Serving Florida’s Motorcycle & Trike Community Since 2007
The Magazine With A Map
August 2015
Motorcycle Safety Grants A Trip To The Dragon Cool Off On Our Scenic Ride Triumph’s History Peterson’s Poker Run
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Florida HOG Rally October 7 - 10, 2015 Fort Myers, FL
Visit www.flstatehogrally.com for details
Entertainment
• BIKE GAMES • MILITARY TRIBUTE • STUNT RIDERS • DRILL TEAMS • DAILY ENTERTAINMENT • AIRBOAT PIcNIc RIDE • GUIDED/SELF GUIDED RIDES • H.O.G. PARADE OF FLAGS • PRE-RALLY DEALER QUEST RIDE
Saturday • Oct. 10
Thursday • Oct. 8
Friday • Oct. 9
Adam Holbrook
Oct. 8 - 10
Oct. 10
Guided Rides. All included with your Rally Registration. Clewiston Ride Take a liesurely ride to Clewiston which is perched on Lake Okeechobee midway between Fort Myers and West Palm Beach. It is known as the sweetest town in the nation due to the sugar cane crop that is a mainstay in the area. We will visit the Tiki Bar at Roland Martin’s Marina overlooking one of the locks on the Okeechobee for lunch.
Marco Island/Goodland Ride Guided Ride to an old tiny Florida fishing village. Goodland is 6 miles East of Marco Island, but it might as well be on another planet. Goodland is nearly surrounded by water, with Goodland Bay to the north. A stop at the oldest building in Goodland, The Old Marco Lodge for lunch is a must.
Wooten’s Everglades Adventure Guided Ride to Wooten’s Everglades Adventure where you can choose from either an Airboat Ride or a Swamp Buggy Ride at a specail rate of $20.00. Owner will provide Hog Roast for H.O.G. members. Please email George at gtc1024m@yahoo.com if you are interested in this ride for an approximate headcount. Check out the website at www.wootenseverglades.com/
Visit www.flstatehogrally.com for details
DEADLINE TO REGISTER www.flstatehogrally.com
Florida Harley-Davidson Dealer’s Association
AUGUST 19, 2015
Features 4 Motorcycle Safety Grants 6 Book Review – History of Triumph 8 Biker With A Badge 11 Word Puzzle 12 Peterson’s Key West Poker Run 15 Scenic Ride Map 18 Off Road Riding 20 Road Trippin’ 22 Event Calendar
Vol. 9, Issue 8 - August 2015
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Cover Image: Image courtesy of M.W. Simpson Photography. Read the story of the ride on page 8. .
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Aug
2015
Federal Motorcycle Safety Grants & The State Of Florida
By Mike Savidge
This is the first in a series of articles that will focus on what the state and federal governments are doing in the realm of motorcycle safety starting off with a look at the Federal Motorcycle Safety Grant program. Within the 2015 Highway Safety Plan published by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) there is a section titled “Motorcycle Safety Program”. (You can read the entire document online at http://www.dot.state.fl.us/ safety/3-Grants/FDOT%20HIGHWAY%20 SAFETY%20PLAN%202015.pdf.) The program’s goal is to reduce motorcycle injuries and fatalities through awareness and enforcement. They aim to accomplish this with a broad range of strategies which include rider training and education, safety promotions, law enforcement activities, motorist awareness, and even making sure that the design and construction of roadways take motorcyclists into consideration. Administering the Motorcycle Safety Program involves a lot of people and, of course, a lot of money. There’s not only state money involved, but there are also millions in Federal Grant monies which Florida has been awarded to put towards improving motorcycle safety. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), Florida ranks 3rd on the list of states who receive Section 405 Funds which are earmarked for motorcyclist safety incentive grants. Only California and Texas receive more. instructions in accident avoidance (c) Reduction of fatalities and crashes The GHSA (www.ghsa.org) represents and other safety-oriented involving motorcycles. A State the state offices that run the programs operational skills to motorcyclists must experience a reduction for for highway safety issues. and that may include innovative the preceding calendar year in the Receiving the money isn’t as simple training opportunities to meet number of motorcycle fatalities and as a State filling out a form, sending it unique regional needs, subject to the rate of motor vehicle crashes in to Uncle Sam, and then waiting for certain requirements. involving motorcycles in the State the check to arrive. To qualify for the (b) Motorcyclist Awareness Program. (expressed as a function of 10,000 Federal Grants, states must meet at A State must have an effective registered motorcycle registrations), least one of the following criteria in statewide program to enhance subject to certain requirements. the first fiscal year of funding, and at motorist awareness of the presence (d) Impaired driving program. A State least two in subsequent years. of motorcyclists on or near roadways must implement a statewide program (a) Motorcycle Rider Training Course. and safe driving practices that avoid to reduce impaired driving, including A State must have an effective injuries to motorcyclists, subject to specific measures to reduce impaired motorcycle rider training course certain requirements. motorcycle operation, subject to that is offered throughout the certain requirements. State, provides a formal program of Continued On Page 16 4 w w w.gofarmag.com
