WILD @ HEART – RIDE YOUR MOTORCYCLE

So, who am I??

My name is Pádraigín, (it’s irish), and I live in the UK with my puggies Miss Bunty Pepperpot aka Pipkin, (she is tiny for a pug and totally in control of everyone), and Freddie aka Frodo Waggins/Napoleon Bonapug; (he likes to stand in the middle of the garden barking at nothing.. obviously addressing his troops).

who often appear in my blog.

I’ve been riding for over 45 years and have owned/ridden many types of bike in my time, but for the last 20 years my major love affair has been with Harley Davidson. I currently own a highly customised Fatboy Special, a Fatboy S and two Sportsters. I also have rebuilt and customised all my Harleys to a greater or lesser degree, and for the last several years have built a custom chop from scratch; see the workshop page for more details.

Since taking up Harleys I have ridden through most of western Europe and the USA (3 times) with a short ride across Ontario, Canada. I ride, predominantly, alone and have recorded my triumphs, adventures and mishaps along the way in my blog.

The photo above is my beloved first Harley, a 1991 Fatboy somewhere in France on the way to the HOG European Rally 2007, my first ever motorcycle tour…

…and to the left me and my Fatboy Special receiving the trophy for 2nd place in the custom show Ladies of Harley category from Bill Davidson at the HOG European Rally 2015 in Puerto Sherry, Spain.

In 2016, I was 60 years young and to celebrate I rode 10,000 miles around the USA including Route 66, New Orleans and the Florida Keys. I also visited some of the famous sights such as Niagara Falls, Las Vegas, Hollywood, The Alamo, etc. on this Heritage/Fatboy that I bought in Virginia and shipped back to the UK.

I also rode across the USA west to east in both 2018 and 2021.

Not content with just riding abroad, I used to commute most days around London and the SE of England on my Royal Enfield Himalayan, Minnie the Himmie-2)… sometimes battling with the tin cage drivers was terrifyingly dangerous, (see Annus Horribilis blog for more about this), but at least Minnie was easier to park than the Fatboy. (For more about riding Minnie-1 take a look at my ‘Just Poppin’ Out for Pizza’ Blog, when I rode her around western Europe in 2020). N.B. I retired in early 2026.

In the small gallery there are all the Harleys I have owned and a special photo of my lovely grand-daughter who adores motorcycles… of course.

Bikes I have owned: HOGs I have owned:

Honda C90 FLSTF Fatboy 1991

Honda CG125 XL883c Sportster 2004

Kawasaki GPS360 FLSTSB Crossbones 2009

Kawasaki ZZR600 XL1200x Sportster 48 2013

Piaggio ZX500 FLSTI Heritage 2006

Yamaha XVS650 VRSCF V-Rod Muscle 2017

Vespa 125 x 2 FXSTB Fatbob 114 2019

Honda SH125i

Peugeot Geopolis 250 HOGs I Own Now:

Honda SH300i x 2 FLSTFB Fatboy Special 2009