Table of Contents What’s Shakin’ Cruising with Cri er Biker 101: The Life of Don
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One Armed Bandit by Angie 2017 Dunnville Hospital Charity Ride Dangerous Donnie from Durham Adventures in the Deep South November 2017 Shop of the Month
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December, 2017 Shop of the Month Jessie Lee Whispers of a Neoteric Nomad Motorcyco Beau Figh ng for Your Rights Gone But Not Forgo en 3 Wheel’n with Wheelz Biker Friendly Business Guide Biker Church Just East of the Rockies Biker 101: The Life of Don Joke Page
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Oct 29th - London Motorcycle Swap Meet Off to London we go for the next swap meet at IBEW, 6688 Tempo Road. You won’t want to miss out on all the great people, and bikes. Look forward to seeing you there! For more info or Vendor spaces Call 705321-0334 or check out www.motorcycleswapmeet.ca
Oct. 30th – Clare’s Harley-Davidson® 2018 Demo Days Test Ride a New 2018 Harley Davidson® from 10 AM ll 4 PM at Clare’s 590 York Rd. Niagara on the Lake, You must have a Valid Motorcycle License, Approved Helmet & Proper Riding Gear. For more info check out www.claresharleydavidson.com
November Nov 3rd – We The Inspired Launch Party Come join us this Friday @ 7pm as we officially launch! Meet the Founder and hear the story that started it all. You can also see Samples of our items and make a purchase or two. 10% of all sales will be donated to the We Ma er Campaign to help our Indigenous Youth succeed. No charge entry, light snacks, beverages and many other cool things, so don’t miss out on the fun! You will find us @ The Freedom Factory, 22 Dover Court, Toronto.
Nov. 5th – Big Al’s 5th Annual Swap Meet Chatham Big Al’s Swap Meet turns 5!! Be sure to come out and join us again this year for another great me! Sponsored by Bacchus MC, you will find everyone @ the Kent Belgium Dutch Canadian Club, 34 Byng Ave in Chatham. This could be your one stop shop for the parts or accessories you have been praying for. With only a $5 Admission for adults and kids under 12 are Free. The fun start at 10 am and is expected to run un l 3pm. For more info or Table space call 306-202-7522, we can’t wait to see you all there! www. BacchusMCOntario.com
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Nov. 5th – 5th Annual Motorcycle Swap Meet Peterborough
At The Morrow Building, 151 Lansdowne St. West, in Peterborough. 9am to 3 pm. A Fall tradi on in Peterborough, S ll only $10 Admission, over 100 Vendors, Park and Sell your Bike or become a Vendor and get your Garage cleaned out. For more Informa on call 705-340-2130 or email ptboswapmeet@hotmail.com or check out their Facebook Page www.facebook.com/ ptboswapmeet
Nov. 18th- A Very Classy Christmas
Be sure to join the Classy Chassis gang Nov 18th for their annual Christmas party. More details to follow, or check them out at www.usedhd.com
Nov. 24th – P.D. Restora on’s Annual Holiday Open House
4192 Perkins Rd. London, 4pm – 11pm Come on out and enjoy a night on us, Door prizes all night, Free Food and Drinks The Whole Store is on Sale. Please bring along a non perishable food item for the London Food Bank. For more details check out www.pdrestora on.ca or 519-652-6200
SCOTTY’S CYCLE SHOPPE 519-245-4205
Nov. 30th – Hogtown Cycle’s Ladies Night
Here’s the night the ladies have been wai ng for! It’s Christmas at Hog Town for the ladies. An evening filled with great refreshments, prizes, and sales galore! Who doesn’t love a great sale? Hog Town has you covered for the taxes too, so don’t break a sweat about that nonsense. There will be free gi wrapping, and gi registra on for those who know exactly what they want. Just contact Teresa, and she will be happy to help; teresa@hogtowncycles.ca. 164 Main St. in Lucan, 6-8pm. For more info www.hogtowncycles.ca
December Dec. 7th - Hogtown Cycles Men’s Night
There Ain’t No Night Like a Men’s Night!!! Men leave the Ladies at home cause it’s your turn this week!! The folks at Hog Town are sure to do the evening up right with refreshments, Door Prizes, Free gi wrapping, and AMAZING instore specials! 164 Main St. in Lucan, 6-8pm. Don’t forget to ask Teresa help you get what you REALLY want this year with her gi registra on; teresa@hogtowncycles.ca
Dec. 9th – Clares H-D Niagara Holiday Open House
This talented bunch is having their annual Holiday open house Saturday Dec 9th this year! Save 15% off of ALL regular priced items. You can also save up to 50% off select clearance Items! Be sure to show your support for Pelham Cares, and bring an unwrapped gi or non-perishables. There will be lots of door prizes and draws, plus Coffee and donuts for those early risers. 590 York Rd. Niagara On The Lake.
Dec 9th – Clares Cycle & Sports Fenwick Joys For Toys
For those of you who can’t make it out to Clares H-D Holiday bash in NIagara, be sure to join their brothers and sisters in Fenwick! They are also having their annual Holiday Toy Drive and Open House. The fes vi es start at 9am and finish around 3pm. Bring an unwrapped gi or non-perishable in support of Pelham Cares. Meet and Greet with Santa is from noon-1pm, and there will be door prizes, draws, and sales sales SALES! Located @ 799 hwy 20 West, Fenwick.
Dec 16th - Hogtown Cycles Annual Christmas Open House
MERRY CHRISTMAS, from the folks at Hog Town! It’s that me of the year when Santa recognizes just how “nice” the Hog Town family is, and invites everyone to the Christmas celebra ons star ng at 10am un l 4pm. There will be door prizes, live music, food, sales, and of course the big man in red. Santa will be doing meet and greets with photos between noon and 2pm. Be sure to bring an unwrapped gi or non-perishable food item for the Middlesex Food Bank. 164 Main St. in Lucan, 6-8pm www.hogtowncycles.ca
January Jan. 5th 6th & 7th – 42nd Annual North American Interna onal Supershow The Big One at The Interna onal Centre on Airport Road in Toronto. Friday Noon ll 10pm, Saturday 10am ll 9pm and Sunday 10am ll 5pm. Canada’s Largest Motorcycle Show, Free Parking. For more informa on check out www.motorcyclesupershow.ca or call 1-888-661-SHOW (7469) Jan 29th – Bacchus MC Beachville Swap Meet
At the Colombo Club of Oxford, 434719 West Hill Line in Beachville. 10AM – 3PM, Tons of vendors, Admission is only a $5 Dona on with kids 12 and under free! For more Informa on call Hutch 226-339-5184
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Well we finally got some decent weather, albeit late in the season. It actually appears that our seasons and weather pa erns are changing things up and the weather that we used to experience in June July and August we are ge ng in September and October and hopefully extend into November. Speaking of changes, we are undergoing some here at The Good Ship Riders Mag as our long suffering, former, Managing Editor, Al has moved on and is no longer with us. He has done a great job and his graphic skills made the Mag look good for the past, almost five years. We have been through a lot and survived some choppy seas and weathered some storms together over those mes and it saddens me to see him go, but change is inevitable and we all have our seasons and reasons! I WISH HIM WELL IN HIS NEW VENTURES! Moving forward, we are bringing in some new people with some serious skills and some of those “old hands” who have been in the background for a while are stepping forward, to keep the old boat afloat and perhaps bring in some fresh posi ve changes and new perspec ves! I’m very happy with the jobs that our new Riders Mag Representa ves are doing as they hone their Roving Reporter skills in an effort to ease the strain and the pain of this old dog as I have to try to get into the slow lane! Chantel is proving to be a real asset to me, both in the office, and at events! Her boundless energy, enthusiasm, drive combined with young legs really make a tremendous difference and my du es have been reduced to mostly just ge ng us there and visi ng with the friends that I have made over the years while she bounds around like a gazelle, camera and notebook in hand (Yes! She even takes notes!)! I’ve even begun to teach her how to drive the Trike!
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I have never felt restricted in my adventures in life or with The Riders Mag! I have always thought that borders and boundaries only exist to be expanded and horizons are to be explored and become only markers of where you’ve been and for others to follow! The journey isn’t over just yet and new horizons s ll lay ahead! I didn’t let the boundary of “The Golden Horseshoe” that The Riders Mag had when I took the Helm almost five years ago, prevent us from taking it Coast to Coast. Considering also that we had loyal, long-term subscribers from all those areas anyhow. We also have exis ng readers in the United States. So in keeping with my need to expand my horizons and by default, yours, I have added a couple more contributors to our crew! One is a pre y Blonde lady who will be familiar to many of you who have ever a ended Swap Meets, Show and Shines, Bike Shows, Car Shows, Concerts and just about anywhere where people gather to have fun. I will just call her “Swap meet Sue” who is a regular vendor at all kinds of Events including my own Show and Shines un l she comes up with a name of her own. She sells all kinds of neat and useful stuff, novelty items, clothing, trinkets, jewelry and much more at such events and will now be adding Riders Mag Swag to her line of products and will represent The Riders Mag as a contribu ng writer Mag Distributor and Adver ng sales rep at these events as well. Secondly, a young lady by the name of Jessie Northwood reached out to me from the great State of Wisconsin and a er reading her submission, said I would give her a shot and let our readers decide. You are the most honest people that I know and how I gauge what works and what doesn’t, in The Mag! You’ve been pu ng up with my ramblings, rants and raves for all these years, I figure that you will pay a en on to a pre y young lady who has been riding the wheels off all of her many motorcycles for a lot of years now! She is very capable of expressing herself so I will let her introduce herself to you in her own words! Check out her adventures in her column, “Jessie Lee’s Open -Road Experience”! I hope you will enjoy! Don’t forget that our online readership at theridersmag.com has grown and we are read faithfully around the Globe and we have all kinds of opportuni es to explore the World and share our experiences everywhere and anywhere! If you are si ng there in your li le corner of the World, thinking “I’d like to write for The Riders Mag” our The Riders Mag Online edi ons that we are
s ll developing and expanding may be just what you’re looking for! You could be part of something huge and be an Official Riders Mag World Representa ve! Drop me a line! We can talk! This has been a horrific riding season, both in terms of weather and accidents involving motorcycles! The numbers are staggering and members of Motorcycle Community has suffered the loss of many cherished souls and experienced life-changing injuries. Please! Be careful out there and watch out for the other guys! It only takes an instant to alter lives and circumstances forever! It is not just accidents and misadventure that has claimed the lives of our friends and kindred souls to disease and some mes, for want of a be er explana on, just expiry dates that have come and gone! It is sad to say goodbye but it is a reality that we all must face at some point in our lives! James Glen “Nub” Mead Sept. 23, 1956 – Aug. 18, 2017 I was shocked and saddened to hear that an old friend “Nub” Mead, long- me Member and President of The Brothers of The Wheel MC, Northern West Virginia Chapter succumbed to injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident August 18, 2017. Nub was loved and respected by all who knew him and the sadness brought by his passing knows no borders and is shared by members of The Brothers of The Bade MC and his many Canadian Brothers and Sisters who had the pleasure to have met him! L&R. GBNF. It has been a very busy me for the our crew of volunteers here at the Mag as we were all scrambling to keep up with the huge number of events that were sca ered all over the Province throughout the summer. We do try our best to cover all of our adver sed events but some mes there are conflicts with schedules and some mes it is just life and circumstances that dictate what we can and cannot do at any given me! Some mes events that I’d planned to cover on certain days just have to give way to others as needs and priori es dictate. Such was the case with the Blackhawks Annual Show and Shine this year. I love this event and The Blackhawks MC Members and crew of volunteers who run it! It is always a great me and I haven’t missed one for years now. Up un l three days beforehand, I was to be at this one as well. It was then that I discovered that I had a very important business mee ng scheduled in another part of the Province and wouldn’t be able to a end. I knew Wheelz was going to be there, but as I said, this has always been one of my long standing, favourites and I really hate to miss it! Anyway I have to do what I have to do and the business dictates where I go. My apologies to The Blackhawks MC. I hope to see you next year!
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Black Gold/the Riders Mag Annual Show and Shine Up to this point, the weather over the summer varied from crappy to well beyond crappy and even tried to overachieve at mes to extreme new levels of shi y! So needless to say I was pre y surprised a n d grateful to see bright blue skies and sunshine when I stepped out the door. I gathered up all my stuff and made my way over to Black Gold to find that Al and some of the volunteers had the picnic tables and other stuff all set up and ready to go and that the first of our vendors “Swap Meet Sue” had arrived. Gord and his crew had their stuff all ready to go as well. I unloaded the truck and scooted over to pick up Chantel and dropped her off at the event, a er I made note of all the stuff I had forgo en to bring on the first trip and would pick it all up along with the two barbecues and make it back! One of the volunteers came with me and I decided to let him drive the truck back, allowing me to bring the Trike. By now Ravi was ready to set up the barbecues and beer garden and more vendors had arrived as well! It was beginning to look like a Show and Shine! My buddies from the Predators MC had arrived as well and were se ng up the signage for all the different Show and Shine categories. This was the third event that these guys have helped me with working with Chantel and every one of them ran smooth as silk! I’m hoping to make them a permanent fixture at all of my events!
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The day was well underway! The rich aroma of the fare that Ravi was preparing and serving wa ed through the en re venue, carried by the gentle breezes on the smoke coming from the barbecues whe ng appe tes and temp ng the taste-buds of
a endees and vendors alike! The delicious hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages and peameal bacon on a bun were being gobbled up as fast as Ravi’s fine crew could produce them. They also had a good selec on of beer and other potent potables on ice. The place was soon packed as bikes arrived throughout the morning and a ernoon and a constant roar and rumble filled the air lending a great ambience to what was to be a great event! The band, “The Twangsters” did an incredible job entertaining the crowd with their large repertoire of great tunes!
It never ceases to amaze me just how many people con nue to come out to support this event, Black Gold, myself, and the Mag. There were a lot of people there that have become permanent fixtures at these events and their presence is always much appreciated! The Brothers of the Blade MC and The Black Diamond Riders MC were just two of many Clubs who came out! Our own regular crew members also were there to assist us, Bad Bob, Gypsy,
Pizza Dave, Angie (Le y) and her man Lloyd, Mr. Mike and his two sons, Al, Miss Ki y, Wheelz, Maxx, Paul and Mark, and Chantel all did a spectacular job. We have learned a great deal since the first one that we did over ten years ago. Sure, we made mistakes, learned from them and moved on and it has truly been a great experience and a lot of fun. The day just flew by and it was soon me to announce the winners. I commandeered the lovely Lisa (Wife of Ron from the Twangsters) to be the “Trophy girl” as she always looks so damned good and has a permasmile! We have been experimen ng with our trophies trying to find something unique and instantly iden fiable with The Riders Mag! I think we have found it! WE would like to thank all of our volunteers who make these things possible, The Predators MC, for their help with the judging and other du es, all of our vendors, and all of you for coming out and The trophy sponsors; The Brothers of the Blade MC, The Paradice Riders MC, The Black Diamond Riders MC, Bikefest Bobcaygeon, A.M.P. Cycle, AM Sales, Franks Magic Crops, Sinfull Delights, Eagle Eye Cycle, Robinson’s Motorcycle, Green Planet Scooters, Choppers Custom Works, Tar’d and Feathered Bar and Grill, Mackesy Smye Lawyers, Pace Law, Strictly V Twin, Classic Motorcycle Leather, Black Gold Leather and Knives, Hawg Worx, TombStones Cycle, Hogtown Cycle, Hip’s Cycle, Smiley and Company, CC Cycle, Clare’s H-D, Dukes H-D, Biketoberfest ACES AND EIGHTS CORN ROAST It was an unusually beau ful day as I headed out in the
truck for the first of two events that I had to a end! I would star with the Aces and Eights MC in Pickering and end up joining members of the Black Diamond Riders MC and other friends and family at a surprize 50th Birthday celebra on for Flo, (Tuesday) who is a dear friend and companion of Panhead Doug (AKA Deadly Doug). I had been asked to a end this party Months earlier and I’d told them that I would try to make it out, which is my stock reply to most invita ons as I have to see how it things fit in my very busy and ever changing schedule before actually commi ng! I just never know! This is always a great event and I wish that I wasn’t so damned busy as I would really like to hang around here longer and enjoy more of the great hospitality that these guys are known for! They had a great band, as usual (Misdemeanor, A lively group, fronted by an amazing Mother and Daughter team with an extensive and very diverse repertoire!) and incredible food. They even go out of their way to have 50 on ice for me! It is always great to spend any amount of me with these guys and all who come out to support them! Old Fart Harley Riders Poker Run This would be another one of our split days where we had more events than we had people and me and would see us covering two or more events and ea ng up a lot of miles before our day would be done! It was a cold morning when I picked up Chantel and headed off to Stayner to cover our first event of the day, The Old Fart Harley Riders 1st Annual Poker Run.
