Author Topic: Member Profile - Pete Jessen  (Read 1472 times)

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VersysRider

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Member Profile - Pete Jessen
« on: September 15, 2014, 07:29:46 PM »

MSTA Member Pete Jessen

Hometown? My home is Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

What was your first motorcycle? Mine was an early ‘60’s Ducati thumper. It was built for the Austrian army, and was indestructible. I rode it for two years in the deserts of New Mexico and Texas. I bought it for $200, sold what was left of it for $220!

Current motorcycle(s)? My fun bike is a 2008 Kawasaki Versys. It is cheap to operate and runs and runs. I will keep it forever. For 2-up riding I own a 1999 BMW K 1200 LT. My wife Connie and I have enjoyed 60,000+ miles on it, including three runs on the Dragon in Tennessee. My salvage project is a Honda Blackbird and I am slowly assembling the tupperware parts needed to make it look like new.

What is your all-time favorite motorcycle? I really like my Versys. Since it came out, every manufacturer now has a similar bike. Be they Japanese or European manufacturer, all have a 650 or 700cc simple bike with few accessories. They're easy to maintain, run forever, and define the meaning of FUN on a motorbike.

How long have you been riding? I started riding in the 60’s, took a long hiatus and then resumed riding with a vengeance in the 90’s.

When did you join the MSTA? I joined the HSTA in 2001 and was a member for several years. I let my membership lapse for a while. I missed the group of people that I'd met through club membership. I re-enlisted in the MSTA in February, 2012.

Who or what was your biggest influence in motorcycling? No person, but a Honda 90, a Suzuki 100, a Yamaha 175, and that Ducati, all sucked me in!

What are your favorite places to ride? By default, because of where I live, the canyons of the Colorado Front Range. After that, anywhere in western Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Describe a memorable motorcycle adventure? Too many to choose from. The most frustrating memory I have involves hitting a deer north of Craig, CO, on an open stretch of highway, at 11:00 AM, doing 70 mph. I can tell you about the importance of good protective riding gear, but cannot tell anyone a single thing about how to avoid a deer. Very frustrating.

What is the best motorcycle advice or tip learned through the years? Ride a bit scared all the time. Check your six constantly. (I followed the same advice during 35 years of private flying (some instrument) in the days before GPS. I never had a problem.)

What turns you on about motorcycles or riding? I cannot and will not try to explain my passion for riding motorcycles. Just don’t get in the way when I’m headed to my bike!

What do you get out of your MSTA membership? My association with a group of good, solid people. We don’t need to talk too much about where we’ve come from, but we talk a lot about where we’re going . . . in life and on the bike.

Any hobbies? I always have my camera with me.