2008 Newsletter of the Viking Chapter Antique Motorcycle Club of

President Paul Davidson 952-941-4997
[email protected]
Vice President Tom Broich 651-645-3571
Treasurer Linda Schunk 952-831-5065
[email protected]
Secretary Craig Kotval 651-452-7394
[email protected]
Newsletter Paul Meisel 952-472-2097
Editor
work 952-746-2361
[email protected]
SEPTEMBER
Club Historian Tom Jones 763-533-9163
Directors
Kerry Rasmussen
Ron Spargo
651-492-0735
[email protected]
[email protected]
952-443-2020
John Ulrich
Roger Rimnac
651-686-6974
[email protected]
[email protected] E-Talker
612-825-2550
Deputy Judge
Jerry Richards
651-482-0096
[email protected]
Web Master
Sean O’Neil
612-870-0766
[email protected]
The Fall Schedule
Sept. 6, 2008
Wings and Wheels
(Sat.)
Osceola Wi.
( Meet at Kerry Rasmussen’s house at 8:00am.
see below for address)
Sept. 10, 2008 B.O.D. Meeting 7:00pm
(Wed.)
Kerry and Sue Ramussen
9282 Stonebridge Trail N.
Stllwater, MN. 55082
ph. 651-492-0503
Sept, 12, 2008
C.A.C. Ride 6:30pm
(Fri.)
3728 Nicollet Ave.S.
Minneapolis, MN.
ph. 612-827-4602
Sept 14, 2008
Swap Meet 7:00am
(Sun.)
MN. State Fairgrounds
St.Paul, MN. (north enterance)
For details, contact:Tom Whittles 651-636-5492
Sept. 17, 2008 General Meeting 7:00pm
(Wed.)
Fury Motors
740 Concord St. N.
S.St.Paul, MN. 55075
(contact Kerry Rasmussen ph. 651-492-0503)
Come early for food.
Sept. 24, 2008 Garage Get-together 7:00pm
(Wed.)
Rick and Linda Schunk
5065 Nine Mile Creek
Bloomington, MN.
ph. 952-831-5065
Oct. 4, 2008
Fall Mystery Ride 10:00am.
(Sat.)
Contact: Rick Wyatt
meet at Rick Wyatt’s house, leave at 11:00am
7515 Knollwood Drive
Moundsview, MN.
ph. 763-784-4086
See page 8 for more scheduled events
2008
March 1st, June 1st, September 1st, December 1st
[email protected]
Apprentice
Ivar Natins 612-866-6069
Newsletter Editor [email protected]
Graphics and Greg.Claflin 612-529-5812
Layout
[email protected]
Newsletter of the Viking Chapter
Antique Motorcycle Club of America Inc.
Published Quarterly
http:www.vikingmc.org
DA
VIDSON’S HARD TTALES
ALES
DAVIDSON’S
Hello fellow Viking Chapter members,
I
just returned from another safe and enjoyable annual Viking Chapter trip to Sturgis. Our
group numbers were low but we were treated to some unusual mild weather which made
for some enjoyable
day riding and
pleasant evenings.
This was actually
the best weather I
have experienced
at Sturgis this time
of year.
On the morning of
the first day we
were treated to a
tour of Dean
Hansen’s
bike
collection and shop
in Evan MN. They
are both quite
impressive. I have
never seen so
many
Indians,
Cushmans, and
tool chests for one
individual.
We
were joined in mid
trip by Dick & Jean
Syverson from Arlington, S.D. Dick rode his 1965 Harley FLH which he started assembling
four weeks prior to the trip and finished just days before departure. What a beautiful bike it is
and it ran well allowing Dick to qualify for the Century Rider Award.
Rally attendees were low this year due to a struggling economy and the upcoming 105th
Anniversary event in Milwaukee. That did not seem to reduce the number of crashes from
what we heard, which brings me to a topic we all may be more familiar with than we wish.
Along with celebrating “My First Bike” at our National Meet in June, we all have experienced
“My First Crash”.