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Aug
2015
Book Review
Review By Mike Savidge
The Complete Book of Classic and Modern Triumph Motorcycles 1937 – Today By Ian Falloon
You need not be a fan of Triumph motorcycles to appreciate this new book which covers the entire history of the nameplate. Anyone with a love of motorcycles will enjoy flipping the pages of this 260-page, coffee table style book. Ian Falloon, who is a collector of classic sport bikes and the author of more than twenty other books on motorcycles, does a superb job of giving the reader a tour through Triumph history from the company’s start as a bicycle exporter in 1886 up through the 2015 model lineup. That early bicycle company was started by a German immigrant named Siegfried Bettmann who was taking advantage of the “bicycle craze” that was sweeping Europe at the time. Adding an engineering partner led to motors being mounted to the bikes and a major time of prosperity for Triumph until the 1930’s which led to the company being bought
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out of receivership by a new management team which included Edward Turner as managing director and chief designer. Turner was responsible for the 1936 Tiger models which set a new standard for Triumph style and design. From those early Tigers up through today’s models, the book is filled with detail after detail about the different models and the ups and downs of the company through the years. Along with the tech specs for each bike, the author describes how the models were received at the time of their release, how they stacked up against the competition, the technical and marketing process, how the various Triumph competition teams were doing, along with pointing out the good and not so good of each machine.
Three machines covered 500 miles each at an average speed of ove 90 miles per hour, generating considerable publicity. By the time the Thunderbird was officially announced, 2,500 examples had been built and were already in dealer’s showrooms. Alongside the new Thunderbird for 1950 were a mildly updated Tiger 100, Speed Twin, and 3T DelLuxe, while the TR5 Trophy was identical to 1949 but for the inclusion of the stronger 6T Thunderbird gearbox. Examples with the stronger gearbox were distinguished by a speedo cable connection in the right gearbox casing.” Speed and styling have been a hallmark for Triumph and this book gives you the details on the how and why the builders and designers dealt with both. The Triumph marquee casts a long shadow on the history of motorcycles and this book The company was focused on building does an excellent job of giving the reader fast bikes as evidenced in the introduction a look at how the brand evolved from the to Chapter 2 – America and The World’s very beginning right up to today. Fastest Motorcycle. “By 1949 johnson Motors had marked their first decade with annual sales through 100 dealers of more than 1,000 bikes a year. Edward Turner was no totally convinced Triumph’s future lay in the United States, and dealers told him many American riders considered the 500cc capacity of the T100 and 5T too small when compared to Harley-Davidson and Indian V-twins. Turner responded in his typically pragmatic way, creating a 650cc twin out of the existing 500 with very little modification and hence minimal outlay. The name “Thunderbird” was inspired by the Thunderbird Motel Turner passed in South Carolina early in 1949; of American Indian origin, it was the name of a giant eagle-like bird capable of unleashing thunder and rain. In 1955 Ford adopted the name for their Thunderbird sports car, but not before entering into a legal agreement with Triumph. Turner was always intent on maximizing publicity, and he launched the new model in a high-speed demonstration at the Montlhery banked racetrack near Paris in September 1949. w w w.gofarmag.com
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2015
Biker with a Badge By M.W. Simpson
