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ABATE UPDATE - NOVEMBER, 2008 |
Hello, Friends--
I'm sure everyone is out there enjoying the Fall riding, as the leaves are turning and the Holiday Season approaches. I know some of you are hurting out there due to some of the fallout from the current economic crisis, and that might negatively impact on your motorcycling fun. Please hang in there, and remember that we still are privileged to live in the greatest country on Earth with one of the highest standards of living, and sunny days are ahead. America has weathered serious storms in the past, and we'll meet this challenge as well. Throwing a leg over your sled and getting out into Oklahoma's beautiful scenery is a great stress reliever this time of year. It's also getting easier to do, as the gasoline prices continue to edge downward, with oil prices taking a nosedive! So, let's focus on the positive wherever we can. My confidence stays high as long as I continue to work with motorcycling Freedom Fighters such as those I'm privileged to encounter in Organizations like ABATE of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Confederation Of Clubs! As I write this, we're getting ready to take part in one of the most critical elections in the history of our Nation on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4. Whatever your political affiliation or orientation, I sincerely hope you've investigated the issues thoroughly by now, and I urge you to PLEASE get out to the polls and vote your conscience! Voting is one of our most sacred and cherished rights as Americans, one our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line to defend. Remember, when you vote, the choice is yours; if you don't, the choice is theirs. In other words, if you don't vote, you don't have cause to complain if you don't like the direction things are going! If you're not Registered to Vote, you've missed out on a tremendous opportunity to take part in a momentous occasion, so be sure to get registered right away so as not to miss the next opportunity to influence the direction we're going to take in the Sooner State, and in the United States.
Speaking of our Armed Forces, Tuesday, November 11 is Veterans' Day, and once again ABATE is gearing up for our annual Veterans' Day Bike Parade to the State Capitol War Memorial in Oklahoma City. For those who've never been, this affords us a valuable occasion to pay tribute to our men and women who have served in the Military, and who are currently pledging themselves in defense of Freedom. As a proud Veteran myself, I'm honored to take some time to reflect on what our Uniformed Services have done for us, and how important it is for the Nation to stand behind them, both while they are on active duty and in supporting them when they retire or separate. With less than ten percent of Congress having any Military experience, it's become a more challenging task to preserve and enhance Veterans' benefits, even with America fighting the war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Spending some time at events like ABATE's Bike Parade helps increase focus on this importance. Our Veterans' Day celebration is an outgrowth of ABATE's success in hosting a Memorial Day Run the end of every May. With more Bikers taking part in honoring those Military Members who have made the Supreme Sacrifice, we decided to take the time to ride in support of ALL our Armed Forces, and what better occasion to do that than on November 11. So, come on out and join us!! We'll be leaving the Skyline Restaurant Parking Lot, S.E. 15th St. 1/4 mile east of I-35 in Oklahoma City, promptly at 10:30AM, to arrive at the Capitol South Parking Lot and walk over to Veterans' Memorial Park in time for the 11:00AM services start, which will be hosted by the Oklahoma Veterans Council. After the services, riders get together to head out for lunch, at a location to be announced at the Riders' Meeting, which will take place at around 10:00AM in the Skyline Parking Lot. Everyone is cordially invited to come on out and join us in the Parade or meet us at the Oklahoma War Memorial--I'll be looking for you!. In any event, please take some time November 11 to remember our Veterans, even if you can't join us--don't forget that they gave of their tomorrows, so all of us might enjoy Freedom today!
I hope everyone who was able to attend enjoyed this year's ABATE State Party at the Westlake Recreation Area in Enid October 3-5. We had a couple of hundred folks attend, and it turned out to be a festive time enjoyed by all. Westlake is a really beautiful location, with secluded camping on the shore of a beautiful lake. You could even take some time to fish, and I think there are some hefty bass hiding in the reeds by where we were camped out. We had an old-school good time, with good friends swapping lies around the campfire. There was live music Friday and Saturday night, Bike Games, People Games, a Bike Show and a Tattoo Contest. I'd like to see more Freedom-loving motorcyclists attend this event in the future, as proceeds from the Party directly support ABATE's legislative efforts for the next year. Our Organization is busily working on issues to address for the '09 Session, and we're looking to finalize our agenda and start to line up bill authors and co-sponsors this month, as we don't hold a State Board Meeting in December. We appreciate feedback from Oklahoma's Motorcycling Community, so please contact me if you have topics of concern that our Legislature needs to know about. ABATE has been helping improve Motorcycling Quality of Life in the Sooner State for a long time now, thanks to the dedicated efforts of volunteers who believe in Riding Liberty. Our numbers are growing, but we desperately need your help and support--especially since hundreds more Oklahomans are getting on motorcycles and Sharing the Road. If you value Free Riding, please join us! You can keep track of legislative developments and obtain an ABATE Membership Application on our ABATE Website at www.abateofoklahoma.org I'll expect to provide you with more definitive information next month and in January. Before I wrap this up, I want to send everybody Best Wishes for a very Happy Thanksgiving! I'm especially grateful to be a motorcyclist in Oklahoma, and to be living in in this great country of ours. We may have our problems (hey, nobody's perfect!), but there's no better area in the world to ride two or three wheels in! So, enjoy a good Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends, Ride Safely, Sober and Aware, and I'll see you on the Road. Catch you next month as we get ready for a visit from Saint Nick!
Yours in Freedom,
Tiger Mike Revere
State Coordinator,
ABATE of Oklahoma, Inc.
