Today we’d like to introduce you to Rusty Baldwin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was around three or four years old, my dad bought me my first dirt bike. It was a little automatic Honda CRF 70. After dipping my toes into the world of riding, I graduated up to a Honda CRF 150. I thought I was hot stuff then! My dad ended up getting a dirt bike of his own, and we rode around our property all the time together.
It allowed us to get closer as father and son. When I was entering high school, having four wheels and my driver’s license prioritized the dirt bike life. I sold my bike to help pay for my first truck. I was off of two wheels all through high school. It wasn’t until after I graduated when I got bit by the bug once again. My parents joined a club, and I was desperate to ride with them! After ALOT of convincing, they allowed me to get an actual motorcycle! They first said I had to take an MSF Rider Safety Course. I did just that and learned so much! I got my license and bought a 2005 Yamaha V-Star 650. At the same time, I applied and got hired at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Maryville, TN.
I worked in the wash bay for three years. I upgraded to a 2005 Yamaha Road Star, which was a bit more powerful during that time. After I graduated college in 2016, I got a position in the Marketing Department as Internet Marketing Coordinator, and that’s when I got my beloved 2010 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic, a.k.a. Ruby. This is where the RustyBagger24 brand started to take shape. I created an Instagram page and YouTube channel and started taking pictures and videos of me and my bike and the adventures that it took me on. During the past few years, I’ve been able to do and see some amazing things and places due to my social media presence.
I’ve been a part of a world record ride in Texas, and my bike and I have been featured in several motorcycle-related publications. The best thing to happen, however, is when I decided to become an MSF Rider Coach. I thoroughly enjoyed the class that I took to get my license. The coaches were incredible, and I learned so much more than I thought I ever could have. Being a coach is one of the greatest honors of my life! During each class, I get to see people who have never ridden before the ride for the first time in their lives. Seeing them learn how to properly and effectively operate a motorcycle in slow-speed situations takes me back to learning how to ride.
The joy I had comes rushing back every single time! Is riding a motorcycle for everyone? No. But being a small part of even just one person’s riding journey makes my job so worth it. And that’s what I hope to do through my Instagram page and YouTube channel. I want to be an ambassador for the motorcycling world. I want to encourage and empower people not to be afraid to step out of their comfort zone and grab life the bars. A wide-open road full of freedom awaits!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m a devout Christian. God is far and away number one in my life. During this journey, I’ve had the problem of wanting more and more. More followers, likes, and recognition. I needed to be okay with what God gave me, but I never was. I learned this the hard way in May of 2020. I was in a parking lot practicing my tight turns and maneuvers on my bike like I always did.
As MSF Rider Coach, we need to practice and stay up on our skills constantly. I ended up going down while performing some tight U-turns. This is typically not a big deal. When you’re in this world, you have to expect to go down now and then. You have to get back up and keep going. This time, however, I immediately knew something wasn’t right about the way I fell. There was a sharp pain in my leg. When I looked down, I discovered that I had broken my ankle. Up to this point, I had never broken a bone. This was a new and scary territory. For several months, I was forced to live without the one thing I thought I could’ve without.
My bike. But during the long and painful recovery process, I learned more about life and myself than I thought possible. Over time, my priorities changed. I knew that my motorcycle, although fun, was not the most important thing in life. I learned to lean on my family, my girlfriend (at the time), and most importantly, my God. When I was able to get back on two wheels finally, I had a completely different mindset. It’s a blessing to have a social media presence and all that, but I no longer live my life being consumed by it.
The greatest thing to come out of that difficult time was that I ended up asking my girlfriend to marry me. She said yes! That goes to show you that there’s always a silver lining even in the worst of situations! We got married on June 19th of 2021.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have more important things to do than to be on social media all day. Well, sort off… Like I said before, I’m the internet Marketing Coordinator at Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Maryville, TN. I take photos and videos for the dealership’s social media pages, assist people who seek to plan rides, update our four dealer websites, and do anything else marketing-related.
I’ve learned many things with my brand, which I’ve implemented into my day job and vice versa. One of the coolest things I’m most proud of is that I was a part of this team back in 2017 when we were awarded the number 1 bar and shield H-D dealership in the world! Not a lot of people get to say that.
They also allowed me to fly out to Los Angeles, CA, and ride a brand-new Harley-Davidson model that hadn’t been released yet. We were one of only six dealers in the country to participate. It’s a real blessing to be able to work around something you love so much!
Contact Info:
- Email: rustybagger24@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustybagger24/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RustyBagger24/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rustybagger24
Image Credits
Jake Johnson