It actually felt nice and cool, at 4 AM when I left the man-cave for the rendezvous with some of the buds. Destination: North Carolina and the Tail of the Dragon. Now for some of you this is a “been there…done that” thing. For those of you who are new to long rides, the Dragon is one of the mecca’s for bikers, much like Daytona, Leesburg or Sturgis, ND. I’ll skip the rather uneventful boring ride up and pick up at our destination just outside of Cherokee, NC. Our gathering of friends took over a little 50’s style motor court called the “Gear Head Inn”. Very biker friendly, the motif for the motel is cars and bikes. All the rooms are named after models of cars like the Buick room or the Corvette room, and of course the Harley-Davidson room. The light poles around the swimming pool are giant Hurst Shifters. Although the place is very “dated”, the rooms were comfy and huge. There was nothing around us accept the abandoned motel across the street and the kudzu vines taking over the trees. This was perfect because our group had the whole motel reserved. From here we were able to break up into group to do some fantastic mountain road riding and my favorite, photography. Like I have said, it’s hard to do scenic photos when you ride in a group. Nobody wants to do stop and go riding. I was able to venture off a couple of times to finds some nice stuff to shoot. I’m a sucker for old buildings and Americana. I found a rail road bridge just off the road and grabbed some
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images. The mountain backdrops and rushing rivers are a Florida Flatlanders delight. You could spend hours in some of these little communities looking at the general stores, antique shops, touristy Native American wares and Mom & Pop restaurants. This is a far cry different than staying at a chain hotel and going to chain eateries. Back at the Gear Head, we had our own burgers and dogs BBQ with a few adult beverages, but we were hunkered down for the night. The next day was “THE DRAGON”. A couple of our guys hit it for the first time. We of course stopped at Deal’s Gap at the bottom of the tail. It’s a little motel and souvenir shop where everyone gathers to prepare for the run. Everyone walks over to the “Tree of Shame” for a look. This is a big tree adorned with the body parts of motorcycles that were bit by the Dragon (crashed). GOPROs on and up the NC side of the Dragon we went. It’s an intense 11 mile ride with 318 twisting turns. The worst part is that this road is open to all vehicles, including semi-trucks! We made our way up the Dragon passing by the photo stands where your picture is taken so you can go on line and buy them. You reached the top where there is a scenic pull over and you talk about the run. Then either you continue on into Tennessee or it’s back down the tail, which is what we did. Then it happened. On coming vehicle flashing headlights at us. Surely this meant trouble up the road. Then we saw people on the roadway motioning us to go slow. “Biker Down”!! One either stupid or inexperienced biker crossed the center line and took out another biker. We creeped through the scene
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and the debris of parts and motor fluids. The bike in front of me, going walking speed, rolled through the oil and the wheel went right out from under him. Luckily no damage or injury, except to his pride. But hey fans, that was one of those, there ain’t nothing you can do about it. Oil and transmission fluid on the road spells disaster for bikers. BE Careful and attempt to avoid at all costs, or even stop on the side of the road. The ride home was interesting. In a way, by luck, our road captains GPS when on the fritz taking onto another mountain pass road out of our way. However, we happened upon a cool pullover with a water fall you can go behind. Very cool. The ride was great and I’m going to head out again, solo, very soon for a photo safari into the Georgia area, Get adventurous and get out there and GOFAR. B-Safe.
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We know you like Road Trips but how much do you know about the State Nicknames and Capital Cities? Answers - page 27.
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1. New Jersey - The ______ State 2. The Cornhusker State 3. Texas - Lone ____ State 5. South Dakota - Mount ________ State 6. North Dakota - The _____ Garden State 7. The Cowboy State 8. The Old Dominion State 11. The Aloha State 13. Augusta is the capital. 15. The Peach State 17. The North Star State 19. Capital is Helena 21. Capital of Arkansas is Little ____ 22. The Buckeye State 23. Massachusetts - The ___ State
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4. New York - The ______ State 6. Illinois - The _______ State 9. Capital of North Carolina 10. Boise is the capital. 12. Mississippi - The ________ State 14. The Beehive State 16. Montgomery is the capital. 18. Capital of South Carolina 20. The Beaver State 24. Rhode Island - The _____ State 25. The Great Lakes State 26. The Hawkeye State 27. The Pelican State
Aug
Word Puzzle
State Your Answer
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EclipseCrossword.com
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2015
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Aug
2015
Cool Springs Ride
It’s HOT! With one of the hottest summers in years it’s time to seek some relief at two of Florida’s cool natural springs. Rainbow Springs is our starting point on a tour of farms and forests as you make your way to Ichetucknee State Park. Both offer swimming, tubing, nature trails and more to give you some respite from the Florida heat. You can even camp at Rainbow Springs. Don’t forget to pack your swimsuits!
