{"id":2051,"date":"2015-07-24T20:33:37","date_gmt":"2015-07-25T01:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pauleide.com\/?p=2051"},"modified":"2024-01-13T16:47:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T22:47:51","slug":"carey-hart-interview-harleys-breaking-bones-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i80sportsblog.com\/carey-hart-interview-harleys-breaking-bones-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"Carey Hart Interview: Harleys, Breaking Bones, Relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"

If I talk to one of my buddies on the phone and he says he’s recovering from the weekend, I know it\u2019s because he\u00a0got hammered. But when Carey Hart says it, it could be due to a life threatening injury.<\/h2>\n

\u201cIt was my 40th birthday. So it was kinda<\/em> life threatening,” said Hart about recently hitting the big 4-0 and the ensuing party.<\/p>\n

“We had a big one. There was probably about 20 of us and we did a 150-mile motorcycle ride that ended at this cool little motel bar where my wife threw me a big party. I had about a half-gallon too much Jameson.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hart\u00a0is rebuilding a H-D 2015 Road Glide Custom using 90 percent Harley-Davidson P&A. The build\u00a0is in preparation for a ride from Nashville, TN to the 75th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (Aug. 3-9), where he\u2019ll showcase his creation as the 2015 Grand Marshall of the Sturgis Mayor’s Ride.<\/p>\n

How did you get hooked up with Harley Davidson?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Carey Hart – I got my first Harley when I was in my early 20s and its always been a passion project of mine \u2013 not only do I like riding them but I like working on them.<\/p>\n

And just the whole culture of it. I\u2019ve been to most of the rallys \u2013 Laughlin, Daytona, Sturgis \u2013 it\u2019s just something I\u2019m really into. I\u2019m kind of in the twilight of my riding career and I\u2019ve come to the point in my life where I want to do more on the two-wheel bagger side.<\/p>\n

Harley sent me this bike and I did my version of a build on it. And I\u2019m pretty happy with how it came out.<\/p>\n

At what point in your career did you accept getting hurt as part of your job and not having any fear of it?
\n<\/strong>
\nCarey Hart – As an amateur. By the time you make it to the pro level in motocross or where you\u2019re at the level where you are doing contests, you\u2019ve already had a good share of injuries.<\/h2>\n

Very, very few riders make it to the pro level without a few major injuries along the way. It\u2019s part of the job \u2013 it\u2019s not about if, it\u2019s when<\/em>.<\/h2>\n

In 2003 at Tony Hawk\u2019s Boom Boom Huck Jam, you broke both of your arms and legs in a crash. What was your first thought when you were conscious enough to realize what was happening?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Carey Hart- Just the pain. I shattered one heel, broke a femur, broke both arms, just the intense pain. I\u2019ve broken a lot of stuff. I\u2019m in the high 70\u2019s for broken bones. You name it, I\u2019ve broken it.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re lying there in the ICU with a bone sticking out, you think, \u201cwhy the hell am I still doing this?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But, as the time passes and the bones heel, everything gets back to normal, and it\u2019s just something you do because you\u2019ve been doing it your whole life.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not about a paycheck, it\u2019s about fulfillment and wanting to keep pushing yourself.<\/p>\n