“I try to find a new road everyday.”
An interview with David Willett, longrider extraordinaire
Story by Michael Witt
My name is Mike Witt and I work at Chicago Harley-Davidson. Along with being a line tech for over 20 years, I now run the Horsepower Lab specializing in big, fast well-tuned high performance fuel injected motorcycles. Being a tech at one of the biggest dealerships in the country I see a lot of motorcycles and each one has a personality. Today’s riders shake out into distinct groups; the two at the top are the “go farther-ers” and the “go faster-ers.” Here we will take a look at the ultimate “go fartherer”—David Willett, a long distance rider who has gone significant miles on Harley-Davidsons.David is a very important man in Harley-Davidson history because he racked up 417,888 miles on a 1987 FLH named Ole’’ Charlie over the course of 12 years. Ole’’ Charlie was stock. Having a chance to write an article about Ole’ Charlie and the man who retired him is pretty unusual and I had a few questions that I knew I’d like to ask. Speaking to David is a treat. In a very comfortable North Carolinian accent he patiently answered my questions, adding stories and anecdotes along the way.Patient is a word that typifies David’s riding style. When I asked him about things like extending brake pad life he explained, “If I see a light change ahead of me I just pull the clutch in and coast.” This lead to his preference for downshifting rather than braking. David also told me he likes to “synchronize” shifts. “There is no clunk when I shift,” he explained. “I can get by without using the clutch, as a matter of fact.” Speaking about shifting I noticed the lack of any transmission problems with Ole’’ Charlie. Aside from a couple of throw out bearings and a shifter fork recall, the trans remained intact and able to go the distance.
Clutch life? More like afterlife at an astounding 264,000 miles. Seriously? ”Yep,” confirms David. Amazing. The man washes and scrubs his drive belt. Why? Over 140k miles and never a broken belt. I suppose you really have to understand his perspective to begin to get a feel for what motivates him to take such good care of his machines. He finds peace and pleasure in the saddle looking for new roads and making new friends. To do this, a running bike is necessary.
Ole’ Charlie’s cases were replaced at 264,831 miles to resolve an oil transfer issue at the main bearing race insert where it is cast in the aluminum. Inspection prior revealed 155-psi compression in both cylinders (165 stock) and moderate top end wear. The cam lobes were worn and the decision was made to freshen up the top end and go through the lower while it was apart. Wise decisions for a machine that would see in excess of 100 thousand miles more.
How can an engine have that many miles and exhibit so little wear? Proper operation and maintenance, that’s how.
I made it a point to ask about the frequency of oil changes. David said he followed the book pretty much, but liked to change the trans along with the primary oil at the same time. And, he noted, engine oil is changed more frequently in the winter. Regular or synthetic? Regular. Ha! Take that you synthetic oil lovers (of which I am one.) “If I lived in Arizona I would probably run synth. But with my style of riding I don’t feel I would benefit from the added expense,” David said.
“When I change the oil I usually do it right after coming home from a ride,” he said. “I pull the drain plugs and go and have dinner. I don’t replace it until it stops draining. I have used factory as well as aftermarket filters. I do keep my funnel in a plastic bag though. I don’t like to think of anything going onto my engine from a dirty funnel.”
Any gas preferences? “No, not really, but I will say this: if you are going to park your bike for any length of time make sure it has a full tank of gas. Otherwise temperature changes can cause it to sweat inside the tank. Water and gas do not mix.” I asked him how he came about that little tidbit. “I learned about that one from flying an airplane.”
Now let’s talk chassis. Ole’ Charlie ran the original wheel bearings, repacked with every tire change. Tire choice? Dunlop. “I won’t talk down anyone, I’ll just tell you what I like,” David said. Spark plugs? ”I like Champion RN12YC’s.” How long does he run them? “Oh roughly 30,000 miles or so. I keep an eye on them and if I feel like a new set would be good I replace them sooner.”
Fork seals replaced at 371,000. Gee, I wish H-D had a better design…
After making countless memories the time came when Ole’ Charlie’s maker called him home, so to speak, to live out his days beaming with pride in Milwaukee at the Factory. He was, no doubt, welcomed by the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” from the founders in spirit upon arrival. In recognition of his super-high-mile achievement the Motor Company gave David a clean canvas to begin again with; a 1999 FLHTCU featuring the (then) new Twin Cam engine. (As it happened IW founding editor Dennis Stemp was at Tilley H-D in Statesville, NC, the day Ken Sutton, H-D’s V.P of Engineering, handed David the key.) This “newbie” has only 268,000 miles as of this writing.
“I like to go everywhere,” David said rather redundantly. For example, on a trip back from Sturgis one year he’d planned to ride till about 11 PM then find a place to stop for the night. “I felt pretty good,” he said. “The moon was full that night and it seemed like daylight. I wasn’t tired so I kept on going.” After a measly 1300+ miles Dave decided to catch some shuteye. The nickname Iron Butt Willett fits.
Who does David ride with? “I ride with a lot of people. One day I was riding with a Quaker Pastor, and the next day with a service writer. The only thing I like to talk about is motorcycles and riding. I never get into other stuff.” What about gadgets? Does he use GPS? “Oh yes! When I go somewhere it shows you the local roads.” I try to find a new road every day.”
When is his favorite time to ride? “I prefer colder rather than warmer.” Coldest ride? “Nine degrees.” Yikes! Even in Chicago terms that’s cold. “In 1972 I bought a Gerbing electrically heated suit,” he said. “After some time it was getting a little worn so I sent it in for repair. They took one look at it and asked if they could keep it. I guess duct tape and endless mendings are endearing to them.” Now, like Ole’ Charlie, that suit is a display item, too. These days David prefers a separate jacket and pants.
Just so you don’t think David is slowing down on his riding with only 268,000 miles on his ’99 Twin Cam, I asked what else he rides. “Well, I have a Burgman 650 scooter,” he said. And does it go fast enough to really ride? “She’ll do a hundred and twenty.” Hmm, how many miles? “Over a hundred and sixty-six thousand.”
Obviously this man loves his chosen sport. In all those miles Dave has never gotten a ticket or been in an accident. Someday I would like to log a few miles with David.
took me to 4 different sites while I was on the phone, telling of this "Rider Extraordinaire" 