I certainly recall mine because fortunately I have yet to experience a repeat. I had recently
purchased my new 1973 Yamaha RD350. This is a fast bike for its size which is mainly why
I bought it and naturally I usually took advantage of that speed.
I was approaching a blind intersection at a higher than safe speed when a car came into
view on the cross street. As I applied the brakes I could only think of two things, crashing my
new bike and flying over the top of the car. Fortunately the bike went down and the next thing
I saw was the under side of the car. I had slid head first under the car inches behind the front
tire. My eyes were filled with dirt from the bottom of the car which I did not understand
because I had been wearing glasses and
a visor. The moment I realized where I was
the car door opened and the girl started
screaming because all she saw were my
legs sticking out from under the car.
As I crawled out and got to my feet my first
thought was to find my bike and assess the
damage but I could not see it any where. It
had spun off in front of the car and landed
in a front yard on the other side of the street.
The only damage being a broken rear turn
signal and bent brake lever.
Now I got to wondering what happened to
my visor and glasses. I found my visor along
with my wallet that had been ripped from
my jeans pocket in the middle of the street.
All I could find of my glasses was one lens
that actually had tar ground into it. At this
time I removed my helmet only to have my
glasses fall out from under it. Somehow they
had wedged their way under my snug fitting
helmet.
Aside from a few scratches on my bike and
helmet I was fine although a little shaken
and upset about the scratches on my new
helmet. As I was preparing to leave a
bystander put it into perspective by stating
the obvious, it was better that the helmet
took the scratches than my head. Maybe
the knock on the noggin has something to
do with me serving as president.
A Giant has Passed
by Ivar D. Natins
R
obert B. (Bob) Mclean of Davenport, Iowa
passed away on June 20, 2008. Bob was
a member of the Blackhawk Chapter,
became actively involved with the AMCA board
in 1976, and was AMCA National President
from 1983 to 2002. Having been introduced
to Bob through a mutual friend some years
back, I just wanted to take a line or two to
thank him for all his time and energy in helping
steer the AMCA during my early years of
membership. His enthusiasm in sharing and
protecting antique motorcycles has increased
my enjoyment of this great hobby in many
ways. Many of us will sincerely miss him.
Now, without getting preachy, I also wanted to
take a moment to raise the topic of
“Involvement”. Guys like Bob McClean (and
many others like him) are what keep the AMCA
working. You don’t have to be the next National
President of the AMCA or serve on the National
Board for 32 years to help; you simply have to
get involved in the events and the “behind the
scenes” operations of your local chapter. The
AMCA is about building old motorcycles, new
friendships, and improving our hobby. Help
influence others and increase their
enjoyment of antique motorcycles by
contributing some of your time and energy.
Your enjoyment and the future of the club
Unfortunately we are on the down side of
the riding season but hopefully there are
depend on it.
many good riding days left this year.
Although for most of us, the end of the riding
season does not end the restoration activities
so keep us informed on the web site and
newsletter of your projects through the non riding
months.
In memoriam
Photo of my first Yamaha with my mother
preparing to take a test ride. Note the bike is
running indicated by the smoke from the tail pipe.
The Viking Chapter donated $100
each in the names of these great
enthusiasts to the Fairview Hospice
Fund. Thank you both for all your
energy and effort in supporting
antique
motorcycles
and
motorcycling in our area. We will ride
with you in our hearts and miss you
both dearly.
Another successful
GGT (Garage Get
Together)
by Ivar Natins
6/25/08 marked Paul Davidson’s second
GGT. This year’s gathering was even
bigger then his first (Paul helped pioneer
the GGT by hosting one of the very first
GGTs early last year). All the regular “Dogs”
were there. The event included snacks,
general BS’ing, and some serious
wheeling and dealing over a 1970
Bridgestone 200/175cc street/scrambler
mutant stuffed into the back of a passing
pickup truck. Check the schedule on the
front of this issue of Re-Cycle or visit the
Event Schedule at www.VikingMC.org and
don’t miss the next Garage Get Together.
by Ivar Natins
Russell Moga, past president of the Viking
Chapter, and Bob Hofmeister, local
motorcycle pioneer and owner of Faribault
Harley-Davidson, passed away in August.
