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June 2015 brings about a landmark in the #TRMI world. What is the special occasion you ask? Well, it means that we have been at this for five years. June 2010 was the first issue under our belt, and I must say that it has been a great ride since then. Five years of incredible sponsors for the magazine. Five years of meeting some of the most wonderful people in the state and beyond. Five years of loyal readers and followers of the magazine. Five years’ worth of rallies, runs, parties, rides, friends, family, swap meets, parts, builds, and two wheeled excitement. The past five years has not been all sunshine and roses, but the magazine is going strong, growing, and always working at becoming better. We started with the goal of being Iowa’s biker magazine, and we have successfully completed that task. About Iowa, For Iowa, and From Iowa is our tagline and has been since day one. The TRMI family thanks you for the support, and we look forward to the next five years! June also brings an explosion of biker events across the state. Runs, rides, rallies, benefits, bike nights, and so many things are shaking in the biker world. In the back of the magazine is the FREE event listing and FREE bike night listing that is constantly being added to. If you have something to add to either of these lists, email the information to Vernon@ thunderroadsiowa.com and we will get it added. Some of our favorite things to hit in June start out on the 6th with the Carroll Cycle Center Rock N Ride. Their annual event is a western Iowa favorite and always a good time. Also on the 6th is the 1st Annual Freedom Rock Ride that leaves Loess Hills HD in Pacific Junction. This ride will go and check out some of the Freedom Rocks in SW Iowa and then in Kimballton alongside a Bike/ Car Show, and then have some food and entertainment. The event is a benefit for the Veterans via the New Century Art Guild. The next weekend on the 13th is the 7th Annual Bell Tower Festival, Bootlegger Tour Ryde, and Cycle Show in Jefferson. Plenty to see, do, and sites to see at this event. Don’t miss this event in central Iowa that weekend. The 15th brings the National Ride Your Motorcycle to Work day, so saddle up and make all of your coworkers that are too foolish to ride jealous. The next couple of weekends explode with things going on all over the state. June 18-20 in Davenport is the 21st Annual Rally on the River QC. The event of this name has been changed over the years, but still the same big party. Good entertainment, tons of bikes and lots to do make for a good river weekend. On June 20th in Algona, Ernie’s HarleyDavidson celebrates their 40th Anniversary with a 4 - TRMI JUNE 2015
huge party. With entertainment, specials, food, drawings, and stunt riding by the one and only Bubba Blackwell, the day will be topped off with a motorcycle jump by Bubba right on the Ernie’s lot! The same day in Anamosa is the Vintage Rally and Bike Show, the big Party in the Park in Creston, Chipp’s HD Shop 10th Anniversary Party in Osceola, the Kelly Burmeister Memorial Ride in Anita, and in Council Bluffs you can hit the Skin Mechanix Open House. This tat shop is going all out with a huge day planned, and may even include a visit by Frank Fritz. The last but not least weekend in June brings the Roar Into Harlan Poker Run on the 27th, Shenanigans Pub/Midnight Riders Benefit Run in Dubuque, the new, improved, and MOVED J&P Open House Rally at the Jones County Fairgrounds in Monticello, and the Destination Fundraiser Ride for ERO in Baxter. As you can see, events are happening all over the state. Get out and about and if you cannot find something of biker interest in June in Iowa, you could just as well give up. Take the time for two wheels. Things in life get too busy, so don’t forget this June to do what you want to do. Take the bike for a spin, clean it up for a show, add some accessories you have always wanted, trade it for a new version, hop on a vintage bike, but just enjoy the biker life here in Iowa. Don’t forget to stop by the businesses listed on the TRMI Network of Biker Friendly Businesses, and tell them TRMI sent ya! Without them we could not have made it five years and continue to bring you this fine publication every month. Ride safe! Vernon Quote of the Month: “Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.” Russel Baker
On the Cover Stunt rider Bubba Blackwell will be in Algona at Ernie’s Harley-Davidson on June 20th for their big 40th Anniversary party shin-dig. Tons going on that day with food, entertainment, stunt riding, and a jump right on Ernie’s lot. There will even be a drawing for some lucky winner to get a brand new custom SnapOn tool box! Come out to Algona for a good time!
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When Vernon suggested I write something for Thunder Roads of Iowa I gave some thought, and wondered just where I could start. I guess growing up in the Midwest is something that most people would consider boring. Especially spending a lot of that time on a farm. I feel sometimes that it was actually more of a blessing. My first wheels as a kid was a used Hiawatha 24inch bicycle that I learned to ride on a gravel 1/8 mile lane. At the early age of 9, speed was fun, and I rode that bike as fast as I dare on that gravel lane without any road rash.
In 2007 I worked with the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, and in April of that year we had a car and motorcycle show and shine, calling it the Weekend of Wheels. Maybe one of the first outdoor car and bike shows featuring both at the same time. In 2009 Flat Track Motorcycle racing was again in Marion County on the black dirt. Local area bike nights were starting to pop up all over in the early 2000’s, and this is when I first became aware of Thunder Roads of Iowa. Now years after that first Honda I ride a Yamaha 1300 V Star and enjoy Iowa’s many scenic back roads of South Central Iowa. I meet many interesting motorcycle riders on my travels, and always take some time to tell people about our great monthly motorcycle publication.
My first experience with motorcycles was on a hot July 4th in 1957 when my Grandfather took me to an AMA Flat Track race at the Marion County Fairgrounds when I was just 12 years old. Maybe that is where the interest in anything with wheels spiked my forever interest. Perhaps it was just Bob Colbert the competition aspect of racing that really bit me at that time. Over the years (now at 70 years) my interest in wheels of any kind and racing has brought many new friends along the way and some great contacts as well. Racing of all kinds on dirt tracks in Iowa or anywhere in the Midwest has always been my favorite past time. Also some SCCA parking lot Auto Crossing in an old 67 Mustang in years past. Watching racing at Knoxville Raceway during the 60’s and through the years I have seen the best in both 2 wheels and 4 wheels. The Weld brothers in the 60’s, at the Des Moines Fairgrounds Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Grim, Jerry Richert, and many more pioneers of open wheel racing. Motorcycle legends Scotty Parker and Chris Carr several years later at Knoxville. During the 60’s my interest in motorcycles started increasing as Honda began public rentals of their 50cc models. When I rode those early 2 wheel Hondas I guess that is when I decided that someday I wanted a motorcycle of my own. A few years later, my “own” came in the form of a SL 350 Honda. I also owned several dirt bikes to ride at the old strip pits in Marion County, known as Wilcox Motorcycle Park. In the 90’s my interest in flat track racing took another turn as I met Chris Agajanian, who promoted AMA Flat Track racing at Knoxville. I also met Bob Weirbach who was Iowa’s State Champion in 1949, and today has his own AMA flat track team. As the years continued I owned various motorcycles.
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CMA Notes
A big thank-you to all who participated in CMA’s 27th annual Run for the Son, that took place the first weekend of May. We had a great turnout in Iowa with all 20 chapters going out and doing a variety of things. Eastern Iowa offered multiple rides and bike blessings. A special event took place in Blue Grass where Billy Rivers came from New Orleans and shared his story before the CMAers blessed everyone’s bikes, and Community Fellowship Church fed the crowd before giving away an awesome custom Heritage Softail. Billy is an old biker with an amazing story of crime, drugs, killings, prison and Christ, which he has shared on TV on The 700 Club. His interview is well worth a google. RFS is the only fundraiser that CMA holds throughout the year which in turn benefits the biking community as well as three partner ministries CMA has joined with for this event. Open Doors Ministries - supplies Bibles, resources and medical assistance in restrictive countries throughout the world. Most of us living in the US don’t realize that the Christian religion is the most persecuted religious group in the world, though recent events are starting to wake people to that fact. Christians are oppressed in at least 60 countries and recent estimates show that there is an average of 180 Christians killed each month for their faith in Christ.
reach and improve the lives of oppressed women in these countries. Missionary Ventures – helps with church plantings and supplies indigenous pastors and evangelists with transportation to reach those hard-to-get places in jungles and mountains where many would have to walk for days. CMA to date has been able to place 5,086 motorcycles, 6,385 bicycles, 24 horses, 26 boats, 1 camel and 3 horse and buggies in 104 different countries. Outreach to Motorcyclists – 1,270 CMA chapters in the US, going to and serving in different capacities at events, rallies, races, etc… showing Jesus in practical ways to bikers, wherever they may be . Many bikes are blessed in May each year but the greatest blessing is that you can have a relationship with Jesus. The cross of Jesus and his crucifixion is the crossroad of history. Everything that came before, points to it and everything that comes after, points back to it. Like Billy Rivers experienced, salvation is life-changing and available to every person, no matter what your life history, rough background or present state. Jesus is all about restoration. Blessings, Mark Mark and Karla Cornick are Area Reps with the Christian Motorcyclists Association. Find out more about CMA and God’s plan for you at www.cmausa.org .
The Jesus Film Project - is an off shoot of Campus Crusade for Christ and delivers the gospel in different languages; 1,229 translations to date and shown in 200 countries. They also work hard to 8 - TRMI JUNE 2015
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The Biker Friendly Business Directory is a list of establishments throughout Iowa that sponsor the magazine. You can pick up your copy here every month. Let them know that you saw them in TRMI. If your business would like to advertise in Thunder Roads Iowa Biker Friendly Business Listing and become a part of the network, please email vernon@thunderroadsiowa. com
Biker Accessories CoolBikerStuff.com 1606 P Avenue Milford, Iowa 51351 877-816-2200 Follow us on Facebook!!
Nunnikhoven Art Stone 405 Wapello Street Mediapolis, Iowa 52637 319-394-3553 Ninnikhovenartstone.net
Ernie’s Harley-Davidson 2613 Hwy 18 East Algona, IA 50511 515-295-7951 www.erniesharley.com
Olsen’s Outdoor Power 2800 E 7th Street Atlantic Iowa 50022 712-243-4867 www.olsensoutdoorpower.com
Dealers
Fenders Cycle and Motorsport 1109 E Army Post Road Des Moines, Iowa 50315 515-256-9062 www.fenderscycle.com
R/J Performance HWY 63 North Ottumwa, Iowa 52501 641.684.8400 www.rjperformance.com
Fenders Honda 100 South 16th Street Ames, Iowa 50010 info@fendershonda.com 515-233-4727
Uptown Motors Sales, Inc 310 Cleveland St Muscatine, IA 52761 563-263-2944 www.uptownmotorsales.com
Leer’s Cycle Center 101 Fletcher Avenue Waterloo, Iowa 50701 1-800-870-6058 www.leerscyclecenter.com
Werner Cycle Works 14410 Frontier Road Exit 440 I-80 Omaha, NE 68138 402-894-3050 www.wernercycleworks.com
Loess Hills Harley-Davidson 57408 190th Street Pacific Junction IA 51561 712-622-4000 loesshillshd.com
Whipp Sales and Service, Inc 701 S 8th Street Clarinda, Iowa 51632 1.800.477.0195 www.whippsalesandserv.com
Metro Harley-Davidson 2415 Westdale Drive SW Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404 319-362-9496 www.metro-motorsports.com
Wiebler’s Harley-Davidson 5320 Corporate Park Drive Davenport, IA 52807 563-355-6437 www.wieblers.com
Nishna Valley Cycle HONDA – YAMAHA – KTM Atlantic, Iowa 50022 1-888-577-6406 www.nishnavalleycycle.com
Zylstra Harley-Davidson 1930 E 13th Street Ames, Iowa 50010 515-232-6223 zylstrahd.com
Okoboji Harley-Davidson 1005 Eastview Avenue Okoboji IA, 51355 712-332-7700 www.erniesharley.com
Entertainment
Baxter Cycle 311 4th Street Marne, Iowa 51552 712-781-2351 www.baxtercycle.com Brenny’s Motorcycle Clinic 4426 State Street Bettendorf, IA 52722 (563)359-7222 www.BRENNYS.com
Crispy’s Biker Apparel Cedar Rapids, Iowa Find Us On Facebook 319-241-0916
Carroll Cycle Center 1327 Plaza Dr Carroll, Iowa 712-792-1610 www.carrollcycle.com
Custom Tethers LLC Indianola, IA. 50125 (515) 962-2072 jsb@customtethers.com www.customtethers.com
Chipp’s Harley-Davidson Shop 1301 Southwest BLVD Osceola, Iowa 50213 641-342-7494 Chippshd.com
J&P Cycles 13225 Circle Drive Anamosa, IA 52205 www.jpcycles.com 800-318-4823
Dubuque Harley-Davidson 145 N Crescent Rdg Dubuque, IA 52003 563-557-3735 www.dubuqueharley-davidson.com
Leather & Hawgs 316 Main, Hornick, Iowa 121 1st St, Soldier, Iowa leather@wiatel.net www.leatherandhawgs.com
Edwards Motorsports and RV’s 1010 34th Avenue Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501 712-366-8400 www.fullthrottleia.com
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Book Em Dano’s 33 S Main Street Denison, Iowa 51442 712-263-9818Mon-Sat 4-2 Dancers Nightly 5-1:30
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Celebrations DJ & Karaoke Services Newton, IA 641-521-8036 Any Occasion or EventCelebrationsdjiowa.com Facebook/Ray Johansen
Baxa’s Sutliff Store & Tavern 5546 130th Street NE Lisbon 319-624-2204 Cold Beer, Delicious Food, Good Music & Great Times!