405-596-1072 (Cell)
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WHO THE HELL DO I THINK I AM? |
Who the hell do I think I am? Well let me tell ya! I ride a motorcycle, so I guess that makes me a biker. And I'm proud of it too. I'm one of the thousands of people who are changing the image of today's motorcycle rider. But the image of the nice human being riding a fun, fuel efficient, costs as much as a car motorcycle, is slow to change with some people. Here's a little something that happened to me last summer. Now keep in mind I do a good deal of laughing at myself and the following is funny in an ironical sort of a way. But this situation could have turned out tragically.
It was a wonderful spring day, warm enough to be comfortable with just my leather jacket and chaps, a perfect day on my bike, even if I was running errands. I could get my running around finished and then take off for the mountains to do some serious relaxing. My last stop on the list was dog food for my dog Jazz. She was fifteen and was on a special dog food diet. You know the kind, expensive and only found at the pet store. But she was my baby and was worth it.
I approached the cloverleaf at Northgate mall in Chattanooga with the anticipation of the traffic snarl this area has become famous for. The city has grown but the roads have not kept up with traffic demands. Even in the middle of the week the traffic around this intersection is at best difficult. I traveled in the right lane as I crossed over the bridge keeping my eyes moving for possible problems. Fortunately, today the traffic was lighter than usual. Even so, I kept my eye on the small compact car approaching the yield sign just ahead and to my right. The road angled into my lane shortly past the yield sign. Just then the hair on the back of my neck started to bristle. I was looking at the driver as she turned to look at me. We approached the intersection together, the point where she was to yield to traffic before entering the lane. Looking me dead in the eye she kept coming, not even slowing down. This was one of those moments that a motorcycle rider prays never to happen, but as we all know, does. I reacted without even thinking, swerving into the left hand lane to miss the non-yielding car. Fortunately the lane to my left was empty. About then, I forgot I was a nice person. I guess someone looking at you and trying to run you over will have a tendency to make one forget a lot of things.
I found myself in the wrong lane at the stoplight, in front of the person driving a two-ton weapon not knowing what the word 'yield' means. Mad? Getting there! I turned around, looked the woman behind the wheel in the eye, shook my head back and forth, and waved my finger up and down as if scolding a child. My first finger, not that finger. I know what you were thinking. Cold indifference is what I saw in this woman's eyes. She could care less.
The light changed, moving slowly forward I turned my signal on watching for a nice driver to let me over. A space opened and I started to move over. To my surprise, the 'I don't know the meaning of yield woman' jumps over and speeds up into the space I was about to inhabit. Yet again I had to swerve to the left to keep from being run over by this woman. My mad factor went up a couple points. My turn was approaching and there was no way I would be able to move over and make it. At this moment I had forgotten about dog food and was more engaged in survival. It had become very apparent this woman didn't like motorcycles or the people on them. I would have to go to the next light, go around the block and come back for the dog food.
A long block later, I was in the turn lane and to my amazement the object of this exercise in self-control was sitting next to me glaring at me. Yes, she had changed lanes again and was looking as if at any moment she was going to roll her window down and give me a piece of her mind. And there we sat, looking at each other. Waiting for the light to change, I revved my engine and just looked at her. To my surprise, she flipped up one of her fingers, and it wasn't the one I had used to scold her with earlier. That's when I completely forgot I AM A NICE PERSON, and thought LADY WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?! Yep, now I was a whole bunch madder.
The light changed and she was off. For some unknown reason that I haven't figured out to this day, I decided to follow this woman and at the earliest convenience have a chat with her. I wanted to tell her she was not a safe driver and I really wanted to know what she had against motorcycles or was she just out to get me? I waited till the few cars behind her went by and pulled in behind the line of traffic moving away from the dog food store and good judgment. I moved easily through traffic till I fell in behind the 'no yield' driver. About a quarter mile or so down the road she noticed me behind her. She changed lanes and increased her speed. Like that would be enough to lose me. I fell in behind her again as her speed went up to about five miles over the posted limit. I figured I'd chance a ticket, so I matched her speed.
We moved along away from the congested area into an open expanse where the houses and businesses thinned out and the road had been recently expanded to three lanes both ways, with a turn lane. Her speed went up again and she began weaving in and out around slower cars. I kept pace with her at a safe distance. She kept sweeping in and out and I matched her movements. I kept thinking I needed to talk to this woman and tell her nice people ride motorcycles, just ask anyone that knows me.
This cat and mouse game was kind of fun and then I looked down at my speedometer. By this time she was doing eighty miles per hour in a fifty mile per hour zone, and so was I. I slowed down and started falling back. Up ahead I saw her turn right into a strip mall parking lot. I thought Ok, maybe now I'll get a chance to talk to her. It was now my mission in life to ask her to be more careful and courteous when she shares the road with a motorcycle. I would educate her that people riding bikes are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, good tax paying Americans that just want to ride safely. I would point out to her that if I had been driving my pick-up, I probably would not have been watching her as closely and more than likely would have t-boned her, and she would probably be on her way to the hospital or worse at that very moment. I was going to be nice and try to change her attitude toward motorcycles and the people who ride them. Somehow show her we are just regular folks like her.
I pulled in beside her parked car in the bank parking lot, turned off my motor, put the kick stand down, took off my helmet and waited. And waited. And waited. About ten minutes later, three sheriff cars pulled in behind me, blocking me in. The nice young officer asked to see my driver's license while his buddy stood behind him with his hand on his gun and officer number three was standing behind me. They had me. That's when it started to get funny to me. I asked the policeman to ask her to come out of the bank and I would apologize to her face to face with them in attendance. He said she wouldn't come out till I was "gone or in jail." She was too frightened. Scared of Me! I'm the nice one. I hadn't almost run over her and I'm not the one who used the middle finger at the red light. Yeah, this was getting funnier by the minute. But I wasn't laughing. I'm sitting there looking at this young man with a badge, and that's when I knew; we motorcycle riders must work harder to change the minds and attitudes of people who don't ride bikes, but who we are forced to share the roads with. We need to educate people in cars about people on motorcycles, how to share the road and be safer.
