RVer Tackles Corrosion Control With Adaptive Shelter

We are camping 100 yards from the beach in Corpus Christi, Texas. It’s windy here and the salt air causes corrosion on anything made out of metal. Our campground neighbor Neal Lund is a “Winter Texan.” He’s actually from Minnesota but has been coming down here for the last three winters. You can’t help but notice the silver tent-like object in front of his motorhome. As it turns out this is a portable shelter for his 2003 Harley Davidson “Fat Boy” motorcycle. This product is made by Cycle Shelter. It’s a portable non-contact (meaning it won’t scratch your bike) stand-alone storage unit; a one-size-fits-all unit that’s easy to assemble and comes with a carry bag. Neal says this shelter has withstood sustained winds of over 50 miles per hour broadside without additional ropes or tie-downs. He should know because he has a miniature weather station on top of his motorhome. He added a plywood floor with a front wheel cradle attached. I asked him to explain the little bell on the bottom of the front fork and he told me it was for warning rhinoceros and giraffe to get off the road. “So far it’s worked,” he said. The plywood provides additional support and he doesn’t need to stake it down because the weight of the bike holds it firmly in place. The shelter is vented to prevent condensation and Neal says it really does help protect the chrome. Living at the beach still requires a lot of TLC in order to keep this beauty in mint condition. Riding a big Harley down a coastal highway is a marvelous experience and worth the trouble of a little extra work. Having the Cycle Shelter makes it much easier to prevent salt air corrosion and ultra violet damage. For the return to Minnesota this week he’ll load his car and motorcycle on the trailer he tows behind his motorhome. The Cycle Shelter is yet another example of how RVers adapt their hobbies to the RV lifestyle. Your under cover reporter - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing.

RVer Brings Harley Davidson Up To Speed

I pulled into an RV park in Arizona the other day and parked next to Wayne (Speed) Hanson. His very successful business has him on the road doing motorcycle shows about eight months a year. Speed specializes in upgrading Harley Davidson Motorcycles with engine rebuilds that dramatically increase power and performance. He is an inspiration to work campers because he found a way to make the RV lifestyle pay. The business started off in a small town in South Dakota where he was in competition with two other motorcycle shops. Then he decided instead of waiting for customers to come to him, he would bring his shop to them. He lives in this very nice custom built RV on a Freightliner chassis with a 500 HP Detroit diesel engine. It has two huge slides making this RV like an apartment. With a manual transmission he gets 7.6 miles per gallon while towing his trailer/shop.

His trailer/shop is a double decker inside housing product in the loft and a full motorcycle shop in the bottom. The mobile shop has a dynamometer tuning machine to help make a cranky Harley run like a champ. At a show they can install aftermarket products like blowers, heads, carb kits, fuel injection kits, and exhaust products, then demonstrate your gain in performance on the mobile dynamometer. If you have a Harley that needs help - check out Speed’s website here: Speed’s Performance Plus
Speed helped raise $350,000 for the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana. In a collaborative effort with Lucas Oil he put the engine, transmission and drive train into a motorcycle built for the “Miracle Ride” raffle fund raising event. Every year over 7,000 motorcycle riders gather at the hospital for this fund raising event. Because of their help, Riley is ranked one of the top Children’s hospitals in the country.
I bring this story to your attention because you may want to consider taking your job on the road. Thousands of people just like you make a handsome living working on the RV road. Speed was able to build a healthy business by bringing his skills to the people instead of waiting for them to come to him. This was only possible because of the RV lifestyle. I meet hundreds of RV work campers each year and they all love what they are doing because they are doing what they love and getting paid. Reporting from the crossroads of America - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

Tour the Inside of a Motorcycle RV Pop-up Trailer

I marvel when I see motorcycles towing RV pop-up trailers down the road. I’ve never had a chance to see a motorcycle RV up close until now. This week the Christian Motorcyclists Association held their West Coast Convention at the fairgrounds in Moses Lake, Washington and I happened by with my camera and notepad. This motorcycle club is full of wonderful people who, like me, are professing Christ followers who also share a love of motorcycles and RVs. Steve and Nancy Gorder towed their motorcycle RV all the way from Mineral Point, Wisconsin for this conference. They’ve been married 19 years and in that time have pulled this type of RV pop-up trailer all over the United States. They don’t cook in their living quarters (they don’t come with stoves), so they eat out when on the road. This is their 2005 bunkhouse by B&F Specialties of Elk Grove, Illinois. This cool little RV has a screened in porch for bug-free outdoor living. Let me take you inside for a look at the sleeping quarters. This unit comes with a king sized bed with blow-up mattresses. Under the bed is a large storage compartment which is the main body of the trailer. Though these pop-ups don’t come with a heater, they do come with an optional air conditioner which fits in a zipper opening near the floor of the dressing area. This little RV is roomy enough for tall folks to be comfortable. It weighs 350 lbs. empty and also sports an electric refrigerator on the front. Steve says it takes about five to ten minutes to set up and, “If it’s raining you can do it real fast.” Some folks carry cooking gear and prepare their meals but these little pop-ups don't come with a galley. They also don't have bathroom facilities. There are other manufacturers making similar models like this “Aspen” which has a full frame under it and retails starting at $3,600. The hitches that attach on the motorcycle are mostly made by Hitch Doctor in Round Lake, Minnesota. The trailer hitch is a swivel hitch to compensate for the “leaning” motorcycle when going into curves. Here are more motorcycle pop-up RVs. If you're interested in the motorcycle club you may learn more about them here:
Christian Motorcyclists Association. I love it that there is such a huge variety of RVs and styles of camping out there. What a unique way to enjoy this great country. Jim