There’s no better way to start off the year than riding with a great group of guys, hanging out with your heroes, and experiencing the kickoff of the new SX season at Anaheim. That’s pretty much what Ricky Johnson thought when he came up with his inaugural Lucky 13 Ride.
Based on the number 13 RJ ran on his works Honda and celebrating the 13th anniversary of the famed BMW GS series Adventure Bike, Rick and a group of adventure enthusiasts took to the mountains and deserts of Southern California.
RJ teamed up with BMW Motorcycles of Riverside, who provided fully prepped BMW R1250GS ready to explore. Day one would be a ride from the base camp of Blackmore Ranch through the mountains of southeastern California over to the desert and back home. The loop consisted primarily of two-lane twisty roads, a sprinkle of off-road, and incredible vistas along the nearly 190-mile route.
Once back at the Blackmore Ranch, the group would get to experience a once-in-a-lifetime evening as Ricky Johnson and David Bailey shared a viewing of arguably the greatest SX of all time, the famed 1986 Anaheim opener. Both David and RJ relived the epic race with great backstories and details of the Titanic battle. Great food, spirits, and a question-answer session with the two Honda teammates followed. Day two was a full day at the SX season opener at Anaheim Stadium.
A trip through the pits with RJ, a track walk so the guys could get the full impact of the massive jumps and giant whoops, and great seats to watch the season’s kick-off race. A lot of bucket list items were checked off on the Lucky 13 ride, and the great news is RJ has more planned in the near future.
