Who are We?

WHO ARE WE?


Matt Gardner  - The Pres

My name is Matt Gardner, President of Long Ride Shields.

I was born and raised In Reno Nevada at the foot of the sierras and the gateway to the great deserts, Reno is where I'll raise my family,grow old and eventually give up the ghost, and it was here where I first learned to ride.

My first bike like most of us  was a 50cc honda and as a kid I graduated through a slew of other dirt bikes and ATV's In high school I bought my first beater road bike a Virago 750 and from there traded up bike after bike to an 02 Road King, a College graduation present from myself :) I Will probably ride that King until either I or it dies, whichever comes first.

My greatest love besides my wife, dog and Little 2 year old girl, are the roads of the sierras.

Our Daughter

The Sierras

Drover 

As a kid I learned each and every byway and back-road from bishop to the Oregon border and everything in between. Growing up here you learn the history and the stories and as a rider I thrive on learning details about the places I go and the things I can see along the way, a ride is 99% about the journey and only 1% the destination.

Trail to the Sun, Glacier National Park

California coast

Last Year I accomplished one of my bucket list rides by traveling a 4500 mile route from Reno to Sturgis The LONG RIDE WAY AROUND.  Our trip took us 10 day of hard riding and we traveled up the california coast line and through the national parks on our way to the BIKER MECCA that is Sturgis. It was a true adventure and I loved every minute of it. If you read back through this blog you can see our posts leading up to that ride.

When I started Long Ride Shields I was in college and all I really knew at the time is that I needed to figure out a way to get the wind off of me. I had purchased an older Road King Classic and had put an aftermarket fairing on it. There was so much buffeting that I couldnt stand to ride the bike.

It didnt take me long to make a solution to my problem. I had grown up in the family business, at a company called Quality Plastics Inc. Which was owned by my father and Grandfather. I had grown up making different projects in the shop, and with the help of some of the guys at QP I came up with my first prototype windshield for my Road King. The first shield was called the Long Ride Shield - Ultra Classic, and over time it has evolved into what is now our Ultra Elite Shield. Eventualy I started selling a few of the windshields I had made on Ebay and then decided I liked the product enough that I would give it a go as a profession.

So here I am three years latter and I couldn't be more proud of what LRS has become.

I have on my staff aside from the workers at Quality Plastics, Three awesome Team-Mates who help run and manage LRS. They are James, West and Jeremy, and each of them brings a unique set of skills and humor with them that add character to each and every thing we do.

Here at Long Ride Shields we make products for bikers, that are made by bikers!




James Ferlingere- Sales Manager



Hi everyone. My name is James Ferlingere. Don’t worry, no one can pronounce my last name. I was born and raised is Kansas City Missouri. I moved to Reno back in ’91 when I was 18. I have grown to love Reno, and what it has to offer.


I am married to my best friend, Kim. We have two girls. Samantha is 19, and Morgen is 13. And then there’s Sadie, our beloved dog, who is 14 years old! We truly are blessed.

My hobbies mostly are riding. I ride every day, and usually most of the winter. At least I try. I love brewing my own beer, and just being with my family.

I came into LRS over 3 years ago and haven’t looked back. After getting caught up in the easy cash of bar tending for over 10 years, I finally escaped. I looked around for what experience I did have prior to bar tending That experience was wrenching on cars and bikes, and warehouse shipping and receiving work.


I found Quality Plastics and started working as their shipping and receiving clerk. I caught on quick. Because I rode a motorcycle to work every day, and my great organization and people skills, Matt noticed me right away and asked me to join the LRS team. That was a no-brainer, as I love anything with motorcycles. Since then, I’ve been made Sales Manager and have many duties to attend to daily. I’m usually the one you talk to when you call with a question, or to place an order. I am also the guy that processes all of the daily orders, and makes sure each and every one of the orders goes out within our 24 hour period. Many days, I’m even in the shop making your windshields.

I have become the LRS “expert” regarding all of our shields. If you have questions, I’m the one you will want to talk to. I absolutely love my job here, and love talking with all of you.

Joelle Fraser

Joelle Fraser Long Ride Shields is proud to announce a new contributor to our blogs and publications, Joelle Fraser, a motorcycle story enthusiast and Author of “HardRider Stories” has agreed to write for our blog Myths Legends and Tales from the road. As an author Joelle as a wide range of talents which allow her to connect with the often forgotten lady bikers while still melting the hearts of the most weathered of leather laden “Biker Dudes”. We hope you enjoy this new edition to our writing team. CLICK HERE TO VISIT JOELLE'S FACEBOOK  Joelle's Story - I was raised on the West Coast and Hawaii and graduated from the University of Hawaii. I have MFAs from Eastern Washington University and the University of Iowa and I’m a two-time MacDowell Fellow. My first book, The Territory of Men: a Memoir, was published in 2002 by Random House to critical acclaim. My second book is The Forest House: a Year’s Journey into the Landscape of Love, Loss and Starting Over, which is set in northeast California. My newest venture is HardRider Press, where I write and publish biker-related short fiction. Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/hardriderpress. Click above to see the photo album of upcoming stories–all of which are only $2.99 on Amazon, Ibooks, and the usual places. The first story, “The Ride,” is available now. “Virginia City” will be available December 5, and from then I’ll have 1-2 stories a month! My award-winning work has appeared in many literary journals including Hawaii Pacific Review, High Desert Journal, Michigan Quarterly Review, Fourth Genre, Crazyhorse, Zyzzyva and The Iowa Review. In 2010, an essay I wrote was recognized as a Notable Essay in the Best American Essays anthology. In addition to writing, I am a managing editor at Lucky Bat Books (www.luckybatbooks.com), so if you have a book you’re interested in publishing, check us out! I also teach writing and have taught at the Mendocino Writers’ Conference, the Truckee Meadows Writers Conference, and Whidbey Island Writers’ Conference. To see a book trailer on YouTube, search for The Forest House – Book Trailer. Her adventurous award-winning work has appeared in many literary journals including Hawaii Pacific Review, High Desert Journal, Michigan Quarterly Review, Fourth Genre, Crazyhorse, Zyzzyva and the Iowa Review. However, Joelle is not your typical writer. Her latest work, HardRider Press, shows off her biker side. Long Ride Shields wants to welcome Joelle to the family. Stay tuned to our blog to keep up with her posts and stories.