us on many road trips throughout Canada and the United States, from the rocky shores of Newfoundland, to the southern tip of the Florida Keys to the prairies in the Mid West.
Experience the rumbling of hundreds of motorcycles while attending events such as Bike Weeks, Charity Rides and Rallies.
Vlogging our rides and use of social media began in late 2019 allowing weekly releases of trips, tips and tricks. Documenting our journey and sharing our experiences has now become a passion. Checkout our next video and join in the ride.
Becoming a Vlogger:
Shortly after retiring, not being one to sit idle Lorilei challenged me to document and share stories about riding and meeting people. With my interest piqued, my daughter Lindsay suggested the name Harleys Diners Rides as she also knows of my love for the classic diners as well as my Harley. So, Harleys Diners Rides was born. I enjoy Vlogging which has given me the opportunity to document our rides and travels not only for ourselves, the family but also for interested viewers such as yourself. Lorilei and I ride our way through life as an adventure and vlogging has become an important part in capturing it.
Vlogging has expanded into the creation of How to Videos to share my experiences and knowledge. To use an old phrase “I like to get my hands dirty”. Here I’ve been able to capture working on motorcycles, the RV’s as well as to research and plan the next ride. A listing of these videos can be found on this website linked to our You Tube Channel.
How It All Started:
I’ve been riding for most of my life and can remember my dad coming home with a couple of mini bikes for my brother and I. When Lorilei and I first started dating one of our common interests was motorcycles and travel. At the time I had a 1985 Honda Goldwing that I had purchased from a friend. Lorilei and I would spend many an afternoon on the weekends exploring the country side looking for places to explore. The more we rode together the more Lorilei wanted to get behind the wheel. Christmas of 2005 Lorilei found a key under the tree and a bike (a 650 Yamaha Maxim ) in the driveway waiting for her. The license came shortly there after.
Since that day, both of us upgraded our rides. In 2008 saw Lorilei and I bring in the new year with a 2003 Sportster 1200 Custom for her and a 2007 Street Glide for me. As Lorilei became a more experienced rider we saw her again upgrade her ride to a 2007 Victory Kingpin and then eventually to a 2008 Softail Deluxe. I’m still on the Street Glide and loving every mile with the help of a few modifications and extra chrome.
Harley Owners Group (HOG):
Wanting to ride more and connect with like minded people brought Lorilei and I joined the local HOG Chapter in 2016. The chapter organizes many activities, from local meet ups to Mystery rides, Charity rides and provincial and national rallies; that draw members from around the world. The HOG brings commonality and adventure! The Chapter runs a full ride calendar each season (April to November), which includes both week-day, weekend and overnight excursions. The Chapter also plans many social events where we gather to celebrate the season or attend the monthly Chapter meetings to keep everyone informed. Since joining I have become more involved by becoming a Ride Captain and sit on the Executive.
Check out this link: "York Region HOG Adventure Ride 2020"
Although this is related to Harley Owners there are a number of riding clubs for men and women in your local areas to join. The main point is to get out and ride to have some fun - that’s what we are doing!
Touring:
Traveling by motorcycle is arguably the best method and one we truly enjoy. The simplicity and natural beauty that the open road provides inspires our explorations. One of our personal favourite adventure type is to search out Historic Inns and B&B’s (Bed and Breakfasts) planning a new route to our destination. One such favourite is the Perth Manor and Boutique in Perth Ontario traveling interesting roads like the HWY 511.
Check out this link: "The Perth Manor"
Another all-time best was in 2013 when we loaded our bikes and headed out on the road for a 14-day trip which would see us travel through 4 US States (New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine) and 4 Canadian Provinces (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia), avoiding major cities and highways winding our way through the countryside. This gave us the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty and the local hospitality. I’ll always remember the Island hopping via ferry from Leduc Maine into New Brunswick. My only regret was not filming this wonderful trip. I think we’ll have to recreate this trip in the future.
