What Is A Biker: Ken and Peggy Lanterman

Many years ago Honda had an ad campaign based on the theme “you meet the nicest people on a Honda”. In the early sixties Honda, and some of the other import brands offered motorcycles that were dependable, affordable and loads of fun.

My cousin, Johnnie Ray, became my hero when he got a Honda 305. I rode many miles around Wauchula, Florida perched behind him on that little bike (of course at the time you could not have convinced either of us it was a little bike.)

Many of the motorcycle enthusiasts of today trace their love of motorcycling back to these early Hondas, Yamahas, Kawasakis, Vespas and even those little red and gray bikes sold by Sears.

But one thing is still true – you meet the nicest people on a motorcycle – that is how we met Ken and Peggy Lanterman. Motorcycling is a sport that many couples enjoy together, either sharing the same motorcycle or each having their own ride. So Motorcycles: On The Road Again is profiling a couple in this issue.

Ken and Peggy Lanterman are good examples of a couple that thoroughly enjoys riding and taking the adventure together. Here they share their thoughts and ideas with On The Road Again (OTRA).

OTRA: How long have you been riding?

KEN: Since the 6th grade, but seriously for the past six years.

PEGGY: I’ve had my license for a few years but I am a passenger more than I ride. I do enjoy riding but I also enjoy the scenery. On our first trip a few weekends after we took our safety course Ken and I (as a passenger) went to Austin. We took the scenic route. We took the Buescher Park road. Ken got to practice one of the quick maneuvers that we learned in our class when a park employee backed his trailer into our path. I was impressed with his skills and always have felt safe with him. Right after that incident as we were riding along a beautiful Cardinal flew along side of us for a few minutes. That was one of the most peaceful moments in my life.

OTRA: What do you get out of riding?

KEN: Relaxation. Meeting new people from all walks of life. The best part of it is way you get focused, but really aren’t. It’s almost mystical. All your senses are alive and it’s intense in a relaxing sort of way. That hardly makes sense, but it’s the best way to describe it.

PEGGY: It is very relaxing for me as a passenger, when I ride its very exhilarating. I just love feeling the wind and enjoying the smells. It may sound silly but some of the best smells are when you pass a freshly cut lawn, or some one grilling or a laundry mat. There is nothing like the smell of clean laundry.

OTRA: Peggy, I know you have your...

We hope that you enjoyed reading this excerpt from "Ken and Peggy Lanterman". If you would like to read the entire article and more, you can order a back issue of Sep / Oct 2006 where this article was originally published.

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