Chopper’s 601 Rhomberg Avenue Dubuque, Iowa 52001 563-556-9666 Open Noon-Close 365/Year
Do Drop Inn 403 3rd Avenue Under the Water Tower Jamaica, Iowa 50128 515-314-0783
National Motorcycle Museum 102 Chamber Drive Anamosa, Iowa 52205 319-462-3925 Nationalmcmuseum.org
Beer Barn and Grill 226 State Street Kirkman, Iowa 51447 712-766-3395 Open Mon 4, Tue-Sun at 11
Coon’s Corner 302 Front Street Neola, Iowa 51559 712-485-2068 Coon’s Corner on Facebook
Durango Depot 736 Burtons Furnace Road Open 3 to close Best Scenic Road With the Best Food! 563-552-2291
Knoxville Raceway 1000 N Lincoln Street Knoxville, Iowa 50138 www.knoxvilleraceway.com 641-842-5431
Bikerz 313 Main Ave. ClearLake, IA 50428 641-440-4255 Noon-2am 7 days a week
Crescent Roadhouse Bar and Grill 634 Old Lincon Highway Crescent, Iowa 51526 712-227-0101 www.CrescentRoadhousebar.com
Okoboji Classic Cars Museum and Restoration Shop 810 Jeppeson Road West Okoboji, Iowa 51351 712-332-802
Buck Snort 113 4th Street Neola, Iowa 51559 712-485-9090 The Buck Snort on Facebook
Cruisers Lounge 411 Main Griswold 712-778-4111 Mon-Thurs 3PM-Midnight Fri-Sat 3PM-2AM Sunday 11AMMidnight
Food and Drink
Buck Snort 310 Dr Van Zee Road Oakland, Iowa 51560 712-482-6881
4 Way Good Eats Where Friends Meet Wed - Sun 7 a.m. to close Luxemburg, IA. 563-853-3451 Full menu of All Homemade Goodness!
4th Avenue Grill 115 N 4th Ave. Logan, IA 51546 712-644-3200 Find us on Facebook Amigo’s 280 North 1st Street Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501 515-576-0142 Barney’s 203 S Mill Street Wadena, Iowa 52169 563-774-2525 Barney’s Wadena on Facebook
C&L Sandbar 103 North Noyes Street Mondamin, IA 51557 712-646-2300 or 712-216-0975 Hours Daily 11-close Cadillac Jack’s 106 Main Street Baxter, Iowa 50028 641-227-3611 Wednesday Bike Nights! Catfish Charlie’s On the Mississippi River 1630 E. 16th Street Dubuque, IA 52001 (563)582-8600 www.CatfishCharliesDubuque.com
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Dam Riverview Sports Bar The Rivers Closest Watering Hole Guttenburg, IA 563-252-4400 Unbeatable Views, Drinks, & Food!! Enjoy our Deck over The River!! Desperados 105 E 5th Street Atlantic 712-243-7087 Home of Cold Beer, Good Times, Pizza & Wings Doc’s Roadhouse 309 East 7th Street Logan, Iowa 51543 712-644-3636 Open 365-8 am to Close Dolly’s Bar & Grill 109 N. Pine Street Auburn, Iowa 51433 712-688-2220
Fro’s Pub ‘N Grub 309 Cedar St, Wilton 563-732-3977 Fro’s Pub n Grub on Facebook A Surprise Around Every Corner George And Dales Bar & Grill Downtown East Dubuque,IL Open 11 am 7 days a week Wed Bike Night 815-747-8810 Goozman›s Westside Bar & Grill Harlan, Iowa 712-755-2259 Goozman›s Westside on Facebook Haverhill Social Club 202 1st Street Haverhill, Iowa 50120 641-475-3321 Mon-Sat 10-2, Sun 12-12 Hawkeye Bar & Grill 110 North 4th Street Mapleton, IA 51034 712-882-1226 Mon-Sat 10:30 a.m. ~ Sun 12:00 p.m. Huffy’s Mule Barn 802 Main Street Anita, Iowa 50020 712-762-9995 www.huffysmulebarn.com
Come for the Food, Stay for the Scenery
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Iron Saddle Saloon 39 S Main Street Dayton, Iowa 50530 515-547-3311 J.R. Willie’s Gateway to the Beautiful Hill Country Colesburg, IA 563-856-5095 Open Daily Mon-Sun 11AM Home of the Willie Whopper Keasey’s Hideaway Lounge 911 Court Street Adel, Iowa 50003 515-993-3001 Knickers Saloon 2186 Central Avenue Dubuque, Iowa 52001 563-557-0887 365 Days a Year Knickers Saloon on Facebook Knuckleheads Anamosa, IA 319-462-2724 Like on FB Knuckleheads Pub & Grub
Open M-F 11-2, S-S 10-2 The Knucklehead Burger “Git IT IN YA”
Lampe’s Pub 608 Iowa Avenue Dunlap, Iowa 51529 712-643-5781 Open 7 days a week at 11 AM Midway Tavern 206 1st Street Soldier, Iowa 712-884-2230 www.midwaytavernsoldier.com Minden Bowl Café & Lounge 209 Broadway Street Minden, Iowa 51553 712-483-2937 Minden Bowl on Facebook Montgomery Street Pub 207 East Montgomery Street Creston, Iowa 50801 641-782-2165 Papa Joe’s 117 South 6th Street Missouri Valley, Iowa 51555 712-642-9015 Pearl Street Social Club 110 Pearl Street SW Shellsburg, Iowa 52332 319-436-7100 Find Us On Facebook! Pines Steakhouse Oinkers Lounge & Grill 1500 E 7th Street Atlantic, Iowa 50022 712-243-3606 M-F 11AM-, S-S 4PMPizza Ranch DENISON 510 HWY 39 North Denison, Iowa 712-393-3333 Check Us Out on Facebook Open 7 Days a Week
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Pizza Ranch HARLAN 613 Court Street Harlan, Iowa 51537 712-755-2262 Check Us Out on Facebook Open 7 Days a Week
The Edge 3157 Joliet Avenue Missouri Valley, Iowa 51555 712-642-2229 The Edge on Facebook
Vista Pub 7205 Vista Drive West Des Moines, Iowa 515-528-2186 Vista Pub on Facebook
The Home Plate Diner 304 E. 30th Street Des Moines, Iowa 50317 515-262-7000
Whitetails Bar & Grill 101 N. Main St. Marble Rock IA,50653 641-397-9900 Mon.- Sat. 7am breakfast -2am Close www.whitetailsbarandgrill.com
The Lewis Place 506 W Main Street Lewis, Iowa 51544 712-769-2290 Come Relax in the Beer Garden
Wilson’s Tap and Recreation 1008 Story Street Boone, Iowa 50036/ 515-433-1395
The Lounge 1005 Chatburn Ave Harlan, Iowa 51537 712-755-5050 The Lounge Harlan Iowa on Facebook
Woody’s Roadside Tavern 100 West Jefferson Albion, Iowa 50005 (641) 488-2220 Woody’s Roadside Tavern on Facebook
The Onion Grove Bar & Grill 502 Lombard St, Clarence (563)452-3030 Check out our fun on Facebook!!
Guns and Ammo
Red Oak Tap 419 E. Reed Red Oak, Iowa 51566 712-623-4788 Riverside Tavern 450 E Main St Lehigh, Iowa 50557 515-359-9998 Email:riversidetap@gmail.com Sambetti’s Bar and Grill 1430 2nd Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50314 515-245-9780 Mon-Sat 11a-2a, Sun 11a-7p Sandy Hook Tavern S.W. Wisconsin’s #1 Entertainment Destination Hazel Green, Wisconsin 608-748-4728
The Roadhouse 105 Washington Marne, Iowa 51552 712-781-2272 Home of the Marne Burger
Screaming Eagle American Bar & Grill 228 East 4th Street Waterloo, Iowa 50703 319-235-8865 www.partyattheeagle.com
The Sawmill Bar & Grill Now with a Full Menu 401 Main St New Market, IA 51646-3079 712-585-3601
Shenanigans Pub-Dubuque 3203 Jackson Street Dubuque, Iowa 563-513-4001 Open 364 - 3 pm - 2 am
The Wagon Wheel 521 E 7th Washington, Iowa 52353 319-653-3637 Wagon Wheel Tap on Facebook
Sidetracked 206 West Union Street Creston, Iowa 50801 641-782-8534 Slaby’s Bar & Grill Plainview, Iowa 563-843-3443 Home of the Famous Jumbo Grilled Pork Tenderloin Sportsman Bar & Grill 103 1st Street Pisgah, Iowa 51564 712-456-2222 FOOD, FUEL, FUN Stumpy’s Bar & Grill 423 Main Street Duncombe, Iowa 50532 515-543-4222 Stumpy’s Bar & Grill on Facebook
2A Firearms Training Training to Protect Your 2nd Ammendment Rights 641-439-6660 Craig.2aft@gmail.com Locked and Loaded Outfitters 612 Market Street Harlan, Iowa 51537 712-235-4867 www.LockedandLoadedOutfitters.com Pistol Pete’s Guns and Ammo Eldora, Iowa 641-858-6878 pistolpetesgunsandammo@gmail.com DISCOUNTS for ABATE Members Eric Ross & Steve Eggleston
Timerz Pub & Eatery 324 E 7th Street Logan, Iowa 51546 Timerz Pub & Eatery on FB Food & Fun Available 7 Days/Week
Shooter’s Outlet 114 Main Street Arcadia, Iowa 51430 712-689-2772 Tues,Wed,Fri 9-5, Thurs 9-7, Sat 8-12 www.shootersoutlet.net
T.J.’s Pourhouse 100 E. Washington Street Exira, Iowa 50076 712-268-2353 Open M-SAT.@11, SUN.@ NOON
SR Gunsmithing AGI Certified Gunsmith Scott Rule Council Bluffs, IA 402-850-5787 scottrule@q.com
Tobey Jacks Mineola Steak House Mineola, Iowa 712-526-2078 Open 7 Days a Week Check Us Out on Facebook
In sur ance
TC’s Pub 921 N 3rd Ave Marshalltown, Iowa 641-752-0551 TC’s Pub on Facebook The Back Forty 317 Main St. Macedonia, Iowa 51549 712-486-2687 facebook.com/thebackforty
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Uncle Harley’s Bar & Grill 202 W Mayne, Blue Grass (563)381-1717 Great Pizza & Food Bikers ALWAYS Welcome Vic’s Main Tap 304 Broadway Audubon, Iowa 50025 712-563-2122 Opens M-F 3, Sat 10, Sun 3
Matt McCall Insurance Agency State Farm Insurance 102 East South St, Tipton 563-886-6120 www.mattmccall.net AMK Insurance Agency Motorcycle, Home, AUTO, Commercial, Life, Health Shane Baker 712-310-7475 Srbaker@walnutel.net
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k
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Shops & Fabricators
Hupy and Abraham sc, pc Lawyers for Bikers 800.800.5678 Hupy.com
Bent Wrench Cycles 911 7th Street Harlan, Iowa 51537 712-235-2453 Bent Wrench Cycles on Facebook
IowaBikerLawyer.com Pete Leehey Law Firm, P.C. Riding and Defending Your Rights for Over 30 Years 977-209-9452
Butterfield’s M.C. Parts 8025 Blondo Street Omaha, NE 68134 402-391-3768
Photo and Art Ullrich Photography PO Box 1842 Clinton, Iowa 52733 563-243-8715 www.natanic.com
Services BCS Computers 100 Industrial Road Guthrie Center, Iowa 50115 641-747-3344 www.brubakercomputer.com Ben Franklin/Radio Shack 106 N Wilson Jefferson, Iowa 50129 515-386-4122 Hometownvarietyinc.com
Chuck’s Cycle Service and Repair S&S and Drag Specialties Dealer 714 East 7th Street Washington, Iowa52353 319-461-5278 Creative Concepts Collision 422 Market Street Harlan, Iowa 51537 712.755.2231
Pike Run Services 320 Main Nichols, Iowa 52766 Shop 319-723-4244 Cell 319-330-4541
Waderich’s Towing 420 S Main Street Denison, Iowa 51442 Phone 712-263-3687 Cell 712-263-9685
Revolution Cycles 120 South Main Street Baxter, Iowa 50028 641-507-9250 www.rev-ia.com
TATTOO
SS Collision, Cycle Works & Graphics 2902 11th Ave SW Spencer, Iowa 51301 712-262-3959 www.sscollision.com Steffens Cycle Shop LLC 1311 E 7th Street Atlantic, Iowa 50022 712-243-3076M-F 9-5 Most Sat 9-12 Or Call
Skin Mechanix INKorpar8ted 117 No. 16th Street Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501 712 256-2847 Check Us Out on Facebook
To buy ad space for your business or service in our directory, give us call at 712-249-5630 or email vernon@ thunderroadsiowa.com
Cutthroat Cycles 1351 W. Locust Davenport 563-265-4687 Roadside Repair – CALL ME F#$K Yeah ‘Merica Cycle Dynamics 511 23rd Ave Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501 712-256-8866 Specializing in American V-Twins
Decker Trucking 877-2-Decker Drivedecker.com
Dead Heads Engineering, Fab, Repairs & Sales 426 Railway Street Gillett Grove, Iowa 51341 deadheadsmceng@gmail.com 712-835-3353
Hoker Trucking NOW HIRING Dixon, Iowa Hokertucking.com 563-843-2763
F & J Racing 701 N 3rd Ave Marshalltown, Iowa 50158 641-752-8651 www.fandjracing.com
Peebles Plumbing & Heating Luxaire & Mitsu 613 Main Street Griswold, Iowa 51535 712-778-2417
HetzStudio.com (563)263-2803 Muscatine, IA Full Custom Paint, Pinstriping & Airbrush
River Street Auto - 118 River St. Iowa Falls - 641.648.5004 Motorcycle Tires & Auto Repairs We Fix Everything Except a Broken Heart
Main Street Bikes and Trikes 522 Main Street Granville, Iowa 51022 712.727.3515 www.shopmsbt.com
Southwest Iowa Sandblasting Mike Magers 65162 Oxford Rd Atlantic, Iowa 50022 712-249-3995
Motorcycle Medic 3176 Highway 30 Woodbine, Iowa 51579 712-647-2818 Open Tues-Sat Noon-6PM Nelson Machine & Forge General Machining, Ornamental Iron, Weld/Fab 70 Washington Street Marne, Iowa 51552 712-781-2220
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For 20 years, Fred and Jackie Ingram of F&J Racing in Marshalltown have played host to what is known as the first public bike blessing in Iowa. They have fought tooth and nail to keep this event going in their hometown, put in endless hours of work, and expelled buckets of sweat, ended up with a few bloody knuckles, endured freezing rain, fought wind gusts of 50 plus miles per hour, and shoveled snow to pull off a successful event each year. This year was no different. They spent countless hours gathering donated items from
the beautiful weather, attendance numbers topped 400 bikes (and a few handfuls of cars). Thanks to the generosity of local businesses and kind bikers who didn’t have trouble reaching into their own wallets, the Van Orman House and the American Legion Veterans Fund Post 46 will be receiving substantial donations again this year. Along with those annual donations, this year there was a donation made to a local biker gal. Sara McNamee has been a customer of F&J for years, this past year, she was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia
Blessed Again!
