Every year, our local Harley-Davidson dealer hosts a group motorcycle ride that is open to all bikes. This year, the ride rolled out from Mothman Harley-Davidson and headed to the Mothman Statue in Point Pleasant, West Virginia—home of one of America’s best-known cryptid legends.
The route gave us the kind of mix that makes a West Virginia motorcycle ride memorable: a few short highway sprints, plenty of country backroads, and just enough small-town traffic to keep the group focused. For most of the ride, everyone stayed together nicely. A couple of times, oncoming drivers even stopped to let the group clear turns and traffic lights. Bonus points for motorcycle-friendly folks along the way.
A Mothman Ride to Point Pleasant, West Virginia
When we arrived in Point Pleasant, the Mothman Harley-Davidson crew had a small surprise waiting for us. The daughter of the man who created the Mothman Statue—along with several other local statues—was there to share stories. She is opening a local storefront to sell official Mothman Statue merchandise, and she connected the statue’s story with the Battle of Point Pleasant and the local legend that Chief Cornstalk cursed the town as he died.
*** A Short Video from our 2025 Mothman Ride***
Lunch, Then the Ride Home
After lunch at Rio Bravo restaurant (home of the Mothman Burrito), we geared up and started the ride back home. I got to lead the return route, knowing that riders would peel off as we got closer to their own neighborhoods. The first part of the ride home was easy and relaxed—but about 20 minutes out, a huge thunderstorm overtook us as we headed north and the storm tracked east.
Riding Through One of Our Worst Thunderstorms
We have ridden through plenty of storms over the years, including the leading squalls of a hurricane, but this one easily landed in our top five worst motorcycle storms. Lightning flashed to the right, to the left, and behind us. Visibility dropped to about a quarter mile—and it got even worse once my glasses started fogging up.
As the ride leader, I dropped the speed to around 40 mph and turned on my flashers. Even then, the group spread out more than I liked. But in conditions like that, the most important rule is simple: ride your own ride!! We rode out of the storm lasted in about 20 minutes, but it soaked us to the skin. When we finally got home, we were able to pour water out of our boots.
Of course, we suffered during the ride—but now it makes a great story. A motorcycle ride to the Mothman Statue already has enough legend built into it. Add a Ohio Valley thunderstorm, lightning on every side, and a soaked group of riders, and you get the kind of memory that keeps showing up in future ride conversations.
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