Moot`s Point
Transcription
Moot`s Point
President Dave Moot 952-703-0373 [email protected] Vice President Jim Kojola 612-374-8913 [email protected] Treasurer Linda Schunk 952-831-5065 [email protected] MARCH Secretary Deb Riggs 612-869-7038 [email protected] Newsletter Paul Meisel 952-472-2097 Editor work 952-746-2361 [email protected] Graphics and Greg.Claflin 612-529-5812 Layout [email protected] Club Historian Tom Jones 763-533-9163 Directors Kerry Rasmussen Tom Broich 651-430-1332 651-645-3571 [email protected] Newsletter of the Viking Chapter Antique Motorcycle Club of America Inc. Published Quarterly 2006 March 1st, June 1st, September 1st, December 1st [email protected] http:www.vikingmc.org FROM THE EDITOR INTRODUCING: A SPECIAL BUBBLEMANIA ISSUE Hey gang, Greg and I are pleased to present another Special Issue. As most of you know, when we do a special issue you can expect something just a little bit off-thewall. Something that I hope you feel is a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor. I did a little research on bubble gum and learned that it was invented in 1906. Since then, millions of people have munched billions of wads. It is said that if you stuck together every Sean O’Neil Gene Hostetler piece that’s ever been chewed, you would have a stick 113 million miles long. That’s 612-870-0766 952-472-5063 [email protected] geneallendesign@ long enough to reach to the moon and back two hundred times! But getting back to frontiernet.net this special issue, whets in it for you? Well, first of all I asked Ray Haefy if he would do a special Square Dude cartoon having to do with bubble gum. He agreed. Next I had to Deputy Judge E-Talker get lots of members agreement to blow the biggest bubble they could to help create Jerry Richards Roger Rimnac interesting photos through out the newsletter. And lastly I had to convince the Board 651-482-0096 612-825-2550 [email protected] [email protected] to approve giving out FREE BUBBLE GUM at the March General meeting to all of you who can attend. What more could a Viking member ask for? FUTURE CLUB EVENTS March 8,2006 BOD Meeting (7:00pm) (Wed.) Rick and Linda Schunk’s 5065 Nine Mile Creek Circle Bloomington, Mn (952) 831-5065 March15, 2006General Meeting (7:00pm) (Wed.) Lucky’s Garage 815 Cedar Ave.S. Minneapolis,Mn. (612) 332-5825 March 25-26,2006 Donnie Smith Bike Show (Sat.,Sun) River Center, St.Paul Mn. Guys and Gals, we need bikes to display for this one. If interested, contact Dave Moot. April 12, 2006 BOD Meeting (7:00pm) (Wed.) Betty’s Bikes and Buns 600 E Hennepin Ave., Mpls. MN (612) 378-4988 April 19, 2006 General Meeting (7:00pm) (Wed.) Fury Motorcycle 740 N. Concord, So. St.Paul,MN (651) 251-8230 May 10, 2006 BOD Meeting (7:00pm) (Wed.) Jerry and Trudi Richards 3295 Victoria St., Shoreview, MN (651) 482-0096 May 13, 2006 General Meeting & Vintage (Sat.) Ride-in and Old Bike Show 10-2PM Hot Dogs,chips and pop General Meeting (1:30pm) Club Ride 2:00pm Betty’s Bikes and Buns 650 25th Ave S.E., Mpls. MN 1-1/2 block north of University Ave. S.E. on 25th (612) 331-scoot May 24, 2006 GarageGet-together (Wed.) Jim Kojola’s 2006 Emerson Ave.S.,Mpls,MN. 612-541-0176 June 23-25, 2006 Farmington Natl. Meet (Fri.-Sun.) Dakota County Fairgrounds Moot’s Point H ello everyone, may I indroduce myself? Dave Moot your new president. Out of respect for the office,please refrain from wearing your “Challenge Authority” T shirts for a few years…I know I will. One of my first acts as your president ended in complete and utter failure. At the recent holiday party,I was instructed to present our outgoing president Keith Peters, his “Past President” rocker patch and because I “froze up”, I neglegleted to aknowledge his outstanding service as our club leader. He has been our captain and has sailed our ship straight and In the off-season besides working on my true with absolutely no bikes, I sell do-it -yourself bubblegum kits danger of running us and print my own baseballs cards. You never aground (I thought Keith know, besides being a bubblegum tycoon, this Dave Moot baseball card could one day would like all the nautical metaphors). be as valuable as a 1902 Homious He has certainly left some big deck shoes Wagonmayer!!! to fill! I for one say we do not allow him to sail off into the sunset because his outstanding organizational skills can certainly be put to good use in the future! Moot’s Point continued I plan to carry on his presidental legacy of taking the job seriously with a healthy portion of irreverant humor! Speaking of the holiday party,did