That's when I started to get mad again. The five-mile or so chase up Hixson Pike had blown my previous mad spell away. I asked the officer if he would please extend my apology to the lady and please explain to her she was running from a fifty-seven year old woman who just wanted to talk to her and ask her to be a more careful driver. Because, if we had had an accident, she probably wouldn't have been hurt but my seventy-eight year old mother wouldn't have anyone to take care of her if I was hurt or killed. I made him promise that he would deliver the message word for word. He said he would as he handed my license back and told me to drive safely. By then they too were smiling just a bit. They knew I wasn't the big bad road raged biker she had portrayed me as. This would be a funny story by the end of the day. I cranked my bike and started backing out of the parking spot and shouted, "Hey officer! While you're calming her down, ask her if she knows what the word yield means. You might need to explain it to her 'cause I don't think she has a clue."
I left the scene of the crime and rode off into the sunset in search of high dollar dog food.
Ride safe and keep the shiny side up.
Harlie K
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INTERVIEW WITH SONNY BARGER ON HIS 70TH BIRTHDAY |
TRM: First of all I want to wish you a happy birthday
SONNY: Thank you
TRM: That’s a big number, 70.
SONNY: Well in my family on both sides, men die in their 50’s, so I’ve been very lucky
TRM: I just want to ask you a few questions and if anything is out of line, you just let me know
SONNY: Well yeah, you can ask anything. Whether I answer it or not is another thing
TRM; When you first started with the Hells Angels what was your vision for the group
SONNY: It certainly wasn’t what it is today. Who would have thought, we started out as a little club. There was actually a couple of other Hells Angels charters when we started out and we didn’t know it and we decided we better get this thing organized
TRM: I know back in the early days the Hells Angels weren’t really accepted by society
SONNY: They’re somewhat still not today. The other thing is that we need to get on to another subject. I don’t mind talking to you, but I am no longer a spokesman for the club and I know it’s hard to interview me and not talk about them, but we have to sort of shift from the Hells Angels to me, involved with them.
TRM: OK, that’s good, because I want to ask you more questions about yourself. Everybody kind of knows about the Hells Angels, but nobody really knows you and I want to get to know a little bit and let people know. I know that when I was growing up I would hear about Hells Angels and it was always bad stuff
SONNY: That’s still all you hear cause you hear it from the press or the cops. I don’t know if you saw the biography channel the other night. They just did a thing on the Hells Angels; an hour show which we wouldn’t help them with, so that jerk from Canada that’s made a living writing Hells Angels books and some actual task force cop was the spokesman and all they did as it turned out was talk about me. But that’s really the only view you get is the police. And the newspapers and TV go right along with the police stories immediately.
TRM: Yeah, they don’t talk about the good that the group does.
SONNY: We don’t even try to do good: we just don’t do all the bad they say.
SONNY: Have you seen Sons of Anarchy?
TRM: Yes
SONNY: Well, that’s a motorcycle gang, and we’re a motorcycle club
TRM: OK
SONNY: If we lived like that we wouldn’t exist one week, but that’s what people want to believe we are and that’s why they watch it. It’s going to be a hit show. I mean, come on. Where have you seen 10 people with automatic weapons standing up straight out in the open and nobody hit anybody.
TRM: Exactly and the police don’t even show up!
SONNY: Right. And the one detective that’s watching them says, “oh my gosh”
Laughing all around
TRM: Out of your 70 years of life, what is your best memory
SONNY: Oh I have no idea what the best one is, they’re all good
TRM: OK…are you a religious person
SONNY: Yeah, I believe in the club. Everybody has to have something to believe in. I have no problem with religion I just don’t want it forced on me. If you don’t have something to believe in, you really have a
sort of screwed up life.
TRM: Even if it’s believing in yourself
SONNY: Yeah.
TRM: What is your description of freedom
SONNY: Well, I think the easiest way to say it is to be able to do anything you want to do and be treated good as long as you’re not infringing on anybody else
TRM: OK…a lot of people have something that they are afraid of whether it’s a spider, a snake. What makes your skin kind of crawl?
SONNY: I’m not really sure…that any particular thing worries me because I sort of learned when I was a young kid that you really don’t have to be afraid of anything, but you have to respect it. It’s like when they tell you don’t touch that fire, it burns. Well you don’t have to be afraid of that fire but you have to respect it. So you know, like you don’t stick your hand in it, you get a glove. If you’re afraid of anything, that’s a sad mess. You just have to know how to get around it.
TRM: Right, I understand. What’s your favorite movie or your favorite actor?
SONNY: Oh well, I think my favorite movie is the Wild One and Lee Marvin was my hero and the hero of that movie
TRM: McCain or Obama?
SONNY: I’m really glad I’m a felon and not able to vote. So I don’t have to make a choice between two losers. But I would like to say McCain was a war hero, did a wonderful job, did everything he was supposed to do. That doesn’t qualify him to be the president. And Obama…his mom worked her way up, put him through college. He did everything he’s got to do, but I’m not quite sure he’s qualified either. But fortunately, I can’t vote.
TRM: Sonny, how did you and your friends come up with the name Earth Angels?
SONNY: Well we were kids and that was a popular song back then, so we made our little club that. That’s kind of funny. We went into the army, came out the the army and became a Hells Angel.
