Born March in Hannibal, MO. Bens interest in English bikes started when his father bought him a British made 26" Hawthorne 3 speed bicycle at the age of 6.  It was too big for him but after several hard crashes he got the hang of riding it. As he got older, he wanted a motorized 2 wheeler. On his 12^th birthday his dad brought home a mini bike with a 3.5 HP 4 cycle engine. He had a large back yard and he rode the little bike every day after school and all summer. When his future brother in law took him to a Triumph motorcycle shop a few times and he saw the Triumph Bonneville he thought it was the neatest motorcycle in the world. 

He thought the shake of the front tire of Bonnies was really sexy but he still had an interest in bicycles. By this time he had outgrown the mini bike so he took it apart, cleaned everything up and repainted the frame. He sold the mini bike to raise some money for a new 10 speed. He ended up with a Raleigh Competition when he was 14 years old. He rode with some older guys and it wasnt unusual for them to ride 50 miles around the hills above the Mississippi River in Missouri and IL.  Ben still had the bug for a motorized 2 wheeler and when he turned 16 he licensed a friends Bonanza mini bike with a Hodaka 100 engine and bought himself a helmet. Ben graduated from high school in May of 1974, and started working as a shipping clerk with a retail chain store while pursuing his real passion of bow hunting for deer and turkeys. 

After working for 2 years, he decided to start his post-secondary education at a small college. He later transferred out to CSU in Fort Collins, where he rode his bicycle to get around campus, and had a trusty Toyota Land cruiser for the hills. He got back into motorcycling while dating a girl whose family owned a Suzuki motorcycle and bicycle shop.  She was riding a 550GS and Ben found a Honda CL350 scrambler in the newspaper classified. Vicky and he had great fun riding mountain roads and passes. Ben rode the little Honda for 6 years until he got married in 1981, (not to Vicky with the Suzuki GS).  He graduated from CSU in 1983 with a B.S. in Industrial Technology Education, and immediately started teaching woodworking and drafting at Bill Reed Middle School in Loveland CO. 

When he saw an ad in the local Thrifty Nickel for an 82 Triumph motorcycle, it got his attention and he had to call to find out what it was. It turned out to be a T140E "Electro" Bonneville 750. It came stock with electronic ignition, Bing carbs and electric starter.  It was really clean and only showed 19,300 miles on the clock.  It started right up with a push of a button and there was that sexy shake of the front tire. He had to have it. He talked to his wife and after negotiating with some new furniture, He had her approval.  He did not realize how rare this model was until after he bought it. The bike handled great but the Avon tires were old and hard and he went down in a hard curve going up the canyon. It was a lesson learned, but Ben was lucky to get only a small road rash on his arm and not too much damage to the bike. The repairs included two new tires so it wouldnt happen again.

After getting the Triumph in 2002, he found BMACs website and sent his dues in January of 2003.  He enjoyed reading the newsletter, but living in Loveland he has never attended any monthly meetings or club events.  That changed in 2006 when he learned about the Riverside ride through the BMAC newsletter and decided to give it a try since the take off point was in Fort Collins. He called Kris Geller and asked him about the ride. He admitted that he was a novice and had never been on an overnight ride. Kris was very friendly and encouraged Ben to go on the ride. He had a blast and met many BMAC friends.  He also went on the Lake City ride that summer and again had a wonderful time.  Ben still hasnt made any club meetings but rode on his third Riverside ride with the club this past June.  He would like to be more active with the club however his other hobbies of hunting, fishing, British cars, and wood working all get in the way.  He also works a part time job besides being the Auto and Manufacturing Instructor at Loveland High School.  Hopefully one of these days Ben will show up to a meeting and surprise everyone.