you get a chance to attend? We had a great turnout and it sure looked like a big crowd especialy when looking out from the podium. Lots of great chow and chatter and it seems I always run out of time before I run out of chums to shoot the breeze with. It is certainly one of the highlights of my winter. We had a chance to introduce a couple of new board members too. Sean O’Neil a new director and Linda Schunk our new treasurer. Welcome aboard! Keith Peters, AKA “old salt” once wrote “volunteers do the best job they can”and it is my intention as your new president to do my very best to keep this club prospering and hopefully being a lot of fun for all it’s members. My vision for the Viking Chapter in the years to come is to continue to foster the fundamental purpose of the AMCA as outlined in its mission statement which is to “promote the collection,restoration and preservation of antique motorcycles”. One of my main responsibilities as your new president,as I see it, is to encourage and facilitate the rewarding exchange of information (about motorcycles) and the helping of one another to locate machines,parts and services. The social aspect of this club is extremley important and it is the glue which holds us together,but let us not forget the underlying focus should always be the motorcycles we are all so fond of. Membership in the Viking Chapter ought to bring with it a vast source of help because each member possesses something the other members need such as: technical infomation; parts; knowledge of dealers, suppliers, finishers, machinists, etc.and it goes without saying that our fellow members can be of immense help when it comes to maintaining and restoring these wonderful old bikes. My thought is that we have somewhere upwards of 6000 years in motorcycling experience among our members! There was a time when buying and maintaining a very old motorcycle required a very low percentage of one’s income. That has all changed. Recently I checked some closing prices of old bikes on eBay. A 1910 Harley went for $65,200.00; a 1946 Harley went for $25,400.00 and a 1931 Indian four went for $46,200.00! Last year at the Farmington banquet,our AMCA president Pete Gagan ,spoke to us about the future of the antique club and to paraphrase him “very soon many of the members’ (antique) machines will be Hondas, Suzukis and Yamahas” I share his viewpoint on this matter due to the high cost of the older machines and the supply and affordability of the import bikes from the sixties and early seventies. Therefore it is my humble opinion that we continue to embrace the idea of an “all inclusive”Antique Motorcycle club and be respectful of ALL antique motorcycles. This does not mean you have to give up your loathing of the “Ninjas”! As long as we are on the topic of the future here are some ideas being implemented in the following months:A more vigorous emphasis on welcoming new members; an effort to expand Viking/AMCA membership through an expanded campaign of displaying and promoting membership materials at all our major public events. meet currently held in Farmington, and a big motorcycle auction is now being planned for this year’s Farmington meet. Bikes, parts and memorabilia will be auctioned Friday and bikes Saturday. I have been told that the club has been invited to display bikes and beat or drum at the big St.Paul Donnie Smith Motorcycle show in late March. Lots of fun things to look forward to. And finally let me express on behalf of all Viking members, a very hearty thanks to our outgoing treasurer Kathi Rimnic for her tireless dedication and to director Stan Mewhorter who works in the club’s “engine room”and probably always will. Until Stan returns to the board, I think we might bestow upon him the honorary title “seargent at arms”. Thanks again to all of you who voted for me. Long live the Viking Chapter! Dave Moot. I stongly encourage all the current and past Viking members to do some recruiting whenever they can as I think our membership will either grow or decline but unlikely to remain static. A questionaire will be sent to all current Viking members to get some up to date feedback on what they expect and want from their club.This will help the board of directors decide what events deserve the most emphasis and perhaps inject some new energy into the club. We need your thoughts and ideas! To quote the AMCA web site “Networking in this club means rubbing elbows and turning a few wrenches with fellow club members who share your passion for old bikes.”, so, in keeping with the spirit of the