Road Name
Direction
Miles Total
Start at Rainbow Springs State Park near Dunellon SW 180th Ave North 4.6 SR 40 E Right 7.7 NW 110th Ave Left 4.4 US 27 Right 0.5 NW Hwy 225 Left 3.2 CR 326 Left 9.0 SE 32nd Place Left 0.4 US 41 Right 0.3 CR 326/SE 30th St Left 8.7 CR 337 Right 9.3 SR 337 Strait 0.1 NE CR 337/Pennsylv. Ave Strait 1.7 US 27 ALT/E Hathaway Left 3.7 CR 339 Right 12.4 US 129 Right 0.9 SR 47/Trenton Blvd Right 17.5 CR 138 Left 8.1 US 129 Right 4.2 US 27 Right 5.1 Arrive at Ichetucknee Springs State Park Photos Courtesy of The Florida Department of Environmental Protection
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12.3 16.7 17.2 20.4 29.4 29.8 30.1 38.8 48.1 48.2 49.9 53.6 66.0 66.9 81.4 89.5 93.7 98.8
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Š 2015 Go For A Ride Magazine
Aug
2015
Federal Motorcycle Safety Florida Comprehensive Motorcycle Grants & The State Of FL Safety Program - $575,000
Continued From Page 4 (e) Reduction of fatalities and accidents involving impaired motorcyclists. A State must experience a reduction for the preceding calendar year in the number of fatalities and the rate of reported crashes involving alcoholand drug-impaired motorcycle operators (expressed as a function of 10,000 motorcycle registrations), subject to certain requirements. (f) Use of fees collected from motorcyclists for motorcycle programs. A State must have a process under which all fees collected by the State from motorcyclists for the purposes of funding motorcycle training and safety programs are to be used for motorcycle training and safety programs, subject to certain requirements. The full details and all of the requirements for NHTSA’s Incentive Grant Criteria for Motorcyclist Safety Program are online at http://www.nhtsa. gov/nhtsa/whatsup/TEA21/GrantMan/ HTML/motorcycle_safety.html. The Federal Grants are awarded and managed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). If a state meets the criteria and is awarded a motorcycle safety grant, the money can only be used for Motorcycle Safety. Not for such things as promoting helmet legislation. They can improve training curricula and training materials, procure or repair training motorcycles and facilities, and increase public awareness. At the state level, FDOT has a State Safety Office which is tasked with managing the grants. Along with the motorcycle safety grants, the Safety Office also handles programs for Aging Road Users, Impaired Driving, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, Teen Driver Safety, Community Traffic Safety, Occupant Protection and Child Passenger Safety, Police Traffic Services, Speed and Aggressive Driving, Traffic Records, and the Traffic Record Coordinating Committee (TRCC). As you can see, there’s a lot of money being spent on safety by our State and National governments. What are the current grant programs that are underway and what are their costs? 16
The goal of this program is to support motorcycle activities throughout the state with an emphasis on the top ten counties with motorcycle fatalities. The grant provides support for Florida’s Motorcycle Safety Strategic Plan which is managed by FDOT and the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Motorcycle Program Evaluation And Data Collection - $100,000 CUTR conducts behavioral and statistical studies of motorcyclists to determine the effectiveness of the comprehensive motorcycle safety programs and the Florida Rider Training Program.
Motorcycle Education & Injury Prevention In Trauma Centers $200,000 To help reduce fatalities and serious injuries, the University of Miami will manage a statewide trauma initiative in level one and level two Trauma Centers which will include safety related educational programs for all hospital staff involved in treating motorcycle accident victims. Safety Motorcycle And Rider Techniques (Smart) - $20,000 The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office will offer the SMART training program to the public in an effort to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.
Broward County Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Program - $64,028 Motorcycle Helmet Observation Funds for overtime salary, the Survey - $100,000 purchase of two covert motorcycles, CUTR will conduct observational and video equipment will be given to the studies to determine helmet use by Broward County Sheriff’s Office to help Florida motorcycle riders. increase enforcement. This program involves using undercover investigative PSA Analysis, Management And Focus techniques with the goal of changing Group Testing - $50,000 motorcycle rider behaviors. Focus group interviews will be conducted by CUTR to better understand Motorcycle Safety Education And the attitudes of motorcyclists and their Awareness Campaign - $19,190 perception to messages regarding These funds go to the Ocala Police motorcycle safety to see which media department to help them target unsafe outlets are most effective. motorcyclists and to partner with HarleyDavidson to promote motorcycle safety events. Continued On Page 28
A performance plan is required for all safety grants. This table shows speeding-related fatalities for each year and the linear trend in motorcyclist fatalities for Florida.
