Old Biker, Young Biker, and Chili

A duded-up city rider walks into a seedy tavern in Sturgis, SD. He sits at the bar and notices a grizzled old biker with his arms folded, staring blankly at a full bowl of chili.

After fifteen minutes of just sitting there staring at it, the newby rider bravely asks the old biker, 'If you ain't gonna eat that, mind if I do?'

The old veteran of a thousand rides slowly turns his head toward the young pup and says, 'Nah, you go ahead.'

Eagerly, the guy wearing the shiny new leather fashions reaches over and slides the bowl into his place and starts spooning it in with delight. He gets nearly down to the bottom of the bowl and notices a dead mouse in the chilli.

The sight was very shocking and he immediately barfed up the chili back into the bowl. The old biker quietly says, 'Yep, that's as far as I got, too.'

BARB'S TOP 10 LIST

It has been about ten years since Bruce bought a Harley, and we began riding seriously. Although Bruce has had motorcycles since he was about fourteen, our 1997 Heritage Springer was the first Harley-Davidson he owned in a long time. In the last ten years, and four Harleys later, we have met many great people and have seen things we never thought we would see (The top of Mount Washington, Yellowstone National Park, charging buffalo). This is my top ten list of things I have learned in ten years on the road.

1. Dress warmer that you think is necessary.

2. Always carry rain gear, even if you are leaving on a clear and sunny day.

3. Never pass up a chance to go to the restroom.

4. Never eat at a place called Grandma’s.

5. Buzzards can fly 35 miles an hour.

6. Hail hurts.

7. How silly you look when you drop your bike is in direct proportion to how many people are looking,,,,, (downtown Sturgis.)

8. There is a lot more stuff inside a bug than you would think.

9. Pass trucks carrying livestock as quickly as possible. (That wasn’t rain on the windshield.)

10. Buffalo are wild and dangerous animals. Do not approach.

GO GREEN & SAVE GAS

Vic is taking orders for this new HYBRID bike.

GROUP RIDING & HAND SIGNALS

GROUP RIDING,,,,
http://www.sunsethog.com/groupRiding.html


HAND SIGNALS,,,,,
http://www.mnpatriotguard.org/safety/hand.htm

Never Ever Trust a Green Light

CONSCIENCE

We are jealous of our freedoms -- as we should be -- and it may be difficult to draw a clear line between freedom and the rules that restrict it. Consider this photo...

This dude is obviously free! Apparently he is enjoying himself and as far as can be seen, harming no one. So can you say that he is in the Land of Freedom, or has he ridden past the Border of Responsibility? There seems to be no other nearby traffic (if you discount the photographer's vehicle) and a lack of visible damage to the Harley is testimony to the rider's skill -- or luck. Assume with me that he has no relatives or companions who would feel loss were he killed, or have to bear the burden of his care were he injured. If he is talking to someone on the Cell-phone (how can anyone hear with the wind noise?) it might be no one who has any relationship with him. Assume that the bike is paid for and not insured. Would you say that the worst thing he is possibly doing is setting a bad example for juveniles or the weak-minded who see him riding like this? So --- where is the border between what you want and what you should? And, equally important, how can you tell you have crossed that boundary? Can you build, buy, or invent a mechanism that can be calibrated to set off an alarm as you approach the border? What this misguided individual is doing -- regardless of the presence of absence of witnesses or the lack of any physical damage -- is diminishing his own value. His reckless disregard for his own safety and security wears away and decreases the justifiable concern he must have for himself. Without that he cannot have any sense of the real value of others. The amount of loss "per event" may be so small as to be difficult to perceive; but nonetheless there is some erosion. Eventually a person who habitually demeans himself in this manner will also demean everyone else. The "alarm system" that warns us when approaching the fogbound border of Responsibility is called conscience. If you want to make an exhaustive study of the concept, go here; http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04268a.htm otherwise use the short form from my Unabridged Dictionary

Conscience: Knowledge or feeling of right or wrong; the facility, power, or principle of a person which decides on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of his actions, with a compulsion to do right; moral judgment that prohibits or opposes the violation of a previously recognized ethical principle.

The problem? A conscience is not something you can run to the corner mini-mart and buy; it is the product of time and effort. You have to build your own! It is safe to say that the relaxed dude on the Harley has failed the rest of humanity by neglecting to form a fully-functioning conscience, and in the failure, he demeans himself and all of us

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Twas the night before Christmas,
And not until Spring
Would a motor be running,
not even a Wing.

The bikes are all sleeping,
they're covered and warm,
Batteries are tended,
nylon covers their form.

My Bros were all nestled down snug in their beds,
While visions of new chrome danced in their heads.
And I in my do-rag, bike jacket and boots
Out shoveling snow, and dreaming of scoots.

Then from the horizon there came such a clatter
My shovel I dropped, what could be the matter?
Away up the hill, I slogged through the snow
Looked up at the sky; where'd all that noise go?