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There was already a good sized pack of motorcycles gathered in the parking lot that sprawled across the front the A&D Seed Store and Farm market
building as we pulled in and parked the Trike. I spo ed many familiar faces in the crowd and I went right into meet and greet mode while Chantel broke into her newly acquired, Roving Reporter rou ne, bounding around, introducing herself, taking pictures and notes on everything! She is developing a great eye and a sense of what will make a great picture making my job even easier! We explained that as much as we would have loved to go on their ride, we just had too many things on the go and would be able to cover the start of their run and get some of the essen als down for the write up to give our readers a sense of the event before moving on down the road. We wandered around and checked out the really interes ng store where they were registering Riders and had much appreciated hot coffee and snacks available for par cipants. They had really done this up right, a well-planned and laid out ride and factored in some great stops with good entertainment, food and beverages at the end! It was soon me to mount up and get the ride underway and we said our goodbyes and followed the pack down Airport Road to Cashtown Corners where they split off to take in the spectacular scenery and twisty roads that exist the other side of Creemore before going back to Stayner for food and refreshment at the end of the ride! This was a great start for what should shape up to be an excellent Annual event! We headed East and on towards our next stop! 400 Market – Timeline Sportswear We dropped in to visit with one of my favourite people whom I’ve nicknamed Deligh ul Dolores and check on the well-being of her husband Crusty
who has been having health issues these days. These health concerns have put considerable burdens on their finances and they have put their much loved and amazing boat up for sale. So if you are looking for a 30 Bayliner Cabin Cruiser with all the bells and whistles that is more like a co age that floats call 705 487 0008. $14,900 OBO I also come here to pick up a few
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things and visit with many of the vendors. I always get asked when I’m going to bring my Show and Shines back here as they went over really well! With the new addi ons to the crew I may just try it again! MALICIOUS CYCLE / RANGERS MC SHOW AND SHINE We rolled into the lot and parked the Trike to find that the pack wasn’t back yet and a crew of ladies and a few guys were there ge ng things prepped and ready. I hadn’t been here for a while and although I had been informed that there were some major changes in the works I wasn’t really prepared for what they had done! Some changes was an understatement as there have been a lot of very posi ve changes since the last me I
was here and more were yet to come! It is s ll a work in progress but it is ge ng there! Chantel and I wandered through the large property taking pictures of what had already been done and it was impressive to say the least! I will give an update as the revamping, renova ng and such reaches comple on. We were informed that Brian was on his way back and the rest of the pack wasn’t far behind. These guys always have their act together as all prep work was med perfectly as when the pack rolled in
the food went on the barbecues and was ready to serve. Again, there were many familiar faces among the a endees that included our very own Durham Dangerous Donny who came out to enjoy the day! The Run had started at The Rangers MC’s Clubhouse and made a loop up through South Simcoe, Pickering and
Oshawa stopping at various Clubhouses that served as card stops and watering holes along the way and the day was enjoyed by all. We visited a while before moun ng up and heading for home! I imagine that Dangerous Don will have much to say in his write-up. Quinn’s Shop of the Month Photo-shoot I rolled into town a bit early and had me to visit a while with the crew and get some pictures of the Shop. It has been a while since I was last here and Wow! These guys have been busy! The place has a whole new look! Bigger! Brighter and with a be er more efficient floor plan. Quinn showed me around, poin ng out project a er project in different levels of comple on and I am always amazed at the imagina on and mechanical genius that he and his crew possess and demonstrate in each and every job they do! I visited a while and we s ll had me before we had to go to Quinn’s house to do the shoot so I figured I take a walk up the street to check out a massage therapist who I had met at The Fort Erie Swap Meet in the spring! Her
name is Pyper and as we spoke she no ced the constant, involuntary, extremely annoying, infernal twitching and spasms that my head does (Yeah I hardly no ce it!!) and has been doing for years now and asked me about it! I told her that I’ve asked my Doctor but was given no cause or solu ons so I just live with it! She said that she was a Registered Medical Massage Therapist and that massage therapy could help. Actually, I had run into The Massage Ladies at some Bike
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events a few years ago and had a few short sessions at the shows and they did bring some relief, albeit temporary. I figured it might be an idea to follow up on those brief sessions with a full on treatment or at least a consulta on, but never seem to find the me. I feel awkward just walking into a shop without having any knowledge of the proprietor or therapist without some sort of reference or whatever. I had at least met Pyper before, she is a rider and one of Quinn’s customers and she was concerned enough to ask about it so I wandered up the street to her shop in hope of finding some relief or advice if she was available. It turned out that Pyper was busy with a client and I didn’t have me to wait around as I was on a mission already with Quinn’s Motorcycles. So I took some pictures of her great looking clinic and her lovely daughter and said I would make it another me! I followed Quinn back to his house where he had a few of his builds set up and ready to shoot. We were just wai ng for his girlfriend Georgia, who would soon appear in the persona of “Harley Quinn” the bombas c character who played The Joker’s love interest in “The Suicide Squad”. We would do the shoot in the theme of “Harley Quinn on Quinn’s Harleys”. She looked fantas c, had an awesome sense of humour and did a great job. Quinn had been commissioned to create a theme bike for the Professional Hockey Players Associa on for their 50th Anniversary and he wanted to give them and this bike as much exposure as he could and figured that the calendar and feature in the Riders Mag might just accomplish that. This is an amazing build and Quinn pulled out all the stops with this one. We had a great me, and even got some me to talk awhile while wai ng for the rain that had moved in on us to stop. We shot on every bike that Quinn had on hand as they were all great examples of the fine work that he and his crew perform on a regular basis! One was a 2002 Dyna Super Glide belonging to Chester, that they have been working on and it looked simply fantas c! I hear Chester is already thinking about another project so this one may be looking for a new home! Next was Quinn’s personal ride, a 2008 Electra Glide and finally the PHPA bike! I wasn’t surprized to learn that all three bikes had seats done by Tim Pearson at Triple K Upholstery!
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Also obvious, was the very dis nc ve vinyl graphics done by Luke Courtois of DO150 Marke ng. He does a fantas c job of custom designing, hand cu ng and applying these graphics. They have been experimen ng with and ge ng great results with Vinyl Graphics as opposed to paint in his recent builds and it works quite well for them. His own personal ride is a great example and the design is not just decora on but contains many personal references that have meaning to Quinn that no one else without personal knowledge would spot or understand the significance of. For example, hidden in the design, there is an image of a wine glass that holds special meaning to Quinn that is a reference to his Mother who passed away last year! She meant a lot to him and that image brings him comfort! Also on hand as official helpers were Quinn’s two boys, Quinn Jr. and Kato. Who helped with detailing du es and moral support! It is always a pleasure to see Quinn and his crew! They are as unique as the fine motorcycles they produce! IRON COWGIRLZ 3RD ANNUAL, MISS DAZZLE’S MEMORIAL RIDE It was an incredible day with bright blue cloudless skies lots of sunshine as Chantel and I headed off on the Trike for what was to be a great me! I do have favourite events and know I say this to describe many rides and events but this is one stands out and really resonates with me! Be it Marcy and the Iron Cowgirls as they don’t just take the easy route and do things that take the least amount of planning. They do a well-planned out and thought out ride and I try to make it out to each and every one! This was the third and judging from the ever expanding a endance that they have been experiencing, it won’t be the last! I love the cause and the spirit behind it, as it pays tribute to a fine and brave lady who ran a safe house up in Sundridge area for women and their children escaping from Domes c Abuse in absolute secrecy for more than twenty five years. She received no notoriety, or pla tudes while she was alive and doing what she did! She did it because it needed doing! She was known as Miss Dazzle and was a fine woman who raised her daughters by example and they and The Iron Cowgirlz do an excellent job of
keeping her memory and her cause alive raising funds and awareness of this very real and extremely serious problem. Through registra ons, dona ons and silent auc on at
this event they support Esprit Place and they carry on the work that Miss Dazzle did and there are a lot of families out there that owe a lot to her! The ride was to start out and finish at Thurst t’s Cycle up in Collingwood and we rolled in in plenty of me for the alleged Kickstands Up me. I say alleged because quite o en the posted “kickstands up me” at some events is more of a sugges on and not carved in stone or even scribbled in the sand under a rock but I print it in the Mag anyway. It should just say Kick stands up eventually, just hang loose! This year it was delayed because every five minutes more bikes would swing in and the parking lot was absolutely jammed, not a
bad reason or problem! I checked out the shop that Paul and Wendy work so hard to make look like it does! Departure me had been adjusted several mes before Marcy announced that we were leaving and we should all mount up! The parking lot was now alive with the roar of powerful motors and we were off! We snaked along some amazing winding roads through some breathtaking scenery and these Iron Cowgirlz proved once again that they know how to plan out a ride and they can ride! The ride itself was I believe 135 KM and was just a
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straight through ride from start to finish! When we arrived back at Thurst t’s, Paul and Wendy had the live band already to go and there was lots of great food to sate our appe tes and plenty of cold beverages available to quench our thirsts. We had to pull out as we had another des na on to reach up in Tobermory later that day, but we stayed un l the presenta ons were done before saddling up and heading off! Another great ride with some great people! Thanks to Marcy and the Iron Cowgirlz and to Paul, Wendy and their fine crew at Thurst t’s for being such wonderful hosts. TRAILS END LODGE TOBERMORY We had been hearing from Hankster of Boot Hill Hearse fame, of these wonderful people who own a Lodge up in Tobermory who wanted to adver se with us. Then Sharon and Rudy started calling and invi ng us to come and stay with them if we were in the area! I haven’t been to Tobermory in years and that was hauling freight for Canada Cartage and I was just trucking through, not being a tourist! Subsequently, I knew next to nothing of the area. They made it apparent that they really wanted to meet us and discuss things. Also Hankster was looking to talk to us about publicizing the fantas c Bed and Breakfast that he built and recently opened down in Tucson Arizona where he does motorcycle tours. Well the ming couldn’t have been be er, as we were already when we le Collingwood on course for Tobermory. A er a short stop in Owen Sound for a cold 50 and a small snack we con nued on to Wiarton where Hankster and Rudy were wai ng for us to guide us on the rest of the way to the house in Tobermory where the lovely Sharon was standing by with a large pla er of steaks ready to be barbecued to perfec on a whole whack of salads and sides and cold 50 to wash it all down! This was fantas c! The Lodge that had been built for the armed forces to serve as a wireless sta on, with construc on finishing in 1912. Sharon’s Dad, Art Amos had purchased it originally with a partner 1972 but bought out his partner in 1973 and has been running it ever since! Now Art is 84 and s ll very ac ve but figured it was me to consider slowing down as the Lodge was in need of some repairs and a faceli
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and wasn’t sure if he could keep pace. It would have broken his heart to have sold it. Sharon re red from her job at Air Canada last year and she and husband, Rudy sold their house in the city and moved up to Tobermory. They along with her Brother Sco and Sister in Law Joane, announced to Art that they would like to take over the running of the Lodge! Art of course, was thrilled! They sunk a lot of money into renova on and repairs and are now ready to go and need to fill it with guests and with Sharon and Rudy both being Bikers, figure that Bikers would make great guests! This place is amazing! It is right on the water, walking distance from town and can accommodate large groups in the lodge and Co ages and have large camping areas as well. There is an abundance of beau ful pa os and decks overlooking the water, fire pits and lots of other great features. They are se ng up for serviced cabins that can be nestled into the Forested area. There is plenty to do and see and would serve as an excellent centre point for day trips throughout the area! It is a short hop to the Ferry where you are an hour and a half from Manitoulin Island and a whole other World of motorcycling experiences! I am seriously considering doing an event up that way next year! For more info call Sharon 416 876 3452 THE ARIZONA OUTBACK INN AND MOTORCYCLE TOURS I met up with my old friend Hankster recently and got an update on the spot that he built down in Arizona! Or rather he raved about the place and again rode my ass and nagged con nuously about me ge ng my damn Passport or Visa or whatever! I can get one! It’s just that I don’t have me to get it, yet alone to travel out of the Country for any length of me. I’d like to, but there is just too much for me to look a er around here! Anyhow, he is persistent and I’m really going to try! I’d really like to head down there and just hang out, ride motorcycles and see all those places I’ve only seen in pictures, movies and on TV! Hank makes it all sound so damned invi ng! He has showed me tons of pictures and he has me sold on the wan ng to go and the needing to go but the me thing we haven’t quite got worked out! I thought he was going to suggest buying the Mag and he take over here while I stay down there in Arizona with Marsha, but so far that hasn’t come up in conversa on! It is something that he’s talked about for years and he got it done and Hank really outdid himself on this, the place looks amazing! So if you’re looking for a different warm escape this winter, check out The Arizona Outback Inn and Motorcycle tours. They are right in the hub of some really interes ng rides, to a lot of exci ng, interes ng places to go! Las Vegas, Phoenix,
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The Mexican Border, the West Coast and hundreds of other des na ons are only a short ride away! Give them a call 520-762–8155 tell them Cri er sent you! BIKETOBERFEST 2017 This was my first me a ending this event either here or at the previous venue in Fenwick, not for the want of trying but circumstances just didn’t play out in my favour! One year, Bad Bob and I rode through torren al rains that 1st saw the BRO Poker Run and event rained out and then we got word that Biketoberfest in Fenwick was washed out as well! So we just rode back through torren al rain and called it an adventure! Then the event was moved to this venue and I had every inten on of going right up un l the day of the event when business dictated that I go in a different direc on! This year, I was bound and determined to make it! It was a gorgeous day, although a tad chilly as I loaded my gear on the Trike, picked up “Gazz” and headed off to Welland! Other than coming by a few mes to deliver Mags, I had not been here before, and never beyond the front of the CH and other than what I’d been told by Bad Bob and others, I knew nothing about the place! It was not for lack of interest, but this was out of my area and I just never got out here much! An enlightenment and an educa on was long-past due! We were directed down the road, into a long driveway, that opened up into this huge area that had been set up as a parking area on past “Vendors Row” through the gate into another fenced off area that extended out from the Clubhouse/Museum. It was set up with shelters, food vendors stage area and beer garden and would serve as the spot for the Show and Shine and other happenings throughout the day! It was a lot to take in but I managed to track down the ever busy Bruce Bissel who was out and about on his Golf Cart. In answer to my ques on as to where he wanted me to set up, he loaded me on his cart and drove me to a loca on and said “This is the Spot!” He gave me a quick tour of the place poin ng out the camping areas and other points of interest along the way! I could sense his excitement, joy and pride as this event is extremely important to him! He promotes the Hell out of it and I couldn’t have been happier for him, the Club, the Volunteers, the Sponsors and everyone else that put the me and effort into it to have it all come together! I asked if it would be OK to take a tour on the Trike back into the camping area and he said I could go wherever I wanted! He took me back to the Trike that I’d le by the museum where Chantel was now falling under the spell of the enchan ng Wes Pierce who was again serving as announcer/Master of Ceremonies among many other things! I had to pry her away from him but managed to break the spell and drag her to the Trike! It was really warming up now and we shed a couple more layers of clothing before climbing on the Trike and taking a quick tour of this enormous and very func onal property! Out though the gate there is an enormous sprawling area with the dirt track off to the le and an off road area off to the right! This is like a biker’s dreamland! I instantly regre ed not spending more me out this way! Interspersed everywhere, were campers, tents, shelters and people having fun. We rode through, Chantel perched on the box taking pictures as we went! This place was incredible, with cabins, campers and such nestled back among the trees it was an I thought that this might be a good opportunity to let idyllic invi ng se ng!
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Chantel try her hand at riding the trike! She did well for the first a empt and no animals, people, or vehicles were killed, injured or damaged during the course of the training session! We had to stop by Clare’s display to see Robin, the lovely Lisa and the rest of the crew from Clare’s various fine stores who have been huge supporters of this event. John Clare who is a dynamo and a true gentleman, I would run into many mes throughout the day as he was everywhere! He amazes me and I wouldn’t be able to keep up with him on my best days! I took the turn out through the other gate and into the vendor’s area then back in through the gates and parked the Trike in the prescribed spot and immediately called a brief emergency staff mee ng to order. A mo on was put forward that we take a beer break, took a vote and unanimously decided to head directly to the beer garden and partake in a couple of cold ones! Bad Bob joined us and we got to sit and talk awhile, something that hasn’t occurred anywhere near enough this year due to ming and circumstances. But we were able to catch up on things and get a sense of direc on for the mes ahead!
Chantel, who I’ve renamed “Gazz” now refreshed and revitalized, from her cold beer was now armed with her camera and bounding gracefully like a Gazelle throughout the en re place! I get red just watching her! God I don’t
think I’ve ever had that kind of energy or ever been in that much of a hurry to get anywhere! I sat there a while, mee ng a lot of our readers from all over and watching the crowds swell and the place ge ng busier by the moment. The bands started playing and the beer garden was soon the place to be! I wandered off to check the place over and see what was going on! The temperature was soaring, the sun was blazing and it had all the earmarks of a fabulous day! First stop was the absolutely amazing museum! I was blown away by the motorcycle history that was on display and marvelled at how well it was displayed! It was fascina ng to say the absolute least! The vendors area was bustling and there was plenty to see and purchase and lots of people to talk to as many of these vendors were also customers and friends that I’ve cul vated over the years, Rod Barber from Wizards Cleaning and detailing products, Tracy with all her jewelry and other neat stuff, Swap Meet Sue, Big Ron, Deb from Bling your Things, and Tons of Bike Gear and Tim Pearson from Triple K Upholstery just to name a few! Not unexpected, Len’s Auto from Jarvis had a huge display of their Trikes set up! That is an impressive looking sight! All those campers and support vehicles it would look like a caravan or invading army when they roll into anywhere! They know how to do things up right! Quinn’s Custom Cycles had a great showing of their great looking machines in as well! The day just flew by and they were now doing the show and shine and the Judges were faced with a daun ng task in picking winners in this field of entrants. By late
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a ernoon I was out of steam and I s ll had things to do on the way home so I made ready to leave while Chantel was going to stay behind as she had friends in the area that would pick her up and get her home the next day! It was an incredible me a fantas c venue and an excellent event that can now, only get be er! This year, more than 15,000 people were in a endance, they had 38 Vendors and 50 were registered for camping! The campers had a ball and par es ran into the wee hours! I’ll see you next year! Motorcycle Enhancements - December Shop of the Month Calendar Shoot We had arranged to do the shoot at a Fire hall in Mississauga where we’d meet our model and John Cosen ni of Motorcycle Enhancements was to bring the bike on the trailer and all would just come together! It was certainly a good day for it, with nice bright blue skies and great temperatures. I met the guys from the Fire hall and planned out how the shoot would go. There was a Vintage Fire Truck parked inside and I knew that I would want to shoot with it for certain! It was from the Streetsville Fire Dept. and I think it might have been one of the ones that my buddy Tramp Warner had le ered, pinstriped and done Gold leaf designs on years ago as he used to do all the Fire trucks in back in the days when Port Credit was s ll Port Credit and Cooksville was Cooksville and so on, when he was a firefighter! Sco the owner of the Texaco bike that was the centre piece of today’s shoot confirmed that Tramp had done this truck and we were looking for his signature when John and Panda arrived with the bike and got it unloaded then our model, Marcy showed up and we got
things set to go! Marvelous Marcy, I’ve known for years and she has always looked fantas c and I’ve asked her many mes to model but it just never worked out! I was thrilled when she said she was available to do it today! She has a great aura about her and I think it would be impossible to take a bad picture of her! Plus Marcy is a Rider! A Damn good Rider! I was just with her on her Miss Dazzles Ride a couple of weeks earlier and she and The Iron Cowgirlz had a Hell of a turnout! Here she was a treat to work with, doing quick costume changes, and posed easily as she is so comfortable on I find that if a model isn’t en rely comfortable takes a while for the poses to look natural. shoot all done in good me and Marcy got busy life. We carried on, with a quick lunch
motorcycles. on a bike it We had the back to her and a stop at Sco ’s place to check out his incredible collectables. S c o t t ’s garage and basement are really something to see! Eve r y t h i n g Texaco that you can imagine is set out on display. Mannequins in full Texaco uniforms, oil cans, signage, really interes ng! I followed John down to Motorcycle Enhancements to get some fresh shots of the Shop before calling it a day.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year! See you at The Supershow in January!
