Harley Rider Packed Up For A Solo Trip Of More Than 5000 Miles Across The Country And Got Stuck On Their Motorcycle In A Tornado In Minnesota

Most of us only dream about packing up and hitting the open road. One rider on the YouTube channel Full Throttle HOG actually did it, loading up a Harley-Davidson for a solo trip of about 5,000 miles around the country and filming the whole thing. The journey included forecasts of fires and snow, flooding, hotel stays, campsites, and one stormy day in Minnesota that the rider says will never be forgotten: getting caught on the bike in a tornado.

A lone motorcyclist riding a winding road under a cloudy sky.

The film opens with a thought about how few heartbeats and breaths of fresh air any of us get, and how a long ride captures memories in between them. The rider says that if you want to know who you are, take a cross-country trip on a motorcycle, and if you want to change who you are, do it on a Harley-Davidson. Then comes a quick note that the brand is not really the point of the film.

Hooked on Distance

The rider first fell in love with long-distance riding on a Saddlesore 1000, a challenge where you cover 1,000 miles or more on a motorcycle within 24 hours. The ride just made it, with 20 minutes to spare. After that, the rider was hooked and wanted nothing more than to pack up the bike and visit new places.

The plan for the film was simple: load all the gear and all the camera equipment, and take a 5,000 mile journey around the country while documenting the experience. The rider admits to being a little excited and a little nervous. Before leaving, a look at the forecast showed fires in Arizona, tornadoes in Arkansas, rain in Oklahoma and snow in Minnesota. There was really no way to miss all of it, so the rider would have to make “game time decisions” to stay as safe as possible.

The Road East

The trip started in San Diego. Along the way the rider came up with a theory: everybody has wanted a motorcycle at some point, no matter their age. As kids, the rider says, we all used the right handlebar of our bicycles like a throttle, “propelling” ourselves into an adventure unknown.

By the time the rider reached Tucson, the bike was so loaded that it took a hotel luggage cart to haul everything up to the room. The rider notes that this is not something you often need with a car. From there the route continued east toward Oklahoma, where the rider says the beauty of the country gets amplified on two wheels. It is the smell of fresh cut hay or raindrops on the blacktop, a feeling of freedom you only get on a motorcycle, and it is something the rider says can never be fully captured on camera.

One stop earned special praise: a campground the rider calls a home away from home, a place the rider has visited four times in the last 12 months. The rider says the staff, the other travelers and the strength of the motorcycle community make you feel part of something. And believe it or not, the rider adds, one of the top breakfast places you can go is a gas station.

Friends, Roads and a Big Reason to Finish

From there the trip took in Arkansas, where the rider says the roads are among the best ever ridden, with a couple named Dan and Brenda spending an entire day showing off the area. The rider first met them at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2021, and they had insisted the rider make the trip happen and promised a place to stay. The evenings were spent swapping stories of the road and of life.

In Iowa, the rider met up with new friends, grabbed lunch and got some needed service done on the Harley. A couple of them even offered to ride along for a while. The rider also mentions that people were going to meet at a dealership to donate money for veterans, and says that is why the whole thing started and why finishing was so important.

The Day in Minnesota

Then came the weather. The rider says it kept changing, and so did the gear. Rain gear went on, rain gear came off, and it went on again. There was a sunburn. There were crosswinds so wild that the rider ended up hiding behind a gas station while still more than 90 miles from that night’s hotel, with the bike being blown all over the road.

In Minnesota, the temperature dropped and the weather turned fast. What began as light rain became heavy rain, strong wind and lightning. With only 13 miles left to the destination, the rider decided to push on. Then, in the rider’s own words, “I’m in a freaking tornado.” The rider waited out the storm, pushed on through more rain and a lot of flooding, and finally made it safely to the destination after what felt like the longest 13 miles of the rider’s life.

The rider calls it a day that will never be forgotten. But Minnesota meant more than weather. It was also a reunion with a best friend named Danny, the person the rider’s filming and motorcycle career began with 22 years ago. They went for a motorcycle ride together for the first time in 16 years, and the rider spent five days in Minnesota catching up with the family.

Lessons for Anyone Planning a Long Ride

You do not need to cross the country to learn something from this trip. Here are a few ideas for any long ride.

Check the forecast every morning. The rider knew about the fires, tornadoes, rain and snow before leaving and planned to make decisions as the day unfolded. Look at radar and warnings before you start, and again at every fuel stop.
Keep rain gear within reach. The rider was constantly putting it on and taking it off. Packing it where you can get to it fast saves a lot of struggle with damp hands.
Respect the wind. Strong crosswinds can push a motorcycle around. If it feels out of control, do what the rider did and get out of the wind until it eases.
Know where shelter is. Weather experts say the safest place in a tornado warning is a sturdy building. A motorcycle offers no protection, so take warnings seriously and do not try to outrun a storm if you can avoid it.
Pack with a plan. The rider hauled a lot of gear, including camera equipment. Bring what you need and little else, and make sure you can unload it quickly at each stop.

The rider closes with a wish: that the film inspires you to buy that motorcycle, take that trip or visit that old friend. After every sunrise, every sunset and every mile, there is a memory waiting.

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