Then a throb from the heavens,
like straight pipes so hearty
Gave Summers' good thoughts,
a loud bikers' party.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a Hog Ultra Classic, Red trailer in rear!
With a little old rider, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than a V-Rod his Ultra came on,
And he whistled, and shouted, and sang out this song;
"Now, Springer! Now, Dyna! On Ultra and Softail!
Now Vulcan! Now Injun! On Vict'ry and Triumph!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now RIDE away! RIDE away! RIDE away all!"
As small bikes that from the semis do fly,
When they meet with the air blast, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top that Ultra it flew
With a trailer of goodies, and ole' St. Nick too
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The rumble and thunder of pipes that gave proof.

I ran in the house, boots thumping around,
And in came St. Nick all bearded and round
Dressed all in black leather, from do-rag to boot
His chaps were all tarnished with road grime and soot;

A T-bag of goodies he'd flung on his back
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack
His shades -- how they twinkled! his do-rag how scary!
With chains intertwined, through skulls that were cherry!

His droll little mouth had done many a row,
So the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
The smoke had a strange smell; it gave him relief.

He had a broad face and a large fat beer belly
That shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly
He was tattooed and plump, a right jolly old rider,
So I offered a cold brew, thought what could be righter?

A wink of his eye as he downed that cold beer,
Gave me to know I had nothing to fear
He spoke not a word, but went straight to my ride
And fixed it with Chrome, Horsepower and Pride

And giving the peace sign with bikers' good cheer
Strode off to his Ultra rumbling near
He sprang on the saddle, his gloves on the bars
A wheelie he threw; then off towards the stars

I heard him exclaim, as my chest swelled with pride
"Merry CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD RIDE!"

I C E CAMPAIGN- In Case of Emergency

We ride motorcycles.

This is a great idea but it's especially great for those of us riding motorcycles with all the people in cars talking on cell phones, putting on makeup, eating hamburgers, and tuning their ipods.

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends. If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) Campaign. The concept of "ICE" is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name "ICE" ( In Case Of Emergency). The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as "ICE." For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference! Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile phones today! This concept could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest . ICE will speak for you when you are not able to. Pass this information on to all you know.

50,000 Names Carved in a Wall

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/singingman7/TNOTW.htm

LIVE BY IT

http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/Riders/Creed_Video.jsp?locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US&camp_id=13&source_cd=yahoo_expcreed

Joining the Patriot Guard

For those interested in joining Patriot Guard Riders -

1. Go to http://www.patriotguardriders.org/
2. Scroll all the way over to the right & click on Register.
3. E-mail the State Captains listed below to get in the mission notification database.

We have to e-mail each state captain, give them our e-mail addressess & request that we be notified when there is a mission in the state. See below ---

Ohio OhioCaptains@patriotguard.org
Pa waitaminit@patriotguard.org
WV wva@patriotguard.org
All States:
http://www.patriotguard.org/LeadershipContacts/StateCaptainsContactsPage/tabid/57/Default.aspx

Link to Patriot Guard videos,,,,,,

http://www.patriotguard.org/tabid/226/ctl/ArticleView/mid/665/articleId/90/Memorial-Day-Tribute-Video-Click-to-leave-comments-and-read-video-upload-guidelines.aspx

Strangers on Steel Horses

http://my.break.com/media/view.aspx?ContentID=211992

SOUNDS - Turn your speakers on for this one

Check this out,,,, which one sounds best to you????http://www.bmcycles.com/harleyVShonda.swf

But, You Didn't See Me

But, You Didn't See Me

I saw you hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.
But, you didn't see me put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk.
But, you didn't see me playing Santa at the local mall.

I saw you change your mind about going into the restaurant.
But, you didn't see me attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you roll up your window and shake your head when I drove by.
But, you didn't see me driving behind you when you tossed your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you frown at me when I smiled at your children.
But, you didn't see me when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless kids.

I saw you stare at my long hair.
But, you didn't see me and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you roll your eyes at our leather coats and gloves.
But, you didn't see me and my brothers donate our old coats and gloves to those that had none.

I saw you look in fright at my tattoos.
But, you didn't see me cry as my children were born and how I have their names written upon my heart.

I saw you change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.
But, you didn't see me going home to be with my family.

I saw you complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be.
But, you didn't see me when you where changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you yelling at your kids in the car.
But, you didn't see me pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road.
But, you didn't see me squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you race down the road in the rain.
But, you didn't see me get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time.
But, you didn't see me trying to turn right.

I saw you cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in.
But, you didn't see me leave the road.

I saw you waiting impatiently for my friends to pass.
But, you didn't see me,,,, I wasn't there.

I saw you go home to your family.
But, you didn't see me,,,, Because I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker,,,,,,A person with friends and a family.
BUT, YOU DIDN'T SEE ME !!!

Author Unknown