Biker 101: The Life of Don tells ‘True Tales of the Tales I can Tell’.
My book is about my early days and outlaw biker lifestyle by a 1%er. This ain’t no ‘Sons of Anarchy’ fic on but the real deal. ...and there is a li le poetry... The thrill of speed overcomes fear of death, Leaning hard into aggressive -wind, Screamingg engine pulsates; throbbing below. Brothers in front and to the back of me; one, ght beside me. Straight ahead, squin ng eyes, tearing, salt burning the skin, We dare not look; we feel, we hear, we sense where each of us be. Constantly, adjus ng ght distances ins nc vely. Masters of our beasts; unified, man and machine. Lone wolves in the pack meld as one. We form as a predatory snake. Rhythmically, poe cally it weaves. Effortlessly, through and around, Pugnaciously, racing in and out. Melodiously, to the music we all hear. Thundering, barking exhausts. The tune of death; the adrenaline of life, The fearsome, intoxica ng dance. Living on the Edge Or... Once upon a me .... A biker moved in with a hot chick. She was needy, becoming a bitch... and she tried to change him. He split... and he never changed. The biker lived happily, ever a er... and rode his scooter and fucked skinny, big ed broads. ... and pounded the pavement at high speed and did burnouts and wheelies. He hung around strip joints and rode off with women half his age... and he drank Jack, backed up with a beer or three. He never paid child support or alimony and he blew all his money... and he licked pussy, snor ng coke off a dancer’s ass. ... and he slept at the clubhouse and kept his guns. Best of all, the toilet seat was always up. Everyone thought he was fucking cool as hell... including the hot bitch Lets get serious... The prosecutor was all over me. On police wiretaps, I had said I did not like snitches. This was proof of my bad intents; my being outside the law. “Not so,” said I. “Would you rat on a fellow prosecutor?” I asked rhetorically. “Police officers hate those that snitch on their own. Doctors protect doctors. Priests do back flips not repor ng their own sexual predators. Did not Jesus himself recoil when turned in by Judas for mere pieces of silver! Nobody in our society likes snitches.” I con nued, “If one of the ‘Good People’, it is okay, even honorable to protect your own. If one of the bad guys, it becomes proof of your criminality.” I had him trapped. The judge, who was against me bristled in anger. Did it do our cause any good? Nope.
Biker 101: The Life of Don Donny Petersen
www.donnypetersen.com
One Armed Bandit tales of determina on
As I write this on Monday, September 18, I cannot help feeling ecsta c about the fact that now that fall is upon us, summer has decided to show up. Despite being dark at 8pm, it s ll feels... what’s the word? ..... Warm outside and, it’s even dry! We made the best of the summer that never was and are now presented with what I hope will be great riding weather for the changing of the leaves. Last month, I shared some of my riding adventures with you in addi on to explaining how I came to be the owner of a modified 2017 Honda Rebel 300. I explained how I ride with 1 hand (le ) which you can see for yourself WHEN (NOT IF lol) you visit my webpage - www.angproblemsolved.ca. As I sit here typing, I must admit that I am truly addicted to riding. What can be be er? Riding allows you to be free, to forget what might be troubling you, to be alive! You can ride down the same road and each me, the scenery looks different. The sights, the smells, even the skunks smell a bit be er!! Well, that might be a stretch!! I have truly come to understand the term “wind therapy” and cannot live without it. There actually is a bit more to my story which, to be honest, I debated about sharing because I did not want to detract from how I ride and the tale of how it all came together. I have since decided to share the final piece since it did impact my reason for acquiring my motorcycle this year. In February of 2014, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. I went through all of the emo ons, as so many others have, including anger, sadness, depression and hope. Once the ball got rolling, things moved quickly. From diagnosis to surgery on St. Paddy’s day 2014, (I told my Surgeon that he could drink a er he was done with me.) to chemo and targeted therapy, which lasted a year. Time went by in a blink of an eye.
I try to see the posi ve in everything and even this cloud had a silver lining. I met wonderful people; from pa ents to caregivers to Nurses, Technicians, and of course my Surgeon and Oncologist. If not for this diagnosis, there are many friends that I would not have made, many of whom con nue to be in my life today. I would not have volunteered at Wellspring (a network of community-based support centres offering programs and services that meet the emo onal, social, prac cal and restora ve needs of
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people living with cancer and those who care for them) as a peer support for pa ents and their caregivers. I would not have learned more about myself. If not for this diagnosis 3+ years ago, I suspect that hubby and I would also not be riding today. A life changing event such as this forced me to see my mortality. To this day, I have dark days. I always will. In a few days, I go to the local hospital for my yearly MRI - my follow-up with my Onc is on Oct 11 - this is a good sign as this would have been my Dad‘s 98th birthday and despite passing away 11 years ago, I know that he con nues to watch out for me. Even so, I hate this me of year.... the annual follow-up - ugh!! What be er way to deal with darkness than to hop onto your motorcycle and ride to nowhere? To think of nothing? To roll down a back road and not know what lies beyond the next turn? I always intended to explore the idea of ge ng a motorcycle, however thought that we should wait un l re rement. There comes a point when you must stop wai ng - this diagnosis allowed me to see that. While I am hopeful that I will be healthy and alive for many more years, the diagnosis made me panic. What if I’m not? What if it comes back and I can’t li my leg? What if I lose my sense of balance? What if I can no longer see? What if it spreads to my brain? What if I lose my license? The possibility of a dras c changes to my life forced me to act and I am thankful for it. On Thursday, July 6, I lost my job as a result of restructuring. I also went to the in-class por on of my motorcycle training at Learning Curves in Markham (Honda Campus). The ming could not have been be er. A dark day already made be er by motorcycles!! I chose Learning Curves because they allowed me to use my own bike for the training and evalua on. If not for them, I would have had to sign up for private training followed by an evalua on at an MTO test centre. I met the instructors that same Thursday night. They all seemed like a great bunch of people. The in-class por on of the training was all about safety and included a review of the rules of the road. Different scenarios were discussed with par cipants sharing their opinions about how they would handle these situa ons should they arise while riding. Then came Saturday, July 8. The day I had been wai ng
for. Seeing as I was using my own bike, I had to be insured prior to the course. The cost of doing so as an M1 rider was not cheap, however it was worth it. I had an opportunity to ride my bike for a few weeks prior to the training which gave me me to become somewhat comfortable with how to operate the finger thro le in addi on to shi ing. By the me Saturday, July 8 rolled around, I had put approximately 500km on the bike. The weekend training sessions ran from 8am - 4pm. The instructors encouraged all of us throughout the course. I remember Bre (one of the Instructors) encouraging me, saying how “bad-ass” I looked - he always brought a smile to my face. All went well un l Sunday morning at approximately 10am. We were learning how to make slow turns - le and right. I was nervous about this and never did feel very sure of myself, however was persistent. Un l - BOOM!!! Like nothing, the bike went down, I was on my back, my head hit the pavement (goodbye Shoei GT Air helmet - I saw $ signs flying around in my head) and the thro le was going full blast. Immediately, my Instructor (Looch) hit the kill switch and helped me up. A er ensuring that I was okay, he examined my bike and no ced that the tank had been dented slightly. He explained what I did wrong - I listened and was ready to get back on when we he no ced that the finger thro le was cracked. Looch walked my bike away from the training area where he and a fellow Instructor, who had experience building bikes from scratch, examined it more closely. I am not a crier but I must admit that I lost it. I sat on my bike - engine off - helmet s ll on and started crying. I was worried that I would not be able to par cipate in the evalua on and the thought of not being able to walk away with a PASS, in addi on to just losing my job was too much for me to bear. To this day, I remember the instructors doing their best to quickly get me out of my funk. They stood in a circle around me doing their best to li my spirits. Looch assured me that there was no way that I would miss out on the evalua on. Fortunately for me, two of the students par cipa ng in the course that weekend worked for Honda. Seeing as we were at the Honda Campus, they were able to get into the tool shop so off went my bike, an instructor and the two students who took me away from the course for me. The support and kindness of the motorcycle community made itself known from the very beginning. I will always be grateful for the ac ons of these people. They certainly did not have to help me yet they went above and beyond. My bike was “McGyvered” and I was able to complete the evalua on. I was so nervous - all I kept hearing was “If you drop your bike, you fail”. There were 12 points available to be lost. I only lost 3. I was able to get my M2 the following Thursday and was thrilled!!!!!!! Seeing as I had the summer to ride, I made the most of it. Highlights of my August and September included the following; Bike night!!!! Wednesday August 9th presented an interes ng dilemma. Do hubby (also known as Lloyd) and I go to bike night in Bolton or the motorcycle social in Burlington? We had never been to either. Since the Bolton bike night was being held weekly, we decided to go to Burlington and Bolton the following
week. This gathering of bikes is organized by Mike, Owner of CORSA Motocicle a located at 2301 Appleby Line and is held in the parking lot in front of the store. There are no bands or music however there were hotdogs, pizza slices and drinks for sale, the proceeds of which were donated to Halton Women’s Place in Burlington. Mike explained to me that his objec ve for the event was to provide motorcycle enthusiasts an opportunity to socialize while sharing their love of all things motorcycle. The turnout was very good with a large assortment of bikes showing up. On this par cular evening, pro photographer John Robb was there with his mobile studio. For a small fee, riders could have pictures of their bikes taken with or without them in it. On Wednesday August 16, Lloyd and I went to Bolton Bike Night which is put on by the Hurt’n Old Guys with proceeds going to Caledon Community Services. The event is held at the St. Louis Bar and Grill in Bolton and this par cular evening saw a wide variety of bikes and a few hotrods. Everyone who rode a motorcycle received a raffle cket for giveaways and all had an opportunity to buy ckets for a 50/50 draw. Music played in the background while people either sat on the pa o chilling with friends while ea ng dinner, or walked around the parking lot checking out the bikes and cars. We bumped into a few people that we had not seen in years!! Lloyd had to work the weekend of Saturday August 19 and Sunday August 20. What to do? Ride!! I was to meet 4 of my friends on the Saturday for a ride and breakfast. The only problem was that Hankster (yes, my bike REALLY is named a er Henrik Lundquist - goalie for my New York Rangers) did not want to start. When I hit the start bu on, the engine would not kick in, as if it was not ge ng any gas. A er checking the obvious things (i.e. kill switch, stand), I began to panic. Once my friends arrived, I explained the situa on. One of them (thank-you Brian!!!!) rolled the bike back and forth while con nuing to press the start bu on. I was thinking that all would be lost and I would miss out on a good ride when.... yahoo.... the bike started with a poof of smoke belching from my exhaust. It was so great to ride in a group! I truly did not care where we went un l it started to rain. Not too heavy, but enough to say “follow the blue!” So we did. Brian led the way and we ended up at a great spot for breakfast a er which we rode home. The next day I decided to ride to Paris, Ontario. I rolled Labour Day weekend Lloyd and I were joined by two very good friends and rode to Prince Edward County. We stayed at Lake on the Mountain Resort for 3 nights. What a great me! The following day, we hopped on the Glenora Ferry and went riding. We ended the ride at The County Cider Company making one of our riders very happy (isn’t that right Donna???? Waupoos!!!!!) It rained off and on the following day, however that did not stop us from going into Picton to check out the shops, grab lunch and stock up on our booze supplies. Labour Day Monday we head for home. Most of the ride was very enjoyable albeit very windy. This was quite the challenge for me and my 300 Rebel with no windshield. Once we got to Whitby, we agreed to take the 407. Hankster did not appreciate this, nor did my hips, knees, shoulders and head. The wind was so severe that I could
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not maintain a consistent speed of 100km. At mes, the bike would not roll over 90km and I felt like I was being assaulted. I was never concerned that I would drop the bike - what I kept thinking was how long I would be able to endure the agony which I felt as a result of Mother Nature’s pounding. I am proud to say that I made it home in one piece however it took most of the week to recover from the pain which I had experienced. A er chilling for a short me, I prepared to leave on a ride to Waterdown to meet my friend for lunch at The Royal Coachman. I put on my leather jacket, zipped it up and found myself holding the tab in my hand. Huh? There I stood with the jacket firmly closed with no way to unzip it. A prisoner in my own clothing!! What to do? Perhaps get a paperclip to unzip? I didn’t even think of that.... I cut my way out with scissors. How fun!! A er grabbing another riding jacket, I hopped on the bike and was on my way. Lunch was very enjoyable despite there being a slight chill in the air, we sat on the pa o and passed the me away. On September 9, my band had a gig at The Norfolk Tavern in Port Dover. Fortunately, a dear friend of ours agreed to drive our gear (PA and drums) to the bar allowing us to ride down with 5 other bikes - our own Friday the 13th on a Saturday! The weather was great and the ride was very enjoyable. Once we arrived, we checked into the Erie Beach Hotel, dumped our stuff and went riding again. Lloyd took our friend for a ride on his Vstar 950 Tourer. Hankster and I followed behind. We rode to Normandale which allowed us to ride on Spooky Hollow road. Only 1.2km long, you feel like you are being swallowed by your surroundings. Where did those trees come from?? It is amazing! If you have never done this, I strongly encourage you to do so. Then came the weekend that we had all been wai ng for ALL SUMMER! Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17. Do you recall those two days? They were awesome - warm, even humid. No rain! The en re summer in two days! On the Saturday we met a very good friend, Cliff at Tons of Bike Gear in Saint Anns. Lloyd bought a vest and a mount for his cell phone. A er he and our buddy finished shopping, we hit the road. The ride included some awesome backroads around Vineland and Niagara Falls, including the Niagara Parkway. Fantas c! We stopped for lunch at M&J’s Restaurant in Fort Erie which comes highly recommended as the BEST place for BROASTED chicken. Right Cliff? It was very good - check it out! The next day we rode with another friend to Port Dover via Cayuga along the Grand River. I think that everyone who owned a bike was out riding that Sunday. Everywhere we rode, we passed fellow riders. Walking around Port Dover that day was like being at a mini bike show. And now despite s ll being warm, the days are growing shorter and as the sun goes down, one can feel a bit of fall in the air. The trees have been changing slowly since the beginning of August and each day brings a bit more colour to the landscape. The upcoming weekend looks good and will definitely see me pu ng on the miles. As I reflect back on these past few months, I cannot help but smile as I think about where Hankster has taken me and the awesome people that I have met. My next ar cle will touch on Hankster Sr., my 2012 Honda
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Shadow Aero which is currently being modified at Mission Cycle. I will also introduce you to a young man who despite being paralyzed from the chest down, rides. Talk about inspiring!! Do you have tales of determina on? Most of us do... some mes we do not think of our accomplishments in that manner, however in my opinion, it is important to share such stories. As a community and family, we need to encourage and bring strength to one another. If you have a tale to share, or wish to contact me, please do not hesitate to do so. Un l next me, #allbecauseofamotorcycle! angsan@sympa co.ca, www.angproblemsolved.ca or on Facebook @angproblemsolved
2017 DUNNVILLE HOSPITAL CHARITY RIDE
Sunday May 28th, DHHF ride for Haldimand War Memorial Hospital. The day was supposed to be overcast, 60 degrees, rain on it’s way (a downer). It was actually a bright, sunny, gently breezy day (all day) in the 70’s – a magnificent motorcycle day. Last year I was told I’m missing something really good when I don’t do the Dunnville Hospital & Healthcare Founda on ride, so this year, I penned in the 9:45am start at the Thirsty Mate Minor Fisheries Restaurant and Pa o Bar at 459 Port Maitland Rd. Port Maitland is like the remora of Dunnville, 20 minutes from Selkirk, along the shores of Lake Erie. The restaurant is set back to the Grand River’s edge, in a marina, just moments shy of Port Maitland, almost across the road from an old World War 2 flight school training base (which is now set among a newly sprouted garden of the tallest windmills – that’s just go a be a great obstacle course for small planes!). The ride has been building in popularity for the past 11 years, but for the past 3, it’s been hosted at Vic Powell’s (of Vic Powell Welding & Crane Rentals) restaurant, the Thirsty Mate, with MinorFisheries.net supplying and cooking the donated perch dinners in their special events travel kitchen. At 7 o’clock this morning, the tle sponsor Selkirk “Choppers Custom Works” were se ng up their display at the Thirsty Mate, ge ng the Quads off the trailer, having already stapled route indicators all along the 160 kilometers, which would stop at the Tim Hortons in Jarvis for about 15 minutes, and at Selkirk Choppers for about the same me, before returning to the Thirsty Mate for the 5 piece perch plate fries, bun, and slaw that normally sells for $12 (according to the menu) – lots of bo led water was also included. At the registra on table where Bill, Kathy, Wendy, Frank, Lindsey and Bethany, where I signed in, paid the $40 for rider ($25 passenger), got a small pocket map of the route, a food cket, door prize cket, t-shirt in my size, beer holder, bo le of water, Choppers Custom Works coffee mug, baseball cap, patches, and s ckers! The DHHF took this opportunity to also show their brand new Ford Focus Sedan SE raffle car which draws on August 24th, and what’s amazing is (of the 5,000 ckets available), only 27% of them have been sold! That’s a seriously high chance of winning for a $20 cket! Now to the ride. This was a safe, comfortable ride, on only paved roads, with over 100 bikes (and some stragglers) split in to two groups of about 50 bikes each, with their own ride leaders keeping to speed limits of 50 to 80km/h. Before se ng off, Don Gibson (of Selkirk Cistern Cleaning) the ride captain who mapped the route, pulled everyone in, and gave a proper safety briefing, so there were no surprises, everyone was on the same page before we le . The first group headed off in one direc on around the mapped route, and about 20 minutes later (to capture the late arriving stragglers) the second group le in the opposite direc on – at some point around the route, the two groups would pass. The road in front of the Thirsty Mate marina has a fast li le blind curve in front of it that the restaurant put a couple of cops on blocking, in order to allow the safe exit of all the riders (involving the cops in anything is becoming really quite expensive). OK, now when I say this was a safe ride, it wasn’t a boring kind of safe. It wasn’t that horribly dull safeness with mind suckingly straight safe roads that lull you in to a boredom of safety, making one hope desperately for a curve, or a stop sign – something to break up the monotony. This was far more like an exo c, curvy, magnificent kind of sweaty casual encounter requiring a condom kind of safe. The roads travelled offered deligh ul vistas, peeked hills, lots of twists and turns, bush, and creeks, dappled sunlight under tree lined river roads, slowing down, and speeding up, stopping, having a drink and relief at a Tim Hortons, then con nuing hard at it again, always superbly safe. It was exceedingly blissful, smile making, grinning, and enchan ng miles of safety. That kind of safety minded safe safeness. The traffic on Highway 6, just north of Port Dover, tends to move at about 80 to 120 km/h, and it’s fairly well frequented by locals and foreigners alike, going to see where this PD13 place is. With those two groups of 50 bikes taking the route in opposite direc ons, you’d have to agree there was less than a 1% chance that both groups would pass each other exactly at the least safe Highway 6 junc on just north of Port Dover, 2 hours later, right? It would be crazy talk - right? And yet, that’s just where 100 motorcycles passed each other. On Hwy 6, where a good deal of traffic moves at 80-120Km/h. BUT, we didn’t need to make the intersec on safe, because there was no fast moving traffic in either direc on – it was just 100 bikes passing each other exactly at an intersec on with a fast highway. This last statement is not fake news put out by the failing New York Times, it’s more like an alterna ve fact from a bizarre fairy tale universe where unicorns live,
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but since the FBI wasn’t watching, Sean Spicer won’t be asked to explain it. Believe me. When we all returned, having enjoyed an incident free day on the roads, and having eaten a delicious supper by the river side, s ll in the warm sun, the draws were done, with the Can-am jacket being won by Tod, and the $293 50/50 going to Kerry, but the big winner for the day was the Haldimand War Memorial Hospital, having now generated about 46% of the funds needed for the new Emergency Department, with probably about 4500 to 5000 coming from us that day, and a lot more from the show sponsors, including: Pete’s Car Sales, Haldimand Home Respiratory Services, Frank’s Home Building Centre, Grand River Hea ng and Cooling, Selkirk Cistern Cleaning, Ben Berg Farm & Industrial Equipment, Dunnville Auto Wreckers, Jay’s Werner’s Radiator Clinic, & New Tech Automo ve & Tire. Jonathan Musson pe ligh nc. com
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Dangerous Donnie from Durham A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE (I’d had be er get to wri ng as some of these events happened months ago and I forget sh*t..)