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Aug
2015
Off Road Riding: Another Great Retires
By Lowell Anderson
Yesterday I ran across a post on Facebook that was sad to read. Ryan Villopoto announced his retirement from professional racing. I wrote an article about the anticipation of Ryan racing the MXGP circuit in January. When Ryan announced that he was going to be racing the MXGP for the 2015 season, there was a ton of speculation floating around about his results. Many of the fans in the US believed Ryan would simply clean house. He was by far the fastest rider in the states and many believed he would experience the same success overseas. After the first race, it was clear this wouldn’t be the case. Ryan didn’t do very well, and it was clearly evident that winning this championship simply wasn’t going to be that easy. Ryan is by far one of the most talented riders living today. He has proven that many times winning 9 National championships over the last 10 years. That being said, MXGP is a different style of racing altogether. The tracks are long, wide and extremely fast. There are few obstacles on these tracks compared to the venues in the US. There is no slowing down for obstacles or relaxing over the jumps in this type of racing. This is drop the gate a pin-it for 30 plus minutes! Reading Ryan’s press release, he explained that he suffered multiple fractures to his tailbone in an accident 18
during the MXGP while trying to make a pass. He also mentioned that he could recover from that injury, but there was also some compression of the discs in his lower back. Ryan didn’t believe that he would be able to recover fully to compete at the level he always has tried to achieve. Reading this announcement saddened me because I have always enjoyed watching Ryan race. He clearly has the drive and competitive spirit that so many racers share. I also think that Ryan made the right decision. He doesn’t have anything left to prove, and it’s time for him to just enjoy his life. Many years ago when Jeremy McGrath announced his retirement, I remember being with the KTM race team in Switzerland for one of the European rounds. It was clearly evident that Jeremy wasn’t 100% committed to racing in those opening rounds. In a closed door meeting, he announced that he wanted to retire from racing. I remember the statement of not being 100% committed and that could eventually cause him to get seriously injured when competing at this level. I remember being upset about the announcement because he was KTM’s hope of actually winning some races that season. I also
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remember thinking that he was probably making the right decision. It is always sad to see someone retire from a sport they have been so successful in. That being said, life is simply full of changes and eventually every great competitor must make way for the young upcoming racers. Sometimes knowing when to quit is more important than quieting the critics. Now we will have to see who can step up to fill his shoes!
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Aug
2015
Road Trippin’ By Kylee
Pet Travel 101
of my smaller brothers and sisters are content traveling in a crate attached to the buddy seat or the back rack and some bigger ones even have their own side car! It really doesn’t matter how you do it, Make sure your license-tags are up to there are always gonna be risks involved, date Ranger Rick just might wanna check motorcycle touring isn’t the safest means ‘em out and be sure you’ve been micro of travel no matter how you chew the bone. chipped with all current information. It never hurts to have a separate ID tag also. One last point, problems are gonna come Word of warning tho, don’t put your name up anytime you are traveling away from on the tag. Just put: Micro chipped, daily home. Be sure your travel buddy has some medication and your companion’s cell basic animal first aide knowledge and has number on it. Not everyone is honest, if the 24 hour emergency telephone number My name is Kylee. I am a brown eyed four you get kidnapped knowing your name of your vet. In an emergency they can at paw Biker Babe. I was adopted from the is a huge benefit for ‘em and if they think least call and get some over the phone Akita Rescue in Jacksonville and what a you need daily medication they might turn advice. life changing adventure it’s been. Since you loose and at least you have a chance to that day I’ve been to all the lower 48 states get found by an honest person or even the Be sure to sniff out next month issue. cruising the highways and byways in my local dog catcher who will call your buddy chariot. or take you to a vet to get the chip read. Wishing you a dog gone good trip! Now I don’t want to mislead any of my four footed brothers and sisters, getting started diffidently took some serious work and patience but eventually Hyway got his act together. I’m here to tell ya it’s been a fantastic adventure. First things first. None of us like goin’ to the vet, but like havin’ to get a bath, it’s a necessary evil. Before ya even think ‘bout goin’ on a road trip you’re gonna wanna make sure you’re current on all vaccinations, including “Kennel Cough”. You never know where you might end up spending the night or even a few days when on a road trip, could be a rest area, a campground, a motel or even a friends or relatives house. While I’m on the subject of prevention, those pesky parasites like fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and worm larvaeggs are everywhere! Be sure to keep up on your Heart Worm meds and flea and tick preventive, not only for your comfort but to keep your travel companion from going ballistic one morning waking up to find they’ve spent the night sleeping in a flea infested sleeping bag or covered with ticks that have been feasting on them all night! Hygiene is IMPORTANT; no one likes the smell of B-O whether it’s K9 or human or to get covered in hair when they pet you. Remember you’re gonna be sleeping in a small tent or at best a small room so keepin’ clean counts. Whenever possible rinse off in a lake or stream but never use any type of soap or shampoo in lakes or 20
streams. Most camp sites have some type of water supply for the campers so take a good shampoo bath from time to time; a good brushing is always appreciated.
