VIDALIA — Bruce Spence has always loved motorcycles.

“Ever since I can remember,” he said.

His love is not so much about how much he rides, but the quality of the ride he takes.

“Everyday bikers would call me a rooty poot,” Spence said.

That is a slang term in the biker community for a person that only rides every once in a while, but Spence embraces the nickname. His weekend warrior rides are just what he needs.

When The Dart landed on Palm Street in Vidalia on Sunday, Spence was charging the battery on his Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle in preparation for his first ride in two weeks.

Spence bought his first motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson Super Glide when he was 19-years-old.

“I wasn’t trying to be cool or anything,” he said. “It was freedom.”

No matter what has happened in his life since, motorcycles have remained a constant.

“I’ve had to pawn a few of them when times were especially hard,” he said. “But I always managed to get another.”

His relationship with his bikes have always been simple. He rides and he tinkers.

“I’m not biker and I’m not a mechanic,” he said. “But I love to do a little bit of both.”

In an ideal world, Spence would love to ride everyday.

“Maybe if I could get a more comfortable bike I could even convince her to come with me on a long trip,” he said, pointing to his wife Valerie Spence who was sitting in the car port with Spence as he put the bike’s battery back in.

“I would love to go on a long trip.”

But for now, Spence is perfectly content sticking with what he does.

“If I’m in a bad mood, I don’t have to go far,” he said. “Just ride and get the cobwebs out of my mind.”