Russell resided in St. Paul and was 91
years old. At the age of 86 he was still
riding his 1989 Honda Hawk as what
he referred to as his “daily rider.” He
owned many motorcycles over the years
but especially liked Indians. A fellow
club member recalls an instance when
Russell (atop his Indian Four cylinder)
came upon a sizable pig on the
highway. Realizing his brakes wouldn’t
help in this situation; he throttled up
hard and confronted the pig head on.
Russell and his Indian triumphed.
continued
Happy riding!
Bob founded Milhoff Steel in
Bloomington and offered his “warm”
facilities to riders of the I-Cycle Derby
motorcycle rally each January first for
decades. His long time dream and
“retirement career” was that as an
owner of a Harley-Davidson
dealership.
There was a good
turn out for Paul’s
second garage
get-together.
Craig and Rick
check out a
Cushman.
Viking Chapter National Meet Recap
crowd and the competitors alike. We hope to see her again next year.
by Ivar Natins
W
ith the exception of a brief storm
late Saturday evening,
we enjoyed a warm sunny backdrop for this year’s National
Meet. General admission numbers were down slightly from last
year, but we hosted the same amount of swap meet and
merchandise vendors. As of this writing (following the July Board
of Director’s Meeting) the final figures were still being tallied. It
looks like this year’s event will be a wash financially, or come in
at a slight loss.
THURSDAY
Thanks to all the members that turned up to help setup the
displays and the vendor area.
Progress Building Displays.
Scooter Paul takes Bette for a spin.
FRIDAY
As usual, we received mixed reports from both buyers and sellers
on what is usually the best swap met day of the event. Personally,
I found the mirrors, covers, turn signal mounts, and linkages I
needed to complete this years Sturgis Bike project for like $60.
Sweet…
Ride to Porky’s for dinner was bigger than ever. This notorious
Cruiser Drive-In was covered with motorcycles while participants
enjoyed awesome milk shakes, burgers, and sandwiches.
Sean O’Neil barks out one of over 40
winning door prize numbers .
SATURDAY
The festivities included
some hot competition
during
the
Field
Games. Turns out a
seriously hot babe
“Bette” was recruited to
assist with the games
and ended up stealing
the show. Various club
members graciously
offered her trips around
the game field so she
could get a feel for the
different types of cycles
we ride. Her quiet
demeanor, willingness
to participate, and
unwavering
smile
endeared her with the
This years Classic
Motorcycle Road
Run was again led
by Joe Graydon and
wound its way
along the parkways
of the Mississippi
river to end up at the
Ford dam.
Tom Whittles –
“Tired” – Dude,
check your rear
winker.
The following members and motorcycles attended the Classic
Motorcycle Road Run event:
Paul St.John
1942 Harley 45
John Eiden
1945 Harley 45
Richard Syverson
1945 Harley 45
Tim O’Keeffe
1958 BSA
Daryl Schnieder
1962 BMW
Paul Joswick
1965 Cushman
Joe Grayden
1967 Velocette Venom
Tom Nordmeyer
1967 Honda 305 Scrambler
Craig Kotval
1967 Triumph T100C
Mike Welna
1967 Harley FLH
Road run participants continued
Dave Broderick
1968 Suzuki X6
Mike Blackburn
1970 Ducati 450
Stan Mewhorter
1970 Triumph T100C
Sean O’Neal
1971 Triumph TR6R
Andy Anderson
1971 BMW
Paul Davidson
1972 Honda 350
Bob Hopf
1973 Yamaha DT250
Joel Hamel
1974 BMW
Gary Kloss
1974 BMW
Ron Sunquist
1975 Norton
Harry Benesch
1976 Harley Bi-centennial
Jim Kojola & Deb Riggs
1978 Kawasaki 900
Tom Broich
1980 Honda C-70
Keith Braun
1981 Honda
Pam Clark
1986 Yamaha SXR 250
The armada of antique
motorcycles hit the road.
MidAmerica Auctions answered the call of sponsoring a good time
by bringing some treats, drinks and music to the Progress Center
building after we closed the doors to the public on Saturday night.