I know it’s beyond comprehension but there are some folks who just don’t like dogs or cats so make sure your travel buddy is aware of that. Respect their opinion, don’t invade their space. The best way to change someone’s opinion about you is to be on your best behavior. Even the most enthusiastic animal lover doesn’t like being jumped on, or havin’ to listen to continuous obnoxious barking! Basic obedience training is your best bet for converting a non-believer. The training needs to be well established so that you will be welcome in most places. The two most important commands is the recall and stay command. There will be times when you just can’t go in an establishment with your companion so learning to stay and wait is extremely important. Teaching your travelin’ bud to be aware of your comfort while waitin’ for ‘em is also extremely important. They need to be aware animal lovers are every where watching out for us and they’re not bashful about expressing their opinions or callin’ “Johnny Law”! You’ll be surprised at how often the folks in charge will “bend” the rules and let you come in from the hot summer heat if you don’t stink, are clean, and well behaved. The next thing that needs to be figured out is how you are going to travel. I personally travel in a trailer or as I call it my chariot I love the wind in my face and hair (LOL!!! Helmet laws don’t apply to us!). The best option is gonna depend on your size, some w w w.gofarmag.com
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Submission Deadline 10th of Month mailbox@gofarmag.com SUN - Jul 26 - Lehigh Acres 4TH SUNDAY MONTHLY KATI’S PARTY @ MUGS N’ JUGS 12-4pm Bike Games, Contests, Prizes, Music and More! 5512 8th St W, Info: 239369-5069
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Aug
2015
Kruisin With Kati By Kruisin With Kati
this for me, I wasn’t nervous heading out this morning, I was comfortable with the idea of riding. I look forward to getting back to doing more rides. Even though today’s ride was short it was a reminder of why I enjoy riding. Heading out with the wind in my hair and the sun on my face, it felt like old times. Cows in the fields, a panther crossing in front of us, hawks up on the electric pole, and buzzards cleaning the highway… what a great day! I love being out in nature on my bike. Howdy friends, how’s it going? Going Other than what I’ve mentioned there crazy over in these parts. I’m sure I isn’t a whole lot more to report. Have a told you I was going to be looking for a great summer, drink lots of fluids, it’s so new place to live that can accommodate very hot out there… lots of hugs and see our dog and give us more freedom to ya next month. Kruisin With Kati do what we want when we want. Well we’ve found that place. Bought an older house with lots of acres for Bella to run and lots of room for me to have friends over. And one of my favorite likes about it is I get to see bikes go by ALL the time. I’m already trying to plan my birthday banana split parties with the bikers at our place like we use to do years ago. So with all this moving and stuff going on I really haven’t had much time for riding. Think about it a lot but finding a way to take a load of stuff with me on the bike to the new to us home just hasn’t worked out yet. Deadline for the previous owner is up and she’s moving as I write this. Now to get to all the stuff that needs to be done so I can start moving in. I’d like to take delivery of the August edition of the magazine at the new location. That would make me smile. I’ll keep ya posted. Now let’s see what’s been going on with the bike? Oh yes the recall issues… as far as I know everything is ok now. Tom and I did a Sunday breakfast run to Kountry Kitchen in Immokalee. Not a long way to go but it was enough to see if I was going to have any reoccurring issues. A few weeks ago after getting the bike back from Harley a very good biker friend offered to take the bike out for a few hours and run it every which way but loose. Stopping, going, hard braking and whatever else he could think of. His goal was to get the clutch to act up like it did for me. He had no problems at all and reassured me that whatever Harley did he felt the issue was taken care of. Vic, thank you so very, very much for offering to do 24
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2015
Rollin’ With Rikki
By Rikki
It’s hard to believe summer is about half over already! There’s no doubt, it has been a hot and rainy one. I’ve had so much going on I have to “sneak” a ride in here and there. There’s a great new place in the SW area called the Twisted Spoke Saloon. Ron and Rhonda, the owner/operators, are bikers and wonderful hosts. Their Grand Opening was fantastic withfood, music, and a lot of prize giveaways. They will have bike nights on Saturdays. So make sure you stop by, say ‘Hi’ enjoy the a/c and make some new friends! Ride Safe and stay Cool my friends! See you on the road
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2015
Federal Motorcycle Safety Grants & The State Of FL
Continued From Page 16 Preventing Street Racing Through Legal Alternatives - $50,000 The motorsports team from the Florida State University Police Department will do promotions at amateur level events to promote motorcycle safety and discourage illegal street racing.