THE BUZZ POKER RUN My good buddy Lee Baldwin...aka the Bearded Wonder summoned yours truly and several other low rent scooter trash to a end this event, held as I am told for 27 years in a row by Buzz himself! It takes in all the peeps from in and around the KW-Guelph-Fergus part of Ontario. Lee offered to put us up at his remote loca on outside Fergus for the nite and his lady the lovely Lisa, a er the departure of his lowlife friends, probably is refusing to host another pajama party for the crew.. At my age I stopped drinking like every nite was new years eve, and coasted thru the evening on lite beer, which was a benefit as I did not have to apologize for bad behavior like some I know, (earl the pearl lol) Also I did get the only spare room and bed to crash in (thx Lee and Lisa!!) The rest of the crew hit the living room and slept in stacks and the snoring was like 50 weed whackers going at the same me! Thomas M had originally chosen to camp outside but it turned cold and he headed indoors to share an air ma ress with Earl, who earlier in the night consumed most of 26’r of fire water! Thomas did not look like he had a res ul sleep! Go figure! Ok so the ride, well organized with stops at really good bars with great service, food, etc. The ride ended up at rural property outside Guelph. I es mate is 250-300 people were out and about having a cool a er ride party! Many trailers, tents and games! A real old school event! I like the re pull, which you don’t see much anymore! Par cipants are dragged behind a bike by a rope a ached to a re! Always has poten al for broken bones or a dirt sandwich. The low point of the day...was a man down out of our pack! We started out with 4 of us, good riders all! Half way thru the ride we hooked up with and followed 5 other bikes! They were going a bit too fast on two lane country road in my opinion, especially when riding with guys you don’t know! The Harley in the one spot spies a le turn he wants to make at the last second and hits the brakes! Well everybody locks up and fun begins! I was glad that most of us had new rides with ABS! I was able to hold up my ride but then I then hear a screeching and grinding sound of grinding metal on pavement, and sliding passed me on my right is a Street Glide on its side doing a Street Slide down the roadway with bits of shiny stuff flying off! A foot to the le and the bike would have taken three of us out with it. Our friend that went down was dressed for the ride not the slide! No leathers, gloves, etc. and a he was a big fellow to boot! He was able to roll and keep his head from serious contact with pavement and there was nothing broken, but he was badly bruised and had a fair bit of road rash! Calls went out and it was ambulance and tow truck me! Nothing like a crash to fuk up your day! RANGERS MC/MALICIOUS CYCLE POKER RUN Didn’t want to dodge this event put on by my former club the RANGERS MC, plus current member (Dave M) personally invited me...I rolled up to Ranger CH in North York to be greeted by all the boys which felt pre y good and I was glad to see the crew! Off we roared up the 400 in the hammer lane (where you can get your face sandblasted by all the crap that gets blown off the other lanes) Of course the two guys up front are just ge ng a nice breeze instead of chunks that us further back were experiencing! We hit was the South Simcoe CH (just outside of Barrie ) for the first stop and met some of the boys of RD chapter! Earlier in the day I made a rookie move and had to bail out and get some gas...by the me I got back my pack had split on me! S0 I hooked up with one other rider and hit it east bound all the way out to Durham County to the Aces and Eights CH. Sadly, this would be my last visit to what has been, a great clubhouse as the property has been sold and the boys have to move on! It was the one of best loca ons/ houses that we have had in our area! So it was a goodbye beer with the boys from A & 8’s Sundance, Birdman, Rusty, Hoss and the rest of the amigos! Much respect! 4th Stop was down in the Dirty Schwa... at the Oshawa CH. I was first to arrive and greeted by Deville (Rick tat ar st extreme) who has graduated in the ranks of the MC life! He was a member of one of my first clubs...and he was a major player, good to see you man! They served up complimentary burgers and dogs, and as usual were very welcoming to all! Last stop was Malicious Cycle and Clothing where Mr. Bryan had a BBQ going and had all his Victory and Malicious gear on sale. The local RD chapter east rolled in ...saw some old friends
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like Jeff Z etc. And lo and behold our trusty RIDERS MAG FEARLESS LEADER RICK THE CRITTER HIMSELF and his woody trike were on hand to support along with Miss Blondie McBlondie Chantel. Always out to support events were the Long Horns MC. It is always good to see them (talked to Mano for a while. Anyhow folks crazy, as it seems my cards were good enough for 2nd place! Too funny, considering I have been going on these Poker Runs and such for 20 plus years and it seems my number finally came up! So what else has been going on? I have no idea, as I was AWOL from the scene as I live the posh life of a re red guy with a shack up north to go to all summer! The weather sucked this season but then, WTF? We had a most excellent sunny stretch of days for a September. I rode the r-glide up and back several mes to the city to play music in one the bands that I front here and there! Call it what you want, “old guys playing old music for old people”! Like if you started listening to the Rolling Stones when they first arrived brother you are a frkin dinosaur! But for me, it buys the gas and beer to go between the city and the North Country. It’s same for old hockey players, they need to lace up the skates and get out on the ice, like musicians need to play and Harley riders need to twist the thro le and feel the wind! You never get red of stuff you love! PD13 Yes I went! I got a call from Mike, (aka the Mad One) asking me if I would Road Captain a two person ride to Dover! “Sure if weather looks good” was my reply! Well it turns out by the me we got there on Oct 13 it was t shirt weather! The ride down was uneven ul! It helps to have the right bike “Have beer box will travel free” down the 407! It’s easiest way to get from east of Toronto to the Hammer and onto Hwy 6 then then jaunt down into Pt. Dover. I put the cruise at 120 on the 407 and was being passed by packs of younger guys on new bikes! Funny though! On the turns going thru the Hammer and up the mountain I le them all in their tracks! Just set a steady pace. We hit Dover and wisely, from years of going there did not a empt to ride into the main area and park at 11:30! We turned right on the road near the Marina and parked. An older dude spo ed me while he was firing up a doobie and moved his bike to make a spot for me! Old school courtesy rocks! So Mikey and I strolled over the bridge, and up Main Street. Being parched from the ride, a cold ale was called for, and we headed to Angelo’s then checked out the vendors here and there and ran into the legendary Bryan Shane from Malicious at his booth... Could not find Cri er, he is usually at the corner, north of the vendor area, where he is taking pics of ladies who kindly display there Ta-Ta’s for the publica on! That man has photographed more pairs of boobala’s then Hugh Hefner. With crowds of 1000’s and 1000’s...you never know who you will meet! I saw Greg (Wheelz) from the Mag, Big Adam from the Schwa and Clayton, who calls me every 13th to go with him and I will someday Bro. Red (Dave Hill from the falls who I’ve travelled with into the states a few mes.) Then it was on down the hill to the Norfolk, where the legend of PD13 began! I tried to hook up with my old club mate, Ralph, AKA the Hammer, who is now with Bacchus MC out of Hamilton, but he was off relaxing away from crazy crowds, smart guy! This year replacing or in compe on with, thong man was this dude in some kind body suit...he stood perfectly s ll when I saw him and I thought it was some ugly statue! Lots of peeps took his picture! I’m not sure what his get up was supposed to represent, other than it looked like stocky guy who had been skinned alive! (Editor’s note; Pictures of Thong man or any of his ilk, will not run in The Mag!!) With sadly no place to stay over in Dover, (that rhymes eh?) and considering the Friday traffic we had yet to ride thru, it was me jet! I made it home by six stopping off at the local for wings and a beer or two on the way, and rode the couch for the rest of the evening! So another 13th has come and gone. Hmmm, only patch I ever bought says Dover 2000) and I was considered a newbie back then, compared to the others! One notable thing that always surprises me is just how many Harleys are out there! They never get scrapped! You see the odd Vic, Indian, Ricer , BMW, etc. but HD is like 100 to one! Shit, my son wants one now! He is 21 and rides my glide when I let him. But he’s s ll hooked on his Yami 125, two stroke dirt! He asks me if I want to ride it, “Nah” I say “Too much torque for old folks!” By the me you read this we’ll be a month away from Christmas and the %#*&% winter! My oldest daughter Nicole is ge ng hitched in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the week before Christmas so sorry I will be tapped out of funds, so no there will be no presents for all of you from Santa! Hope to see you at the bike show in January all so all the best to the best! (adver sers, supporters, readers and fellow scribblers of the RIDERS MAG) DD from D (only a danger to himself)
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Well I have to say, this rider has put on a lot of KM’s since the last ar cle I wrote. Star ng with stepping out of my comfort zone, Windsor/Essex county and visi ng friends in the London area a few weekends in a row. Then on August 28th I rode to London with some good friends to meet up at the Dorchester Fair Grounds with the London chapter of B.A.C.A. for a ride bringing awareness to what B.A.C.A. does. That ride travelled from the fairgrounds to Grand Bend, and returning to the fairgrounds for a light meal before heading back to Windsor. The weather could not have been more perfect for a ride, not too hot, the sun was shining, and minimal wind. It wasn’t my first trip to Grand Bend, but, the first one travelling through the back roads and unfamiliar countryside from London, with a group of people that I haven’t ridden with before. The ride was very well organized and very well planned out by the road captain, with specific instruc ons as to the manner in which we would proceed (staggered forma on) with only one stop, which was the Legion in Grand Bend. It was long enough to meet some new people, rest up for the ride back, and fuel up if necessary. B.A.C.A., for those of you who are not aware of them they are (Biker’s Against Child Abuse) and currently have four chapters in Ontario. The organiza on was started in the United States more than 22 years ago, and has since spread worldwide and is currently in 17 different countries, with more than 200 chapters. Their mandate is to “empower abused children to not be afraid of the world in which they live” plain and simple. If you’re a rider and want to make a difference in the world, check out the internet and find your local chapter, and have a talk with them, hear them out, and see if you have what it takes. Labour Day weekend, a er the ride with my new friends from London we were asked if we’d like to go on another adventure in O awa. Now, here was a trip! We le Windsor in the early morning hours Friday September 1st, mee ng up with our friends in London, then travelling to our Na ons’ capitol O awa for the B.A.C.A. awareness ride. This was a ride that changed a lot for me. I had not taken this long of a ride in one trip on a bike, and we ran the gamut of weather, cool, well, actually cold and dark, in the morning, warming up in the a ernoon, and by the me we made it to O awa, cool and dark again! More than 14 hours on the bike, which was due to a lengthy delay near Kingston. We finally arrived in O awa, actually Mano ck as the sun was se ng. This was not my first trip to O awa, but, the first me I made the trip on my bike. We were joined by other B.A.C.A. chapters on Saturday. They came from all over Ontario, as well as a chapter from Montreal. The ride took us through some beau ful scenery then on to the Parliament buildings, through the city, and along the canals back to our primary des na on. I’m not sure how many readers live in Canada
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The Ride to the North Wall On September 10th, the North Wall Riders’ Associa on hosted the annual run to the Afghanistan/UN Peacekeepers’ memorial here in Windsor, ON. One of the guest speakers, an Afghan veteran, and my oldest son spoke eloquently about life a er the military, and how we should all be thankful for the lives we have, and, how we all in our own way can make a difference in our communi es, and our world as a whole. As for the new bike, a er two weeks, I have to take it in for the 1600 Km check-up, and more trips planned before the end of the season. On that note, I hope the rest of the riding season finds everyone safe and sound, and as always, ride safe. Lockup Well here we are folks it’s Fricken November….where did it all go? I have heard that comment a lot this year, I think it was due to the li le bit of dam rain on a daily that was the problem. Oh well make the best of the warm days and make plans for the grand trips of adventure and road miles for next season, spend me at the upcoming Swap Meets and Shows it will ease the apprehension of the winter season. I have a few things to cover here because of the double issue…..First off some very honorable men ons: Heart Defects Ride September 17, 2017 Gen and Warren Hays have been running the Heart Defect Ride (Pooker Run) in memory of Gen’s Daughter that passed at the age of 19 from an undetected heart defect, for 8 years now. Sadly to say they have announced that this year was their last, but a Congrats is in order for raising an es mated $200,000.00 over 8 years to support families in our community dealing with heart defects. We have li le to no services here in Windsor. Thank you Gen and Warren for all your me and contribu ons…love you both dearly. Hogs for Hospice September 24, 2017 Congrats Iron Horse MC on another very successful Run for the Windsor-Essex Therapeu c Riding Associa on! Even thou it was ho er than a mother out the turnout was huge! Congrats on raising an es mated $17,867 this year to support families in this area! Thank you to all the Membership, and Volunteers from WETRA to make this day a total success!..See ya next year! I have also been out and about for a few other Events and Dinners this past summer and have had a great me! The Hospitality has been spectacular! Thank you goesout to the Membership of the following: Bacchus MC Chatham, Bacchus MC Woodstock, Bacchus MC Hamilton, Queensmen MC, and Bad Examples Windsor. Events you want to mark in your calendar for November: QMC Fish Fry – Windsor – November 3, 2017 6pm Big Al’s Swap Meet Chatham- November 5, 2017 10am-3pm Also it is kind of a anniversary for me this month, I have been contribu ng to the Mag for 1 year now, and over me it is more enjoyable, so since the Swap Meet in Chatham is coming up I would like to rerun my ar cle from last year. Don’t miss this Swap Meet folks! Enjoy….. Merry Christmas/ Happy New Year! See ya in January 2018! Kathy Troiani
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November 2017 Shop of the Month Quinn’s Custom Cycle
Quinn’s has come a long way since he opened his doors back in 1999. Their steady progress has been marked by a succession of spectacular award winning Custom Builds. He and all of the crew are proud of those projects and accomplishments as they bring notoriety and acclaim to the shop and highlight their skills, innova on, crea vity and imagina on. But they are not just about custom builds, glitz and glamour, fancy paint and chrome! They can do, down and dirty, go fast, nasty and lean and mean with the best of them! At Quinn’s, they don’t just keep up to date on all the new trends and standards in Motorcycles, they have established many of them and actually set the bar. They recently opened up the whole one side of the shop to expand the machine shop where they can create one off parts and accessories to really individualize and customise the motorcycle! From custom body parts to the smallest of detail work they can make it happen. It is this ability to create something totally unique that earns them those jobs their ability to actually deliver what they promise earns them their reputa on and more jobs! That strong reputa on earned them the job of building the Custom Bagger to commemorate and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Professional Hockey Players Associa on! The bike started out as a plain old 2006 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic un l Quinn and his crew got their hands on it and transformed it into the work of art that it is today! This amazing bike is to be raffled off next august! Tickets are $100.00 (Only 1750 ckets produced.) are available at Quinn’s, on line, and at the Various Shows and events where the Bike will be on display (More details online). Quinn uses only the best material in his builds and only the best cra smen when he has to source out work that can’t be done in house! For the seat he reached out to two of his most trusted suppliers! Tim from Triple K Upholstery for the seat, and Luke Courtois of DO 180 Marke ng, for the fantas c custom cut vinyl graphics! But again it is not all custom builds at Quinn’s! This is a tradi onal Motorcycle shop where the customers are made to feel at ease! These men are all real bikers and take a great deal of pride in being really fine mechanics as well! They built their reputa on on their skills, knowledge, being trustworthy and reliable. They like what they do and that is to work on motorcycles. They love motorcycles and get as much sa sfac on out fixing a problem for a rider and seeing the grin as the customer rides away with the problem solved as working on the full custom that they may have just stepped away from to do it! There is a real sense of pride in earning the trust and confidence of the li le guy and being the shop that is recommended as the place to take your bike! Quinn’s is like that! It is an old school shop where those ge ng work done on a $100,000.00 plus custom will rub shoulders with someone just looking to keep an old but much loved shovelhead on the road. The crew here; Quinn, Barry, Switch and Chester are able to relate to all their customers and they value each and every one of them! They have an extensive parts department and carry full lines of a ermarket accessories from all of the suppliers! If it isn’t in stock they can get it in. If it exists, they can track it down! If it doesn’t exist, they will make it. They do it all at Quinn’s, service, maintenance, repairs, oil changes, ba eries and ask about Winter storage.