local businesses, it was once again apparent that the community stands behind this Blessing of the Bikes. It is, however, unfortunate that while the community wholeheartedly supports the event, the Visitor’s Bureau in Marshalltown has failed to recognize the impact that these two dedicated residents have brought to the area. But never fear…us bikers, attendees, and those who have benefited from help from the charities all know the substantial effects this one day event leaves on the community each year. Those who have attended the event in the past have been witness to some spectacular motorcycle stunt shows, gawked over some of Iowa’s coolest motorcycles, prayed for safety over the upcoming riding season, met many celebrities (both locally and nationally known), laughed to many comedians, and danced to some of the area’s hottest bands who b have graced h that th little home-made h stage since s 1995. This 1 year, we y were treated w to another remarkable r day. With d the th sun shining and s bikers taking b advantage of a
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and the only hospital who specializes in this form of blood cancer is in Arizona. That means that every so often Sara must leave her family behind and fly to Arizona for treatment. Unfortunately, the air fare is not covered by insurance, so we were able to send Miss Sara away from the Blessing of the Bikes with some traveling money. And even better than the donation of money, was the outpouring of support from friends and strangers alike. Standing among hundreds of people, she realized she wasn’t fighting this alone, and it gave Sara a renewed motivation to beat her illness. Once again, Fred and Jackie (and the many volunteers) pulled together a great day of biker fun and have already began planning for the 21st annual Blessing of the Bikes in May 2016. See you in Marshalltown next year! ~Pinky
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The kid pulled the Harley Sportster up on the rear wheel and held it that way all the way down the asphalt arena. When he got to the barriers at the south end he made a circle with the front end still up and came back to the center. His partner did the same thing with his Harley and they stopped side by side in the middle of the arena facing the crowd. The area was a blocked off part of a parking lot with waist high barriers at each end and a prefab set of bleachers on one side and the other side was blocked off with the toy hauler the stunt riders arrived in. The show was part of a customer appreciation day put on by a local cycle shop.
One of the boys said “that old son of a bitch just stole my motorcycle!” The other one said, “I’ll go get him.” and jumped on his Harley. After blasting down to the south end of the arena, it must have occurred to him that he couldn’t jump the barrier and would have to find a different way out. While the two were auguring about what to do next, the crowd heard something the boys couldn’t hear through their helmets. The old guy was coming back. All day long we had a fictional piece by Phil Hall heard the Sportsters’ engine wind up until the rev limiter shut them off making the du-du-du sound like the engine had a bad plug misfire. But this time the engine revved up like an old iron head Sporty with a good cam and a hot magneto. By the time the boys figured out he was coming over the wall right where they were standing, it was too late to get out of the way. It didn’t matter because the old man and the Sportster cleared the wall and them both.
Stunt Rider
The boys had radios and mics in their helmets so they could talk to the crowd over the P.A. system and they were working the crowd, trying to get some applause out of them. The crowd was nice to them but it was right after lunch on a hot day and after you have seen half dozen wheelies and a few “stoppies” there wasn’t much the crowd hadn’t seen before. With the rock music so loud, they probably He landed on the back wheel about half way down the arena and headed towards the north end. The couldn’t have heard us cheer anyway. crowed up there scattered, sure he would jump that wall, as he was still moving fast. But he didn’t. While the boys were standing there beside their Instead, he laid the Harley down into a slide as if he bikes, an old guy walked out from between the were on a dirt track. The rear wheel sliding out and bleachers into the center of the arena where they are standing. He had kind of a limp like from an old the front wheel turned to the outside. The bike was injury or maybe arthritis. He wore a scuffed brown practically on its side but he still had both boots on the pegs and the motorcycle made the turn and leather jacket with a faded Indian logo on the headed up the side of the arena. The crowd was on back, thread bare blue jeans and worn out leather boots. A gray pony tail stuck out from under a WW their feet, and cheering. They didn’t expect to see I leather flying helmet and matching goggles were riding like that. They still figured it as part of the act. perched up on his forehead. This got the people’s attention. They thought he was part of the act. The old man made two laps like that with the same high speed sliding turns and then rolled We heard the boys start to tell him he would have up to where the boys were standing in the center to go back to the bleachers as they were going of the arena. He stepped off the cycle and left it on with their act, but the old guy leaned in close standing there, idling. Leaning over to the bike to one of them and we heard him say, “I need to owner, he said “thanks for the use of your scooter, borrow your bike, son.” The kid started to shake kid,” then walked back to the bleachers. I don’t his head and then the old guy said the strangest know if anyone else noticed, but when he got off thing. He said “it’s all right, the motorcycle knows me.” And with that he threw his leg over the saddle, the bike, he didn’t put the side stand down, but the motorcycle didn’t fall over. It just stood there dropped the bike in gear and with a blip of the as if were waiting for him to come back. After throttle had the Harley on the back wheel headed he disappeared into the crowd, it was if the bike down the arena towards the south barricades. remembered it wasn’t supposed to stand up like I’m sure the people down there leaning on the that, and it toppled over on its side. barricades figured he would stop the bike up on the front wheel like the boys had done. At the last Well, of course, after that the show was over, and minute, it came to them that he wasn’t going to I heard later that some promoter was looking for stop. They dived out of the way just as the old boy that old man, but nobody seemed to know anything jumped that bike right over the top of everything. about him or where he went. I will say, if I ever run He landed on the rear wheel and kept it that way into him, I would buy him drinks all night long just out across the parking lot. I’ve tried to figure out how he made the jump with no ramp, and although to hear the motorcycle stories he could tell. I saw him do it, I still can’t figure it out. 16 - TRMI JUNE 2015
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Bring the Heat!
A few months back I did a segment on riding in cold temperatures. Now that the sun and warmth have returned to Iowa an andd riding season I in full swing, it seems appropriate to address the other side of Iowa riding….heat. Now don’t get me wrong, I love warm weather. Nothing quite compares to the feeling I get riding down the highway with the sun on my skin, taking in the beauty of our state. But once summer creeps in and temperatures soar, along with the typical seasonal humidity…there are some things that we as bikers owe ourselves to be aware of. Just as in cold temperatures, where the risk of hypothermia is very real, summer heat brings along its own set of problems to endure. There are four types of heat disorders that we should be aware of. First is Sunburn. Symptoms include redness and pain. In extreme cases swelling of the skin and blisters may occur. Sunburn is generally the least invasive in a rider’s day, and easily avoidable. Wear a strong SPF sunscreen on all exposed skin while out, and reapply it frequently to keep your skin from burning. Try wearing cotton/synthetic blend long sleeve shirts, their moisture wicking fabric can actually keep you cooler than wearing short sleeves. Second on the list is heat cramps. This may seem pretty minor as well, but if your body starts cramping up, you cannot ensure safe operation of your bike. Heat cramps are characterized by muscular pains and spasms. The best thing you can do for this is stop and stretch, massage the cramps a bit, and drink water. If the cramping is accompanied by profuse sweating, the cramps will likely reoccur. Next is heat exhaustion. Symptoms include cool, moist, pale (or flushed) skin, heavy sweating, headache, nausea/vomiting, dizziness, and exhaustion. Heat exhaustion is due to prolonged or profuse sweating, when the body loses too much salt and water. When salt and water aren’t replaced, blood circulation diminishes and affects the heart, brain, and lungs. The best thing you can do if you start showing these symptoms is get inside somewhere that has air conditioning….and drink water. If left untreated, heat exhaustion can lead to the fourth and final heat disorder.
that brain damage and/or death can occur if the body isn’t cooled quickly. Signs of heat stroke include hot, hot red, r dry skin, changes in consciousness, rapid/weak pulse, rapid/shallow breathing, very high body temperature, dilated pupils, decreased blood pressure, headache, nausea/vomiting, dizziness/weakness, and mental confusion. In this state, a rider may appear to be intoxicated. Symptoms can badly affect your ability to control your motorcycle and your reaction time to routine threats to motorcycle survival. If you or someone you’re riding with appears to be suffering from heat stroke, get them somewhere cool, provide water, and seek medical treatment immediately. When temperatures rise (above 90 degrees) and there is increased relative humidity, the human body is busy doing everything it can to maintain 98.6 degrees inside. The heart pumps more blood through dilated circulatory vessels and sweat glands pour out liquid saturated with essential dissolved chemicals like sodium and chloride. Sweating is the body’s “go to” for cool down. Generally this is highly effective, and our bodies carry on…business as usual. Why doesn’t sweating work for us while breezing down the road? Because as good as that wind feels on a hot day, it is actually preventing the act of sweating from cooling us at all…the wind snatches the sweat from our skin before it can evaporate, essentially stopping the cooling process. So what is a die-hard biker to do when the weather of the day seems to be straight out of the depths of hell? There are a few things we can do to ensure we stay safe during the dog days of summer. First, drink water (and/or commercial sports drinks) and lots of it. And don’t wait until you feel thirsty to start. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks, as they increase dehydration. Dress for summer. Choose light colored clothing, and try to limit the amount of skin you leave exposed. Avoid sunburn…sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation much more difficult for your body. Choose your ride times for the coolest parts of the day if you are able. Finally, take regular breaks. Use those breaks to find some shade or air conditioning, reapply sunscreen, and down some more water…your body will thank you for it.