five Highway Safety Planners, and two Financial Specialists. They are responsible for overseeing the development of the Highway Safety Performance Plan and for administering the highway safety subgrant funds that Florida receives. The goal is to develop and implement an effective Highway Safety Performance Plan. Since staff members are Ride Smart Media Campaign - $400,000 responsible for multiple program areas, This is part of the Paid Media portion their salaries are charged to Planning of the safety campaign. This project gives and Administration and not to a specific funds to CUTR at USF to purchase media program area. advertisements in multiple markets to promote the “Ride Smart” concept. The campaign is marketed in those areas with a high concentration of motorcycle registrations and accidents. Those counties are: Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Volusia, Hillsborough, Pinnellas, Orange, Duval, Lee and Polk. The goal is to reduce accidents and injury through rider education. Impaired Motorcycle Safety Campaign - $300,000 These funds are given to CUTR to use for media advertisements in multiple markets to promote the “Drink + Ride = Lose” campaign. This is a statewide effort to cut down on impaired riders with an emphasis in the top 10 counties. Share the Road PSA Campaign $210,000 CUTR will contract with multiple media outlets to promote the “Look Twice” campaign. Most of the funding will go to the top 10 counties but the funds will also be utilized in other areas where motorcycle events take place. Of course none of this can be accomplished without the staff to execute the plans so there’s a grant to help cover the cost of administration. Operation of the Traffic Safety Section - $320,000 The Florida Department of Transportation will be reimbursed 50% for the salary and benefits costs of up to seven full time employees. The staff includes a Traffic Safety Administrator,
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As you can see, there are a lot of government programs being implemented in the name of motorcycle safety. Some of you may think this is a good idea while I know there are others who view just about anything the government does as an intrusion on their “rights”. No matter your view, these programs are using your tax dollars so you’ll likely be interested in the progress their making and the results obtained. (To Be Continued)
August 15th, 2015 Safety Harbor VFW Patriot Express Florida Honor Run, Poker Run and Rally Gold Ticket: $25 - (4) Poker hands, Dinner, 1 Raffle ticket
Silver Ticket: $10 - (2) Poker hands, buy additional hands $5 Bronze Ticket: $10 - Dinner Winners will receive… st
1 Place $100 nd 2 Place $50
Poker Run & Rally Saturday st
1 stop – PMA Cycle – 925 Harbor Lake Dr Safety Harbor KSU @ 12:00
All proceeds raised will be donated to: Operation Military Embrace For further information please see www.operationmilitaryembrace.com Remembering Vietnam, “OME”, a Christ-centered organization, is dedicated to ensuring that OIF (Iraq) and OEF (Afghanistan) veterans and all who served during this period of war are not treated with hostility and disrespect as were those who served with honor and distinction in Vietnam.
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2 stop – VFW101674619 Bartelt Rd Tarpon Springs - 12:30-1:30 rd
3 stop - American Legion275- 360 Wilson St, Dunedin - 2:00-3:00 th
4 stop – VFW927210997 72nd Ave, Seminole, FL 3:30-4:30
5:30pm Last bike in at VFW10093 Safety Harbor - 965 Harbor Lake Ct. 6:30pm BBQ dinner, music and guest speaker at the VFW
The Patriot Express is made possible by donors like you and by our "State Captains," a band of volunteers across the states, who organize our rallies, rides, and fundraisers. By keeping our expenses low, we are able to invest significant amounts into our service.
95% of all money raised goes directly to aid our military families.
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For more information, please contact Garry Dodds - garry@pmacycle.com or (727-858-9776)
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