Meet The New Rider # 1358 George Phillips

 

 

I was born into a military family and in my earlier years spent most of my time moving from one base to another. Dad was from Cullman, Alabama and after he was killed in Viet Nam in 1964 that became home.  I married a lovely lady that I knew in High School who has put up with me for 50 years, we have four children and they have provided us with 8 awesome grandchildren. After High School I worked several jobs then decided to join the Army with the intentions of making it a career but that got cut short. After my discharge I went back to college and got my degree in Drafting and followed up with a B.S. in Management. I became a Mechanical Engineer, Project Manager and an Engineering Manager. Now retired. I started riding motorcycles at 15 and over the years I have ridden many import bikes and bought my first Harley in 2005, a Softtail and never looked back.  I have since owned several other Harleys with the present one being a 2020 Ultra Limited. 

 

 

After buying my first Harley I joined the Birmingham HOG Chapter in 2005 where I met Rip Alexander who introduced me to the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge in 2010 when he rode his first one. Ever since I have wanted to participate but family and work took priority and I could never get the time. So that brings me to now, I have the time and desire to face the Challenge and look forward to an adventure of a life time. Thanks to the encouragement of Kelly Swihart, a good friend and 2024 HOKA HEY rider, I decided to face the 2026 Challenge.  I have ridden four 1000 mile/24 hour “Ironbutt” rides, I also plan and lead annual cross-country rides each being one to two weeks and covering 2000 to 4000 miles, with a small group of friends. I also had the opportunity to ride for Danny

Roberts (DR Consultants) and be part of the DRC Ride Team that completed a 10K mile (completing in 4 weeks) road comparison test for a tire manufacturing company.

For many years I have helped the Birmingham H.O.G. Chapter raise money for the kids at the Big Oak Ranch which provides a good Christion home environment for boys and girls that do not have a place to live. As my charity of choice I plan to raise money to continue to help these children.

Riding is my hobby and passion that helps keep me in focus, clears my thoughts, and allows me to enjoy my family and the awesome world around us.  Look forward to being a part of the Hoka Hey family.