AMCA, a new monthly gathering called the “Garage GetTogether” will be held once a month (May through Sept.) at various club members’ garages with the focus on maintainence,repair and a good deal of general BS about our old bikes!This will be a great opportunity for some of you seasoned members to offer your much valued advice and guidance to the newbies about general repair and maintenance. The hosts of these events may provide some beverages and snacks if they wish. Let me know if you are willing to host such a gathering. Some of the other exciting things our board of directors are working on, is talking with the Minnesota State Fair on possibly securing some space for our 2007 national 2006 VIKING ROSTERS The 2006 Viking Rosters were e-mailed to all current Viking members who have supplied us with an e-mail address. If you would like a printed roster please send a self addressed, stamped business size envelope to Linda Schunk, 5065 Nine Mile Creek Circle, Bloomington, MN 55437. Please help us update our records by e-mailing us your e-mail address. Send a message to: [email protected] Life Members: Jones and Wyatt by Keith Peters A t the Viking Party on Saturday night, January 7, I’m proud to say that my final act as outgoing president was to award two Life Memberships. With Board approval, Tom Jones and Rick Wyatt were made Life Members of the Viking Chapter. Thanks to Trudi Johnson-Richards and her quick ordering action, there were even rockers to award them at the party. Both of these gents were founding members and have been active in the club for over 30 years! Over those decades, Tom has been President and Editor, has written and edited the “25 Years of the Viking Chapter” booklet, leads the antique bike rides to Davenport and is the Club’s historian. Rick has also held many positions including Vice President, editor, treasurer, deputy judge, has initiated and organized the Fall swap meet, organized shows and rides. Congratulations, Tom and Rick! This recognition was long overdue. Appreciation Dinner Text and photos by Paul Meisel O n November 2nd, 2005, we had our appreciation dinner at the Old Country Buffet in Richfield. The attendance was excellent, which shows that lots of members volunteered some of their valuable time. Any club depends on volunteers and our club is no exception. For all you newer members (or older members who still aren’t sure how to get involved) I want you to know that this is about the easiest club imaginable to become involved in. We are definitely not what is known as a “closed group” type of club. To get involved, the first step is to attend the general meetings. (As Woody Allen once said “Half of what there is to life is just showing up.” Then while you’re at the meeting, introduce yourself to at least one other member so you start to get acquainted. Then volunteer to help at something, even in some small way. Perhaps volunteer to work a two hour shift at the gate at Farmington. This is not only a great help to the club, but you get to know whoever is working with you at the gate. So you see, it’s really very easy to get involved and you won’t find nicer people anywhere. Movie Night at Betty’s Bikes & Buns By Keith Peters W ednesday, December 7, was the first official “Motorcycle Movie” night at Betty’s Bikes & Buns, with 10 members attending. The night’s feature was We had a good turn out for movie night at Betty’s and believe me they appreciate it. Little Foss and Big Halsey starring Robert Redford, in this If you’ve got a copy of motorcycle film they most memorable portrayal of a dirt racer, don’t have on their list, be sure to share it male chauvanist pig, liar, thief and cheat. But with them. Heck, one night someone brought he was cute so he always had babes to clean in “Motorcycle Gang” with Carl “Alfalfa” up after him. The soundtrack was by the Man Switzer. It was a hoot!! in Black, Johnny Cash, who garnered a 1970 Golden Globes nomination for his original music, “Balad of Little Foss.” Some unfortunate younger fellow came into Betty’s just at the moment when a movie couple was caught “en flagrant de’lit” (lay translation from the French: caught buck nekked and very close together). He looked up at the TV and then at the crowd at the table. He must have thought that he stumbled into skin flicks night at an AARP meeting, and quietly moved to the back of the room. Here are some photos taken of our tables during the dinner. If I missed you, you have my apologies. You were probably up refilling your plate. (Or you are a new member and failed to introduce