TRM: Was the Hells Angels really established by the military guys when they came out, what’s the real story on that?
SONNY: I don’t think anybody knows the real story because… But the way the story goes is that a lot of the military guys that were in the Hells Angels Diamond Squadron were actually based in Fontana after the war and they rode motorcycles and people would say when they saw them, “there go one of those Hells Angels”. It’s probably a myth, but it’s become a truth. And our club actually started in San Bernadino in 1948 and I never got into the club till 1957, but there was the San Bernadino Charter, the San Francisco Charter and I think there was one in Gardina called SoCal. There were 3 or 4 Charters, but we didn’t know any. We found a defunct Sacramento patch, that’s how we named ourselves in Oakland and then we ran into those guys after we started and said we better get this put together before everybody does this.
TRM: With your organizational skills, you should be running GM
SONNY: laughing….Any body could run GM right now.
SONNY: I rode a Harley for 52 years cause that was the only American bike. I’ve got a Victory now cause that’s the new American bike. I drove a Chevrolet pick up truck cause it’s American and I ride an American bred quarter horse. But last year for my birthday we went out and bought 2 new pick up trucks. We went down there the other day cause my wife really wanted an SUV instead of a pick up truck, so I said ok. They said that isn’t worth half of what you paid for it, we don’t want it.
At this point, there was much technical talk about motorcycles and the motorcycle industry in general.
SONNY: Look at my Victory. That is a 21st century motorcycle
TRM: What do you think of all the fancy custom bikes?
SONNY: They’re not toy samples to ride, they are art. People buy them that can afford to buy them, they put them in their truck, go to a rally, go into a bar and get a pretty girl in a bathing suit to take a picture, then put it back in the truck and take it home. I got my victory 3 ½ months ago and I have 20,000 miles on it. We ride and whether anybody likes it or not, we are a motorcycle club.
TRM: What is your definition of a “biker’?
SONNY: That’s an Easy Rider word. Easy Rider developed that word, back in the 70’s, the early 70’s. If you wanted to call yourself a rider, or a biker as they called it, you had to buy an Easy Rider magazine.
TRM: So to you, it doesn’t matter what you ride?
SONNY: No, but some of our Charters have a rule that says you have to ride a Harley and some of them don’t. Some of the charters, like Brazil, they don’t import American bikes so you can’t ride a Harley.
TRM: When I was growing up I heard Hells Angels and we were kinda taught to fear you
SONNY: We like that
TRM: Sitting here with you and listening to other interviews you have done, you seem like a very down to earth, laid back person
SONNY: The majority of us are and once in a while we get a bully. Everybody does and when we find him out, we get rid of him. Why people have learned to fear us is we’ll be in a bar talking and somebody will bump into us, spill their drink and tell us to get the **** out of their way and then tell the cop they don’t know why that guy hit me!
TRM: So in the earlier days was it a goal for people to fear them?
SONNY: No. What we were, were 19-20 year old kids that loved to fight. I’ve got to say that when Joe Biden accepted the vice presidential nomination he almost made me pee my pants when he told the story of how he came home with a bloody nose and his mom sent him back out to box the guy. My father did that to me and we boxed every day after school, but you know what we never did? We never brought a Mach 10 to school.
TRM: What do you think of the young gangs on the street?
SONNY: I think they are a product of our environment. I remember 25 years ago. I have always tried to work out and stay in shape. They say you can’t call that person fat, it’s not politically correct. It’s not just skin deep…beauty comes from the inside out. Here we are 25 years later and we have an obese country and we’re trying to figure out how to fix it now. Our government made it that way. It’s the same thing with the zero tolerance to violence. If me and you want to have a boxing match, so what. But if I’m going to go to jail for having a boxing match then I might as well just kill you and go to jail for that.
TRM: It’s not like the old days where you just duke it out, now it’s who has the biggest gun.
SONNY: Nobody ever got hurt. The worst you ever got was a bloody nose.
The interview ended with a short photo session, as there were many people arriving for Sonny’s birthday run and wanting a little time with him.
I want to thank Sonny Barger for taking time from his birthday celebration to talk us at Thunder Roads Magazine Arizona. Again, HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY and may you have many more. I would like to thank Guy Dobbins and Chad for making this interview possible.
ChopperBob
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Harley Hits Grand Slam with 105th Celebration Roaming Thunder |
By Ron Cox
How do you begin to describe an event so enormous that you missed more things to see than things you did see? That’s how I felt attending Harley-Davidson’s 105th Celebration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 1,400 mile three day ride included seven hours of riding through the mountains in Tennessee during Hurricane Fay. What fun!
Arriving late Wednesday August 27, my friends Julie, Johnny and Crystal guided me around for the next few days. This being my fourth Harley Anniversary trip (90th, 95th & 100th) the first stop was to an incredibly delicious all-you-can-eat BBQ rib dinner at the well off the beaten track Silver Lake Cottage Inn.
From Silver Lake we made a fast dash to the Washington County Fair Park to take in the Lynard Skynard concert. It’s my guess that about 20,000 other folks had the same idea. The grassy meadow in front of the stage was jam packed with HOG’s from all over. It was a great show!
Thursday started with a visit to Hal’s H-D, just a few miles from the hotel. Crystal and I walked around checking out the myriad of vendors until exhaustion set in, it was uncharacteristically hot. We also picked up the first card in the 2008 Milwaukee Rally poker run. After some quick R&R we all headed over to Miller Park (home of the Brewers) and the Harley Stage for the HOG Welcome and Opening Ceremonies, followed by Kid Rock. Other events at this venue included Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the Billy Bob Thornton Band and Sugarland. There was also entertainment at the H-D Musuem and the Main Street Stage at the Lakefront, in addition to the Street Party on Milwaukee Street.
