2 FOR THE ROAD

FATHER AND SON, GARY AND BENJAMIN FRANCIS

Being a biker is all about brotherhood, and in this case, fatherhood. As we celebrate Father’s Day this month, we tip our hat to an inspiring duo in the form of Gary and Ben Francis of Winter Haven, Florida. This father and son team have an incredible relationship, and as you’ll see, they have each taught the other many amazing things in life. Things that they can happily share.

Gary rode dirt bikes as a kid growing up and now owns a Honda 250R and a Goldwing. His son Benjamin was only four or five years old when he threw a leg over his first motorcycle. He started with an electric minibike and that led to a Honda 80XR, then a 150R and a 125 two-stroke. “Ben actually got me more into bikes,” Gary recalls. But looking back in time, Gary had always been into mechanical things. Growing up in Boston, Gary’s father was a CPA with five children. Then one day he up and moved the whole family to Florida, where the weather is perfect, and traded his CPA job for a completely different business, opening up a Tailor-Rental Shop. Gary grew up around all kinds of cool mechanical things in that shop as they rented out just about everything.

“My dad hired several really talented mechanics,” Gary tells us. “One was an expert Harley mechanic and another was an aircraft technician. They taught me a lot about how things go together.” Gary loved mechanic stuff and enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together, better than new.