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Stop in and check them out!
Quinn likes to keep things fresh and that is evident in the Shop itself, as it has received more than a faceli since I was last here, it has had a makeover! Bigger, brighter, much be er flow, machine shop expanded, great looking handmade Spider web gate across in front of the door and another to match for the other door in the works! There were plenty of interes ng projects in various stages
of comple on when I was there so I strongly suggest that Quinn’s will have plenty to show off at The Supershow in Mississauga this coming January!
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December 2017 Shop of the Month Motorcycle Enhancements
Believe it or not, there is a downside to building to building top notch, eye catching, a en on grabbing, and award winning motorcycles that bring acclaim and notoriety to your shop! People somehow assume that you and your shop only work on customs and would no longer be interested in working on something as mundane as a stock bike or as unchallenging as doing regular maintenance, oil changes and dealing with just an ordinary rider and that you have reached that plateau where work done in your shop has to be “Premium Priced”! There is a percep on that once you build that one motorcycle that wins “Best in Show” at a Motorcycle Show, the World suddenly comes bea ng down your door begging you to build their bikes and you are inundated with offers from giant Corpora ons to build their theme bike that will further your fame and fortune, just like on those reality TV shows! That just isn’t how it is in the real World! The real bread and bu er of a shop is the basic repairs and maintenance! The res, ba eries, accessories and dealing with the real people who want the best people working on their motorcycles. It is about making sure the customers bike runs and looks great! Those big budget, custom builds don’t come in everyday but everyday there are always people who need something for their motorcycle! That is what keeps the doors open, the lights on and the technicians employed! John Cosen ni, owner of Motorcycle Enhancements knows this all too well! He has spent years developing his business, honing his skills, experimen ng, learning all that he could as he went and trying to be the best he could be and doing the best that he can! He has earned a solid reputa on in the Industry and in the motorcycle community by doing honest work at fair prices, trea ng his customers with respect and delivering on his promises! The fact that his builds win and perform should be proof posi ve, that they are the ones that you want working on your motorcycle! His biggest asset remains his ability to actually listen to his customers and to accurately decipher and translate what they say, scribble on a piece of paper, napkin or whatever and fully understand it! In addi on he has the ap tude, the knowledge, the equipment and the mechanical ability to make it a reality! He has built hundreds of custom bikes over the years and he and his faithful sidekick “Panda” are a common sight on the stages at Major Motorcycle Shows accep ng trophies and accolades for those bikes. He has been featured in many of the major motorcycle publica ons and newspapers but he is s ll a humble man and easy to talk to and deal with! This isn’t just his business it is his life! He has assembled a great crew who work on anything on wheels! With a complete in house machine shop and years of experience under their belts, there is no project that in midates them! All that being said, “There is no job too big or no job too small!” if you want it done right just give them a call! That is what brought Sco Parker to Motorcycle Enhancement a number of years ago with another bike along with visions and ideas in his head that John turned into reality. So when Sco came up with the design for “The Texaco Bike” he took the concept and the design to John and he brought the project to life! The theme of the bike is, of course, Texaco, but specifically “Texaco Fire Chief” which bears reference to the fact that Sco is a proud re red Firefighter. The bike is also Sco ’s tribute to the 343 brave men and women who perished in the line of duty on 9-11 and to Firefighters everywhere! A great deal of me and effort went into just sourcing out many of the items that went into the design and it took about two years to complete. The bike was first fully revealed to Sco at The Supershow last January at the Interna onal Centre in Toronto! It was an emo onal moment for Sco and an instant hit with the a endees and the Judges as they took home some trophies! But in the end, nothing could top the pride that Sco felt at seeing his visions brought to life and his sen ments toward Firefighters put out there for the World to see! John Cosen ni and Motorcycle Enhancements proved that they were more than up to the task in delivering what the customer wanted and more! I have managed to secure the list of ingredients that Motorcycle Enhancements used in crea ng this great looking motorcycle! They started with; a stock 2003 Honda Shadow Ace Vt750, added; Custom Indian Style Fibreglass Front Fender, Rare Vintage Indian Fender Light, Raked Triple Tree, Custom Turn Signals, Custom 21” Fat Spoke Front Wheel, Custom Front Rotor, La Chopper Risers, Kuryakin Grips, Dakota Digital Speedometer, Custom Switches For Accent Ligh ng, Custom Fire Dept. Mirrors, Custom 3 Stage Pearl paint, Custom Airbrushing by Ron Gibbs, Indian Motor Emblems, Indian Luggage Racks, Custom Embroidered Seat, Custom Seat Rail, Custom Chrome Bag Guards, Custom 24k Gold Air Breather 911 Tribute, Custom Show Chrome Side Covers, Custom Made Rear Bagger Style Fibreglass Fender, Custom Made Saddlebags, Custom Upholstered Diamond Tu ed Bag Liners, Custom Made Chrome Fire Helmets, Custom Made Trucker Girl Foot pegs, 1959 Four Note Cadillac Horns, Custom Backlit Texaco Signs, Electric Actuated Bag Lids W/ Remote Control, 1964 Polaris Headlight Trim W/ 1959 Cadillac Tail Lights, Frenched In Lighted Licence Plate Frame, Custom Made Dual Exhaust, Samson Fishtail Ends, Led Headlight, Highway
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Bar W/ Foot pegs, Stainless Steel Braided Cables, Chrome Fire Ex nguisher, White Wall Tires. They finished with; So if you’re looking for a shop to custom build you a Show Stopper Award winning motorcycle or rebuild, repair or revitalize your old ride, add some accessories, change your handle bars, buy and install res, ba eries change the oil and fluids or anything else that you want done to a motorcycle, stop in and see the fine folks at Motorcycle Enhancements! At the very least you will meet some real great people and a dog or two!
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Jessie Lee Hi Boys and Girls, I’m Jessie Lee, I am here taking up real estate in The Riders Mag to share my adventures in the wind with you. I’m hoping to show you places you’ve never been and introduce you to people you’ve never met. I am a lover of all things 2 wheels, or 3 if you’re into that sorta thing. Currently I have 6 motorcycles in the garage of 6 different brands, over the years I have had 17 bikes. I grew up Hill climbing and Grass-dragging with my dad and my first car was a motorcycle. A 1978 Honda CB750, she’s s ll in my garage. So far in my 35 years I have made it to 37 states via motorcycle. Yes, I’m down south here in the U.S.A. No, I didn’t trailer them from place to place. As you probably know, being a mile collector doesn’t pay that well but its worth every minute to experience the world outside of a cage. In real life, to support my travels and motorcycle collec on, I work full- me as a Dental Hygienist and part- me as a bartender, keeping busy in between with my soon to be 13 year old son. He rides on the back occasionally and hopefully someday we will ride side by side. Somewhere in all my free me I like to put a few words down on paper and maybe entertain you folks while I’m at it. I have hundreds of places, thousands of people, and millions of things I am just itching to tell you all about! Now the ques on is, where the hell do I begin?! First of all before I run away with the pages here, this is a very one sided conversa on. You crazy kids know all about me already and I don’t know a damn thing about you, that’s hardly fair. Do me a favor when you get a minute hop on the Google machine, type in JessieLeeWR, pick one or all of my social media sites, and let’s get be er acquainted! I’m all over the interwebs just find a like, follow, or friend bu on and introduce yourself! I’m here to enlighten and amuse you so feel free to tell me what or where you would like to hear about. One of my favorite things to do is pick a road somewhere in the U.S. that people have labeled “best motorcycle road” “best motorcycle route” or “#1 motorcycle ride” and then I take a 3 or 4 day weekend and head in that general direc on. It is amazing how many miles you can cover in a long weekend! This past May I rode down to the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas to experience The Pig Trail, Scenic 7, and several other excellent roads. I had no idea the North West corner of Arkansas was so beau ful and packed full of motorcyclists! Rolling hills, winding curves, and friendly faces for days! It didn’t take me long to discover that Arkansas has a great sense of humor. There are road signs here adver sing places that had me giggling all the way down the road. Talk about a marke ng guru, would you ever think to name a fudge factory “Uranus” ??? These brilliant people did! Here is a case where that old saying, “If I have to explain, you wouldn’t understand.” Comes into play. Next thing I no ced while I was fueling up, they have interes ng names for towns down there. I actually walked out into 3 lanes of traffic to get a picture of the sign, sorry to those who may have been driving by! The fun doesn’t stop at road signs though, I found a highly entertaining message on a jeep window while passing through an awesome li le old- me railroad town. I get the feeling these people know how to have a good me! Eureka Springs has everything from a train museum and rides, an ques and art shops, to bars and restaurants. It’s nestled into the hills on The Pig Trail. The scenery here is fantas c and a lot like that of the Smokey Mountains in East Tennessee. I must’ve passed 100 or more motorcycles on this par cular day and I had the chance to meet a good handful of those at a li le oasis called Turner Bend. Awesome li le country general store in a log cabin right on the side of the road. This place offers a li le bit of everything from camping gear to snacks to clothes and damn near anything else you could need. I picked myself out a pin for my vest, grabbed something to drink and sat on the bench outside just as a whole crew of bikes was backing in in front of me. Now this here is my favorite part about taking a road trip on the motorcycle, everywhere you go you find family! Not the blood rela ve kind, but the brothers and sisters of the wind kind. These guys didn’t all have a leg over the bike for the dismount before we were in deep conversa on. The first topic that came up was the interes ng roadkill down in these parts. These boys were from South Carolina and I am from Wisconsin and neither one of these parts of the country have roadkill quite like
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Arkansas, Turtles, Snakes and Armadillos oh my! I am a lover of turtles myself, however, I had experienced what these boys started talking about where you come around a hairpin curve and there’s two or three of these li le guys in the road, big around as a saucer and just wai ng to catch your front wheel! Along with these fun, fantas c creatures I also came around the corner and saw a shadow on the centerline that turned out to be the biggest spider I have ever seen in my life! I actually made a U-turn to get a photo but the “li le” guy had scurried off. About 10 minutes into the chit chat I discovered that these guys were all re red military and traveling from South Carolina across the country to California for a memorial ride in honor of those who have served. Now if that isn’t one of the coolest things I had ever heard! Everyone has their own reasons for riding and I love hearing all about every one of them! I travel solo quite o en and find myself mee ng the most interes ng and awesome people from all over the world and all walks of life. A er par ng ways with my newfound friends, that I may or may not ever see again, I ventured down the road to find an old metal bridge that was just beau ful and definitely deserved to be appreciated for a moment. I crossed it and found a few others who thought it was worth stopping to take a look at to. Now these 2 gents and I made friends fast gabbing away about everything under the sun, which unfortunately was not shining that day. We are now s ll keeping in touch. It’s amazing what a great big small world it can be. I would love to tell you all about
Jessie Lee
that story maybe next month if Cri er keeps le ng me take up real estate here in his mag! Thanks a bunch for following along! ....to be con nued…
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Is it just me or did everyone no ce that this fall’s weather was by far superior to this past summer’s? For a summer that’s seen records amount of rain and colder temperatures, this fall season brought some much needed sunshine as well as a short heat wave! Not that long to allow Mother Nature to redeem herself for the shi y summer she served us. That didn’t stop me from pu ng more miles on the bike than last year although I’m s ll in the middle of reestablishing the farm status to this mul -acre property I bought off the bank last year. On top of all this, a private venture I took on last April has kept me on my toes! Good thing I have the support of, in my opinion, the “King of Clubs” to help me see through all this. Thank you to everyone that has been an inspira on as well as my encouragement to push this old man to do what I should have done a few decades ago. Nevertheless, it goes to show that if you really want something in life, set your mind to it and go! It’s never too late…just a li le harder! Like everything else in this world, change is inevitable and one cannot stop progress. So why would the biker lifestyle be any different. Old school s ll rules in many parts such as Love, Loyalty & Respect among their Brotherhood but the way we do things has to keep up with the mes. A er all, we have all these agencies and authori es that by using your tax dollars, to keep their arsenal of modern day technology up to date to use against you and make up bogus cases just to jus fy their jobs. One must use their smarts now more than ever. This is one thing that you cannot buy or invent, brains and common sense rules with old school. Now there you have one powerful tool. At this me, since this is my last ar cle of the year, I would like to take the me to thank all the people involved in this great publica on called the Rider’s Mag for all their amazing work but would like to point out the team from Northern Ontario: Rebar from Sudbury, Mark from Elliot Lake, Roger from Manitoulin Island, Roger from Sault SteMarie and last but not least Rose from the Tri-town area on the Hwy 11 corridor. Mostly would like to thank “You” all our readers on behalf of Rebar and myself and all the other writers of this great publica on. Wishing You and Yours a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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FRACTURED TALES BY REBAR It`s Aug 19 and we are off to par cipate in the fi h
annual Ride For A Friend charity poker run. This bike event is provided by the local chapter of the Boozefighters MC, along with a great group of volunteers. First we pack the bike with magazines, camera and any other supplies that may be needed. Now fire up the hog and ride out under the overcast sky and park in a puddle. 2017 the summer of rain it was. Let’s ride to Eddies and have breakfast with friends and then head out to the French River check point. 11:00 am and the French River check point area is crowded with bikes and bikers, milling about. We drop off a handful of mags and register for the poker run, then off to highway 64. Big Mike, Tim and I have 5 more check points to collect cards. We fly by number 2 check point but we manage to get stopped at the third check point. Here we meet up with more bikers, some of the Patchless MC and many others. We are all going in the same direc on, so we ride in a pack. Rolling along highway 64 north and we missed the fourth check point [too fast to stop while riding in a pack]. We do manage to stop at number 5 check point and have a cold one with more bikers. It appears to be a very good turnout at this point. We finally make it to the final check point at the JohnGuy Rubber Boots bar. This place is always a good place
to stop at (biker friendly). Now we back track all the way back to number 3 check point and get the cards we missed on the way up. We arrive on site at the final stop, where the remainder of the event is about to kick into high gear. The crowd is large. I guess we are a li le late comple ng the poker run. Food is cooking and it smells great. It`s me for a burger, potato salad and beer. The music coming from the stage sounds fantas c. A young band that goes by the name CDK are kicking it with some excellent rock. This is the fi h annual Ride for a Friend poker run and charity event. I have never seen it this packed with bikers
well into the night and for some into the early hours of the morning. This event con nues to grow each year. I would strongly recommend that you check it out next year. For more informa on, Google Ride For A Friend. Keep riding safe Rebar
and supporters. Overcast skies will not prevent real bikers from a ending a fun filled event like this one. Ride for a Friend has raised in excess of $56,000 for needy children in the past 5 years. A big cheer and respec ul thank you to the Boozefighters MC. This year’s proceeds are donated for Charlie Lynn Fowler and her family. Charlie is a 5 year old girl who lives in our area. Her health issues started when she was just 7 months old. A er many tests, her neurologist has concluded that Charlie suffers from the very rare Aicardi Syndrome. Off duty paramedics offered to and did transfer Charlie out to the event on their own me with a spare ambulance. They are a very special group of people to do this with professional care and respect. It’s now 4:00 pm and me for presenta ons and recogni ons to all the good people who labored to ensure this event was a good experience for all. Door and poker run prizes are awarded, then the music and fun con nue
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It doesn’t really ma er how old you get. The possibility of being surprised remains constant because around this me of year I find myself talking about the many rides and events that I have had the pleasure of par cipa ng in during the past few months and all the great people I met up with. While at the same me trying to get my head around the fact that with the excep on of maybe a couple of freaky days the riding season is over in the Eastern Ontario region. Well this year was a game changer! While the Summer wasn’t too bad with the excep on of days plagued by rain. This fall has become the summer that wasn’t! With record breaking temperatures and sun just about every day, a endance at many end of season rides were way up because everyone wanted to take advantage of the bonus riding weather. Tradi onally the end of season events for me that span over a whole weekend are Snake River Rodeo hosted by the Simple Men MC and the Vintage Motorcycle Rally hosted by the Old Bastards MC and both events are worth you taking part in. Usually we head up to Snake River early on the Saturday morning so that we can get se led in before the majority of riders arrive. But because this really is a fun weekend with great people we decided to head up early Friday and have me to hang out with the members of the club. They have their party that evening and then for the rest of the rodeo they are all about the guests who come to their event and all members are ambassadors for their club. Although next morning, a few of them were a li le furry tongued but members of The Cel c Brotherhood were set up to provided their Free Breakfast program, promo ng brain injury awareness and brotherhood. So the early morning conga line for hot, strong, coffee took care of that. Riders started rolling early and as I men oned last year the new grounds that the SMMC have created for their event works like a charm! This year they even created a lane for vendors to use to more easily get in and out without having to navigate their way through motorcycles and people. While ge ng ready I received a call from TCB’s Matrix that Hark had gone down from a bird flying towards his face and they were awai ng for an ambulance and he would let us know as things developed. The good news is that while he sustained a concussion and some other scrapes and contusions he would be allowed to go home instead of being hospitalized and while there was damage to his Harley it was almost all cosme c. Special kudos to Brother Wrench who works at B.A. Machine who went and opened the compound to have Hark’s bike stored and to Matrix who stayed by his brother un l there was nothing else he could do and then came up to Snake River to wind down. Saturday was about as perfect and you could get for an outdoor event with not a cloud in the sky and nice warm temperatures right into the evening. Again this year there was a new food truck on the grounds with an impressive menu and they didn’t disappoint any of their customers one bit. There were a number of clubs who came to par cipate including several military clubs that included the Eyes of Odin MC, Veterans MC and 1st Cav and there were members of the Outlaws MC, Black Pistons MC and the Boozefighters MC and it was proof that people of different patches can get along and enjoy an event side by side. As in years past there was lots of music and of course last but far from least was the pig roast dinner and I have to say that the Simple Men MC have one of the best dinners in the region and keep in mind we have some pre y good pig roasts at other events through the summer. Sunday morning saw cloudy skies and the threat of imminent rain showers so TCB started the coffee and free breakfast going by about 7:00 in the morning so that many of the riders could head out and not have to stop along the way for coffee or food. By the me we were finally packing up a light rain had started. But there are two facts bikers learn early; you won’t shrink when wet and you can only get so wet and then it just doesn’t ma er anymore! One last thing I want to men on to those of you who have not been to Snake River yet, please add it to your calendar because I can’t imagine how you could ever regret partying with these people! The next event that rolls around a week a er was the Old Bastards MC Vintage Rally and while I may sound like a broken record this is an event that all riders in the eastern Ontario region should try to make! Whether you are Harley or metric riders, because this is where you see the living history of Forever Two Wheels! For some of you younger people, you will see motorcycles you have never heard of and for geezers like me you will see stuff you once owned, what seems like a century ago! The best part of it all is at the same me you are looking over all these incredible motorcycles you can o en talk with the people who own and restore them and learn a bit more about them and that is worth the trip to this event itself! A new event this fall was the 1st Annual Color Run for the Bondslave MC, O awa’s newest Chris an rider club. Throughout the summer their members have been ac ve in coming out to other club’s events to show support. So when their ride came around they had well over 150 motorcycles taking part. Numerous other clubs including other Chris an clubs such as the Bikers Church, Soldiers for Jesus MC and Lost Disciples MC along with some members of the founding chapter who came all the way from Winnipeg! Add to those clubs the 601 MC, BACA, Red Devils
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MC from out of town. The Cel c Brotherhood were honored that “Church” aka Sco Towaij and his brothers asked them to put on the Free Breakfast for all that came and when the ride was over everyone was treated to a chili dinner.