Heat stroke is by far the most dangerous of these heat disorders. This occurs when the body’s temperature control Melanie Schwarte system stops working. Body temperatures can reach so high Melanie@thunderroadsiow.com 18 - TRMI JUNE 2015
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Bad Azz Kolor
One of my favorite things about living in America is our freedom to express ourselves, both verbally and through many artistic mediums. Art is everywhere, from the traditional paintings that hang on our living room walls to the tattoos on our bodies. Just as each person’s taste in music is unique, so are our opinions on art. I have had the pleasure of attending (and covering) some of Iowa’s biggest motorcycle events and have seen some amazing custom paint jobs. That being said, I have also seen some of the worst. I don’t want to offend anyone with my opinion, but on my journeys I have been inspired to add some art to my bike, as well as have listened to some tremendous horror stories from bikers about their nightmare paint jobs. This made me think… I will never let anyone touch my pretty blue ride. I hope after you enjoy this article, you realize that the key to a satisfying paint job lies in your own hands.
you feel comfortable there – cuz your bike will be living there for some time (a good paint job takes time!). If you feel you have found “the one”, don’t make the arrangements right then and there. Wait a week, call the shop back, and see if the artist remembers your visit. Character and integrity are both key to being a good business person, and although you aren’t marrying this person, you are leaving your reputation in his hands (what are the bro’s gonna think when you pull up on a bike covered in roses after bragging for a month how to tough your ride will look with sswords painted all over it?!). Which bbrings us to the next key point… ccommunication is the key to being hhappy with your customization. M Make sure you have a few pictures oor examples of what you are lo looking for, you don’t necessarily nneed the exact design, but have the ccomponents so the artist can build yyour dream from your mind, not theirs. Vague direction leaves a lot th Last fall, after 5 years of getting wet oof room for artist interpretation, 90 percent of the time we pulled aand let’s face it, you want this bike our horse out of the garage, we realized it was time to to reflect who you really are, and not who the artist thinks stop fighting Mother Nature and just roll with the endless you are. A good artist won’t try talking you into anything raindrops. Since we spent so much time stopping and you don’t want, but they will explain that maybe that line wiping the rain drops off the paint, we decided to honor this won’t seem right as it doesn’t match the natural curve of “tradition” and started out on our journey to find the perfect the tank. Let them have some artistic freedom, but don’t let artist who could add some 3D them talk you into a full paint raindrops and lightning bolts job jo if you were just going in to our bike. It seems like to have a little work done. every time I turn around, there Having custom paint work is H is a new paint artist popping an a expensive addition to your up. Some of these folks are ride, but keep in mind that r AMAZINGLY talented and the th higher the price doesn’t some are AMAZING business always equal a better paint job a people…. And some of them and a vice versa. Talk to your are not. You meet a handful of artist about your budget and a artists at every swap meet, and let le them come up with ideas most have a portfolio of their that th will fit YOUR wallet and work for you to peruse. This YOUR Y desires. A good artist is your first opportunity to see will w work with your budget and the artist’s work and inquire your y desires to come up with about details. Many of the a package customized for you. artists are legitimate, but there’s always that one bad egg- the Remember that the artist is trying to sell their skills to you, one who is showing you pics in his portfolio of someone you are employing them, and you have the right to accept else’s work (despicable? YES, but it DOES happen!). Just their quote or walk away. We all have an inner voice, and because someone can describe the technique, it doesn’t mean if it’s screaming at you that something doesn’t seem right, they can actually apply it in real life. So, make sure to ask trust that voice. Your perfect artist is out there, you just may a bunch of questions. Any artist should be able to quickly not have found him/her yet. If you get this far in the artist describe to you the process of the work and explain what selection process and you are feeling pretty confident that products they used. What color blend that is, how long the you have found the right one, ask them for references. If an project took to complete, and what the complications were artist if proud of their work they will immediately name off a with finishing it. Let’s face it- there’s always some sort of few folks that have had work done. If an artist doesn’t want complication that pops up. If there is any wavering with to “give out customer information” that is a telltale sign that answers from the artist, walk away quickly and continue they haven’t had a customer that has been satisfied. Word of your search. But remember, some of the best artists are of mouth is HUGE in our world, so chances are through social the bullshit variety, so if the artist seems legit after a quick media and the interwebs you will get some feedback from conversation and you are thinking about letting them paint previous customers. Always do your research! your baby, stop by their shop for an hour. Watch them work, listen to how they talk to their other customers, make sure I have heard the most dreadful stories about bike painting, there is a bit of organization and there aren’t 18 other bikes from the concept, design (even the spelling being torn down and “in the process”. But most of all, make sure completely incorrect), to bikes sitting in shops for months 22 - TRMI JUNE 2015
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past completion dates, bikes returned with parts that had been damaged in the tear down or rebuild, or parts missing entirely. It just goes to show that a good reputation can go to crap with one shoddy job, and good 5 years ago doesn’t always translate to good today. Communicate your expectations with the artist (make sure your vision is clearly understood), set a completion date, and ensure they have the know-how to get the job done right before handing over your keys.
the pleasure of working alongside KC planning out and guiding KC though his first “low rider”
pproject. After visiting the shops of 3 artists and walking out of 2, we felt like we had found “the one”. Jim “Hetz” Hetzler of Hetz Studios in Muscatine was our man. Not only did we find the comfort we were looking for, but Jim was genuinely excited to start on our project (despite it being the middle of show season). Finding out that Jim travels the nation teaching workshops for House of Kolors, we were aware that this project wouldn’t be a quick turn around and we may be stranded for the first part of the riding season without a motorcycle; but that was a concession we chose to make, since we knew we were going to be extremely satisfied with our customization before a single drop of paint hit out bike (there’s that comfort thing again). With Jim holding many “Prestigious Painter” awards granted to 12 lucky painters each year by House of Kolors, I felt comfortable leaving my bike pieces there. One of the amazing attributes that sets Hetz apart from other shops is that Jim will start your project no matter what stage it is in. He has the ability to tear down a bike, take over after the body work has been done, or just add some custom pin striping to your ride at a show. He has a love for customizing motorcycles and eagerly jumps at any chance to put his mark on your ride. Hetz enjoys the challenge of making the “random” parts of a motorcycle (not a body like a car) mesh to come together as one complete concept. On a yearly basis, he has his hands on about 350 bikes; working on 10-12 bikes per day at the many shows he sets up at. To date he has applied his skills to a variety of motorcycles ranging from a 1903 Harley to 2015 HD trike. Jim’s talents don’t cease when the paint cup is set down; he also works with the execs at House of Kolor (including the chemists) as a ccustom color creator aand paint/color te tester and travels the nnation as a master in instructor, teaching ppaint technique aand application w workshops. His la latest adventure took hhim south to a little pplace called Gas M Monkey Garage in T Texas, where he had Thun under unde derr Ro Road Roads adss Magazine Maga Ma gazi zine ne of of Io Iowa wa on on Facebook Face Fa cebo bo
A Always an artist at heart, JJim laughed as he recalls ssome of his best drawings w were created in Early A American History class dduring high school. Until hhis father booted him out of the house and told him to th ““get a real job, one that’ll pay”, Hetz had planned on taking over the family dairy farm. He’d looked into a technical artistry program at Hawkeye Community College, but the waiting list was over 3 years long. So, onto plan B he went, and obtained his degree in Mechanical Drafting and Engineering. Assuming he would never make a living doing custom painting, he pursued a career as an illustrator, first at Caterpillar in Davenport and finally at Bandag in Muscatine- all the while doing custom painting, pin striping and airbrushing out of his garage on his off hours. Hetz, always wanting to learn more about painting, signed up for a series of week-long airbrush seminars taught by nationally renowned artist Michael Cacy. He credits Cacy for always challenging him, pushing Jim out of his comfort zone and ultimately giving Jim the tools to build his own career… as a painter. In 2001, Hetz Studios was formed and as a struggling painter, he kept afloat by pin striping and working on the signage aspect of his business (painting mailboxes, business signs, etc), relying on “seasoned vets” to complete custom paint work. House of Kolor took note of Hetz’s skills in 2006, when Jim entered a custom skate deck contest sponsored by House of Kolor and took 3rd place. He came back the next year and took 1st place; soon after, Hetz was a familiar name around the House of Kolor offices. Knowing any artist is only as good as the products they use, I inquired about not only the chemistry of painting, but the quality of paint and paint guns he uses to create his amazing work. Jim has been a House of Kolor rep since 2007 and recently became a SATA spray gun representative as well, so he is well educated in the tools he uses. Hetz Studios is now a One-Stop custom paint, pin striping and airbrush shop. Jim is thankful for all the help he has had along the way and sends this advice to the next generation of customizers….. “It’s all hard work and dedication, stay true to your beliefs and methods, never stop learning and always be the best you can be”. With over 45 years of experience, I felt comfortable leaving my baby there and am patiently awaiting the day when I can once again throw my leg over my beautiful blue ride and head off chasing the sun! ~Pinky www.thunderroadsiowa.com
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99 Counties to tour on the Another celebration held in bike, 99 counties to tour, take Winterset occurs on the last one down, drive on around, 39 Friday and Saturday each May, counties to tour on the bike. A few years back, a and it is the celebration of the birth of the one and summer riding goal was to ride through each one only…John Wayne. Almost as legendary as the Duke, are of the counties of Iowa, and what was found was a wealth of interest and beauty. Each month we will revisit each county as a featured article. We will tell you about new things to see, places to ride, and give you a little spark of touring curiosity for our state of Iowa. Madison County Madison County, Iowa was named after the 4th president of the United States, James Madison. I never did find out exactly why, but that is where the name came from! The county population currently sits at 15,679 and it has a total area of 562 square miles. 561 of those miles are land, while the other 1.2 square miles are water. While Madison County may not have a lot of water space, they do have twelve County Parks, and an incredible forty seven different places that are listed on the National Historic Register, as well as fifty two cemeteries within its boundaries.
the “church ladies”. These local ladies bake up more delicious pies than you can imagine, set up around the Courthouse Square, and people are invited to buy a “tasting ticket”. The ticket allows the purchaser to enjoy 1/10 of a pie! Tasting Tickets for Mother’s Day? Hmmm, now that sounds like an excellent idea to me!
The county seat is in Winterset, which is also the home of the annual Covered Bridge Festival.
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Madison County can be accessed from either of the two different major Interstates. Interstate 80 borders on the northwest, stt,
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while Interstate 35 borders the east side of the county. You can ride around the
county on either Highway 92, or Highway 169. Either of which are pretty good roads for sightseeing on the bike. But there are only two covered bridges that you can get to without having to take gravel. These are the Imes Bridge at St. Charles, and the Cedar Bridge, which is northeast of Winterset off of Highway 92. Cutler-Donahoe Covered Bridge is located in Winterset’s City Park. Another noteworthy attraction in the park is Clark Tower. Clark Tower is a very cool looking piece of architecture… it looks like someone just walked up and pulled off a tower from a castle and relocated it to the middle of Iowa. The park also features a Hedge Maze that has an awesome copper sundial at the center of it. It was a lot of fun, but I think I wouldn’t mind wandering through a much bigger one some time! The Madison County calendar is filled with area events, such as Bike Nights, (the 3rd Sat. starting in April), Farmer’s Markets, and the Legendary Macksburg Skil Sk il Throw! Yes, I said Skillet Throw, but that Skillet one you’ll just have to watch to believe! one Another great spot to check out is Pammel Park. The park offers camping and picnicking. The site has plenty of modern facilities mixed in with a beautiful rustic setting. As you approach the park your first vie vi e is of the Middle River meandering along view the road, and then you are above the river the
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and approaching the only highway tunnel in Iowa, the Harmon Tunnel. Also in Pammel Park is the Middle River Ford, which is a road across a small dam that you drive across to get to the other side of the park! Not sure how that would work on the bike though! If you’re looking for a bit of libation, you will find the Covered Bridges Winery in Winterset. For a change up you could also try the Madison County Winery, which is the only winery in Iowa with its own brewery. This is definitely good news for the guys! They are open in the fall, and have a beautiful, welcoming outdoor seating area with a fire pit! Guys, if you’re looking for ideas, this sounds like THE place to take the woman for a romantic evening! Located only three miles west of St. Charles, on St. Charles Road, this one is a must-see when you’re in Madison County! Two Saints Winery is located just a short fifteen minutes south of West Des Moines. It is right off of Interstate 35 on 20th Avenue, with a St. Charles address. Two Saints Winery is a family owned business that also prides itself on the use of grapes grown in Iowa, and the stewardship of their land. Visitors to the winery are encouraged to take a blanket, picnic basket, and a bottle of wine (or maybe 2 or 3), and stroll their paths to find their perfect smooching, eating, drinking spot to canoodle! If you prefer to spend your time indoors, Madison County also has two Bed and Breakfasts located in Winterset. Both the White Lions B&B, and Heavenly Habitat offer beautiful options for a weekend getaway. While it may seem very rural on the map, I can assure you that no matter which direction you travel, you will be back in urban territory within fifteen minutes. Combining the best of both worlds, Madison County offers some of the more historic, yet accessible, and current facilities. Join us next month for Mahaska County. Sources available upon request Annette and Richard Murphy vizslaboots@yahoo.com
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and the nimble motorcycle was irreplaceable on the battlefield. Imagine the kahones on those guys (or maybe they were just nuts in general), but whatever the reasoning behind the action, riding through shot and shell to secure victory is pretty damn impressive to me. Motorcycles were used for more than just messaging in WWI. The versatility of these machines clearly helped them play a hugely significant role in the logistics of war…even more so than cars. In addition to dispatch and courier duties they were used for reconnaissance and patrol, as ammunition and medical supply carriers, and for casualty evacuation. They also modified motorcycles to act as field ambulances, as well as mounting machine guns to sidecars for combat. The importance of the motorcycle in The Great War is often overlooked, although the motorcycle was one of the most prolific tools in the Allied arsenal. Messengers on horseback were replaced by riders on motorcycles, and quickly became the most reliable source of communication in battle. Communications technology was highly unreliable during WWI, and based on the virtue of speed alone, motorcycles became the best way for the military to transfer orders, reports, and maps between units.
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When the US entered WWI, we brought motorcycles from several US companies to help on the front lines. The bulk of motorcycles came from Indian and Harley Davidson, but motorcycles produced by Excelsior, Henderson, and others also made it into battle in Europe. So what does all of this do to the motorcycle industry? Let’s take a look at three key players from the start of the production era, and where they end up at the end of WWI. Harley Davison introduced the first side car in 1914, followed by a brief return to the use of chain versus belt driven motorcycles to help combat the problems associated with using leather belts. (The slippage, stretching, and rotting of leather belts was unacceptable to the manufacturer.) Some of these models were briefly available with a two speed transmission in the rear hub. In 1915, Harley introduced the three speed sliding gear transmission with the final and primary drive on the same side. By 1917, one third of Harley Davidson production is purchased by the US Army. 1917 also brought about the creation of Harley’s Quartermaster School, designed to train Army mechanics, the school was retained after the war as the Service School; providing factory trained mechanics for Harley Davidson dealerships. By 1918 almost half of all Harley Davidson motorcycles are sold for use by the US military, with a total of 20,000 motorcycles produced for the troops in WWI. After Armistice was signed, Corporal Roy Holtz became the first American soldier to enter Germany, and he did so, on a Harley.
