Never too old

Javier Quiroga from Spain surprised his 93-year-old dad with a dream ride on a Harley-Davidson^® Tri Glide^® Ultra

I’ve loved motorcycles since I was very young, but my parents didn’t really approve. However, I got my licence when I was 19 and always had a bike, mainly using them for short trips at the weekend. Over the years, my passion only grew, and in 2015 I bought a large displacement custom motorcycle and began to travel and discover another world. My life changed completely and I loved it!

My dream was to explore on a Harley-Davidson^® motorcycle, and that day came when I bought a brand-new Electra Glide® Ultra and embarked on many trips around Spain and Europe. The first person in my family to see that my attitude had changed was my father, who I affectionately call Mr Quiroga. At almost 90, he had experienced life, and day after day he told me to enjoy it on what seemed to be my only escape – my Harley-Davidson.

I could tell that Mr Quiroga liked seeing me arrive on the motorcycle and hearing about the places I’d visited, where I was planning to ride next and watching the videos of my experiences on my YouTube channel.

My father had always been a very skilled car driver and had taken me to a track more than once to show off his driving skills. While he always said that motorcycles were not his thing, thanks to me his interest in them started to grow, and one day he said: “What a shame I didn’t know about the world of Harley-Davidson 50 years ago.”

I couldn’t believe my ears! And the expression on his face showed excitement at discovering, just for a moment, what it felt like riding a Harley^®. That excitement increased when we both visited the Garaje Clandestino H-D^® dealership in Vigo; his face radiated happiness, admiration and, to a certain extent, sadness. Again, he told me: “What a shame I didn’t know about the world of Harley-Davidson 50 years ago.”

I was determined for Mr Quiroga to have his Harley-Davidson moment, and even though he was 93 and had mobility issues, I had to find a way. That opportunity came on one of my visits to the dealership where they were delivering a spectacular Tri Glide^® Ultra to a client. At that moment, I realised a Tri Glide would be the perfect model for a father/son getaway. I explained the situation to the manager and asked if I could borrow the bike for the day and he agreed!

With the excuse of meeting Mr Quiroga for lunch, I picked up the Tri Glide from the dealership and went to meet my father, uncertain if he’d agree to go on a ride with me. I will always remember his happy face when I showed up his house with the majestic Tri Glide. “Are we going on that bike?” he asked me. “Yes,” I replied. “Don’t you want to enjoy a Harley-Davidson?” He just said: “Let’s go!”

A little afraid, overwhelmed and fighting against his difficulties to climb onto the back of the Tri Glide, he settled down and I positioned the right rearview mirror so the only thing I could see was his face. I smiled as he leaned on the large backrest, arms crossed waiting for us to get going.

After a few safety instructions we were off. We hadn’t even gone 200 metres and he already looked like a little boy on Christmas Day opening his toys. After a few kilometres, he couldn’t hold his joy in any longer and blurted out: “Javier, I’m not surprised you like travelling by motorcycle so much. This is wonderful!”

Only expressions of happiness came out of Mr Quiroga’s mouth as he experienced curves and different landscapes. “I know all of these places, but they look different from a motorbike,” he told me.

After lunch, we made our way home. Tiredness was taking its toll on my father’s body, but at this point he trusted both me and the machine and could just relax, sit back and enjoy the ride as I squeezed the power out of the Tri Glide with its sonorous Screamin’ Eagle® exhausts, bringing a huge smile to his face.

When we finally rolled up outside his house, he thanked me with tears in his eyes. “I thought that my days of having new experiences were over,” he told me.

I’m so proud to be able to give my father this moment, and I hope it won’t be our last on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. You can watch Mr Quiroga’s adventure on a Tri Glide on Javier’s YouTube channel.

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