I was one of the lucky ones who received a ticket to the Harley-Davidson Museum. The museum is set among 20 acres of land surrounded on three sides by the Menomonee River. The 80-foot steel tower and giant Harley-Davidson Bar & Shield logo announce the legendary stories of Harley-Davidson found just inside the front doors. There are more than 400 motorcycles displayed in chronological order, including serial number one, the first motorcycle built in 1903. There’s also a recreation of a 1920’s board track with cornering factory race bikes. Or maybe you’d like to see Elvis Presley’s 1956 KH motorcycle? It’s there! And finally, there’s an extensive and rare collection of vintage riding gear and graphics. I was particularly intrigued by the original sales brochure and replacement parts list. After the museum it was on to the museum’s café and store. I know I did my part in spurring the national economy. The store has everything from Harley Museum T-s to Harley paperclips!
We rode around town collecting up poker cards from the House of Harley and Milwaukee H-D. Then it was on to the Summerfest Grounds (aka Henry W. Maier Festival Park). This 90 acre park, adjacent to Lake Michigan, features five stages with name entertainment performing simultaneously on each one. We opted for the ZZ Top show but could have easily settled in for the Black Crowes or Los Lonely Boys. I wouldn’t say it was crowded, but we were so far back not only couldn’t we see the performers, we couldn’t even see the video screens set up on both sides of the stage. I think I’ll buy the DVD. Last stop of the night was Ned’s for pizza, a favorite of the locals.
Saturday was the big day. I received one of only 7,500 invitations to be in the 4 ½ mile parade from Miller Field straight through downtown Milwaukee and ending in the VIP parking lot at the Summerfest Grounds. Thousands of people lined the route, cheering, waving American flags, holding up signs with welcome messages. TV stations were broadcasting live with media helicopters hovering overhead. What a rush! We left the Summerfest Grounds and collected the fourth poker run card at the Potawatomi Casino. By this time my poker hand was a loser.
This time there was no secret about who Saturday night’s closing act would be. Veteran’s Park was the venue for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. This was the last show of a 50 city national tour and Bruce and the Band didn’t disappoint, performing for almost 3 hours nonstop. The Motor Company received universal praise for its selection of Springsteen.
With any luck, I’ll see my friends again in Daytona in March and reminisce about the 105th.
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Karma and the Kamikaze Bug |
By: Houndog
Have you ever given much thought to the concept of Karma? I’m sure you’ve all heard of it....the force generated by a person’s actions that some believe can either result in a negative or positive reaction that comes back on you at some unpredictable time in your future. Whether you buy into it or not, sometimes it seems to be the only explanation for some things that life may throw at you. For instance....when you’re cruising down a two lane state highway that runs along side a pasture and the insects are buzzing from one side of the road to the other looking for whatever it is that attracts them. As your eyes are fixated on the road ahead, you notice a black dot heading straight for your head. Instinctively, you lean your head to the left....and the bug adjusts its flight pattern to match your move. As the black dot grows larger and closer, you make another evasive move and lean your head to the right, and once again the bug changes coarse to be on target with your noggin. By now it seems to be evident that this winged arthropod has decided to end its life and chosen your head over the windshield of an automobile to do it on. You now have a split second to make one last adjustment, so you bring your head back to center only to be matched by what is now recognizably an insect the size of your thumb. Before you even have time to brace for the impact, SMACK, it hits you right in the most sensitive part of your face....the lips. As you struggle to maintain composure and control of your machine, your brain is alerted by a stinging sensation equal to that of being popped on the kisser with a rubber band. What is equivalent to an eye dropper full of liquefied bug guts is now spreading through your moustache and being pushed between your lips by the force of the wind. As your mind races through the past few seconds while simultaneously dealing with the pain and discomfort, it asks itself the question: What the hell did I do to deserve this? And of coarse there is no logical explanation except that it must have been a Kamikaze Bug....one of life’s unexplained phenomenons that the mind rationalizes to be the consequence of some evil deed that you perpetrated in the past. (This is a true story and the name has not been changed, because there is no innocent to protect.)
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Iron Butt turns into Buns of Steel for Wishbone and Musicman |
By: Wishbone
In September of 2006, I set out to ride the saddle sore 1,000 which is part of the Iron Butt award. This was something I had wanted to do for years, but no one would go with me. I was supposed to meet some friends in Collbran, Colorado, which was 1,050 miles away, so I decided to do it by myself. Early on a Monday, I left Yukon, Oklahoma, and headed up I-35 north until I hit I-80 west to Cheyenne, Wyoming. There I hit a cold rain, but I pushed on down I-25 south to Denver, Colorado. I pulled into a station to get gas and it started to sleet. An older gentleman asked me which way I was headed. I said, “West on I-70.” He laughed and said, “It’s snowing from the Eisenhower Tunnel to Aspen.” Since I had no chains for my VTX1800, it looked like my Iron Butt run was over after 880 miles.
Then a year later, a friend of mine, Musicman, said he would love to ride it with me. I saw him on Saturday, June 16th 2007, and he told me that he was off the week of June 27th. He said he could leave on Monday and had to be back on Friday, so plan it and we would ride all week. That was his mistake, it sounded like time enough to put in about 4,000 miles to me, so I planned it out to hit 15 states and 2 provinces in Canada.
On Sunday night, June 24th, I set my alarm for 4:10am. I was too excited to get much sleep, so it went off while I was already in the shower. I was out the door at 4:30am and off to El Reno to meet Musicman. We filled out our paperwork and officially timed in at 4:50am central time, to start our Saddle Sore and Bun Burner Iron Butt Ride. The Saddle Sore being 1,000 miles within 24 hours and the Bunn Burner is 1,500 miles within 36 hours and we were going for both this time.
