I am Dustyn “Rooster” Monismith, rider #1116 from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I have been riding motorcycles since I bought my first dirt bike at the age of fifteen. When I was twenty one I took my first solo long distance motorcycle trip from Carlisle to New Castle, PA via the PA Turnpike on a 1995
Kawasaki Ninja 500. The one-way mileage was somewhere around only 250 miles, but I think that is where I initially got hooked on riding long distances.
I originally learned about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge from Steve Davis, a.k.a. “BBK”, rider #954 back in 2018. When he said he was going to ride in 2020, I thought he was crazy. So, there I was glued to the computer, following his tracker and I was hooked ever since. 2021 came around and I signed up to ride for the 2022 Challenge and I was accepted. I was one of only a few riders to finish the challenge on a Harley-Davidson Pan America motorcycle. I got the road name “Rooster” on the 2022 Hoka Hey from a fellow rider because a male pheasant decided to take his own life by flying up from the road in front of me. Unfortunately, there was no avoiding him and I went straight to the carwash to hose the bike and myself off.
What I like the most about this challenge is the people you meet along the way. Some are people just in passing and others are participants in the challenge. My motto is “Ride your own Ride.” For the first 5 days I rode with my buddy Jimmy Hopkins, rider # 984. I knew the evitable would eventually happen. We both had our own agenda. Unfortunately, we had to part ways because I had heat exhaustion and sleep deprivation while traveling through Truth of Consequences, New Mexico. Ironic huh? I believe
everything in life happens for a reason. People are placed in your life to give it meaning!
This year I’m partnering up with my wife and we both are riding for Band of Blue. Band of Blue is committed to supporting families of fallen officers. They provide everlasting support and create a transformative experience that honors their loved one’s service and sacrifice. https://bandofblue.org/
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