Dr: Jodi Prine: Up For The Ride
By Laura Roesch, Photography By Savannah Dean
Dr. Jodi Prine’s interest in motorcycles began seven years ago when she moved to Bay County. She had just completed her residency and joined Dr. Joe Keller’s orthodontics practice in Panama City. Dr. Keller was an avid rider and repeatedly told her, “You need to get yourself a Harley!” He often took trips on his 2003 100th Anniversary Ultra Classic and returned with maps telling her, “This is where you need to ride when you go.” Her friends also invited her to join them on their rides and it provided additional incentive. “It was clear to me that riding my own motorcycle would be much more fun than simply driving my car to meet my friends at their destination,” she remembers. After completing the Basic Rider Course and obtaining a motorcycle endorsement, Dr. Prine thoroughly considered her options rather than rushing to buy just any motorcycle. She test rode her friends’ Harleys including a 2010 Dyna Low Rider, a 2010 Crossbones Springer, and a 2006 Sportster 1200. Ultimately she bought a 2012 Heritage, choosing it because she liked its “old-school feel.” She says it is a perfect fit for her and describes the feeling of riding as “liberating to get on that bike and just go.”
A motorcycle also takes up prime space in her professional life. A 1959 Harley Davidson Hummer is prominently displayed in her immaculate orthodontic office for her young patients to see during their visits. What better distraction to help young patients overcome the fear of the dentist’s visit. She hopes they are excited to get on the bike, a beautifully restored vintage lightweight two-stroke 125cc Hummer. “Construction was not yet completed on my clinic when I found the bike in Port St. Joe, so I simply stored the Hummer in my living room for nine months.”
The bike is now sitting highly visible in the waiting area in front of a heavy-metal inspired mural as a dramatic backdrop and, of course, the grinning skull in the center of the mural is wearing braces. She describes the Hummer as a “big hit,” noting that originally she thought children would find it most entertaining, but quickly learned their parents were just as excited, often taking pictures and sharing stories from their childhood about motorcycles they had or wish they had been allowed to have by their parents. Word of mouth about the unusual motorcycle featured in the clinic has attracted visitors to her office just to see it.
There is a gleam in her eyes when she speaks about the bikes. It is easy to picture her conquering the open road. Is it really surprising to learn that Dr. Prine had a career in the US Coast Guard before obtaining her dental degrees? Born in Neenah, Wisconsin, she joined the United States Coast Guard right after graduating from high school and served as a Hospital Corpsman for five-and-a-half years.
Safety is foremost in her mind and she always wears a helmet and boots when riding her motorcycle. So far, her Heritage has about 12,000 miles on it. She often rides with a group of female friends from Panama City and Dothan and they take several long road trips a year. They ride throughout Florida, but the Georgia and Tennessee mountains have also been destinations. She mastered the infamous “Tail of the Dragon” through Deals Gap in North Carolina, so named because of its appearance from an aerial perspective. This two-lane stretch of road through the mountains is well known to experienced motorcycling and sports car enthusiasts; it has 318 curves in just 11 miles and is not a ride for the squeamish.
The Heritage and the Hummer are just the beginning of what might become a collection and she is thinking of having a bike custom built for her.
Active does not quite describe Jodi Prine. She is mastering it all: a busy career, daring road trips, and regular participation in competitions such as “Tough Mudder” races, 10 to 12 mile runs through mud and physically challenging obstacles. Most recently Prine completed a “Spartan Ultra Beast” race, an event covering 28 miles across ski slope-like elevations with 50 or more obstacles such as mud, barbed wire, walls, rope, and fire. No matter what challenge or adventure she undertakes, whether it is tracking down just the right vintage motorcycle, riding on less traveled roads, or competing in a rugged adventure race, Prine is up for the ride.