yourself!) Once again let’s finish by saying, all the volunteers who’ve helped out though the year are greatly appreciated. Paul. Holiday Party Text and photos by Paul Meisel O ur Holiday party in January is the official start of the new calendar year for the chapter and is the time the newly elected officers take over their respective volunteer positions. Outgoing president, Keith Peters handed the gavel to incoming president Dave Moot. Sean O’Neil is new to the Board of Directors, Gene Hostetler was re-elected to the board, Deb Riggs is our new Secretary and Linda Shunk is our new Treasurer. We enjoyed record attendance -113 the official count taken by Deb Riggs. Over $1000,00 is door prizes were given out. Many shops and severalClub members donated items. Some of thee shops include: Delano Sports Center,Bob’s Cycle Supply and Leo’s Cycle. A special thanks to Delano for donating over $600.00 worth of items. Please support these fine shops and when you visit, please identify yourself as a Viking member and thank them for their support. Service awards were given to several Club Members. (See article on page 5) The 2006 Viking Chapter Club Officers and Board Members Pictured from left to right, starting in the front are: Gene Hostetler, Tom Jones, Linda Schunk, Deb Riggs, Jerry Richards, Roger Rimnac, Dave Moot, Kerry Rasmussen, Jim Kojola,Paul Meisel, Stan Mewhorter, Sean O’Neil and Tom Brioch. Not pictured Greg Claflin. ‘06 Holiday Party We had a great turn-out again this year for the annual Holiday Party and it gave us all a chance to get reacquainted with friends and Club members we may not see as often as we’d like to. Service Award Recipients for 2005 VendorRama by Keith Peters Seat Recovering and Rebuilding by Bob’s General Services of Ira, Iowa Editor’s Note: The Viking Chapter doesn’t endorse or guarantee the following vendor(s) will do a great job for you, but he/they have been recommended by a Club member. Please tell Keith if you’ve found a good source for parts or have received great service. We’re not sure what the people in the lower left hand corner are doing, maybe all the excitement was too much for them and we’re just trying to keep from cracking up. Pictured from left to right are: Stan Mewhorter, Tom Jones, Rick Wyatt, Kathi Rimnac, Dave Radumacher and our outgoing President Keith Peters. SERVICE AWARDS 2005 AMCA VIKING CHAPTER by Trudi Richards Service awards were presented to the following Viking Chapter members at the Holiday Party on January 7, 2006 at the Richfield Community Center, Richfield, Minnesota . Keith Peters, Past President Award 2004-2005. Keith joined AMCA in 1986. Offices held: Director 1987-1988, 1992-1996 and 2000. Secretary-Treasurer 1989-1990. Vice President 2002-2003. Keith presided at the board meetings and made decisions as necessary. Keith is a regular contributor of articles and book reviews to the Viking newsletter, Re-Cycle. Kathi Rimnac, Past Treasurer Award 2002-2005. Kathi joined AMCA in 1994. Kathi was responsible for financial reports and membership rosters. Kathi was in charge of the registration desk at the Viking Chapter National Meet among other duties during the year. Stan Mewhorter, Past Director Award 20022005. Stan joined AMCA in 1994. Stan coordinated the gate volunteers at Viking National Meet in Farmington 2002 and continues to do so. Stan kept track of club members and points who rode antique bikes to chapter events in 2004 and continues to do so. Dave Rademacher, Service Award. Dave joined AMCA in 1979. Offices held: SecretaryTreasurer 1984-1985. Director 1997-1998. Vice President 2001 and 2004. President 2002-2003. Dave coordinates the design and sale of chapter tee-shirts and other clothing. Tom Jones, Life Member and Service Award. Tom joined AMCA in 1975. Offices held: President 1977. Secretary-Treasurer 1979-1980. Secretary 1988. Editor 1983 and 1988. Prior to 2004, Tom kept track of club members and points who rode antique bikes to chapter events. Tom compiled and edited “Viking Chapter 19741999—25 Years of Fun” historical document. Tom is the Viking Chapter Historian. Rick Wyatt, Life Member Award. Rick joined AMCA in 1975. Offices held: SecretaryTreasurer 1977 and 1983. Vice President 1979. Editor 1980-1981 and 1985. Director 1989, 1994-1997. Deputy Judge 2001-2002. Rick coordinated the first Viking Bike Show at Aldrich Arena in 1992 and is ongoing. Rick planned the first Mystery Fall Ride in 2001 and continues to do so. Rick started the first Youth Restoration Award in 2003 and is ongoing. Rick coordinated the first