Meet The New Rider # 1328 Mike Stephens

 

My name is Mike Stephens. My road handle will be “Big Mike” rider #1328.  I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was 10 years old.  I started on a Honda Trail 70 and graduated up to a 630hp Boss Hoss V8.  I worked for the same company for 40 years (Kroger Supermarkets) and retired in 2018.  Shortly after that I was offered a job with Boss Hoss Cycles in my hometown.  I was there for 5 years and thought I was retiring again.  My love for motorcycles would not let me leave that culture.  I was offered a job at Challenger Motorcycles in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.  I have been there going on 3 years working only part-time.  I drive the Show truck to the major rallies and get to talk motorcycles everyday.  I had a Harley for many years but now I ride an Indian Pursuit.  I started logging some longer distance rides only last year.  I rode 25,000 miles from April through August.  I completed the 48 states in less than 10 days last year in July.  I joke with my Harley friends that I ride with that it took me 7 years to visit the lower 48 on my Harley but only 9 ½ days on my Indian.  

 

 

I only discovered the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge in the Spring of 2024.  A friend of mine that knew I liked riding long distance and that I liked to challenge myself, told me about it.  I did some research immediately I knew this was something that I must do.  I followed the 2024 Challenge and was hooked right then.  The more that I learned about the Hoka Hey, the more interested I became.  I have ridden through several Reservations on my trips and saw first hand how badly those individuals lived.  

 

 When I found out that the money raised with entry fees went directly to help the reservations, I was even more eager to get started.  I was on my computer at midnight the night of the application process.  It took me almost 3 ½ hours of hitting refresh over and over and over to get on the site to apply.  I was so happy but then the wait started.  Would I get accepted? The day that I got my acceptance email was incredible. I met several riders at different rallies and more at the rendezvous last year.  What a great group of people.

 

My charity is the Shriners Childrens Hospital. This organization started in 1922 to help children get care that might not otherwise receive it. They provide care in a wide range of areas including orthopedic conditions, burn injuries, craniofacial conditions, spine care, spinal cord injuries and sports medicine.  There are so many charities out there to help people specially children.  One of the organizations that I belong to supports Shriner’s Children. That helped me choose them for my fundraising.