Now, I know what you’re thinking…Riding is dangerous enough on any given day, so who the hell wants to do it in the middle of full blown combat? I have to admit, at first thought the motorcycle seems like an unlikely choice for combat equipment. It lacks armor, leaving the operator totally exposed and it can be quite easily damaged. But sometimes what is needed in battle is speed and agility… www.thunderroadsiowa.com
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During the war, Indian Motorcycles were continuing to grow. By 1914, Indian had over 3,000 employees working on a seven mile long assembly line in its Springfield, Massachusetts plant. This same year, Indian debuts the world’s first motorcycle with electric lights and starter. By 1916, Indian has also introduced the 61 cubic inch Powerplus side valve engine. In 1918, Indian improves upon this by introducing the overhead cam, 4 valve per cylinder Powerplus model. By the end of the war, Indian had supported the war effort with an incredible 41,000 machines. Despite its strong connection to Germany, Triumph takes its place in WWI history on the Allied side. How’s that for an uncomfortable partnership? In 1914, Triumph was chosen by Colonel Claude Holbrook to supply the Type H motorcycle for Allied military service. The Type H was the first motorcycle produced by Triumph without pedals, the first “true motorcycle” for the company. The Type H originally had a belt driven rear wheel and a 499 cc air cooled 4 stroke single cylinder engine. The revamped model H, in particular, was regarded by many as having been the first “modern motorcycle” introduced in 1915; it had a 550 cc side valve 4 stroke engine with a 3 speed gear box and belt transmission. It was so popular that it gained the nickname “Trusty Triumph”. Triumph would eventually contribute 30,000 motorcycles to the military over the course of WWI. The versatility of motorcycles clearly helped them to play a significant role in the logistics of WWI…even more so than cars. Motorcycles were integral in the success of the Allied troops, and turned a relatively new and underdeveloped industry into a world-wide phenomenon. Next time we will take a look at post war motorcycle history, and how the Great Depression turned motorcycle production into a sink or swim industry. Melanie Schwarte Melanie@thunderroadsiowa. com Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa on Facebook
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I just can’t help myself, I have to bring up a subject that Peter Sieben briefly mentioned in last months Free Roaming Radical Report. Did anyone catch the line in last month’s column
the distracted driver drag. Tie a rope around one ankle and drag them down the track as far and as fast as you can. I’d like to believe that might help them pay attention or at least look twice.
“One law I would like to see would deputize motorcycle riders with the authority to write tickets for distracted driving”? I have never met Peter Sieben, however I am a faithful reader of his column. If our paths ever cross I’m sure that we would agree on a lot of stuff, especially our 2nd Amendment rights. In my sick mind, the authority to write tickets means that every rider would be issued a ticket book, along with a badge and a gun. I’m afraid that riders would be so busy writing tickets that we would never get any riding time. And let’s face it, some of those distracted drivers would pay the fines, never learn a damn thing and keep driving like there are no consequences. I think instead of writing tickets, riders should be able to court order all distracted drivers to appear at the next bike Rally. Then the Iowa riders could teach them the consequences of their bad driving habits by turning them into the entertainment. For example, the drivers who likes to follow too closely. They can have a choice of a tire tread tattoo across their forehead or just rub their nose on the rubber of the rear tire while the bike is doing a burn out. That should be a real good reminder to leave some distance between themselves and our rubber. As for the drivers that toss things out the window without considering who they are sharing the road with. We will line them all up on the stage, tell the crowd the wet tee-shirt contest has been replaced with distracted driver bombardment, then let the crowd chuck and hurl whatever they can find at them. And for those drivers that see nothing wrong with tossing a dirty diaper out the window of their minivan, a big blast from a water canon being fed by the port a pots should remind them that shit happens and it can happen to you.
For those that fail to stop or coast through a stop sign in front of a bike. We are simply going to sling shot those folks straight into a brick wall like a water balloon. They will understand what a complete stop means upon impact. As for all those idiots that are distracted with their phones while driving. We are going to mount them on the back of a bike and encourage them to play with that damn phone. Then we are going to play a game called clothes line. If they are paying attention they will duck, if not they are going to get pulled off the rear of that bike by their neck. And if that doesn’t teach them to pay attention for their second offense we are putting a sissy bar on that bike. Lastly for those distracted drivers that ultimately cost a brother or sister their livelihood or life. We will explain to them how sharing the road with them is like playing Russian roulette and hand them our gun. If they don’t want to play we will show them our badge and pull the trigger, according to the news that’s how things are done now days. Rally season is here let’s have some fun. Shifty LaRue
Now for those drivers that abruptly make a left hand or U turn in front of us we will set up a real life simulation of how it feels to slide down the pavement. Instead of drag races we will now have
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Group Rides, Safety In Numbers Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Iowa Motorcycle Safety Forum and was honored to be a guest speaker at the event. I was approached around the first of the year and asked if I could speak about what is involved in putting a benefit ride together with an emphasis on safety. After immediately agreeing to the engagement, I began to ponder... what was I going to say? Like a right hook from Holyfield, it hit me. This is all common sense and good planning. This is what I have learned after a third and very successful year of organizing Sydney’s Wish Poker Run in memory of my daughter. Organized rides for every reason and cause are becoming more and more popular. With that in mind, I hope you find useful information in what I’m sharing so let’s get started. We’ll break this down into three key components… Planning the route, Safety, and Rules. Planning the right route is probably the most important part of a safe and successful ride. A good route needs to be free from heavy traffic and a minimal amount of traffic controls (stop signs, traffic lights, interstate travel, construction, etc). Traffic management is a critical element to the safety of everyone and the fluidity of the ride. Have a specific plan for managing all the bikes on the ride as well as a plan to handle vehicle traffic not associated with the ride. Rural areas provide you with more options, safer road surfaces, and less traffic. Design your journey in such a way that intersections are as visible as possible so drivers aren’t surprised when popping over a hill or coming around a curve only to realize a solid line of bikes turning in front of them with no time to react. Clearly, the more bikes traveling in your convoy, the more important these issues become. A large group will require more than the help of your volunteers, and this is when assistance from local law enforcement agencies comes into play. As part of the planning process, contact the County Sheriff’s Department and local police departments in the towns you will be passing through or stopping at. Let them know about the ride 38 - TRMI JUNE 2015
you are planning and the cause for which you are riding, the route you’re taking, and your approximate time of arrival. Ask them if they can help with traffic while you are visiting their town. More often than not, when you handle yourself professionally and show excitement in coming into their community, they are happy to assist. They are as concerned with your safety as you are, and will often do this as a public safety service. Riding in large groups takes the safety issues of riding to a whole new level. Here are some ideas that will hopefully keep your next event safe and fun. Establish a seasoned rider to be road captain c or leader. This T person should be b someone that thoroughly th knows the th route to be taken, t is skilled on o two wheels, and a has a sense of responsibility r for all a those who will be b behind him. I like li my groups to stay s together as a unit and ride in a safe, staggered formation. f This will w make you more visible v to other motorists t that you will be b sharing the road with. w Let’s talk about a blockers now. Blockers are necessary to help keep your group safe as you navigate through controlled intersections, areas with less visibility, and heavier traffic. Blockers will communicate with and follow the road captain’s commands. Pre-ride the route r before your event and take notes n along the way, documenting in where and how many blockers e you will need at a specific intersection in or location. Blockers e and the road captain need to meet m the day of the ride before kickstands k go up to decide on a game plan. When leaving an area a with multiple intersections and a heavy traffic, your blockers e should leave a couple of minutes m ahead and ride to their assigned a locations. This will allow a them to be in place before your y parade approaches. After the h entire group has passed, the blockers then fall to the back of the group and enjoy the ride to the next stop. If you know that you need 18 blockers between two stops, HAVE 18 BLOCKERS assigned and ready to execute. We have all been on the rides when you
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only have a few blockers and it’s a race for them to get back to the front of the pack so they can block again. This is very unsafe and a hazard to your own group as well as oncoming motorists. Blockers must be respectful and courteous to the traffic you are trying to control. Handle yourselves in a professional manner as your ride is interfering with their need to travel. Be cool. More often than not, people will be entertained at the sights and sounds of all those bikes thundering by. As a blocker, once you have reached your assigned area, park your bike in a safe location and get off. You don’t want to be sitting on it in the event of a driver too busy texting and doesn’t see you. In addition, blockers need to wear high-vis colors to be easily seen. The participants on the ride will know who you are and other motorists will see you. For my own ride this year, we will be adding centurion riders into the mix. These will be a pair of riders inserted into the middle of the ride every 30 to 40 bikes. They will wear the same high-vis shirts as the blockers so they will be easily identified. Their purpose is to maintain a consistency within the group. They will help with maintaining speed and keeping everyone together as a group. You know what happens when one bike hits his breaks and every bike from there back hits theirs as well. It’s a rubber band effect that can go on for miles. They will also act as an extra set of eyes for that one guy that is riding carelessly and potentially putting others in danger...every ride has one. Lastly, have a buffer vehicle at the very back of the ride to add a layer of safety to the riders ahead. Put a sign on the back that might say “Do not pass. Motorcycle parade ahead”.
havoc on an entire group. We provide a support vehicle with a trailer. This is available to any rider that has either a breakdown or, has maybe had too much to drink. If someone won’t follow your policies, respectfully thank them for their support and ask them to leave. Maintain a zero tolerance approach to your rules. They are there for the safety of everyone. There are so many other details involved in organizing a successful ride; I couldn’t begin to put them into one article. I continually learn more from doing my rides as well as other rides and input from individuals then implement them as needed. I hope this information has been useful for planning your next event. Ride out together and ride back together. Stay safe and enjoy the riding season. Chris Schwienebart Sidney’s Wish Poker Run Des Moines
As a person or group of people putting on a ride you are responsible for establishing rules for your particular event. I’m going to keep this short and sweet as rules will vary from ride to ride. Just before the ride is ready to leave, explain the rules that you wish to be followed. Throughout the day, you must lead by example and follow the rules that you have laid down. You, along with your blockers will be responsible for enforcing said rules. Keep in mind; rules aren’t put in place to make the ride any less fun. They are there for the safety of everyone involved on the ride. Most of the rules are basic common sense. Keep them simple and to the point. I have two standard rules for my ride. 1. If you are going to drink, be responsible. 2. Don’t go on the ride if you’re coming to show off your stunt skills. Show boating only puts others in danger. People gather for these events to support a cause and one careless rider can wreak Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa on Facebook
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Sleeping Angels Fun Run-Ames On April 25th The Sleeping Angels Foundation held their 4th Annual Fun Run. The run started at Zylstra HD in Ames this year, with a free pancake breakfast during registration, provided by Zylstra and their crew. The ride left Zylstra and headed for Toby K’s Hideaway in Boone. From Boone they took off for 209 Main in Paton. After that they headed for the Iron Saddle Saloon in Dayton, followed by a stop at the famous Riverside Tavern in beautiful Lehigh, Iowa. Once they left Lehigh they headed back to Toby K’s event center in Boone.
given the seal of approval at 12:04 pm on the 24th of April…so the Sleeping Angels Fun Run could go on.
Also the weather this year did not cooperate at all, with a high of 52 degrees and rain off and on, it made the ride on a bike pretty miserable. That didn’t stop 97 brave bikes from enjoying the day. The car count for the day was way higher than previous years at about 60 and the party bus was jammed full! At the end of the day when everyone met at Toby K’s event center in Boone for the final stop and party, over 600 Putting on the fun people came out run this year took and helped make quite a few twists and the day a success. turns. On April 1st The bikers and the Sleeping Angels everyone else who crew got a call that stopped out helped they wish was an April raise over $15,000 fool’s joke. The Boone for the Sleeping Depot, which was Angels Foundation, scheduled to be their with $12,000 last stop, called to tell coming from the them that they were live auction alone. closing the doors for good. That sent the Angels crew Unfortunately, the Sleeping Angels Foundation has scrambling to find a spot big enough to hold the amount their first family that they are able to help. Theodore of people that they’ve had in the past comfortably. “Teddy” Little from Ankeny, Iowa got his angel wings Thankfully Toby Kruse, owner of Toby K’s Hideaway, on March 26th, 2015, at the tender age of 2 months came to the rescue and opened up his new event old. The Sleeping Angels Foundation was created to center, just east of Toby K’s Hideaway. That in itself was assist Iowa families who have, or will lose an infant a major accomplishment. The Angels crew, as of the child. If anyone is in need of assistance, or would like Friday before the ride had to go to a special city council more information, please contact the foundation at: meeting to ensure that the building was up to city sleepingangelsfoundation.org code. Due to the diligence of the city council, the Fire Chief, Toby Kruse, and his staff, the event center was Joey Droste
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on earth for having a One Direction CD, a stuffed animal, a work ID, or a string of daisies hanging from your mirror. So we’re still going to keep pushing for greater enforcement of obstructed vision laws when it involves junk that has no earthly purpose in a windshield. We are also pushing for stiffer penalties for running down a motorcyclist. Much stiffer. A biker’s life is worth a lot more than a traffic ticket for “failure to yield”. We want stiffer penalties for texting while driving. I’m not done with that Crafco paving monster the Iowa DOT uses either, we’ll talk about that abysmal rock spitting machine more over the coming summer. So there is still much to do in this state that will make every rider safer, and we at MAG will continue our efforts; as always anything the Thunder Roads audience can do to spread our message is greatly appreciated, because at the end of the day it’s all about getting Iowa motorcycle riders home alive. I hate reading about a biker that died in an accident. You must be tired of it too, so let’s keep on this. It won’t save everybody, but it sure can’t hurt. If it saves one rider it’s all worth it don’t you agree?