The next day was the Greely Swap Meet and that event has now turned into a two day event and with the unseasonable weather the turnout was amazing and many vendors opted to be outside! A number of people brought motorcycles on trailers to put up for sale and trust me, if this is global warming then I am all for it! While I thought there might be less good swap this early in the season, there was quite a bit and certainly good deals to be had. Jim Poulin men oned that their winter swap meet was going to go from one day to two in 2018 and that could help to encourage more people to drag more parts etc. out of their garages and basements because they have an extra day to try and sell it. On sad note I have to men on the passing of a very good friend and a man I certainly considered a brother, Joe Laroche! For years, if you have been riding Harleys or Indians or if you needed a custom leather item made, especially holsters, Joe was the man! He and I shared an interest in motorcycles, rescue dogs, mar al arts (4th degree Jiu Jitsu) leatherwork and edged weapons. Add to that a strong sense of family and you have an idea why he will be missed by so many area riders. He had been sick over the last few years but he was a fighter. Being part of the Mag means you get invited to many different events and I was asked to come and photograph the wedding between Snax, Outlaws MC and his lovely lady Jen that was held at the Capital City Bikers Church. They were married by Reverend Rob in front a large audience consis ng of many members of the area motorcycle community and family along with his Club brothers in and several other clubs. It was quite the event and I think everyone enjoyed watching Snax pace back and forth wai ng for the arrival of his bride to be. I must tell you, it was an impressive sight to see the wedding party up on the stage with all his brothers and bride’s maids etc. Although I couldn’t make it to the recep on I hear it was one great party and while the both of them
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have been together for many years I wish them the very best of the years to come and con nued happiness. Speaking of the Bikers Church, the following weekend was their annual Color Ride and when you start ge ng into the middle of October you usually consider riding with your long johns on unless you have gone high tech with heated riding gear like vests, jackets and handle grips! You certainly didn’t need any of that on the 14th and while it was a li le overcast the temperature was just fine and the turnout for the run was even be er than in years past! Upon return the riders were treated to a chili dinner and entertainment which went on ll around 8:00 pm. Kudos to the Bikers Church, Hillbilly & Reverend Rob for all the different events they put on over the season and their support of other people’s events! I must say I will be looking forward to the Bikers Church Xmas Dinner later in the season. One last thing I want to men on is that I think there is going to be a Biker Xmas Gi Show taking place at the Greely Legion on November 25 – 26 where hopefully, if you were looking for
something for a Biker or yourself this might be the place to find it! I will know more by the me you read this and you can email me at the address at the end of my ar cle for more info. As always I urge you to support the events and rides that are created by area riders and their clubs because unlike the slick organiza ons that run events, the local riders and clubs will be the same people that come to support your event or ride. Also please remember to spend your money with businesses such as those that adver se in our Mag or who have proven they are truly Biker Friendly because they have shown their support for our lifestyle and in turn they deserve ours back! Also if you have an event or ride or you are a business that deals with either motorcycles or the people who ride them, you might like to adver se or even perhaps become a distributor of “The Riders Mag” and if so please contact me by email or by phone. As always, I want you to please remember that we make our motorcycle communi es stronger by making them be er! e mail: theridersmag.beau@gmail.com Twi er: Riders Mag East @ motorcyco_beau And you can read us online: www.theridersmag.com/online Brotherhood Motorcyco Beau
The end of an era…..Man, it flashed by at warp speed, Eh Ollie? A er 12 years of occupying the post of Treasurer for the Ontario Confedera on of Motorcycle Clubs & Independents, I have decided to not run for another term. Oh, I will always be a member and staunch supporter (and have been since 1998) but it is me for others to lend their ideas, vision and zeal to the cause. The plight of equality for bikers is an ongoing ba le and, over the years, we have won our share of skirmishes but the fight con nues. The OCC is making inroads but the beast is a gnarly MF’er, significantly cons pated with unjust hatred, and very, very prejudiced. Over the years, many readers of this publica on have inquired about my background and roots. FYI, here’s my resume’ in a nutshell…..Bikers Rights Advocate for 30 + years HOG Director (Toronto Chapter) - Founder and President of two HD motorcycle clubs Contribu ng writer to the Thunder Press – 20-year writer of events and happenings inside the Ontario biker lifestyle plus 12-year author of a monthly column in The Riders Mag tled ‘Figh ng for your Rights’ - custom builder of quality Harley Davidson motorcycles. This leads me, coincidently, to announce that my final “Figh ng for your Rights” column will appear in the January 2018 issue. It is a bi ersweet winding down of my daily involvement in the problems that plague the biker lifestyle in Ontario. Many of you are motorcycle owners and are not subjected to the discriminatory slings and arrows of law enforcement and a media thirs ng for sensa onalism – the one-two combina on of trashing your reputa on while ignoring the truth. But truth does not sell adver sing – it’s just too boring. No, the constant abuse is directed towards the many individuals who have made a conscious decision to declare their commitment to the biker lifestyle. So the branding con nues. Strange how the mainstream media is reluctant to illuminate other lifestyle groups as criminal organiza ons? It ma ers not, that many schemes to defraud the government are hatched within the confines of the legislature or parliament. It ma ers not, that members of the religious sector have conspired to diddle children within the confines of their church. It ma ers not, that members of law enforcement have conspired to commit many unspeakable criminal acts within the confines of their sta on house or while out in public wearing a uniform which supposedly denotes equality and jus ce. And don’t get me started on all the allegedly upstanding ci zens, inside many sacred cow ins tu ons, that possess a criminal record, Eh Ollie? The one glaring standout in all this…… every ins tu on has members who step outside the lines. If society deems that members of a dis nct group (who conspire to commit an unlawful act) are members of organized crime - then why is there not a huge movement to hang that moniker on almost every established group within society? Why is it only bikers (and blacks) are subjected to LE pre-conceived criminal determina on? The Ontario Biker Black List Facebook® Page has grown to almost 2600 members which is significant because not all ‘Friend’ requests are granted. The list is dis nct due to its dedica on in illumina ng the discriminatory prac ces of the dogs of the establishment. I am extremely proud of the page and the difference it has made in our society. Due to the efforts of moi’ and the other volunteers that shepherd the page - the dubious prac ce of ‘No Colours’ signage is falling far short of LE expecta ons. Since the incep on of the OBBL, our ‘White List’ businesses, which encourage biker patronage, has always remained double that of the ‘Black List’ businesses. While there are many of us who salivate at the thought of visi ng ‘Black List’ establishments to debate and ques on their viewpoint on civil rights – the Ontario Confedera on of Motorcycle Clubs & Independents does not encourage any unlawful ac vi es such as trespassing. The businesses that are listed on the Black List are made public in order to, not only, discourage members of the page from patronizing those establishments - but also to spread the word throughout their sphere of friends and acquaintances about the discriminatory prac ces being foisted upon businesses by fear mongering law enforcement services. The OCC, through its membership base of over 4000 Ontario bikers, and via the over 2500 plus interested par es subscribing to the F/B page, reaches an es mated 10,000 people who believe that bikers are unjustly being bullied by 21st Century policing methods. OCC Credo: No ce to those that seek to beli le our lifestyle – we are growing – we are not going away – we will be respected – we will resist every a empt to trample on our freedom. What is my one message forged from the many years of front line ac vism? UNIFY and pull together! The beast known as law enforcement is out of control. Every forecast of impending biker doom has never materialized…and s ll they moan their message of disaster. The OCC&I, along with our brother confedera on the ACC, have debunked the myth of the imminent biker war via their respec ve annual Unity Rides…and s ll they moan their message of doom. The majority of biker charges, which the media sensa onalizes because of the insistent prodding by LE, are mostly misdemeanor infrac ons and a far, far distance from anything resembling organized crime. The only ‘organized crime’ happening here is the persecu on of a lifestyle via the discriminatory ac ons of law enforcement. If all the money spent on all the untold hours of intelligence gathering and surveillance have only resulted in the arrest and deten on of some major appliances - then surely local law enforcement, guided by the intelligence provided by the Biker Enforcement Unit, is rendered impotent in its designa on as a police service. Rooster Rider OCC Treasurer
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OCC = ONE COMMON CAUSE
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Riding with the Angels By Rose I’ve been to a number of biker funerals over the years but only two were a result of motorcycle accidents. All the rest were from cancer or another disease. The first one was back in the late six es…and ironically his nickname was Crash. The latest one was in late August. Not too many women were presidents of bike clubs back then. She also belonged to various women’s riding clubs: MOM WOW, Chrome Divas, to men on only a few. Sandra re red from Community Living Port Colborne and started another chapter in her life at Sandra’s Jewellery by Clyde Kent in Beamsville. Clyde is a founding member of Lincoln County Motorcycle Club in Niagara. Members from various clubs shared a few words and usually made the crowd laugh or cry depending on the story told. Most stories were of riding escapades over the many years of Sandra’s riding career. One story was about Sandra, Nancy and Virginia, Niagara HOG Ladies of Harley members, on a summer bike trip. On their trip, they stopped in to see friends in Topeka, Kansas. Mike goes to the HD dealership daily to meet with a number of friends. The dealership has a great restaurant so Sandra and the ladies dropped by to find Mike. He was stunned to see the ladies from Niagara in Kansas and his sidekicks were stunned to find out the ladies were only stopping in to say Hi and moving on to California. GBNF RIP
Steven “Scab”May May 26, 1957 – Aug 21, 2107 I was saddened to hear that Steve May, well respected Member of the Vagabonds MC. since 1989 lost his ba le with Pancrea c Cancer. He will be sorely missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him! GBNF RIP
James Glen “Nub” Mead Sept 23, 1956 - Aug 18, 2017
Mead, James Glen “Nub”, 60, of Moundsville, died Friday, August 18, 2017, in Parkersburg as a result of a motorcycle accident. He was born September 23, 1956, in Houston, Texas, the son of the late Raymond and Helen Mead. He was an Ironworker for Local Teamsters #549, president of Brothers of the Wheel, Northern WV Chapter, a member of the American Legion, VFW, Moose Lodge and a Chris an by faith.
GBNF
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Well we are into fall as I write this column but we are s ll ge ng summer weather off and on. That doesn’t bother me a bit since we didn’t really have a summer with all the rain that we got! We soon we will be into shi y winter but hopefully it isn’t a bad one this year. We are into the bi-monthly issues of the mag now which had slipped my mind so here it goes with my adventures for this issue I hope you all enjoy. HAWKS SHOW AND SHINE
This was a busy weekend as there was lots going on and it seemed that everything was happening on the same day so I had to make a choice as to where I was going to go and since the Hawks MC had their show and shine in Hamilton at Lotos Bar and Grill, I decided to head down to the show. I arrived at Lotos and was greeted by some of the brothers from the Hawks who directed me to where I was to park Sophia then wheeled around gree ng everyone that I knew. For once it was a beau ful day (well so far anyways) and the parking lot was filling up with bikes of every make a model. I spo ed Deborah and her husband from Bling Your Things at their booth so I went over and cha ed with them for a bit. As the day went on I snapped pictures, talked with this one and that one. Then of course Mother Nature had to make an appearance and it started to pour rain and everyone took cover wherever they find shelter from the rain. The rain stopped a er a bit and the sun came out again and it got hot again! Soon it was me for the awards to begin so I found a spot and took pictures as the winners were called. There was a pre y good club
presence at the show also with Bacchus MC, Masters of Mayhem MC, To m b s t o n e riders mcc, Hog and of course the Hawks, Lincoln County MC and of course the Hawks. My appologies to BRO Port colbourne and the Hells Angels Kitchener Chapter for not making it out to your events I can only be in so many places at once. PATHSTONE MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY RIDE I woke up to a beauty day for a ride and a er ge ng ready I headed out to Niagara Falls to pick my passenger for the day Giggles at Brewins Bar and grill (where the ride was ending). Giggles and I headed over to the star ng point of the ride which was at Niagara Pharmacy and we
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arrived there at 11 and greeted everyone, had something to eat and waited for the ride to head out. This wasn’t a poker run or anything like that it was just a ride to raise money for Pathstone Mental Health in St. Catherines. Pathstone started in 1966 when caring professionals of the Niagara Community came together to consider the social, emo onal, psychological, and educa onal well-being of Niagara’s children, youth and families. The ride was led by Motorcycle Country Riding Club out of Niagara Falls and the Regulators MC from Chippewa. The first stop was in Stevensville at Lane’s Family Restaurant/Stevensville Ice Cream located at Netherby Rd and Sodom Rd. Everyone got off their bikes and either headed in to get ice cream and mingle un l it was me to head to the next stop. TONS OF BIKE GEAR on Hwy 20 in St. Anns and when we arrived the parking lot was already full of bikes and people as it was a beau ful day for a ride. I met up with friends of mine Kim Wong and Joe Bresse e as they were on their own ride for the day and there was also a bbq happening to raise money for another charity (I forget the charity though). Next was a stop in JORDAN HOLLOW AT BOO’S EATERY ON HIGHWAY 8 IN JORDAN ONTARIO we arrived at Boo’s and there was a flea market going on as there always is on the weekends. I went to check out the deals that the vendors were offering and talking with others un l it was me to head out again. It was off to the next and last stop at BREWINS where the food and entertainment was happening. A er staying for a while it was me to head home so I said my goodbye’s to everyone and headed out. The money
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raised for the day was $1416.30! Pre y good for the first ride. The organizers are trying to make it an annual ride so we will see if that happens. I had a somewhat minor breakdown on the way home a er going over some train tracks my fender support snapped but thanks to Lee Jacobs at Last Chance Garage he fixed it for me (thanks again Lee). Thanks to MCRC and the regulators for a good safe ride. CRITTERS ANNUAL SHOW AND SHINE This is the first show and shine of cri ers that I have a ended so I packed up Sophia and headed for Black and Gold in Newmarket where the show was taking place. I arrived at 10:30 a er ge ng a bit turned around parked and headed into the lot where the show was ge ng into gear. I was greeted by the Boss himself, Cri er and I finally got to meet the lovely young Intern Chantel. I also met up with Maxx (Kilo) who is another contributing writer for The Mag. As I wheeled around saying my hello’s to people I spo ed Sue Kojic at her booth and went and sat with her for a while, ( if you ever see me at an event and I look at you like “who are you” please remind me of your name as I come in contact with lots of people on my travels). It was a beau ful day and the lot was star ng to fill up with bikes and people, the delicious food was cooking and the band was star ng to get the crowd rocking. As I was si ng with Sue Al came over to chat for a bit (sorry to hear that you aren’t with the mag anymore). I also got to finally meet Andrew Kruschel (Cowboy) we
have been Facebook friends for a while but haven’t had to chance to meet up due to conflic ng schedules and distance! He lives way up north and I’m down in Hamilton but it was good to finally meet you brother and chat a while! Thanks again for the beer. I wheeled around looking at all the bikes that were entered in the show and the vendors as well. One ring in par cular caught my eye so the lady who was running that booth (sorry I forget your name) gave me one since I liked it so much but unfortunately it broke and has gone to jewellery heaven. It was almost me for the awards so I went and found a spot and they got started, unfortunately I didn’t get the list of the winners but congrats to those who took home a plaque it was an awesome day and a er the awards were handed out I said my goodbyes and headed for home with a stop in Burlington first for dinner. SOULES CLASSIC BARBERS AND INK GRAND OPENING Now I know this isn’t a bike event but Soules Classic Barbers and Ink IS biker friendly. Myself and my good friend and helper Giggles arrived at the new shop around 9 a er a busy day and the shop was full of people for the grand opening. I met up with a brother Bruce John Inch and I went over to greet and chat with Tim Soules (the owner of Soules classic barbers and Ink), his wife Kari and his co-worker Clint. Tim opened Soules Classic Barbers and Ink a few years ago (2015 or 16 can’t remember the exact year) and now he has moved to a bigger and be er loca on where both the barber shop and ta oo shop are located in one building to make things easier and to get a head start on the new LRT (light rail transit crap) that is coming to Hamilton as he would have lost business if he had stayed where he was previously. I wheeled around taking pictures before heading for home as it had been a long day. If your ever in the area and need a haircut, hot towel shave or a ta oo stop in and see Tim and his crew and they will hook you up the shop is located at 1915 King Street East in Hamilton Ontario. Congrats on the new loca on brother. NWRA POKER RUN This poker run is one of my favourites and I try to never miss it. It is put on by the NORTH WALL RIDERS ASSOCIATION - HAMILTON CHAPTER. Giggles and I arrived and were greeted the brothers and sisters of the North wall riders and others! We headed inside to register for the ride. A er wai ng a while and cha ng with people it was me for the safety mee ng and the ride to head out. The next stop was in Cayuga at the legion where everyone got off their bikes, mingled, grabbed a drink or something to eat un l it was me to head to the next stop which was the Dunnville Legion and when we arrived they had chili out for anybody who wanted some. A er staying there for a while it was off to eh last stop at Beamsville Legion where the cards for the poker run were to be drawn and the food and entertainment were happening. Neither Giggles nor I won at poker but she did win a nice jacket. The band was entertaining us and the food was being eaten up by all the riders and everyone was having a good me. A er staying a while it was me to head home so we said our goodbyes and headed out. Thanks for a good day and ride NWRA. BIKETOBERFEST/RIDE OF THE FLAGS Again Giggles and I headed out for a ride and to cover another event for the Mag and again I had to make a choice as it was another busy weekend! So on the Friday night we headed out to CLARE’S CYCLE AND SPORT IN FENWICK WHERE THE RIDE OF THE FLAGS WAS STARTING AND GOING TO THE WELLAND COUNTY SPEEDWAY WHERE BIKETOBERFEST WAS TAKING PLACE. We arrived at Clare’s at 5:50 p.m. And the parking lot and Sideroad were filling up with bikes as we waited to leave for the speedway. Contribu ng writer Roseaire spo ed me so he came over to chat for a bit before the ride was to head out and we also cha ed with Buzz Buzanko.
