Finding My Place Through Chocolate And Motorcycles

It suddenly hit me: What the hell am I doing? I had put my entire life and business on hold and was taking a huge gamble in deciding to sponsor a motorcycle rally. I didn't even know if bikers liked chocolate. "Everyone loves chocolate!" I kept telling myself as I flew down the highway toward Sturgis for my first rally, loaded with $5,000 worth of chocolate, way too much stuff, and my '91 Honda CB750. I had traded $500 and an old Iver Johnson shotgun for the bike recently to chase the adventure of a lifetime, and this was it. Something always held me back though. Excuses, fear, the comfort of my life at home. Two weeks prior to leaving, I didn't even have my motorcycle license and Sturgis was the furthest thing from my mind. Yet there I was, a chocolatier with motorcycle dreams, barreling down the highway to America's greatest motorcycle rally.

Just a couple of weeks earlier, after spending hours on Instagram dreaming about all the fun and adventures my friends were having on motorcycles, I decided to go all in and sponsor an all-women's motorcycle rally called the Wild Gypsy Tour (WGT) within the Buffalo Chip at Sturgis. Best decision of my life. I created the Black Salt Biker Bar for the WGT with my custom recipe and I brought a lot of them with me. For a solid week I rode Ducati and Indian motorcycles, shared my chocolate, rocked out at killer concerts, and explored South Dakota with the Gypsy babes. I didn't know a place like this existed. Somewhere I felt completely at home, like the summer camp I had always wanted to experience.

As a chocolatier, I know my biggest customer base is female, by far. When I learned women are the fastest-growing demographic of new riders, I knew WGT and the Buffalo Chip offered perfect opportunities to support female riders and to be immersed in my passion for motorcycles. While at Sturgis, I gave away and traded chocolate to as many people as I could. I traded for everything from motorcycle rides, pizza, a haircut, a steel axe, and even free passes for a group of twenty-something people and myself to zipline over the Chip while Lynyrd Skynyrd played “Tuesday’s Gone.” It was there that all my ideas, passions, and courage collided in an epic and serendipitous adventure resulting in a new life direction. I met virtually everyone in the industry who could help merge my passions for motorcycling and chocolate into some wonderful amalgam of the two. It was official. I had found my passion and deeper purpose, my family of gypsies, and during the next several weeks I rode the gorgeous moto-wave of my dreams.

The love and support in the motorcycle industry is astounding. If you’re looking to get into the motorcycle industry or even just want to start riding more, my advice is this: Start attending as many moto events as you can. If you’re nervous about the “biker crowd,” don’t be. The lines between stereotypical bikers are being blurred more and more. The person who was a die-hard cruiser is now jumping on sportbikes, enduros, and hybrids, and saying they love them all. The point is this: Try different styles of riding with new people. You may be surprised what you enjoy. No matter what type you like, there will always be a community of riders with open arms and ideas for adventures. For all you lady riders out there, check out the awesome things the Wild Gypsy Tour are up to. It’s a tenacious group of badass women with huge hearts, wind in their hair, and a real knack for having fun with motorcycles.

To learn more about Noah and his chocolate, visit RawChocolateMan.com