“WE WON!!!”
We all need to step out of our comfort zone a little too. I’ve been so bold as to politely tell people I see driving with a So we did it. Our little rag-tag motorcycle group managed to do the unthinkable- we got a state permit changed. That’s permit hanging in their way that they might want to start taking it down when they drive now. Naturally not every right- because of the efforts of MAG, and so many of encounter has been a positive one; frankly if you can’t be you out there in Iowa that chimed in on our behalf, every bothered to do something that takes only a few seconds and motorcyclist, pedestrian, DOT highway worker, tow truck driver and bicyclist is just that much safer. Every handicap could potentially save a life, well you can kiss my ass. parking permit in the State of Iowa will now read “Remove If you’re too stubborn to take it down then maybe paying a when driving” in bold print. None of this would have been fine will help convince you. If you’re too feeble to manage possible without Hon. Josh Byrnes, (Republican) of Osage, moving a small slip of plastic, maybe we should take a hard look at your driver’s license too. Sorry, I just get mad when IA. He heard us, he listened, and he acted. In less than a year’s time, we got this done. Rep. Byrnes sent me a link to I see one now being used improperly, just like I’m infuriated by a teddy bear, dozens of strings of Mardi Gras beads and the web cam on the House of Representative’s floor, and I got to watch him introduce this motion for a vote. It passed everything else I see in the windshield that doesn’t belong. And there is a ton of it out there. And it unanimously, needs to go. meaning for one of the few We’ve got some bumper stickers times in history available now to help spread this that anyone can message, an example of these stickers remember, every is provided in the photo. They are based single Republican, on an actual state permit, and they are Independent and going to be essential to help educate Democrat agreed the driving public on proper usage of on something. the permit. They can be purchased by That alone is pretty sending a SASE (that’s a self-addressed astonishing, and stamped envelope for those of you that proof that we are have forgotten how to use the U.S. on the right track Postal Service) along with a check or here. money order for $3.00 for each sticker, made payable to MAG. Send your We’ve just crossed request to Motorcycle Awareness Group, the first hurdle, and 340 Allen, Garner, IA 50438. it was a huge one You may also find us on our Facebook but there is more page at North Iowa MAG. to do, and MAG is going to stay on it, and we hope you do also. Other non-essential crap needs to come out of the windshield. If you drive for a living and have a professional Again, thank you all for your support, I know several petitions were sent to the State Legislature about this, and GPS in your windshield, we think that is perfectly acceptable but as I’ve said before, even that won’t fly in the we are very grateful for that. Have a great spring riding Gopher state, Minnesota will make you pull it out. Just like season, and we’ll see you next month. there is no valid argument for having a parking permit in Mark Mullins, President, North Iowa MAG. your windshield when driving (no, you’re not Super Man, you can’t see through solid objects), there is no argument 46 - TRMI JUNE 2015
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Under an overcast sky, nearly 450 people gathered in the drizzle for the Blessing of the Bikes held in Blue Grass, IA on Sunday, May 3rd. This was the 9th annual event to be hosted by the Community Fellowship Church. Yet this was an “extra-special” event. When church member, Melissa, lost her life to cancer, she left a sizable donation to her church. In honor of this heartfelt gift, Pastor Jim and his congregation decided to pay tribute to Melissa by hosting a spectacular Blessing of the Bikes. To entertain the crowd as the bikes rolled in, a band from the Quad Cities called “North of 40” was on hand to play a mix of country music. Their mix of oldies and new songs kept everyone singing along. This band was amazing! Special thanks were given to them for donating their time to play at this event. For the first time EVER, a Harley Davidson Heritage Softail was given away - no strings attached! All attendees needed to do was put his/her name on a ticket, drop it in a box, and be present to win. When the drawing was done, a lucky man from New London, IA, was the proud owner of the royal blue beauty. Tax, licensing, and all the paperwork was taken care of so the bike could be ridden home that afternoon.
After the blessing, the church fed the crowd. Pulled pork sandwiches, beans, chips, lemonade and tea were available to everyone. A freewill donation bucket was on the serving table to help with the expense. No one should have gone home hungry! This event is always held the first Sunday in May. Next year will be their 10th Annual Blessing of the Bikes. While the day began under gray skies, it ended under bright sunshine. Susan
If that wasn’t enough, they invited a very renowned speaker with some serious history. Billy Rivers, whose background includes motorcycle and prison gang membership, drugs, and illegal immigrant transport, was flown in from Louisiana to speak to those who gathered. Under the program tag of “Hardened Biker Switches Gears”, this very down to earth man shared his story and his journey to become a Christian. His story was filled with excitement, sadness, and humor. The Christian Motorcycle Association was on hand to bless the each bike and biker who made the request. It was an inspiring site to watch this event. 50 - TRMI JUNE 2015
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Motorcycle Brake Maintenance Considerations Last month we chatted about the first thing to check over with your braking system, the fluid. After getting into that, the next thing would be to look at your pads and/or shoes. It is awesome to be able to get out and ride, to hit the throttle and go as far as you want to go, but it makes for a bad day when you need to grab the brakes, and have less than the expected response. This article is for information only, and is not meant to replace a service manual or common sense. In the past, all motorcycles utilized drum brake systems for stopping. They work by pushing shoes up against the inside of a drum and cause friction slowing the motorcycle down. Drum brakes are easy to recognize with the ‘drum’ mounted on the wheel. Drum brakes worked well and are still being used for smaller bikes; however, drums are prone to overheating gular and wear-outs. Even the high performance ones need regular adjustment for optimal use. Disc brakess started to appear in the seventies with Honda leading the pack (the CB750). A disc brake works on a simple principle that a steel disc is gripped by two pads by a hydraulic caliper. Disk brakes are much friendlier for a ng, motorcycle rider, less prone to overheating, and require little (or no) adjustment. The downside was/is (especially during the early days) that wet weather didn’t let these motorcycle brakes function as well. Many modern day bikes use twin front discs and only one at the rear. Using more brake power at the back would lead to wheel block ups due to the dynamics of braking. Each disk is gripped by calipers, where every caliper is pushed by four or six pistons. This highly improves the brake power and the riders feel when braking. Many tour bikes use a combination of different motorcycle brake hydraulics to divide the front and back breaking power in the most optimal way. Additionally some bikes now also have ABS (anti-lock system). The steel disk floats in the wheel so it can accommodate the temperature influences which occur while braking. The pads are also fitted loosely in the clamp around the steel disk. Over time the disk pads need replacing, this is just standard maintenance. However, keep an eye on disk damage due to incorrect placement of brake pads or anything else. Damaging the steel disk can result in a costly replacement. One of the first things to check is the brake pads themselves. The brake pads need to have a minimum thickness, otherwise they can start to grind metal on metal and take your brake discs. A small (time and expense) brake job can then turn into a major brake system overhaul that costs tons of dollars and a lot of time with the bike on the lift, and not in the wind. When considering your brake work, make sure that you are comfortable with performing the work yourself and that you have all of the proper tools. If you don’t have the know-how and tools, take your bike to a trustworthy mechanic of your choice. Replacing stock or worn brake pads is the quickest way to get increased braking power out of your braking system. Various 52 - TRMI JUNE 2015
manufacturers make all kinds of replacement brake pads for today›s motorcycles. Some claim to last longer, while others claim to give more feel and braking power. However, be forewarned that the manufacturer of your motorcycle put a lot of time and effort into developing your braking system, and there is no telling what a different type of pad material might do to your rotors, or how well different pads will work with the overall design and setup of your bike. Different pads are designed to work with different types of rotors, so make sure that you mate compatible sets, otherwise you may end up with more problems than what you started with. If you have any doubts, then stick with genuine factory parts. Sometimes due to the open nature of the motorcycle wheel and brake systems, you can inspect pad thickness at least by a visual inspection. To fully inspect them though, removing the calipers from the rotors is the first step in checking your brake pads. In dealing with your front disc brakes, first remove the front caliper two main bolts that attach the calipers to the forks. Once the calipers are free you can slide them off of the brake discs and inspect the amount of pad material and look for anything out of the ordinary. If there is less than 1/8 inches of pad thickness left then they should be replaced.
That, ssome more.....
Once the calipers are free from their mounting locations, it is time to disassemble them and remove the brake pads. On this particular setup there is one threaded metal pin that holds one side of the pads in place. The other side of the pad rests in the casting of the brake caliper. Removing this pin will free the pads and they should just fall right out. Notice the metal clips inside the caliper just beneath where the pads sit. These metal clips provide pressure on the pads to keep them from moving around inside the caliper. It is a good idea when you are working on your brakes to replace these clips. It would be foolish if you spent all this time and effort to have something so simple and cheap screw things up. Now move onto the rear caliper. Once the two mounting bolts have been removed, the caliper should easily slide off the rotor. Inspection of the pads is the same as the fronts. The rear pads are smaller because less braking power is required. The rear pads are held in place by one bolt on one side of the caliper and are held at the other end inside the casting of the mounting bracket that the caliper is bolted to. Be very careful to make sure the new pads are firmly mounted in the caliper and are held securely at both mounting locations. If there is any doubt, check them again! Otherwise, they could fall out while you are cruising down your favorite twisty Iowa road and ruin a perfect day. Once the new pads have been assembled into the calipers and everything is torqued to spec, it is time to bleed the lines. There will be more on this topic in future segments. Here are some other topics to consider when dealing with your brakes that come from personal experience and wrenches with years of experience. The most expensive brake pad sets are not always the best ones. Some of the most high dollar pad sets can wreak havoc with your rotors, or cause terrible squealing noises. Talk to shops, friends, and other riders and see what has been working well for them and make an informed
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This month our featured Military rider is John Westergaard of Lake View, Iowa. I have run into John many times over the past few years while in his town for business, and also at Western Iowa Tourism gatherings. He serves as the Mayor of the City of Lake View, and you can tell from chatting with him that he comes from a Military background. He has a no nonsense way of guiding his town to improve, and does so with the zeal that only a Marine could add to the mix. John enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in April of 1971 and served until February of 1974. He was a Corporal and was stationed at Camp Lejune, MCSC Albany, Georgia, and with the 3rd Marine division in both Okinawa and DeNang RVN. John comes from a Military family with both of his grandfathers, his father, and both uncles serving the great United States of America. His daughter continued the tradition and is a Navy Veteran. His primary MOS was as a payroll clerk while serving. To join at that time there was a 107 pound weight minimum. John weighed exactly that upon entering boot camp. He was the smallest man in his company, but that did not stop him from working hard and gaining strength, confidence, and ability. Upon graduation he bulked up to 120 pounds, and was awarded a set of dress blues and a promotion. This honor was reserved for the outstanding recruit of the company, which John achieved.