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We le Clare’s at 6:15 and headed on a scenic ride to the speedway where the CH was open for people go get a drink and the band (I didn’t catch the name) were bel ng out old school tunes and everyone was mingling and having a blast! They had some vendors set up and were doing a brisk business. It was me to head home as we had another event to cover the next day so we said out goodbyes and headed out for home. BACCHUS MC POKER RUN It was a beau ful day for a poker run so Giggles and I headed down to the Bacchus MC CH for their poker run. A er parking Sophia we headed for the house to get registered and mingled with some of the members and others before heading out for the ride. There were 4 groups that went out one a er the other and we were given a number that corresponded with the group we were to go out with. well it was a hot day so we ended up heading out with the second group so we got in line and headed out to the next stop at Neighborhood Bar and Grill in Beamsville. The parking lot was small so we had to find a spot to park wherever we could! We headed in to the bar to draw our second card and grab something to drink. I cha ed with Snake and Lou for a while un l it was me to head to the next stop at Touchdown Willie’s in Smithville where we were given and extended amount of me in case people wanted to grab something to eat! A er the cards were drawn and bellies were full it was off to the next stop in Dunnville at Ace’s Bar and Grill. We arrived at Ace’s drew our cards, grabbed a drink, hit the can and mingled with others un l it was me to head to the last stop back in Hamilton at Lotos Bar and Grill. We arrived at Lotos drew our cards and the party got underway they had a roast beef dinner being served and everyone was mingling and having a good me. A er staying a while it was me to go so we said our goodbyes and headed home. Thanks for a good ride and day guys. PUDGE’S MEMORIAL RIDE When I saw that Pudge was on life support it came as no surprise when I heard that he had passed away! I was saddened but knew he had been sick for a while and I was invited by one of his sons Joel to go on the memorial ride. Pudge was a true biker and a legend. Giggles and I headed to the Hells Angels MC Hamilton Chapter CH where the ride was star ng and the parking lot started to fill up with other Hells Angels members from the Kitchener and Bran ord Chapters along with other Clubs to pay their respects to Pudge. It was me head out for the ride so we all got on our bikes and headed to Selkirk to Sco y’s co age where we hung out for a while had a beer or two and heard an awesome bagpipe tribute by Keith. Everyone finished their beers and we headed back to the CH to celebrate pudge’s life. R.I.P Pudge 1945-2017 again my condolences to Jay, Joel, Kelly and the rest of the family on the loss of Pudge. BLACKHAWKS MC SHOW AND SHINE It was a HOT day for a show and shine (looks like summer finally decided to show up) but despite the heat Giggles and I headed over to Bobbie’s Bar and Grill on Homestead Drive in Mount Hope to cover the show and shine. When we arrived the parking lot was filling up with bikes of every make and model despite the heat and we no ced that one of the riders was wearing a 3 piece suit so we figured he was coming from or heading to a wedding or church, but it turned out that he was on another ride earlier in the day for another charity and all the riders were in suits for the en re ride. I went to the back of the bar where the registra on was happening and said my hellos and registered Sophia in the show. A er which, we ordered breakfast and cha ed with this one and that one and tried to stay out of the heat un l it was me for the awards to get going and I headed back and found a spot from which to take pictures and such. Sophia didn’t win a trophy but I did win a door prize. Well that does it for the issue and by the me it is out it will be Christmas and the new year so Merry Christmas and Happy New year everyone.... me to go for a ride....see ya later.
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Bikers Church U. S. DISASTERS AND MURDERS?? WE’VE GOT ENOUGH OF OUR OWN!! How about we focus on our own problems, such as the 37 motorcycle fatali es in Ontario this year (and that’s just the ones that went on to the great beyond). Don’t get me wrong and brand me as callous toward the U. S. I was deep in prayer over the Vegas mass murder and I was more in prayer over the families who lost loved ones in Ontario as well. You need to realize that most of these riders are not really strangers outside o f our lives. In the Biker community, there is li le more than one degree of separa on between all of us (maybe just a bit more between cruisers and most racing styles). My friend, Guy, knew Barbara Lethbridge who was killed by motorists on the Burlington skyway and many of my riding friends at least knew of her. She had just done a 5,000 km trip to Texas on her new Harley and just back from this solo ride, she was killed on her way to work and what a sad loss for the Hamilton community. My prayers went out to her family and friends. When will our government take ac on and increase the penal es for those who cause such tragedies and then say “I didn’t see...” I say, “No, you didn’t look properly!” I’ve had many close calls of my own. This brings up the ques on, “Where was God in all these tragedies?!” There are two clear answers to this important ques on. The first is that God never caused the bad things that happen to us. He created the world and us with our free will to see who would have faith and who would reject it. In Jeremiah 29:11 we read, “For I know the plans that I have for you’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” He plans only good stuff for us! The second answer leaves us with a problem: since we are imperfect and have free will, some mes mishaps will happen. More concisely, there are idiots behind the wheel that we have to be careful of! The problem is whether we have decided to take faith in God and engage a rela on ship with Him (that simply means saying a regular prayer). Pastor Dave calls this fire insurance for those who prefer not to end up in Hell at the end of it all. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only bego en Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life,” John 3:16. Stop right now and take ac on with a faith moment that will last forever so that you can confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid. What can Man do to me?” ( Hebrews 13:6) Please pray with me now: “Our Father in Heaven, I believe in You and your Son Jesus just the way Saint John talked about. with the faith that I have, I ask you to protect me and my friends, riding or not, and I’ll do my part to be safe, too. Thank you for Your grace. Amen.” Blessings to you all this Fall! Pastor Ken 905-870-8584
kenang@cogeco.ca hamiltonbikerschurch.com
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Just East of the Rockies One of the best things about promo ng The Riders Mag here in Alberta has been mee ng with so many of the people who contribute to and take part in this provincial community. One such case was visi ng the great people at Eaglerider of Calgary. Bill and Marion Redpath have been very busy both with the new business and in the local community. In talking with them, we quickly agreed that a formal introduc on was due and within a short me, Marion had penned down her experience and sent it through. Introduc on to EagleRider of Calgary by Marion Redpath Hello fellow riders! We are happy to be back
adver sing in The Rider’s Mag. Some of you may remember Bill and me from when we operated Eagle’s Landing in Teviotdale, Ontario. We found that The Rider’s Mag was always the best bang for our adver sing buck and naturally, we reached out to them to build awareness of our new venture. Bill and I have been riding Harleys for over 30 years. I’ve been riding my own for 23 years. I grew up around motorcycles. Both my father and his brother rode. Despite that, my Dad was less than impressed when Bill came rolling in the driveway on his 1971 Shovelhead chopper to pick up his teenaged daughter in 1981. It was a different me back then. Those that rode Harleys were considered the “bad boys”. It’s amazing how the mes have changed where it’s cool when you ride a Harley when I think back to the days when we were refused service in restaurants when we walked in with our leathers. Even Dad came around and I s ll remember the day well when Bill and my Dad rode together – Dad on his big, old Yamaha Venture and Bill on his Springer So ail as we le the lake to head home. Mom and I both agreed that we never thought we’d see the day that would happen. So how did we end up with an EagleRider franchise in Calgary? Well, it all started in 2012 when I had a work
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by Dan T.
conference in Colorado and we stayed on a few days and rented Harleys from EagleRider in Denver. A few years later, we were out here to visit our son who lives in St Albert, just outside Edmonton and were looking to rent bikes again. We discovered that there was no EagleRider and the seed was planted. We saw a huge opportunity for an EagleRider in Calgary with so many great roads and scenery nearby. I called up the EagleRider folks at the headquarters in L.A. and in the words of the Business Development Manager, “the stars have aligned”. They had Calgary on their radar and with my business experience combined with Bill’s technical experience as a licensed mechanic with 30 plus years working on bikes, we were the right fit for what they were looking for in a franchise. We just opened on the May long weekend and it’s been so interes ng mee ng folks from all over the world and hearing their stories. We’ve also met some fantas c local riders, confirming what we already knew: you meet the some of the nicest people on a motorcycle. We’ve met riders from all walks of life – flight crews on layovers, military sta oned out in Medicine Hat, business partners on a “team building exercise”, and equestrians compe ng at Spruce Meadows. It’s heartwarming to see families riding together. Many fathers and sons. In some cases, fathers, sons, uncles and cousins. We had a whole family from Edmonton go out for a week – Mom and Dad on one bike and brother and sister on the other. One par cular rider s cks out in my mind. He was from Alberta originally but lives in BC now. He
drove here in his car and picked up a bike to ride with his brothers. They were doing the same route they did with their Dad only Dad passed away a month prior. That one choked me up when he talked about looking in the mirror and expec ng to see Dad there. Many of our riders are celebra ng. One couple drove from Sea le, WA and rented a bike for a couple of days in celebra on of their 30th wedding anniversary. Another couple celebrated their honeymoon taking advantage of a one-way special from Vancouver to Calgary. One fellow from Ontario was celebra ng being alive. He and his friend headed out on the bikes 6 months to the day from when he had a major heart a ack. They had to shock him 9 mes! Wake up calls like that make you take stock and re-evaluate your priori es in life. I could go on and on with the stories but I’ve used up more than enough space in this issue. Ride safe! Thank you guys again for giving us some background as to what you are up to here in Alberta, if you get a chance, stop in, say hello, check out their awesome shop and confirm for yourselves that these are truly great people. Another great group of people I have had the pleasure of mee ng is that of the staff at Gasoline Alley Harley Davidson in Red Deer. Having a ended the scavenger hunt on august nineteenth, it was obvious there is a huge commitment to pu ng on a quality event and ensuring riders have a memorable me. This was the first me I have done a scavenger hunt on bikes and soon learned that this was a blast. I would have liked to add more of a write up on this event but in talking with Shay Fidler of the GAHD marke ng team, it was decided to save the space for an even bigger event, The Rally in Gasoline Alley. Shay was quick to agree and submit the following update of the fun that this event brought to the riders of Red Deer and its surrounding communi es. THE RALLY IN GASOLINE ALLEY By Shay Fidler I’d like to start with a bit of history on our dealership and the HOG chapter that calls us home. It is easy for readers to appreciate the love of a motorcycle and especially one as renowned as Harley-Davidson, what may not be so apparent is the u er sense of brotherhood and camaraderie that accompanies riders when they enter into the way of life that we at Gasoline Alley Harley-Davidson know so well. Gasoline Alley Harley-Davidson first opened its doors in 1990 and has been a rapidly emerging en ty ever since. We have outgrown 3 buildings, crossed an ocean and scaled a mountain range. Star ng as a small dealership with only a few employees, the Gasoline Alley umbrella now includes almost 100 team members worldwide. While we consider every customer to be the essen al lifeblood of our business, our HOG members hold a special place in the heart of the dealership. Not only do they support us whole heartedly and promote us on their own travels, they are also a constant fixture on an even more day-to-day basis. Red Deer HOG chapter has been a welcome addi on to the Gasoline Alley family since 1997 and has itself grown to include numerous members of all ages and all walks of life. We are always grateful for the help they provide at our many events, and the friendly faces that show up day a er day to enjoy our coffee and company. The Rally Commi ee is filled with people that put their heart and soul into not
only planning the rally but into furthering the passion and dedica on for the Harley-Davidson™ brand as a whole. A er many months of planning, labour, and a few hiccups along the way, the Rally in Gasoline Alley kicked off. Routes were mapped and ac vi es were planned but the wai ng seemed like the hardest hurdle to pass. The many weeks leading up to our first regional rally in 2008 were a complete blur as we scrambled to get everything as close to perfect as we could. We had big shoes to fill as our previous rally, to date, holds one of the largest a endance records. We were also hot on the heels of Lloydminster’s rally, who many described as being the “fun” chapter. The perseverance and hard work put in paid off; having one of the best HOG chapters in the country did help to relieve some of the nerves that encompassed everyone. The Thursday of the rally was when we really no ced how far and wide these riders were coming from. Welcome packages were being handed out and every face seemed like it had arrived from a completely different corner of the Harley-Davidson community. People trickled in from Lloydminster, Medicine Hat, numerous ci es in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and of course our sister chapter from Kelowna was in tow. Our a endees didn’t just start at the confines of Canada though, as we saw many riders from the North-Western states as well. The bikes they rode in on were just as unique as the riders that accompanied them, the “Show & Shine’ would be full of tough compe on. Everyone arrived with the same friendly, ready-to-roll a tude excited to start taking in the beau ful Alberta countryside that we call home. With everyone arrived and se led in, we had everybody join us for the opening ceremonies. Speeches were made, dinner was had, and the count was already climbing up to 500
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riders. With all the formali es out of the way, the mingling started. Friday rolled around with a sleepy start a er the fes vi es on Thursday night kept a few in beds well into the morning. With the majority of members spli ng off into smaller groups to take on the exci ng rides the Red Deer Chapter had planned, as few stayed behind to get to know their temporary homes for the weekend. Red Deer welcomed these urban explorers with open arms and many had a chance to enjoy all that our li le area has to offer. Many local businesses came together to help with the poker runs that were planned. Making sure their doors were open and their coolers stocked. Everyone seemed to take advantage of having the en re day to sightsee. With Friday winding down many riders decided to take the Rally coordinators dinner sugges on and headed over to local hotspot, The Hideout, enjoying awesome meals and live music. From there many spread out and enjoyed the Red Deer nightlife! Luckily for the hosts and guests alike, Saturday shi ed down a gear with the vendor market. Fair foods like mini donuts and nachos were in ready supply, with a massage therapist on hand to iron out any kinks that were acquired over the busy weekend. I can assure you that the staff at the dealership also took full advantage of these li le luxuries as well. The beau ful weather provided us with successful poker runs and guided tours of the region. Later in the a ernoon, the bike games got underway and the roaring of laughter almost eclipsed the thunderous exhaust of the bikes. Armed with oversized tricycles and balloon pumps the compe ve nature of the HOG chapters really shone through. Par cipa on is never an issue with our local members and it certainly looked as though that may be a quality that HOG members from around the county share. Although some of the games may have brought a touch of pink to the cheeks of a more conserva ve soul, these contenders gave it their all. A er some side-spli ng amusement and one scuffed up rider (don’t ask) they moved on to the slow-ride games. These games take precision, skill, and a good sense of humor. A favorite among the riders was the “Weiner Bite Challenge”; this game not only tests the abili es of the rider but also of the passenger. If you’re not familiar with the game, it goes a li le something like this; a hot dog slathered in typical ballpark condiments is hung by a string dangling over the riders. The rider and passenger accelerate as slow as possible under the hot dog while the passenger struggles to bite off as much of the hot dog as possible, while being assaulted with a face full of ketchup, mustard and the works. Whoever can bite off the most wiener is the winner. The evening was wrapped up with closing ceremonies taking place at The Pavillion on The Westerner grounds, a staple of our community. Here, small but meaningful trophies were handed out as well as some larger prizes for the numerous poker runs we had going on. The prizes for furthest rider, youngest rider and oldest rider offered a very interes ng insight into the commitment that these people offer the HOG community on a daily basis. A unique honor was also bestowed on our commi ee head, Jus n Clarke, as his
fellow HOG members had purchased him a Life me Membership as a fi ng merit for all of his diligent work. The evening concluded just as the last bit of sunlight waned and the inhabitants dwindled. With the last of the members headed
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off to their respec ve hotels to pack and get some rest. Our Rally commi ee took a much needed sigh of relief. The Rally in Gasoline Alley was over, but more importantly it was a huge success. Place The Rally in Gasoline Alley here. As Shay put it, its community minded people pu ng their hearts and souls into these events that make the difference so without delay, congrats to all who have contributed to create such an awesome experience. And last but not least, back to some ac on in my home town of Drumheller. I tend to be interested in all things motorcycle so to find out that flat track racing was coming this way le me excited for the event. As the date drew nearer, I became aware of some of its sponsors. Big names like Calgary Harley Davidson and Cycleworks proved to me this was going to be a top shelf event. Stopping in the day of the races, I realized that this was going to be big so I decided to get some help from one of the event promoters Carol Douglass. She quickly agreed to share the highlights and before I knew it, had submi ed these great words and pictures about the event. DINOSAUR DOWNS SPEEDWAY , DRUMHELLER ALBERTA On August 19 and 20 Dinosaur Downs Speedway held it’s first Motorcycle flat track races. The track is operated by the Drumheller Stampede and Agricultural Society, under the guidance of long- me president Mike Hansen.In 2006 a 3/8 mile dirt oval was built and has been used con nuously for the pastseven years for stock and modified car racing. The 1/2 mile dirt flat track was originally built for horse racing and was later used for chuckwagon racing. Last year it was used for Model-T racing. At that point it was realized that the flat track may be able to run other events. Robby McHenry was recruited as a volunteer to organize the first motorcycle event. An ambi ous line up of six classes was organized: Calgary Harley-Davidson Vintage 750 Twins Class, Calgary HarleyDavidson Modern 450 DTX, CycleWorks Indian Motorcycle Vintage B, Vintage 4 Valve Singles, Vintage A/250 Two Stroke and Modern 250 DTX. The race car volunteer track workers: Mike Hansen, Roger Bonneville and Merl Fitzpatrick prepared the track with McHenry’s guidance. Renowned announcer Stu McColl was invited to call the races. Stu announced at Race City in Calgary for twenty five years. Stu started bike racing in 1978. He s ll competes today riding a light super bike on the road course at Castrol. Racer Doug Bie e proved to be a more than capable flagman for all the events. The weekend went off without a hitch and the weather cooperated fully. There is early talk about next years event(s). Carol A. Douglas (Dinosaur Downs Speedway media and public rela ons volunteer Well thank you again Carol for the awesome write up and pics. Hopefully events like this will become more common place at Dinosaur Downs Speedway in Drumheller. It seems like we just got used to being able to get home from work and s ll have me for riding and a ending events but that me of year is here again when the seasons change and things start wrapping up. It does not mean that there won’t be events to a end though as many communi es celebrate the waning of the season. Much like ride put on in Drumheller by Top Rocker. The Ride into Fall poker Run was well a ended and offered local riders one more chance at some great riding while raising and dona ng money to a local charity. In this case, the recipient was the local Humane Society. I know, it’s not over, just changing and that will take a bit of ge ng used to. Thankfully, we s ll have events coming up like on Sunday November fi h in Calgary at the Wal-Mart on 130th Ave S.E. will be the second annual food for the forces hosted by Josh Toney, and One Broken Bikers Silent Auc on at the Ranchman’s on Saturday November 25th. Both of these events promise to be a ton of fun and will help many of us through these shortening days as we close in on winter. So once again everyone, a reminder that The Riders Mag is a free magazine paid for by our adver sers and always supports our troops. If you or your company would like to adver se or have your event or charity covered, please give me a call. Dan. T.