We headed west bound on I-40 toward Amarillo, Texas and then turned northwest to Raton, New Mexico. At 11:30am we had two states behind us and were headed north on I-25 toward Cheyenne, Wyoming. All was well until we hit some road construction in Colorado Springs. Traffic was at a stand still and it took about 2 hours to get through it and on to Denver. When we were finally rolling steady again it began to cloud up. We got lucky and the rain stayed to the east side of us.
As we headed west on I-80, we needed to reach Rock Springs, Wyoming to finish our 1,000 miles. We had planned to be there by dark but the delay in Colorado put us about 60 miles short as the sun went down. At 11:15 central time (10:15 their time), we arrived in Rock Springs safe and sound. Our first stage of the trip was done and we had successfully ridden our 1,000 mile Saddle Sore ride.
The next morning we were up at 5:30am and off again to finish our 1,500 miles before 4:45pm to get the Bun Burner Award. We rode through Wyoming and on to Utah, then north to Idaho and Montana. We rode until 4:25pm and clocked out in Rocker, Montana, with over 1,650 miles behind us. We had successfully accomplished our goal, but with several hours of daylight left, we decided to ride on.
From Butte, Montana, you are traveling up the Missouri River Valley and it is one of the most beautiful rides that I have ever been on in my life! We saw deer, elk, antelope and coyotes. Musicman even saw a bear by the road, but unfortunately I was looking in the other direction. We decided to shut our bikes down around 9:00pm after covering almost 1900 miles in 2 days. We now had 3 days to finish the other 2,000 miles…piece of cake!
On Wednesday we headed to North Dakota and Canada. With our passports in hand, the officer wanted to know why we were going to Canada. We explained to him that we were just out for a 5 day ride from Oklahoma and that we were “just passing through.” I guess that was good enough because he let us in and we headed north in Saskatchewan until we finally found a paved road going east toward Manitoba. We found a small farming town and decided to find a room. There was only one Hotel in town, which also happened to be a restaurant and bar. In we went dressed in full leathers to check in at the bar. We got some great looks but no one said a word, they just stared. We settled in our room and then headed out to get something to eat. When we walked in the restaurant, a gentleman said, “It looks like the Hells Angels are in town.” We were outnumbered 17 to 2, so the odds weren’t in our favor. All was quiet for a moment, and then another guy asked us what we were doing there. We explained that we were on a ride and our goal was to cover 15 states and 2 provinces of Canada in 5 days. He then said, “Let me be the first to welcome you to Carduff Saskatchewan, Canada”, and then offered to buy us a beer. All was good at that point and we ended up having a great time.
Thursday we headed on to Manitoba and all of a sudden we thought we were back in Oklahoma. We had ridden into the area that was hit by the F4 tornado the Saturday before and it had destroyed everything in its path. We made a quick stop in Morden, Manitoba, at the Harley shop to get some souvenirs, and then headed south toward home. We rode through Minnesota, South Dakota, and stopped in Iowa on Thursday night.
Friday morning we were up early and had to ride through Missouri and Nebraska, a couple of HELMET law states. We had filled up in Iowa and made it all the way to Kansas on one tank of gas. So, we didn’t have to spend one red cent in Missouri or Nebraska. We did wear our helmets in Canada, but Canada is not in “The Land of The Free”, but evidently neither is Kansas and Missouri.
With over 3500 miles and 4 ½ days of dry riding, we hit rain in Topeka, Kansas, and it poured on us until we reached Ponca City, Oklahoma. We arrived at home at 7:30pm with 3,846 miles, 15 states, and 2 provinces of Canada under our belts. They include: Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Saskatchewan Canada, Manitoba Canada, Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas.
Musicman said it was sure nice to travel with an “Old Fart” because I got AARP discounts at motels! We are both members of Sunset Chapter of ABATE and would like to say we are a bike organization fighting for your right to choose. If you like your FREEDOM of CHOICE, check us out at www. Abateofoklahoma.org
Happy Trails to ya’ll,
Mike Lander & Stephen Seeley
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South Dakota Motorcycle Driving Laws |
Equipment:
Noise Limits:
Every motorcycle must at all times be equipped with a muffler in good working order and in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise. At least half of the half a million motorcycles that will be at Sturgis will probably have modified exhaust systems. There’s an old Eagles line that says, “Don’t let the sound of your own wheels make you crazy.” Those who make a point to let everyone know how loud their pipes are will pay the price.
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ANGEL CITY SPRING RALLY 2008 |
By Bob Nadeau
Okay, folks, what can I say about Angel City that I haven’t already said? Well, I’ll just have to say it all again. One reason is there are a lot of new bikers and another is that a lot of you till have not gone to Angel City in Unadilla, Georgia. Hell, we’ve all but given you a written invitation. Thunder Roads had it advertised on the cover of their February issue.
Oh man! Would I like to be on the cover of their magazine. Would that be cool or what? Maybe if I asked real nice they would put a small picture of me in the corner. Yeah, right, hold my breath. Man, where did that come from? Where was I? Oh yeah, Angel City on the front cover.
You have no excuse for not going. It’s close by, great riding roads from anywhere in Alabama, (Do we need to draw you a map?) and lots of places to stay. You could even camp on the ground. This weekend was fantastic for tent camping (Nice and warm in the day and cool at night). They have RV hook-ups for those of you who like to rough it. (That’s really roughing it. Have you seen some of those RVs lately ?) Or for people like me there are lots of motel rooms.
