Smilin’ Ron Demyan smiles a lot these days. Even when we invited him to share his story, he wrote back that he’d love to do so. “It makes me smile every time!”
It hasn’t always been like that.
From the age of 10, Ron wanted to be an Engineer. He worked as a Licensed Civil Engineer for 27 years, but he was unhappy there the last seven years. As soon as he started, he began saving for his retirement, which made early retirement possible.
He’s been a road rider for 25 years, most recently on an FJR1300, always within the United States and once to Nova Scotia. A trip to the mid-Ohio races gave him an idea for more exotic travel. There he heard a speaker who held the time record from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Key West, Florida.
“I’d been retired for two years and wanted to do the biggest things first, before I lost my nerve.”
The speaker got Ron dreaming of a trip to New Zealand—until Ron met Rene at the Cleveland International Motorcycle Show two years ago. Then he set his sights on Africa and the Victoria Falls to Cape Town safari. A last-minute cancellation opened up a spot and he went in 2017.
Conquer any terrain with Ron Demyan’s off-road riding experience
Namibia’s gravel roads were a challenge. He’d done some off-road riding with his son when his son was young, but that was a long time ago. Ron pushed it as much as possible but knew his limits when the surface got too loose and sandy.
“I told Rene and Piet, I’m hot and tired. Put me on the trailer, and they did. As we got into South Africa the dirt changed, and I could ride again.”
The trip opened his eyes, and his possibilities.
“We all have exotic views from what you see on TV. They pick the highlights they think will sell and you get a distorted image. In Cape Town, we talked to people who think Americans are all nuts and trying to shoot each other.
“We think of Africa as one big entity. There are 54 countries in the continent, each with a distinct character. We only went through four!
“We covered 3,000 miles. That’s like crossing the U.S. but it’s only a fraction of the length of Africa. My idea of Africa’s size got a big adjustment.
“I have a real-world view instead of the news reel version. Coming home, I listen to the news in a new way and put it in a different context.
“We met a lot of good friendly people— that’s quite a reward when you go somewhere, particularly when you have to overcome a language barrier.
“You all sit down at the table and talk. People are a little different wherever you go, but we’re all trying to get the same things done. The majority of people are trying to make things better.”
Join “Smilin’ Ron” as He Explores New Places
The last evening around the dinner table, Rene asked Ron what he was going to do next. Ron still dreamt of a motorcycle trip to New Zealand. Before he’d flown out of Africa, John Fitzwater, a contact of Rene’s who does tours in NZ, had emailed him.
This February, Smilin’ Ron rode 2,500 miles around New Zealand.
Motorcycle travel to international destinations isn’t the only thing Ron’s been doing. He runs three times a week, and swims twice. In 2017 he finished the Boston Marathon and has the medal to prove it.
Ron became a grandfather last week. He left for his daughter’s place in Tampa a few days after we talked, with a load of supplies for his grandson.
“I’m doing all the things I want to do. I haven’t stopped smiling since I retired. My cheeks hurt and I have to take a nap. But my cheeks still hurt, because I smile in my sleep.
“All the things I put off doing I can do now and I don’t want to wait any longer. It’s my biggest adventure. Motorcycle travel is in my blood now.
“That’s the reason I’m Smilin’ Ron Demyan. I had all those big ideas while I was working. Now I’m living the dream.”
Photo Credits: Ron Demyan