John’s riding history began when he was 15 years old. He hopped on his Honda 90 and rode wherever he could. After returning from the Marines, he also had a 350 Honda. As with many, then came the wife, the kids, the busy life and the motorcycles had to go for a bit. After a 25 year hiatus from two wheel therapy, John went to the Carroll Cycle Center and picked himself up a Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster. This was short lived, as he traded that for a Road King Classic four months later for a much better ride. After owning HDs for twelve years, he then got into a Goldwing. Due to back surgery, the Wing had a much th more comfortable m rride, and allowed much more riding m in comfort. He has rrecently added LED lights for better night li rriding vision. One oof his goals for this ssummer is to ride to eevery Freedom Rock. There seems to be a T lot of motorcycles in lo Lake View, and John L likes to just hop on li aand ride on some of the informal rides th with the locals and w this seems to keep th hhim busy. John credits what he leaned in the United States Marine Corp as a driving force behind making him the man he is today. Serving had a profound impact on him, and it shows to this day. If you see John out on the road, shake his hand and thank him for his service. From all of us at Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa, we thank you John for your service. Vernon
decision. Check your brakes often to save money. That is right, improper brake action can cause all sorts of problems that are not cheap or easy repairs. If a caliper is hanging up and not allowing the brake pad to return to its static position, it will drag causing heat, and warping of the rotors. It can also prematurely end the life of the brake pad, cause loss of easy rolling down the road, as well as bearing and seal issues with the extra heat that is built up from the friction. On the newer bikes with anti-lock brakes, it has been a common occurrence for the inner brake pad to wear much faster than the other. The calipers do not fully release and the floating calipers are not centering as they should and it will wear down the inner pad. More wear, more heat, this makes for bad news in general. Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa on Facebook
A quick visual inspection can key you in on some of these potential issues. While you are checking your brakes with a visual inspection, other potentially dangerous problems can be found as well. Tire pressure, tire wear, broken or loose pinch bolts in the front forks, leaking fork seals, poorly adjusted chains or belts, and a ton of other things can be found with a quick ten minute look at your bike. Making sure that you can stop once you get rolling is of utmost importance for your safety. Check out your brakes and make sure they are there when you need them. Vernon www.thunderroadsiowa.com
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Every now and again, an idea comes along that is new, unique, and quite profound. It does not seem to happen a lot in the motorcycle world, but once in a great while, things click and all of the sudden, BOOM, there it is. The Classic Panheads page on Facebook is a private group for the sharing of knowledge and information about one of the most iconic of Harley-Davidson motors and the motorcycles that
1962 $50 Gift Card from Retrocycle 2nd Gary “Bootmaker” McGlasson 1958 $25 Gift Card from Steve’s 3rd Hank “The Frank” Fisher 1952 T-shirt from Jeff’s American CHOPPER CLASS 1st Steve Manier 1954 $50 Gift Card from Jeff’s American 2nd Curt Scrape 1963 $25 Gift Card from Carl’s Cycle Supply 3rd Craig Spalding 1949 T-Shirt and goodies from Jason Sims MILD CUSTOM CLASS 1st Danny O’Toole 1954 $50 Gift Card from Retrocycle 2nd Panhead “joizy” Gonzo 1952 $25 Gift Card from Olsen’s Cycle 3rd Gene “Geno” Olmstead 1949 T-Shirt from Black Magic Customs FULL CUSTOM CLASS
1st Ned “Outlaw” Kelly 1957 $50 Gift Card from they propel down the highways. Greg Lew of neighboring Steve’s Customs Wisconsin, a long time Panhead freak started the group and 2nd Joe “Cross does everything he can all across the country to promote Country” Skaggs the Panhead lifestyle. With quite a few Iowa members, as 1959 $25 Gift Card well as almost 6,000 across the world, it has become one Retrocycle of the best sources for Panhead information available. For 3rd Brian those that love their Tin Tops, this is the place to be. Out of “Primate” Preston this group came the idea for the Panhead Only Motorsickle 1959 T-Shirt from Show of 2015. Jeff’s American The gist of the show was that only members of the page could be invited to the show. Now one question that easily comes to mind is how in the hell do you get Panheads from all over the globe together to put on a show? Well, you do it 2015 style, add a little modern technology to the old technology of the machines themselves, and viola, a virtual Motorsickle Show! That is right folks, a new endeavor into the world of vehicle shows. Grab a camera that can take a video, record your bike while walking around your machine, preferably fire it up, and then post it to the show page. Simple as that! After posting, the judges checked out the videos and scored them in a plethora of classes. When the judges tallies were counted, the results were as follows:
STORY BIKE CLASS 1st Cole “Cash and Carry” Deister 1959 Fuel shut off rod from Olsen’s 2nd Dave “Keeper of Father Time” Bajari 1965 $25 Gift Card from Steve’s 3rd Masayoshi “Bonzai” Sunagawa 1965 T-Shirt from Retrocycle
DAILY RIDER CLASS 1st John Bartman 54 - TRMI JUNE 2015
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LONGEST OWNED CLASS 1st Vicki “Oz Babe” Lowing 1949 (36 years) Choice of Prize 2nd Dave Bajari 1965 (35-36 years) $25 Gift card Olsen’s Cycle 3rd Rick Hall 1950 (35) years T-shirt Sturgis/Glencoe from Jason Sims RESTORED CLASS 1st Rod “ One Year Only” Maxwell 1965 $50 Gift Card from Jeff’s American 2nd Jeff “ Glacier Blue” Nill 1953 $25 Gift Card from Retrocycle 3rd Mike “Piece x Piece” Vaul 1948 T-Shirt from Jeff’s American UNRESTORED 1st Mike Skopec 1959 Fuel Shut Off Rod from Olsen’s Cycle 2nd Rufus Smith 1964 $25 Gift Card from Retrocycle 3rd Dennis D’Angelo 1956 T-Shirt from Black Magic Customs
American 2nd Brian “Primate” Preston 1959 $25 Gift Card from Steve’s Customs 3rd Kevin “ Irish” Flynn 1949 T-Shirt from Keating Wheel Co. After the posting of the show, many people and sponsors offered prizes and goods to the winners. Videos were to be submitted during the month of March, with judging to be completed by April 11th with trophies and prizes awarded on the 12th. Many sponsors helped make this show possible, as well as hard work and dedication to the Panhead community by many from the site. I am betting that this trendsetting style of show will pop up in more and more locations as the world gets “smaller” with all the technology available. Look for a virtual show on your browser in the near future and thanks to TRMI for sharing information about our unique show to the bikers of Iowa in TRMI! Some of the photos were submitted after the show for the magazine, thanks for submitting.
BOBBER CLASS Dale “Panhead Man” Kerr 1st Ed “Two Drum” Houser 1963 $50 Gift card from Jeff’s Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa on Facebook
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ies like a ribeye sandwich, chicken fried steak, a locally caught catfish platter, open faced hot beef sandwich and a taco salad bigger than your face. Our crew has been known to walk in and order the entire 2nd column on the wall menu, however, this visit was different- I was here on business, not pleasure.... Ok, every trip to Baxa’s turns in to pleasure, but we sure tried to stay on task this trip. This time I was accompanied by my hubby, who has been eating here since the early 70’s, and the boss man Vernon, a newbie.
Baxa’s Sutliff Store and Tavern 5546 130th St NE, Lisbon 52253 (319) 624-2204 www.sutliffbridge.com Open 7 Days a Week Grill hours Sun -Thurs 11am- 9pm Fri & Sat 11am-10pm Nestled along the banks of the Cedar River, just 6 miles south of Lisbon lies a general store, tavern and eatery that welcomes bikers and boaters alike by the drones. Opened in 1899 at the foot of the historical Sutliff Bridge lies Baxa’s Sutliff Store and Tavern and they do a great job of serving up the cold beers, great food and entertaining stories from the locals. On any given Sunday afternoon you will find great music on the patio during open mic and a parking lot lined with motorcycles and classic cars of all types. Since this is one of my regular haunts, I was thrilled to get the go ahead for this article.
Starting out we ordered an appetizer combo of cheesy cauliflower and breaded mushrooms, which couldn’t have hit the spot any better if we were sporting targets in our bellies. Knowing I was stuck for the evening with 2 beer drinking boys, I decided to arm myself for battle and ordered a Reuben with homemade kettle chips. The sandwich was loaded with Swiss cheese, corned beef andand sauerkraut, marbled rye toasted to perfection and as I dug in, I knew it was the right choice. Big D ordered himself the shrimp dinner with cheese balls instead of fries and his entire plate was clean in a matter of minutes, with the exception of a pile of shrimp tails on the corner. The boss man was feeling ambitious and ordered Baxa’s signature jumbo breaded tenderloin, and as you’ll note from the picture, jumbo is the truth! This particular dish can be split between 2 and served with an extra bun for your counterpart, but not today! With the look of determination in his eyes, Vernon tore into that tenderloin with a vengeance and a few moans and groans later he had devoured what once was a perfectly golden brown masterpiece. We opted to skip dessert since we had all stuffed ourselves to a brim this trip; however, I can tell you from experience the apple pie ala mode and the chocolate crème pie both make the perfect mid-afternoon snack on any day of riding.
As I said earlier, I have been eating here for over 10 Walking into the bar and grill, the first thing you’ll notice years and never been served a cold or an otherwise bad plate of food. But it’s not just the good food and cold is the plethora of dollar bills hanging from the ceiling beer that keeps up coming back; the combination of the (estimated at a value of $3,500 twenty years ago), left historical décor, the beautihanging on the premise that the owners would have ful river flowing right across enough money for another beer upon their return. The from the front porch made for seats are filled by patrons of every age, there’s always a sittin, the friends and stranggame or two on the big screens, the jukebox cranks out ers we meet and the overall everyfeeling of nostalgia makes thing from it an easy decision when we Waylon to are wondering “where do we Kid Rock ride to today?”. andand most of Stop by and tell Randy, Chris the time and the rest of the crew that there’s Thunder Roads Magazine of a pool Iowa sent ya- and don’t forget or card to leave a dollar on the ceilgame going for your next visit! ing somewhere in the tavern. ~Pinky If the atmosphere isn’t enough to entice a visit, the food sure will. On top of serving the traditional deep fried bar goodies, they also push out one of the best prime rib dinners I have ever indulged on as well as other homemade goodThunder Roads Magazine of Iowa on Facebook www.thunderroadsiowa.com 56 - TRMI JUNE 2015
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Denise Kroeger 2010 Fat Boy Low named “Diablo” Davenport
Sarah Petersen 2009 HD Heritage Softail Classic Council Bluffs
We want you on our pages! If you are an Iowa Girl of Thunder, send us a quality image, your name, year and model of bike, and where you are from to: vernon@thunderroadsiowa.com Sara McNamee 2001 Dyna Low Rider Melbourne 60 - TRMI JUNE 2015
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A man walks into his kitchen with his hands between his legs and a pained expression on his face. “What happened darling?” says his wife? “I got hit with a fastball at practice” he replies. “Oh you poor man, come here and I’ll massage it better”. So she pulls out his penis and begins to massage with various scented oils. “How’s that my darling, are you feeling better?” The man examines his bruised finger and says, “That’s great darling, but I still think I’ll lose thee nail.”
hhiss head hi hheeaadd and says, “Oh, Randy, I told you to pace yyo yourself. I tried to get you to slow down, now look what you’ve done to yourself.” Randy opens one eye, nods towards the sky and says , “Shhh. They’re getting closer....”
A Doctor recently had a patient “drop” in on him for an unscheduled appointment. “What can I do for you today?” the Doctor asked. The aged Gentleman replied: “Doctor, you must help me. Every time I make love to my wife, my eeyes get all bleary, my legs go weak, I can hardly catch my breath.... Doctor, I’m scarred!”
The Doctor, looking at his 86 year old patient, said: “Mr. Smith, these sensations tend to happen over time, Once upon a time in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self- especially to a man of your advanced years, but tell me, when did assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating you first notice these symptoms?” The old gent’s response was: ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant “Well... three times last night, and twice again this morning!” meadow near her castle. The frog hopped into the princess’ lap and said: Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper young prince that I am, and then, my sweet, we can marry and set up housekeeping in your castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and feel forever grateful doing so.
The manager hired a new secretary. she was young, sweet, and polite. One day while taking dictation, she noticed his fly was open. While leaving the room, she courteously said, “Oh sir, did you know that your barracks door was open.” He did not understand her remark, but later on happened to look down and saw that his zipper was open. He decided to have some fun with his new employee.
That night, as the princess dined sumptuously on a repast of lightly sautéed frogs legs seasoned in a wine and onion cream sauce she Calling her in, he asked, “By the way, Miss Jones, when you saw chuckled to herself and thought: I don’t fucking think so. my barracks door open this morning, did you also see a soldier standing at attention.” The secretary, who was quite witty, replied, “Why, no sir, all I saw was a little disabled veteran, sitting on two duffel bags!” This farmer has about 200 hens, but no rooster and he wants chicks. So, he goes down the road to the next farmer and asks if he has a rooster. The other farmer says, “Yeah, I’ve got this great rooster, named Randy; he’ll service every chicken you’ve got. No An old lady is rocking away the last of her days on her front porch, problem.” reflecting on her long life, when, all of a sudden, a fairy godmother appears in front of her and informs her that she will be granted Well, Randy the rooster is a lot of money, but the farmer decides three wishes. he’d be worth it. So , he buys Randy. The farmer takes Randy home and sets him down in the barnyard, giving the rooster a pep “Well, now,” says the old lady, “I guess I would like to be really, talk, “ Randy, I want you to pace yourself now. You’ve got a lot of really rich.” ***POOF*** her rocking chair turns to solid gold. chickens to service here and you cost me a lot of money and I’ll She smiles and says, “Gee, I guess I wouldn’t mind being a young, need you to do a good job. So, take your time and have some fun,” beautiful princess.” ***POOF*** she turns into a beautiful young the farmer said with a chuckle. woman. Randy seemed to understand, so the farmer points towards the hen house and Randy took off like a shot ~WHAM~ He nails every hen in there THREE or FOUR times and the farmer is just shocked. Randy runs out of the hen house and sees a flock of geese down by the lake ~WHAM~ He gets all the geese. Randy is up in the pigpen. He’s in with the cows. Randy is jumping on every animal the farmer owns. The farmer is distraught, worried that his expensive rooster won’t even last the day. Sure enough, the farmer goes to bed and wakes up the next day to find Randy dead as a doorknob in the middle of the yard. Buzzards are circling overhead.