Motorcycle Swap Meet at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in 2003 and continued through 2004-2005. He’ll interview the vendor and write about them, or you can send your own write-up directly to Keith. L ast year, nuevopres Dave Moot told us a bit about seats that he’d had repaired by Bob’s General Services of Ira, Iowa, in his “works in progress” article about his ’67 Royal Enfield Intercepter. Rick Schunk, Tom Broich and I have also had seats rebuilt by Bob, and he does a nice job and returns rebuilt seats quickly. Tom had several custom seats fabricated by Bob’s, who also rebuilds boat and car seats. But, motorcycle seats make up 90% of the business. Bob has been an AMCA member over 20 years. Tom Broich has been down to visit him and says that Bob works out of his small shop on the edges of the small town of Ira, starting his business when the construction crane manufacturing company he worked for, for 23 years, moved to Winona. Bob, who has been in business full time for three years, rebuilt my 1966 Honda 90’s seat with total turnaround time about four weeks, including mailing time both ways. Bob and I discussed that I wanted it stock; seams in the same place, piping, lettering on the back, vinyl matching original and he did exactly that. Vendorama continued The total cost including shipping and tax was about $175. Bob replaces foam as needed and sews the vinyl covers himself, including making them for three other businesses who sell just the covers and parts on line. Bob’s General Services is at P.O. Box 102, Ira, Iowa, 50127. His phone number is 641/ 363-3271, web site is www.bgsmc.com and his email address is [email protected] Stan’s First MC Trophy by Keith Peters F ormer Director, Stan Mewhorter, finally received his first motorcycle related trophy at the January 7 Holiday Party in Richfield. Stan runs the gates at Farmington and tracks yearly riders to meetings. He had pointed out several times at Board meetings that he was one of the few Viking members who haven’t earned, traded, bought or made their own motorcycle trophy. When he bought his 1200 cc Sportster, friends told him that Sportsters are ridden by “paper boys and girls.” Seeing an injustice, this special trophy was made to help make Stan’s life complete. It is actually a recycled cheerleader’s trophy from 1962, in passionate pink plastic with a baton twirler atop it. Not for hill climbing, short tracking, showing a bike, restoration, maybe not exactly what Stan had envisioned, but a start. It reads “Stan Mewhorter Prettiest Sportster 2005 Viking Chapter, AMCA.” Be sure not to miss the March General Meeting. Be sure to say howdy and congradulations to Bazooka Dave. My first Bike by Mark Backlund y first bike offered me the three things many people today take for granted: Reliability, economy, and ease of maintenance. I was all of eight years old and my trusty straight-frame mini-bike with 3 1/2 horsepower Tecumseh motor carried me everywhere. To the gravel pits, the swamps, and once, five miles between my Uncle Al’s house and my cousin’s place. And to think kids today complain about the weight of their backpacks! As I got older, I progressed through a steady stream of larger mini-bikes and a bunch of dirt bikes of dubious reliability. One, which I still curse to this day, would not make it up the big hill at the local gravel pit. You learn many things in a hurry about riding while stalled three quarters of the way up a steep hill! And, with the bad brakes of the era, it was much more interesting going down the hill than going up. M In my never ending quest for more power, my brother Lowell took me over to a friend of his who happened to be a collector and trader of all things motorized. We were there to check on the availability of a Honda. But when we rounded the corner of his house and gazed at the three motorcycles he had for sale, my eyes were locked on only one. A Ducati! This bike was made back in the days before Ducati would rule the road-racing world with their amazing V-twins. Prior to the early seventies Ducati built high quality, single cylinder motorcycles that, pound for pound, could kick butt on bikes that had double the displacement. The bike I purchased bore little resemblance to the day it came out of the Bologna, Italy factory. It had been stripped of its lights and fenders and used for flat track racing. Its last race ended in a fireball, which, until I bought it for the grand sum of $25.00, would be the last time it moved under its own power. Not being smart enough to know this once