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One
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her daughter Erin, Brian and his wife Kelly, Darkness falls and with summer ending, it’s now dark at 7 pm!Nedi, Lisa and her sis Linda (who took WTH?? I don’t func on well when the street lights come on, and bysome amazing photos), Chris ne and Amy. our house, we have none. Temperatures drop, night falls, and L’il RedEveryone was busy, and the vendors had a goes to sleep. Literally!! I would hibernate if it was a prosperous careerlot of biker support, including a vendor with opportunity. I’m not kidding, I could be a hardcore sleeper at 7:30 pmvehicle decals for ‘Look Twice, Save a Life’. I maybe 8 pm if Mike let me!! Good thing I par ed in my younger yearsthink Mike bought 3 of those! Our chick friend Lisa was there (another cause apparently, I’m a snore fest when darkness hits! It seems we’ve had be er summer weather in the first week of fallblonde firecracker that we see at most of the bike events we’re at) and she then we’ve had all summer. With events on weekends, and occasionallywas taking tons of pics, handing out Mags, and talking to EVERYONE! This girl is embarking on a new adventure which I’ll get to in a minute. I think it’s during the week, it’s been hard to keep up. Now first I’d like to remind you of a fantas c Bri sh Riding Branchone you’d like to support. from England that I’ve been communica ng with. I’ve recently We’ve looked forward to this charity ride, cause they plan a great route. men oned ge ng messages from The Royal Bri sh Legion Riders inDuring the ride, Mike and I offered to block for the riders, and I’ll be honest, England. I can’t tell you how honoured I am, and love the joking aroundcagers wai ng for the bikes to pass were very pa ent when we explained I get with these fine men and women. They have no problem in pickingthe reason for the ride. There were a lot of riders and I got ancy while a fight with me by reminding me to turn off my damn bike lights, as I’veblocking, so I decided to start dancing while waving the bikers through. It had a habit of draining my ba eries when leaving them on. Mike nowmade the cagers laugh, as well as a few of our fellow bikers. Luckily for me, carries a portableLinda Killam got a great pic. Be kind!! I can’t dance!!! When the riders returned, I was asked to jump into the MC role for ba ery pack because….well…the event, (not sure why). I’d like to think it was A. for my good looks and charming, wi y personality. Or B, the fact that I’m a total ass could’ve me. Well recently,contributed to their decision, or just C. the fact that no one else wanted to. I received aI’ll take A for my own personal self esteem and ego-indulging personality! le er from People were anxious for the biker trophies to be handed out. One of Michael (part ofthe trophies was for the Furthest Rider, and this went to our very own new the Crew) andfriend, Big Bill with Willie, who came all the way from the Bluevale/Goderich included witharea. Big Bill rides with Willie on his bike, dressed all in leather, and I love the le er, was awhen we get to bump into them. We also ran into them at On The Fringe beau ful patchin Dover. They literally ride everywhere in the summer and usually come that I’m only tooout with several trophies every season. Other riders came from Port Perry, proud to wear.Barrie and beyond. It was an extra There was a Best Beard category, which Dan Wilkens took away, along special note, andwith winning Best Ta oo. Women were pe ng his beard, which I’m sure he in it they said thehad no problem with. I’ll be honest, I was thrilled that they had a category for Best Support ladies in their local coffee shopVest. Tim Farrington took this one. Of course, I didn’t get a pic of this, cause even read mywell, I’m a knob. Carry on! ar cles. Poor girls, do I need to include more pics of topless male bikers This event made enough money this year to give each charity a cheque for $1,000. The chari es involved were Sandy Pines, Fixed Fur Life, Flying for your viewing pleasure? Could be a good or bad thing. I can not put into words what receiving this le er means to me, andHope and S.H.E.B.A. Founda on. can’t wait to send a couple of my new Lil Red shirts to them. I’ve talked As some of you to Mike about a trip out that way. I think it’d make for a great ar cle! know, I got my gator bike at the auc on at Classy Now, onto the rides! At the end of summer, the Quinte Ride for Paws Ride took placeChassis in Lakefield. on the very same day as Cri ers Show ‘n Shine. I hate missing Cri er’sWe love going there, show ‘n shine, but I equally look forward to this Ride for Paws event.and during the summer, There’s always a great turnout of riders. And Tam gets us coffee andthey have numerous events. September donuts!!!! We a ended last year, and as expected, it was equally as impressive.and October are no Thursdays I wore my animal helmet, as we were gonna be blocking roads for theexcep on. riders and I wanted to be seen. We’ll get to the details of that nonsensein the summers were TGIT Ride Nights. Many later. There was dancing involved. In ge ng there, we spoke with the co-organizers Tam and Derek,Saturdays were events and no ced they had a great team of folks already hard at work. Kate,that included bbqs, bands and stunt riders. They occasionally held these bbqs to help bike chari es, such as HD ROC’s Sick Kids fundraisers, and for the Riders of the CMC. Weeknights were o en Bike and band night, and they had a great swap meet on September 16. Classy is always helping riders look out for their rides (and themselves), so they offer the Fall Maintenance Workshop. This year, I’m hoping to go to their Very Classy Christmas Party on November 18th. Hope to see ya there! There was a new local charity ride we par cipated in this past summer, organized by The Harley Owners of Belleville. It’s a ride that benefited the Local Salva on Army, and I’m glad that we went. I found out that Salva on Army offers programs for kids that I wasn’t aware of, but am a big supporter of. Recently, my son has been a ending college and he had men oned that he was surprised that colleges didn’t offer specific programs to help students navigate their lives in the real world. Programs such as personal finance (balancing a regular bank book), information on basic Mortgage knowledge, details and warnings about bank loans, credit cards etc. Even basic cooking knowledge. So, when speaking with the gentlemen from Salvation Army, he
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said they provide programs such as this, as they realize that this is a need for children embarking on adulthood. Supporting this cause is huge to me. To top it off, they had a great little buffet with sandwiches and desserts!!!! Food seems to be a trend again for me, but I’m not ashamed. If you’ve been following me recently, you’re know that we’re climbing aboard the High Seas Rally this year! This is a bikers-only cruise, and it’s gonna be a blast. Our friends Kate and Rod are coming too! We’re stopping in Key West, Cozumel and Grand Caymans. Folks are renting Harleys, there’s party boats and bars and restaurants just waiting for us as they know these bikers are a great group of folks to entertain. I’m sure if there’s alcoholic beverages consumed by yours truly, Mike will be all-too-eager to share these photos with you, that show the chaos that may ensue. I’m a lightweight drinker, or wussy drinker, whichever term you prefer. They even allow the cruise personnel to wear biker apparel, so we’re bringing them some shirts! Ok, our girl Lisa! Well, she is embarking on an amazing idea that I would love to see your support on. It’s a quilt idea, but it’s for our Veterans. Our fine men and women that fight for the freedoms that we all get to enjoy, need our support most of all. Lisa makes these Veterans quilts as a welcome or thank you for all that they’ve done. A constant reminder to them of the support that we should all give for allowing us to ride in freedom! Lisa is asking folks to share with her, Riding Club’s and Motorcycles Club’s bandanas, shirts, whatever you have. She is making a quilt for Veterans either returning from combat, or Veterans already home that would love this show of support. Many of our Veterans ride a motorcycle, so this would mean the world to them. But it’s also for Veterans that don’t ride. She’s just starting this up, so if you have anything, please contact me and I’ll give you her details. I’d love for this to fly as Veterans have a special place in my heart and the Heart of all us writers at the Mag. Another local ride is the CFB Trenton 7th Annual Ride to Help. This year they had 58 riders, which is pretty good turnout as this event is held on a weekday out at CFB Trenton. It benefits The United Way of Hastings and Prince Edward County, and it’s unique as they offer the opportunity to have your bike photographed alongside an RCAF aircraft. There were prizes, a mock parachute jump tower, a C130 Hercules pull competition and a bbq. But come on!!! Your bike pictured next to an aircraft!!!!! Sign me up!! Another local event we’ve supported for the 3rd year now is the Campbellford Fire Department’s Annual Toy Ride. They meet-up in a very local well-known biker spot, the Canadian Tire in Campbellford. (Thursdays, they have a large biker turnout for meet ‘n greets) and even Santa rides in this annual event! We go out in smaller groups of riders for safety, and all meet up just before the end, so that we have firefighters escort us into town. This year was quite hot and real humid, so it was held inside the fire station. They raise money and toys for folks in the community and the firefighters do a great bbq for your efforts. And who doesn’t appreciate firefighters bbqing for you? Honestly, ladies?? You with me? This year we took place in the HHR. As I’m sure many of you do, it’s a ride that goes from CFB Trenton to Port Hope, and if you’ve not taken part, what are you waiting for?? Even the most hard-core biker will get a little weepy eyed at the folks standing at the sides of the road, supporting you, for doing this ride. We met a few Veterans and I’ll be honest, that’s an honour. I cried….shut up! Well this year with the Invictus Games in Toronto, Lou and the HHR were asked to participate in the Flag Ceremony. Unfortunately, it was last minute and I didn’t get to participate, but I wish I had. It’s great knowing that the HHR is becoming such a well-known motorcycle event and I can’t wait for next year! DOVER!!!!! What a great Friday the 13th. We looked forward to this. In planning, we decided to leave for Hamilton on the 12th, stay in a hotel and leave nice and early Friday morning for the big day! Cause I’m impatient if ya really want the truth. Some buddies of ours (Kate and Rod, Terry and Matt) came along, and made it all the better! With the exception of shitty beds (not going back there again) it turned out to be a great day! Sun was shining, and 100,000 of our closest biker buddies showed up! I even got a birthday cake on the 12th, which almost set off the hotel fire alarms. Hey, shut up!! I like to ride into Dover early, as On The Fringe is a popular shirt spot and I wanted to make sure we got dibs on their Dover shirts before they sold out or had a huge line up to get in. I’m sure I was a pain in the ass, as I was really just making this place my first goal once disembarking off the bikes. I’m surprised that Kate didn’t bitch slap me really. Her restraint was admirable. The rest have learned to just ignore me! But I got my shirts!!!! 5 of them actually! We did have pre-plans when getting there, as we were meeting some women from the Windsisters that were coming from various locations all over Ontario. I’ve spoken of these ladies before. It’s a group of women riders, not an MC, and they have Facebook pages that represent various locations in Ontario. At 1 pm, we were meeting on the beach with all the ladies. And I’ll tell ya, they’re a fun bunch of women to be around. We bumped into Trish (aka Squish) beforehand, as Terry spotted the purple bandana. Now and then we’d see another bandana, but there was so many folks on the street, you couldn’t always get to them to introduce yourself. We gathered on the beach at the Beach Hut, and the cameras came out. We had several ladies there, so it was pretty surreal (and nobody flashed the photogs, which could be good or bad, depending on your take). Linda, the Mother Hen of the entire organization was there. Kim, Terry, Kate, and a few others from our Kingston, Belleville, Trenton group was there. Jen, Donna, Eileen, Judi, Deneen, Margaret and Lisa were there. There were so many friends of ours there, and if I missed you, I’m sorry. There were thousands of folks in Dover, and we did try to meet up with our neighbour Bob and his buddy that were roaming around. As well as Glenn and Glenn, yup two buddies named Glenn, don’t know one another, but were there and for the love of God we could not find! Dover even has a nightlife for PD13, and Chantal got in a pic with a few hundred of her closest friends while out partying. Alas, we’re into October. Halloween is coming, then November, then Christmas!!! I’m excited, cause that might mean bike stuff under our tree!!!!! There’s still biker parties to attend, and I’m sure we’ll ride again before the snow flies. I hope to hear from you (lilred@ theridersmag.com) if you have a biker event coming. You can follow my FB page
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Joke Page Husband and wife had a tiff. Wife called up her mom and said, ”He fought with me again, I am coming to live with you.” Mom said, “No darling, he must pay for his mistake. I am coming to live with you!” A man is sitting in the first class section of a flight from New York to Chicago biting his finger nails and sweating profusely. Noticing his disturbed expression, a flight attendant walks over and says, “Sir, can I get you something from the bar to calm you down?” The man gives a nod of approval while shaking terribly. She comes back with a drink and he downs it quickly. Ten minutes later, the flight attendant sees the same man shaking and biting his nails. She brings him another drink which he swallows immediately. A half hour later she returns to see that the man is shaking uncontrollably, and apparently crying. “My goodness,” the flight attendant says, ”I’ve never seen someone so afraid to fly.” ”I’m not afraid of flying,” says the man sobbing loudly, “I’m trying to give up drinking.” A man and his 75-year-old mom survived being lifted out of their home during a tornado by sitting together in a bathtub. The man said the tornado didn’t traumatize him but being in a bathtub with his mother did.” There was a poor, distraught man sitting at the bar of his local watering hole, just staring into his drink. He stays like that for a half hour. Then a big trouble-maker walks through the door; leather biker jacket, neckbeard, tattoos and sunglasses. He sees the poor,
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lonely man, moping at the bar by himself and decides to have a little fun. Walking up to the bar he reaches over and grabs the guy’s glass and drinks it down in one gulp. Immediately the poor man starts crying. The bully says, “Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I’ll buy you another drink. I just can’t stand to see a man cry.” ”No, it’s not that,” the man replies, wiping his tears. “It’s just that this has been the worst day of my life. First, I oversleep go in late to the office. My boss losses his temper and fires me. When I leave the building to go to my car, I find out it was stolen. The police say they can do nothing. I get a cab to go home, and when I get out, I forget my wallet. The cab driver just drivesaway. I go inside my house where I find my wife in bed with my neighbor. So I left my home, come to this bar, and just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison.” A chicken farmer went to a local bar and sat next to a woman and ordered a glass of champagne. The woman perks up and says, “How about that? I just ordered a glass of champagne too!” ”What a coincidence,” the chicken farmer says. “This is a special day for me. I am celebrating” ”This is a special day for me too, I am also celebrating!” says the woman. ”What a coincidence!” says the chicken farmer! As they clink glasses the man asked, ”What are you celebrating?” ”My husband and I have been trying to have a child and today my gynecologist told me that I am pregnant!” ”What a coincidence,” says the man. “I’m a chicken farmer and for years all of my hens were infertile, but today they are all laying fertilized eggs.” ”That’s great!’ says the woman. “How did your chickens become fertile?”