TWO WHEELS COMPLETE THE SOUL | THE STORY OF WES AND LIZ

Liz Horton (@deathroddixie) has been riding motorcycles for less than two years. No longer content to be a passenger, she decided to take things into her own hands. When she came across a Yamaha XS 650 chopper, she knew it was meant to be. As she puts it, “riding a motorcycle was simply something I knew I needed in my life”. Little did she know how monumental the effects of that decision would be.

Wesley Case (@threepence), on the other hand, has been riding since he was fourteen. His first bike — also a Yamaha XS 650 — was given to him by a friend’s dad. Its a bike he’s still riding today. Encouraged by his best friend growing up, the two would split time wrenching on that Yamaha and her dad’s Royal Enfield. Not only did this develop Wes’ mechanical leanings, it cemented a friendship that would grew equal to sibling status between the two and turn a passion for motorcycles into a way of life.

As Liz tells the story, she was about 2-3 hours outside of Denver, on a ride with a bunch of Bar and Shield faithful, when the clutch on her chopper started to slip. The other riders in her group tried to help, but Liz needed an expert and Wes’ name was the first to their lips. A quick Facebook message resulted in an immediate call back and Wes walked Liz through how to band-aid her Yamaha enough to get it to his shop.

“When she showed up at my shop she had a bit of road rash”, Wes told me. Stuck in Denver traffic with the sun setting, Liz’s tinted visor didn’t do her any favours and she suffered a spill. Undeterred, she put her chopper shiny side up and continued her journey to Wes. “He met me at his garage, still wearing his welder’s mask with greasy hands — we had never met before but I immediately hugged him and didn’t let go. We spent the rest of that night falling in love with each other.”

This year, at The One Show in Portland, Wes took to one knee and proposed to Liz. Their love each other and the motorcycles that made their relationship happen in the first place, making the One Show the most obvious setting for their nuptials. In front of the best crowd in the motorcycle community (and much to the relief of Wes), Liz immediately said yes.

While most couples celebrate engagement in a more subtle fashion, Wes and Liz hopped on a couple #BCbuilt bikes and tore off to the beach to join us on our adventure. While they’ll undoubtedly remain faithful to the Yamaha XS 650’s that brought them together, neither could deny the appeal of blasting across Long Beach astride a Triumph. “The Dirt Bike was set up perfectly” says Wes, “Its fast, nimble, stops on a dime and handles everything I could throw at it”. Liz took an immediate shine to Back 2 Basics. “It was really nice to be riding something that was built so properly… and it was new. If given the chance I would take that bike in a heart beat. Just not to replace my XS 650, I love that thing.”