“Your third wish?” asked the fairy godmother. Just then the old woman’s cat wanders across the porch in front of them. “Ooh...can you change him into a handsome prince?” she asks. ***POOF*** there before her stands a young man more handsome than anyone could possibly imagine. She stares at him, smitten. With a smile that makes her knees weak. He saunters across the porch and whispers in her ear: “Bet you’re sorry you had me neutered!”
Q: What do you call an Afghan virgin The farmer, saddened by the loss of such a colorful animal, shakes A: Never bin laid on 62 - TRMI JUNE 2015
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Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota. Check them out at www.supportsiouxlandsoldiers.com. I think you’ll agree that it is a charity you can get behind and feel good about helping. I try to be very careful that any group I’ll throw in with actually does what they say they are going to do. Not only that, but since the event is at the Ickey Nickel it’s bound to be the best party around. They’ve got volleyball, baggo, horseshoes, a lot of other games, free camping and Big Dog Entertainment playing your favorite tunes. Join a couple hundred of your friends and come on by, I’ll be there and you should be there too.
Peter A. Sieben
FREEDOM RIDE On Saturday, June 13th, ABATE of Iowa District 20 is partnering with Support Siouxland Soldiers to throw a party and ride through the scenic Loess Hills of western Iowa. The whole thing gets going with sign-in around 10-11am at The Ickey Nickel Bar and Grill in Sioux City. From there we’ll ride through the hills with stops available along the way. Upon our return there will be various bike games including a rodeo and burn-out pit. Later on, Jan will be rolling out one of her famous buffets for all to enjoy. Next are the auctions, both silent and live. The Support Siouxland Soldiers folks have been out collecting donations from local businesses for all of us to bid on and hopefully buy. Support Siouxland Soldiers is a nonprofit organization that supports the military families of
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P.S. In case you hadn’t seen it, I wanted to pass along some information I learned in an article from the Associated Press. Harley Davidson is recalling nearly 46,000 motorcycles in the U.S. because it’s possible that they could stay in gear due to clutches that won’t fully disengage. The recall effects 2014 and 2015 Electra Glide, Ultra Limited, Police Electra Glide, Street Glide, Road Glide and Road Kings. Check with your local dealer for more information. Questions or Comments: peter@riderpromotions.com
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Tuesday Desperado’s Wheatland Century Bar Alta
Wednesday The Buck Snort Neola Cadillac Jack’s Baxter George and Dales East Dubuque Slaby’s Plainview Amigos Fort Dodge 2nd Ave Bike Night Des Moines (2nd Wednesday) OP Clear Lake Ride’s Bar & Grill Ft Dodge Quaker Steak & Lube Council Bluffs Thirsty on Third Davenport
Thursday Roar Into Harlan (3rd Thursdays) Beer Barn & Grill Kirkman Crossroads Kelley (Every Other Thursday) Metro HD Cedar Rapids (2nd Thursday May-August) Screaming Eagle Bar & Grill Waterloo Crossroads Bike Night Featuring Zylstra HD (6-4, 7-2,8-13,9-10) Calvin Rockett/Zylstra HD Marshalltown (Last Thursday) Baxa’s Sutliff Store & Tavern The Back 40 Macedonia Loess Hills HD Pacific Junction (Last Thursday of the Month) Gravy’s Bar and Grill Davenport Maingate Bar & Grill The Neighborhood Bar & Grill Des Moines Kamodo Klub Des Moines
Centerville Bike Nights (4th Friday of the Month) Biscuit’s Bar and Grill Buffalo Des Moines Vintage Bike Night (1st Friday May-Sep) Monroe Bike Night (4th Friday of the Month) Thunder Nites Newton-2nd Friday May - September
Saturday Winterset Bike Night Winterset (3rd Saturday)
Sunday Haverhill Social Club Haverhill (3rd Sunday) The Edge Missouri Valley This list is what we have found and what has been submitted. Before heading to any event, please check weather and make sure the event is not cancelled. Not responsible for misprints and typos. If you have any other events to list, please email vernon@thunderroadsiowa.com
Friday Fro’s Wilton Knoxville Bike Night Knoxville (1st Friday) Dubuque Harley-Davidson (Last Friday May-Aug) Bike Down to I-Town Indianola (3rd Friday) TC’s Pub Marshalltown (4th Friday) Woody’s Roadside Tavern Albion (Last Friday) Main Street Ames Bike Night with Zylstra HD (6-19) TJ’s Pour House Exira (2nd Friday of the Month) Sandy Hook Tavern Hazel Green, WI www.thunderroadsiowa.com www. ww w thun underrroads oaads dsio iowa io owa wa.c .ccom .com m
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May 30 May 31 May 31 Jun 5-7 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun 7 Jun 7 Jun 12-13 Jun 13 Jun 13 Jun 13 Jun 13 Jun 13 Jun 14 Jun 15 Jun 16-17 Jun 18-20 Jun 18-20 Jun 19 Jun 19-20 Jun 19-21 Jun 20 Jun 20 Jun 20 Jun 20 Jun 20 Jun 20 Jun 20 Jun 20 Jun 20 Jun 20 Jun 20 Jun 20-21 Jun 21 Jun 27 Jun 27 Jun 27 Jun 27 Jun 27 Jun 27 Jun 27-28 Jun 27-28 Jun 28 Jul 2-4 Jul 4 Jul 10-12 Jul 10-11 Jul 11 Jul 11 Jul 11 Jul 11 Jul 11 Jul 11 Jul 11 Jul 12 Jul 12 Jul 17-18 Jul 17-18 Jul 18 Jul 18 Jul 18
Marty Davidson Memorial Ride Oskaloosa Cruisin’ for St. Jude Winterset CVMA 39-3 Bikini Bike Wash Davenport NC Victory Motorcycle Club Regional Meet WCW Omaha, NE Carroll Cycle Center Rock N Ride Carroll 1st Annual Freedom Rock Ride LHHD Pacific Junction 5th Annual Charity Bike/Car Show Kimballton Suicide Awareness Benefit and Ride Waterloo 10th Annual Jaster’s Ride for Life Elkader Veterans Benefit Ride ALR Chapter 166 Shellsburg Joni’s 1st Annual Roast and Ride Des Moines to Boone D12 Pig Out Numa Hill Climb and Swap Meet Anamosa MSAA Autism Ride-Light it up Blue Clear Lake Open House Big Barn HD Des Moines 7th Annual Bell Tower Festival Poker Run & Show Jefferson Men’s Night Dubuque HD American Legion Riders Blackjack Run Council Bluffs Michael Food’s Relay for Life Gravity Support Siouxland Soldiers Run Sioux City Sons of AmVets Squad #107 10th Car, Truck, Tractor, Golf Cart, Motorcycle Show Richmond National Ride your Motorcycle to Work Day Indian DEMO Truck Brenny’s Bettendorf 21st Annual Rally on the River QC Davenport Romper Room Run Earlville Relay for Life by Windbags Atlantic Victory DEMO Truck Brenny’s Bettendorf Iowa Legacy Grand Ride Des Moines Ernie’s Harley-Davidson 40th Anniversary Party Algona Vintage Rally and Bike Show Anamosa Party in the Park Creston Skin Mechanix Open House Council Bluffs Chipp’s HD Shop 10th Anniversary Party Osceola Kelly Burmeister Memorial Ride Anita ABATE D14 31st Baldy Memorial Ride Fremont/What Cheer ABATE D14 30th District 14 Anniversary Party What Cheer Mike Garner Memorial Run Gravity Hometown Heroes Run Rockwell City Little Trojan Poker Run Atlantic Outlaw Street Drags Race Series Conesville Coach Paul Rhoads Ride to Remember Ames Roar Into Harlan Poker Run Harlan 28th Iowa Iron Butt Ride Ottumwa Hawgs Dogs & Heroes Ride Waverly Rigid River Run Dubuque Ride It Out For Amber Sarcoma Ride & Drive Polk City Shenanigans Pub/Midnight Riders Benefit Run Dubuque J&P Open House Rally Jones County Fairgrounds Monticello Destination Fundraiser Ride for ERO Baxter Nishna Valley Wings of the G.W.T.A. Fun Run Emerson 31st Annual Freedom Rally Algona MSAA Parade Clear Lake English River Outfitters Motorcycle Jamboree Brighton CVMA 39-3 APR (Annual Patriot Ride) Elkport Goozman’s Westside Poker Run Harlan Angel Ride to Save the TaTas Fort Dodge 8th Annual Freeman Ride Avoca Memorial Ride & Drive For the Girls Evansdale Heartland HD Summer Biker Bash Burlington Calamus Fun Day “AllWheek Fun Run” Calamus Hand in Hand Poker Run Davenport 4th Annual Bike Show Rehabilitation Center Hampton MSAA Toys for Tots Ride Mason City Victory Demo Event Werner Cycle Works Omaha, NE Victory Demo Days R/J Performance Ottumwa Women’s Ride by Windbags Atlantic IBEW Ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids 2nd Annual Ride for Time Cadillac Jacks Baxter
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Jul 18 Jul 23-25 Jul 24-25 Jul 25 Jul 25 Jul 26 Jul 30-Aug 1 Aug 3-9 Aug 8 Aug 8 Aug 8-9 Aug 14-16 Aug 15 Aug 15 Aug 15 Aug 15 Aug 15-16 Aug 16 Aug 21-23 Aug 22 Aug 22 Aug 22 Aug 22 Aug 22 Aug 23 Aug 29 Aug 29 Aug 29-30 Aug 30 Sep 2 Sep 3-5 Sep 4-6 Sep 5 Sep 5 Sep 5-6 Sep 6 Sep 9 Sep 11-13 Sep 11 Sep 12 Sep 12 Sep 12 Sep 12 Sep 13 Sep 18-20 Sep 19 Sep 19 Sep 19-20 Sep 23-26 Sep 24-27 Sep 26 Sep 26 Sep 27 Oct 3 Oct 4 Oct 4 Oct 4 Oct 17 Oct 17 Oct 17 Nov 6-7 Nov 20 Nov 27 Dec 12 Dec 12 Dec 12
Hoggin’ for Heroes Hoopla III Coralville Iowa H.O.G. Rally Des Moines WMDRA and Inside Drag Racing at Eddyville Chrome Divas Ride for a Cause Metro HD Cedar Rapids 2nd Annual Rally for the Rock Everyly Teufelhund’s Xmas in July Anamosa 8th Annual Across the Border Raid Bedford South Dakota Party AtlanticFest Ride In Bike Show Atlantic CVMA 39-1 APR (Annual Patriot Ride) Des Moines ABATE D15 Too Broke for Sturgis Donahue Boji Bike Rally Okoboji Mighty Mississippi HOG MDA Hope Ride Dubuque HD ABATE D8 Rider Ed Run Laurens A&W Car and Bike Show Lester Flag Ride Oxford 34th Annual Baxter Days Marne MSAA Hospice Ride Mason City 11th Annual BTW Trike In Kellogg ABATE of Iowa M.A.R.S. Eldora Werner Cycle Works 7th Annual Car & Bike Show Omaha, NE MSAA Ag Days Bike Show & Parade Manly 4th Annual Jami Jam Terril Wish Ride (Make A Wish) Council Bluffs Iowa State Fair Motorcycle Day Des Moines 8th Annual Ride for the TaTas The Beer Barn Kirkman ABATE D6 Honoring Our Heroes Vets Ride IA Vets Home Marshalltown Olsen’s Outdoor Power Spydermania II Council Bluffs Childrens Miracle Network Fun Run Ida Grove New Model Party Metro HD Cedar Rapids 44th Davenport Fall International Meet Redneck Revival Conesville 9th Annual Cedar County Heroes Memorial Ride Tipton Run For The Kids Madrid Midway Tavern Soldier Valley Run BBQ, Street Dance Soldier ABATE D 8 Biker Bash 2015 Lake Park Heartland HD Cruise Night #2 Burlington Davis Motorcycle Rally New Hampton MSAA 911 Memorial Ride Mason City No Nipple Dipple Ride Buffalo Broken Spokes Ride For U of IA Children’s Hospital Davenport Waukee Legions Riders 7th Annual Toy Run Waukee Teufelhund Support Ride Anamosa Hill Climb and Swap Meet Anamosa 26th Annual End of Summer Rally Keosauqua The Edge’s Midwest Connection Missouri Valley Sidney’s Wish Poker Run Des Moines Outlaw Street Drags Race Series Conesville Bikes Blues & BBQ Fayetteville, AR Oktemberfest Marshalltown 8th Annual Find Your Marbles Party Ernie’s HD Algona Carroll Cycle Center New Model Open House Carroll R/J Performance Fun Day at the Drag Strip Eddyville Chrome Divas Cancer Awareness Ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids Hot Rods and Harleys Hopkinton Carroll Cycle Center Toy Run Carroll ABATE D19 Toy Run Denison Outlaw Street Drags Race Series Conesville MSAA River Fun Run Mason City Heartland HD Fall Open House Burlington ABATE of IOWA STEAM Marshalltown Carroll Cycle Center Ladies’ Night Out Carroll Carroll Cycle Center Guys Night Out Carroll Carroll Cycle Center Pictures with Santa Carroll Santa Visits Metro HD Cedar Rapids Customer Appreciation/Santa Dubuque HD
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