Fundraising:
For decades event organizers have planned motorcycle rides to assist in raising awareness and funds for local charities. Lorilei and I have been blessed to be involved in several, participating in a variety of ways. Prior to my retirement I organized the annual UFCW Ride for a Cure Charity, which raised money for Leukemia & the Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC). Over the 10 years of this event, tens of thousand of dollars were raised, for which I am so proud and humbled to have contributed.
Current day, we participate in a multitude of charity events each year including, “Smiles of Innocence Memorial Charity Ride” in support of SickKids Foundation, “Cruisin' for the Cause, in support of Sick Kids Hospital and Heroes Highway Ride (HHR) in support of our Fallen Heroes and those who serve our country, are a few local personal events. This is a great way to get out and explore hidden routes and meet new people. Try it, it brings great pleasure and helps to support great causes.
Our Toy Hauler:
Over the last number of years, we have been increasing our travels and have found our needs of shelter and containment ever changing. Camping started in a 7’x14’ Cargo trailer (once the bikes were unloaded), to a 30’ Coachman Freedom Express Blast Toy Hauler (301BLDS) that we towed behind our Dodge RAM and in 2021 we’ll be heading out in a newer 38’ Wolf Pack 285 Pack 13 - 5th Wheel Toy Hauler. We found and traded up from our dealer Sicards RV; who are located in Grimsby Ontario. I must say, this has given us endless opportunities for travelling and vacationing with our motorcycles to new distant destinations.
Our future plans will include Canadian locations like the Maritime provinces in the far east to the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and British Columbia, in the far west.
Our future planned US travels include places like Key West, Nashville, South Dakota and California. Locally our trailer allows us to enjoy time with our family and friends - by settling up in Provincial and National Parks.
Our Vlogging Equipment:
The channel started very basic with a point and shoot Olympia camera and a Contour Roam Action camera. The Contour was very simple a turn on and turn off feature and if you wanted to see what you shot then you had to remove the memory card and insert it into your computer. My first few tries mounting it to my helmet had me filming the sky or the tops of people’s heads. I still use it as it’s good for capturing B-roll.
Since the original launch the collection has received some investment. The first purchase was the GoPro Session 5 along with an Apple iPhone SE, which became the base for creating videos. This has done well until I was ready to add a GoPro Hero 8 Black and a Rode’s microphone for better audio to the equipment. In 2021 I purchased a Canon M50 camera for both still pictures and shooting video. Finally in 2022 I purchased a new INSTA 360 ONE X2 to round out my equipment. These have been the largest purchase that I have ever made in buying camera equipment, Mrs. Claus was very very good to me.
To create the videos, I have been using a video editor program called Power Director which is made by Cyberlink. I have used this program since the days when I had a Camcorder and was shooting home movies for Christmas and other family events. I’m sure there are more robust packages out there but I decided to go with something I was use to. I’m enjoying the learning curve creating these videos and coming up with the different ways to produce our stories.
Let’s Ride:
Join us on our weekly journey through the scenic back roads both local to us and afar. Joining us will be our many friends and we look forward to meeting people like you and sharing our stories of the open road. It doesn’t matter what age you are - what you ride - where you live - it’s all about the freedom of the open road! So, come join us on our travels.
In addition to the YouTube channel called “Harleys Diners Rides” you will find links to our other social media sites below;.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarleysDinersRides/
YouTube Site: https://www.youtube.com/c/HarleysDinersRides/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HarleysDinersRides/
Website: http://www.HarleysDinersRides.com/
Email: HarleysDinersRides@gmail.com
Our hope for this channel is to inspire you to join us in our journey and travels with us and that you enjoy it as much as I have documenting it. ….until next time be safe and enjoy the ride.
Disclaimer:
Harleys Diners Rides - This website, You Tube Channel, Facebook and Instagram pages are for informational and entertainment purposes only and all opinions are my own. We are not Motorcycle, RV or Travel experts. For any of our topics we recommend that you do your own research and analysis and to consult with accredited or certified experts before making any decisions.
Cheers, Lorilei and Dave