Ride with pride

Challenge coins are thought to have originated with the U.S. military in World War I, where a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps ordered medallions struck and would present them to the pilots in his squadron commemorating their service together. The challenge aspect generally begins when the owner of a coin slaps it on the bar, and if anyone else in the organization doesn’t have their coin with them, that person has to buy the others a drink. If everyone does rise to the challenge, the challenger then has to buy everyone else a drink.

The tradition spread among other branches of the military, and eventually to paramilitary as well as nonmilitary organizations—including motorcycle clubs composed of peace officers, firefighters and finally civilians. Challenge coins appear to be quite popular among members of the Buffalo Soldiers MC, and they must be earned. The Harley Owners Group even created a H.O.G. National Challenge Coin in 2009 that can be purchased through the Members Only section of the H.O.G. website.

The challenge coin has generally been relegated to residing in one’s pants pocket until called up for a challenge—until 2009 when John Mottola established Motordog69. Mottola was looking for a place to display his 9-year recovery medallion on his 2003 Dyna Wide Glide when he came up with the idea of replacing his bike’s timing cover. His dad is a retired engineer, and together, the two of them created a family of medallion plate covers.

The company now manufactures a timing cover mount, fuel door mount, primary mount and cow bell horn cover attachment as well as a universal mount that can be attached to any flat surface. All medallion plate covers are constructed of 6061 Aircraft aluminum, show-chrome plated and made in the U.S.A. The air cleaner and universal mounts are also available in black. You can use your own coin or purchase one of the many available from Motordog69. For my 2000 FXD, I chose a 9/11 remembrance coin that I installed quickly and easily. I applied a few drops of Permatex (any nonpermanent RTV silicone gasket maker can be used) to the surface of the timing cover mount, pushed the coin into the mount, laid it in a horizontal position and let it dry overnight (a minimum of 12 hours is recommended). The next day, I removed the old timing cover and installed the new one with the longer screws that came with the mount.

The medallion is a quite attractive—and meaningful—accessory for my bike, but if at some point I decide to swap the coin out for a different one, i.e., one issued by an organization I belong to, I can just insert a flat-blade screwdriver in the slot on the side of the mount, twist it a bit to pop the coin out, clean up the old silicone and install the new coin. And if I’m ever challenged, I can just ask for “a step and a reach” to prove that I do, in fact, carry my coin with me at all times!