Meet The New Rider # 1043 Keith Johnson

 

 

I am Keith Johnson and I live in Cullman, AL. I enjoy life with my wife, Sheila, our blended family consisting of a daughter, two boys and their families. We have two fabulous grandsons, and another on the way that we are looking forward to spoiling. 

I have enjoyed motorcycling since I was able to ride a bike. Running my own business most of my adult life, as well as raising a family, caused me to put my passion of riding on the back burner for many years. The past 10 years has allowed me more time to do what I want, including becoming a Motorcycle Safety Foundation New Rider Coach at Redstone Harley Davidson, located in Madison AL. I hope to instill the love of motorcycling, and safety, to each student I have the pleasure of coaching. 

I have followed The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge for many years and knew that one day I would like to be a part of such a wonderful challenge. Last year, after a lot of discussion and thought, I made the decision to apply. After going through the application process and phone interviews, Junie finally said "WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!" I was ecstatic! But then the reality set in and I began questioning whether I was capable of such a challenge. I know I will continue to ask myself those questions until I cross that finish line.

One question I asked myself was why do I want to do this challenge? I have slowly come to the realization that this is going to be a journey of self-reflection and self-discovery for me. As with anything in life, you never know how strong you are until you are faced with adversity. I think I am capable. I think I am strong enough and I think I am resilient. Will this be good enough? I do not know, and I never will until I test myself.

I will be riding to support Cullman Caring for Kids, a non-profit organization in my community. Their mission is to identify and prevent child abuse, as well as provide meals for underprivileged children in my area. This organization accepts monetary donations to fund public education programs focused on the prevention of child abuse and to fund a food bank that provides food to families in need. Donations can be made at https://www.cullmancaringforkids.com/. There will be a special link for donations for my ride-TBA.

 

I am proud to be Hoka Hey rider #1043…see you at the starting line.