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Ames Conant
General Manager
"In early 2016, I finally concluded that I was mature enough to ride motorcycles without rendering my kid fatherless, and I got my endorsement."
Growing up, I watched computers, the internet, and cell phones transform my generation. While many of my friends fed video game addictions, I played outside, rode my bike or tinkered with yet another RC plane. In 2000 I headed off to study Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. Upstate NY felt like an outdoor mecca in the wake of suburban Connecticut, and I was soon mountain biking or skiing almost every day.
The freedom of college prompted me to question other priorities, and I ended up graduating with an undergrad degree in Business. That was just the beginning of a string of career changes that spanned Tech Consulting, Portfolio Management, Yacht Design, and EV Power Train Development. I guess I have a bit of Millennial in me, but I’ll never regret risks not taken!
In early 2016, I finally concluded that I was mature enough to ride motorcycles without rendering my kid fatherless, and I got my endorsement. Around the same time, we also decided to embark on a family adventure. Eleven months in a 13’ Scamp trailer tested our family bonds, turned us all into expert cat-hole diggers, and opened our eyes to the spectacular beauty of North America.
Along the way, we fell in love with the Columbia River Gorge and eventually settled in Hood River. I immediately bought a Honda Grom for my new back-road commute. Those 10 horses proved fun as hell and led to discovering our thriving ADV community and vast expanses of forest land best accessed by off-road motorcycle. In January of 2019, I bought a KTM 350 EXC-F and added another career change to the list. Not too long after, the faithful Grom was sold to make room for an Aprilia Shiver 750.