proud Italian two-wheeler was a total loss, I rebuilt it. I put many miles on this extremely competent motorcycle, but the highlight for me came when a friend of my older brother showed up on his BSA looking for my brother. I told ol’ Roger that the only rider and motorcycle available at our house that day were my Ducati and me. He mumbled something about babysitting and then said “Well, come on then.” Now his BSA, while ten years old, was no slouch. But my Ducati had no trouble keeping up to him, at least up to 70 mph or so. At the end of the day he was very impressed both with me and my scratch built Ducati. Just like a first love, I will always have a special place in my heart for that tough and fast little bike. BITS AND PIECES Announcing the 1st ever “Garage Get-together” by Paul Meisel A new activity for Viking members will be Garage Get-togethers held on Wednesday evenings as announced in the Future Club Events notice in the front cover on this newsletter. These get-togethers are very informal, just-for-fun gatherings. Show off your bike, ask for advice from fellow members and perhaps even get help with some wrenching difficulties you might be having. Check it out starting Wednesday, May 24th. Like to volunteer your garage? Call your club president or your newsletter editor. The first ever Garage Get-together will be held at Jim Kajola’s house. Wednesday, May 24th from 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM ,2006 Emerson Ave. So. Minneapolis. For farther infomation contact: Jim Kajola @ (612) 374-8913 or [email protected] A special thanks to Ray Haefy for creating a special Square Dude cartoon strip just for our newsletter. Donnie Smith Bike Show and Parts Extravaganza, Saturday March 25th & Sunday March 26th, 2006 held at the St.Paul River Center, St.Paul,MN. Bike Show and Swap Meet - March 19th, 2006 at Aldrich Arena located at 1850 White Bear Ave., Maplewood, MN. All members are encouraged to write articles, letters etc. for ReCycle. We are especially looking for pictures for “Who’s that Biker” and Works in Progress. If you have some time to visit the the internet, visit www.motorcycles.about.com/b/ a106594.htm This is a link that has all sorts of things about motorcycles. They have motorcycle tales, jokes (some X-rated) etc. We received an e-mail from Viking member Tim Leary letting us know that the Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly (MMM) is looking for people to contribute articles. He reports that readers are especially interested in articles about antique and classic bikes, historical events MORE PIECES in motorcycling (preferably in Minnesota or the Midwest)Viking Chapter events and literally anything at all that has to do with old bikes. Articles with photos are especially desirable. Contact Editor, Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly, @ Hartman Press, 7265 Balsam Lane North, Maple Grove, MN 55369 Wanted: Club member who is experienced in art to help develop misc. club flyers and help put the finishing touches on the Farmington logo each year. Contact Dave Moot at (952) 7030373 or e-mail [email protected] From the Club Presidents desk. Our club has been officially invited to the Donnie Smith Motorcycle Show at the St.Paul Civic Center March 25th.- 26th. Here is an opportunity to show off your old bike. The show organizers would like to see from 10 to 50 antique motorcycles displayed so there will be room for all who wish to be involved. Tickets will be provided for all that participate. We will also require some volunteers to work the show. Here is yet another chance to beat our own drum and promote our club. Please let me know if you would like to display a bike at this event. Heck by late March you may want to ride it down there! Dave Moot Your editor says: “over two hundred Viking Club members and not one of you could send me an old photo of yourself for the “Who’s that Biker” feature? Come on you guys! Should we move our national meet from Farmington to the MN State Fairgrounds? Attend a feasibility study meeting March 5th at 9 am Call Jim Kojola for location 612-741-0176 WANT ADS Wanted-Parts-Memorabilia-Vintage&Classic Bikes for Auction to be held in conjunction with AMCA National meet. contact [email protected] Bryan Peterson 612670-2740 Wanted - Tilitson carburetor for 1968 Electraglide in good working condition or information or a recommendation for someone who could rebuild mine. Paul Meisel (952) 7462361 (days) Harley Hummer early frame, forks and wheels. Free to the right home. Mark Backlund (763) 226-9195 (cell)