Angel City is still a fantastic concept. It is an old western town for us modern cowboys and yes, cowgirls. You see a lot of cowgirls riding their cowboys, no no; I mean riding their own motorcycles. I don’t know what I was thinking about. Okay, maybe I do.
Angel City truly looks like an old west town with boardwalks and swinging saloon doors on the corners. It’s the only town I know of built specifically for bikers.
Okay, if you didn’t make it to the Spring Rally, the Fall Rally will be held October 9th-12th, 2008, so put it on your calendar. Also, if you like Bluegrass music, Angel City is having a Bluegrass Festival August 28th – 30th.
The Rally is a lot of fun with it’s bands playing all day and most of the night, the bikers games which are always entertaining, bike builders, stunt riders, shopping, food, vendors, beer, music, motorcycles, saloons and lots of excitement. Oh and lots of pretty lady. Some of these Gal’s are wearing chaps with thongs and a bikini top. What more could you ask for? Well maybe the chaps, a vest and nothing else. I can dream can’t I?
OK, your right I had to use some of last years pictures, damn camera.
See you in the fall.
Life’s short. Have fun.
Bob
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Did You Know? |
By: Houndog
If you’re heading north on I-75 in Oklahoma, when you pass through Bartlesville, you’ll come to the small town of Dewey where the Tom Mix Museum is located. Tom Mix was the Cowboy Star of the Silent Movie era. He served briefly as the town Marshal for Dewey before beginning his film career around 1909. For a mere 2 bucks, you can tour the museum which opened June 1st of 1968. Guns, saddles, and costumes used in Tom’s movie career fill the museum. There is even a theatre which replicates the old silent movie houses of yesteryear where you can experience one of the more than 300 movies Tom made during his career. The museum is owned by the Oklahoma State Historical Society and is open Tuesday through Saturday 10am to 4:30pm and on Sunday from 1pm to 4:30pm. They are closed on holidays and during the month of January. They are open on weekends only during the month of February.
Just northeast of Wichita, Kansas, on I-35, in a small town called Cassoday, Kansas, they hold a bike rally on the first Sunday of every month, beginning in March and ending in October. It’s just a one day event where bikers gather from all over to shop the vendors, enjoy the food, and check out the rows and rows of bikes that line the streets. I guess you could say it’s basically a destination that riders have chosen to give them a reason to get out and ride. It’s not uncommon for 3 to 4 thousand bikes to show up on a Sunday at Cassoday. Some riders from Oklahoma choose to make the trek to Wichita on Saturday and then on into Cassoday the following Sunday morning to experience the rally. If you’re looking for something new, you might want to check it out, because now you know!
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Sons of Anarchy
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If you’re a true motorcycle enthusiast, you are probably already aware of this new TV series on FX at 10pm on Wednesdays. It provides a Hollywood version of a look inside a 1percenter outlaw motorcycle club, based in the fictitious city of Charming, California. I mean let’s face it, who else (besides someone who rides a motorcycle) would really want to watch such a theme show? Maybe those who don’t understand the attraction and are just curious to learn something about the biker culture. If so, the fact that it’s all about the darker side of the biker lifestyle, I’m sure does more harm than good to the biker image. After all Hollywood and the media created the “bad biker” image when they grossly embellished the story about the Hollister incident and then made the movie the Wild Ones. Television has become such a propaganda tool that one could logically deduce that the show was derived to serve the purpose of further smearing the image of MC’s to put the public in a mindset that would allow politicians to enact strict legislation against organized clubs across the board. . I don’t know if it’s natural for a certain amount of cynicism to come with age, but I like to think that I am just exercising my peripheral vision of life a little more. The term “outlaw” motorcycle club originated to mean any club that did not carry an AMA charter, which is very different from those clubs who consider themselves as 1 percenters All of the “outlaw” MC’s know that anytime they are mentioned in the media, it’s not to let the public know what a great bunch of fun-loving guys they are. That’s probably why there is somewhat of a shroud of secrecy around the 1 percenter outlaw clubs which incites curiosity among the general public. At least in the movie Wild Hogs, both sides of the biker culture were represented. Oh well, it’s still cool to have a program that is geared toward bikers, even though most of us don’t live it to that extreme. Does anybody really believe anything that comes out of Hollywood anyway? Not since Then Came Bronson have we had a TV series that was all about life on motorcycles. I have to admit, as sick as I am of the wave of “reality shows” that have taken over television in the past several years, it’s actually nice to watch something that goes beyond reality a little bit (maybe more than a little bit). It’s also a chance for us all to see Katey Sagal (Peg Bundy) take on a role that requires some acting skills. It does bother me a little bit that the main character, “Jax” wears a pair of white sneakers when he rides. I would have liked for him to be a little more “Old School” in a pair of black leather boots. It will be interesting to see if it survives more than one season. Houndog
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Chucker’s Benefit Run |
By: Big Thumper
If you don’t know Chucker, you’re missing out on a great guy. The man is 73 years old and as spry as a young man. He’s a member of the American Iron Riders and is always ready to ride somewhere. But now, due to the fact that someone turned left in front of him and caused him to be involved in an accident, he is going to need a lot of therapy to get the strength and mobility back in his right arm. To help him through these trying times, his friends got together and threw a benefit poker run for him from Charlie’s Last Stand in OKC. There was the usual high hand and low hand, a 50/50 drawing, wheel spin, silent auction raffle, and a great band. There was also FREE barbeque thrown in for all participants. Chucker couldn’t ride because of his arm so Miss Ellie and Cajun drove him in her classic custom car, so he could enjoy the run. The day was a big success. Once again, people have amazed me with their generosity of time and money. Everyone be careful out there, because it seems that most car drivers aren’t.
