Driven to Ride

• Heather Wilson Schiltz, High Gear Success & Momentum: A Motorsports Podcast

  Motorcycling has opened nearly every door imaginable for Heather Wilson Schiltz, both personally and professionally. Schiltz heads up High Gear Success, a communications and marketing firm that caters to motorsports companies, event organizers, and racers. She is also the host of “Momentum: A Motorsports Podcast.” And, borrowing from her childhood dreams, she teaches others to ride.Schiltz was quite literally born into motorcycling. Her father was an avid off-road racer. After high school, he opened a KTM/Husqvarna dealership in central Ohio. “Our lives revolved around going to the races and being in the dealership,” she says. “I don’t think he expected it to be a lifelong thing, but that’s what it turned into.” Heather’s parents recently sold the dealership after 48 years of operation.Schiltz has been riding since she was five, but the actual behind-the-handlebars aspect of the sport takes a backseat to the many relationships she has forged. “I enjoy riding so much,” she admits. “It’s really freeing—a great experience. But I love the community and the family aspects that surround it. When I think about motorcycling, that’s what comes to mind for me.”High Gear SuccessMomentum: A Motorsports Podcast Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:[email protected]

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• Ben Taylor, Beachman Motor Company

  Beachman Motor Company makes one of the coolest-looking electric motorcycles you’ve never heard of. It may legally be considered a moped, but don’t get it twisted, you can actually ride their ‘64 model on the road. It’s the brainchild of Ben Taylor, the co-founder of the Canadian company, who’s got a soft spot for the classic designs of the 60s and 70s, whether its fashion, cars, or motorcycles. He had a dream to combine the cutting-edge technology of the EV world with the timeless styling of classic small-displacement Japanese motorcycles…think a cafe’d Kawasaki KZ200 or a Honda CB250, with a battery and electric hub-mounted motor instead of an internal combustion engine. After meeting his co-founder, Steve, who was already building cafe-racers for fun, Beachman was born.But Ben’s aim is higher than just cramming a battery into a classic-styled bike, he wants folks who would normally never throw a leg over a motorcycle to try a Beachman, introduce a whole new crowd to just how fun two wheels can be, and prove to the world that small electric motorcycles can be a viable form of transportation. Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:[email protected]

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• AMA Vintage Days 2025

  Every July, tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts descend on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Morrow County, Ohio, to celebrate and honor the history of motorcycling in America. AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is a long-standing tradition and the largest fundraiser for the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, which supports the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.“We have vintage racing—off-road, trials, motocross, flat track, road racing, you name it,” explained AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “We also have the world’s largest motorcycle swap meet. We have, if you can imagine this, over 850 vendor spaces. It’s just gigantic. We try to add new elements or do something a little different each year, and it continues to grow.”AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days caters to all motorcyclists, and the event can get a bit rowdy after the sun goes down. “It was crazy,” one attendee told “Driven to Ride” host Mark Long. “Things got louder. There were a lot more two-strokes on the pipe. There were fireworks. There were, let’s call them, festivities.” Next year, VMD is scheduled for July 24 through July 26. Put it on your calendar. Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:[email protected]

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• Mike Mullaney, Mullaney Cycle Works

  Mike Mullaney might not be a household name, but if you follow NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racing, you’ve likely seen his world-class work, albeit briefly as it flashes past the grandstands en route to a sub-7-second pass. Mullaney designs and builds chassis for “Flyin’” Ryan Oehler, who has already pocketed not one, but two “Wallys,” professional straight-line competition’s top honor.An accomplished drag racer himself, the 35-year-old husband and father of two got his start a decade ago with Vance & Hines Motorsports. “I knew I wanted to be a fabricator,” says Mullaney, “but I had never turned on a TIG welder. I had never turned on a lathe. I had never turned on a milling machine. Matt Hines, Andrew Hines, and Eddie Krawiec taught me a lot of what I know today.”When COVID led to staff reductions at V&H, Mullaney struck out on his own, forming Mullaney Cycle Works. Before he cuts metal, Mullaney creates the entire frame in CAD. Why? One, he doesn't want to waste material. Two, he needs to know exactly where everything goes, down to the millimeter. Career highlight? That’s easy: Oehler’s 200.77-mph pass this past May at Route 66 Raceway. Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:[email protected]

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• Dax Harlow, MotoQuest

  Chances are your motorcycle bucket list just keeps growing and growing. Sure, you’ll eventually cross a few off our list, but to be honest, the hardest part of any motorcycle trip, is just starting. That’s where Dax Harlow and MotoQuest come in.Dax has been riding basically his whole life, and was determined to get into the motorcycle industry - or specifically to get paid to ride motorcycles - one way or another. And by pure determination and persistence, he’s living the dream.Dax’s official title is Chaos Coordinator, which means he runs the Portland branch of MotoQuest, a worldwide motorcycle tour company that was originally founded in Alaska, back in the 90s. Since then, they’ve expanded to offer tours all over the world, like South America and Japan, but they’ve also curated some of the best rides in the United States as well.Whatever trip is on your radar, both Dax and MotoQuest love to help people achieve their bucket list rides, whether that’s going on an all-inclusive, fully guided tour, as Dax has led in the unparalleled American Southwest, or maybe something as simple as helping plot out GPS points on BDR routes in the just-as-unique Pacific Northwest. Or, if you just want to rent one of their BMW’s and make your own ride, you can do that too. Connect with Us:Website: www.driventoridepodcast.comInstagram: www.Instagram.com/driventoridepodcastFacebook: www.facebook.com/driventorideEmail:[email protected]

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