SAUK RAPIDS, MN — A Sauk Rapids man turned a family memory into a road trip when he tracked down his late father’s red 1976 Honda Gold Wing in Alaska and rode it back to Minnesota. Spencer Robertson spent a year searching for the motorcycle once owned by Lee Robertson, then flew to Homer, Alaska, to see it in person and get it ready for the journey home.
The trip covered 3,512 miles over eight days and included rain, long stretches of highway, wildlife encounters and border crossings. For Robertson, the ride was about more than collecting an old bike. It was a chance to reconnect with his father, whose love of motorcycles helped define the family for decades.
A family name built around motorcycles in St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids
The Robertson name has long been familiar to motorcycle enthusiasts in the St. Cloud area. Lawrence “Speed” Robertson, Spencer’s grandfather, raced stock cars and opened Midway Auto Wrecking Co. and Midway Motorcycle Co. in St. Cloud with his wife, Leta, in 1934. Their son, Lee, later co-owned the motorcycle business before taking it over after his father died in 1968.
Lee Robertson was remembered by friends and family as a lively, generous man who seemed to enjoy constant motion. His wife, Cocoa Robertson, said he was an icon in the community and someone she knew would surprise her with whatever he decided to do next. He took up flying, made repeated trips to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and kept motorcycles central to family life. Spencer grew up riding with him and described his father as both a hero and best friend.
Lee Robertson's health declined after a brain aneurysm
Spencer was 15 when his father suffered a brain aneurysm that changed his life and limited his mobility. Lee’s condition worsened over time, and he died in 2020. Before that, some of his motorcycles were sold after he could no longer ride them, though the family held onto the memories tied to the machines.
As an adult, Spencer, who works in sales at RDO Equipment in Sauk Rapids, began looking for ways to recover some of the bikes his father had owned. He had already located Lee’s 1983 Suzuki Tempter when he set his sights on the Gold Wing, a motorcycle that had a long and winding path of its own before he found it again.
How the Gold Wing changed hands before Spencer found it again
The Honda had been sold in the 2000s to family friend Al Honebrink, who later passed it along to his nephew, Dylan Honebrink. Dylan kept the bike in Homer, Alaska, but did not ride it often. A neighbor, Darren Williams, first saw it at a garage sale and said he would be interested if Dylan ever decided to part with it.
Williams later got the chance to buy it after going through a difficult period in his own life. He said Dylan first offered the bike for $2,000, then lowered the price to $1,500, which was all Williams could afford. Williams described the purchase as a blessing after losing his wife. He owned the Gold Wing for three years before Spencer tracked him down through Dylan and explained the motorcycle’s history and meaning.
Williams said he was moved by Spencer’s story and sold the bike back for the same amount he had paid. That decision set up the long ride from Alaska to Minnesota and gave the motorcycle a chance to return to the family that had owned it decades earlier.
Spencer Robertson's first look at the bike brought back years of memory
Spencer flew to Alaska on Saturday, Aug. 15, and arrived in Homer 17 hours later. Dylan let him stay at his family’s home while he worked on the motorcycle and made it roadworthy. On his first night, Spencer quietly went into the garage to see the Gold Wing up close.
He said the bike felt like it was staring back at him when he opened the door. The last time he had seen it, he was 15. Spencer knelt beside it before touching it, taking in a machine that had once been part of his everyday life with his father. The next day, he began the mechanical work needed for the trip, using the skills he learned while training under Lee.
The repairs and tuneups took about a week. Before Spencer left, Williams met him in Homer for a photo with the bike, marking the handoff and the start of the return ride. Williams said it felt like a spiritual experience to be part of the process.
Wildlife, rain and roadside kindness marked the ride south
Once underway, Spencer faced the sort of conditions that can make an Alaska ride unforgettable. On the first day he traveled 270 miles to Palmer, just outside Anchorage, and had a close call with a moose. He slammed on the brakes, prayed and kept going. Day two brought rain during a 275-mile ride to Tok, Alaska.
On the third day, he rode 387 miles across the Canadian border to Whitehorse in the Yukon territory. Local riders there offered advice about what to expect next. Lodging remained uncertain at times, and he met Pete Brown, a 75-year-old man who offered him a place to stay with riding companions headed toward Seattle.
Spencer also found help during a rainstorm in Regina, where a couple offered him shelter in their home. He turned them down at first, but they came back minutes later and persuaded him to accept. He said moments like that reinforced how many strangers were willing to help along the way.
A 560-mile final push brought the Gold Wing back to Sauk Rapids
By the eighth day, Monday, Aug. 31, Spencer was ready for the last leg. He rode about 560 miles home and finished the entire journey after covering roughly 3,512 miles. Friends and family followed the trip online, and some met him on the road to share part of the return.
Jay Ilstrup joined him in Alexandria for the final stretch, and several family friends greeted him when he reached his Sauk Rapids home. The garage there remains arranged much as Lee Robertson left it. Spencer said the ride made him feel connected to his father and reminded him of the generosity that shaped his family.
He described the motorcycle as running flawlessly, saying it felt like riding a racehorse with a homing beacon pointed toward home. For Spencer, the Gold Wing was not just a restored machine. It was a link to Lee Robertson and a rolling reminder that the kindness his father showed others still lives on.