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B B & BBQ |
By: Terri Collier
Heading out of Oklahoma into Arkansas, I was breaking my own rules by trailering my bike. But this time, I had a wonderful excuse. I had a motor home of friends, closet full of leathers, cabinets full of calories, fridge full of cold drinks and “we were East Bound and down”. Our destination was Washington County Fairgrounds, the official campgrounds of Bikes, Blues and BBQ.
Like every great bike trip, we made it about 3 miles before the first breakdown. The muffler fell off the generator, but much to my friend’s approval, we pulled off into the liquor store parking lot. “That must be a sign” were the words we heard as she ran off to retrieve the last of the week’s supplies while we dug out the bailing wire. From there, it was an easy trip straight over and a few easy miles South to the fairgrounds. And thanks to my great navigational skills, only ONCE did we have to back a quarter mile with a 34’ motor home and a 16’ trailer full of bikes in finding the entrance to the camping area. Oops my bad.
After a brief period of overly opinionated individuals, novice sewer hose engineers, transformation of a bike trailer to a luxury 2 bedroom suite and our three neighbors looking on as if watching a train wreck, camp was set up. Just a bit before sunset, we were all eager to throw a leg over the bikes and check out the pre rally festivities down on Dickson Street. With our neighbors, a/k/a new best friends forever (NBFF), in tow, we found a rather mild Tuesday night going on. But, we were able to get a table at every bar on the street!
Wednesday morning had everyone out of bed straight to an intense shine and polish session on all the bikes in the camp. A place where each of us tried one another’s best cleaning solution. I don’t think any of us would admit to anyone else having a superior product! Once all were shining brightly, we took a quick ride up to Springdale to Pig Trail Harley where that team was gearing up for the crowds of the coming week. There, I met the folks from Clear Creek Coach who provide an awesome motorcycle hearse service for those who would like it for their deceased family and friends. Now that’s going in style!
From there, we were on to the roads that we came to ride. We were headed over to Eureka Springs via Hwy. 62 and the Beaver Lake Dam loop. Unfortunately, we had one rider with us that hadn’t prepared herself for the ups, downs, twists, loops and turns of the mighty Ozark Mountains. While she had many moments of panic, threats of messy pants and high anxiety, the patient crowd she was with, encouraged her to keep at her own safe pace and by the end of the day, she felt that she had conquered the 2 wheeled world. And maybe, for once, the rest of us had actually slowed down enough to take in the true beauty of the rolling mountains, streams, trees and cliffs of Northwest Arkansas and the Northern end of Hwy 23 Pig Trail. I failed to mention, that there has never been more perfect weather for the Bikes Blues and BBQ rally. Temperatures topped out at about 77 degrees and leathers were a welcome addition after sundown. Returning to town and Dickson, we enjoyed the last night of easy parking along the street. We were also lucky enough to nab a great table right along the sidewalk where we spent time getting to know our NBFF’s from Iowa and Arkansas.
Thursday and Friday we spent much of our time checking out the many vendors, shops and Tyson Track Center area before the predicted crowds of 325,000 rolled in. There was plenty to see, buy, eat, drink and enjoy. Harley, Yamaha, Victory and Kawasaki had the demo trucks out and the lists were full both days for the 20 mile test drives that ran thru the weekend. For those more faint at heart, you could enjoy a ride between Dickson Street and Randal Tyson Track Center on the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad “Blues Train”.
Ill Conduct Harley Stunt Riders stopped me in my tracks on Friday at the Tyson Track Center. These guys can ride like none other. I’d like to explain or describe it, but you wouldn’t believe me if I did. I can just say, don’t miss them when they come to an event near you! Each time we hit the Tyson Track area, we were entertained by one of the many free Blues Bands on stage. Friday night The Allman Brothers rocked the house at the Randal Tyson Track Center. Both Friday and Saturday we were all fed more BBQ than we could eat at the two BBQ Contests. Saturday was highlighted with the Battle of the Bikes which is an awesome battle voted on by the crowd. Wow! There are some fabulous bikes to be seen and great presentations by their owners!
One of the greatest things about all of the bikes and people gathering together for this rally is the philanthropic objective that the organizers of this rally have in mind. It is ran by only 2 paid employees, 25 “Generals” of different areas and 500 volunteers. Together, they raise over $100,000 for over 30 charities. Throughout the week there are 2 poker runs with fabulous twisty, curvy runs including gorgeous views of the Arkansas mountains, both North and South of Fayetteville. These are put on by the Fayetteville Fire Fighters which only brings more firefighters out in droves. (Hello ladies! May I mention ‘eye candy’!!! )
Back down on Dickson Street, the theme is bikes, blues, bbq and well organized chaos. Many a bike builder, fame and fortune cruise and visit Dickson including the likes of Jesse James and Billy Lane. While the laughter and frolicking start kicking up at sundown, the organizers and local authority keep it under a fairly clean, fun level that seems to work for most everyone. Saturday evening the crowds and bikes are thick as the parade of over 6,000 bikes rumble thru town. It’s the end of all end alls of rallies. If you don’t find new best friends and great stories to take back home from going to Fayetteville, well…you probably didn’t go!
As is usually the story, we were the last ones out of the campground on Sunday afternoon and had to stop for a picnic on the way home just to get in one last bit of laughter. So, long story short, I’m over the fact that I trailered my bike to this rally as Saturday evening I lost a clutch cable. But in this trip I was, once again, reminded that it’s not always about the ride, but more about the journey! Ride on my friends!
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