We wanted to turn things up a little this year, so we got two bands,
twice the deviled eggs and hung out for even longer at the party this
time around. We got the word out to AMCA members during the
event and ran around the swap meet late on Saturday to make sure
that everyone knew that they were invited to hang out at the building
after we wound things down. The food and beverages arrived soon
after 6:00 and the band made good use of the new stage. After
hanging out and socializing for a while, the Cherubic Cubes took
the stage. For those of you that caught their “Countrified 80’s” sound
from last year, you’ll remember their sound as smooth, southern
rock interpretations of favorite radio hits. After the Cubes rocked the
house and after the beverages were refreshed, the band Swindlin
Hounds took over the stage. With a harder edge and hard-driving
sound, the Hounds bought down the place with their stable of Metal
and Alternative covers
tunes. The sky darkened
with threatening storm
clouds and the building
emptied for the night. We
give a hearty thanks to
MidAmerica Auctions for
their
enthusiastic
sponsorship of our
event. It was a great way
to thank all the AMCA
“ She stole my heart so I broke her
volunteers who made
jaw and…”
this year’s meet such a
huge success!
SUNDAY
The heart of the National Meet (Judging Antique Motorcycles) came
off without a hitch thanks to the efforts of our Deputy Judge and the
talented judging teams he recruited.
Motorcycle Class Awards List
Class IV – 1940 to 1949
1942 Harley-Davidson FL
Senior
1946 Cushman 54 Roadking Junior First
1949 Triumph 3T
Senior
Class V – 1950 to 1959
Trudi Johnson-Richards 1952 Harley-Davidson S 125 Tele-Glide
Junior First
Class VI – 1960 to 1969
Dave Flory
1960 Triumph T120 Bonneville
Senior
Jerry Richards 1960 Harley-Davidson FL Duo-Glide
Winner’s Circle
Gene Brown
1961 BSA Goldstar
Winner’s Circle
Dave Moot1964 Royal Enfield Continental GT
Junior First
William H. Godbout, Jr.1966 Honda CL 160 Scrambler
Junior First
Roy Williams
1966 Honda S65
Junior First
Dave Flory
1967 Triumph T100R
Senior
Steve Hall
1967 Triumph TR6C
Winner’s Circle
Joe Soucheray 1967 Honda Superhawk
Junior First
David Broderick 1968 Suzuki T20 X6 Hustler
Junior First
Dave Moot
1968 Enfield Interceptor
Winner’s Circle
Class VII – 1970 to 1979
Andy Anderson 1971 BMW R7515
Junior First
Jim Kojola
1971 Honda CB 750
Winner’s Circle
Jim Kojola
1972 Honda CB750
Junior First
Doug Sheldon 1972 Honda CB 350
Junior First
Rollie Stoehr
1972 Honda CL 450
Senior
Doug Sheldon 1973 Honda CB 350F
Junior First
Kevin F. Pritchard
Theodore Ellefson
Dave Flory
National Recognition Awards
Longest Distance #1 Dave Flory
1966 Triumph (20 Miles)
Longest Distance #2 Joe Soucheray
1967 Honda (10.1 Miles)
Longest Distance #3William H. Godbout, Jr.1966 Honda (10 Miles)
Most Unique #1
Sid Chantland
1946 Czeck
Most Unique #2
Mike Crane
1919 McEnzie
Most Unique #3
Joe Grayden
1950 Moto Guzzi
Oldest Motorcycle
Mike Crane
1905 NSU
Special Viking Award #1 Gene Brown
1952 Vincent
Special Viking Award #2 Chip Miller
1972 Suzuki
Special Viking Award #3 Tom Nordmeyer
1956 Sunbeam
“ I think this a
1952 Harley
125”........ “Yup,
sez so right
here!”
Motorcycle Judges:
Keith Braun, Tom Broich,
Carl Edie, Dave Flory, David
Grams, Joe Grayden, Dave
Moot, Kerry Rasmussen,
Roger Rimnac and John
Ulrich.
Tabulating Forms:
Lola Jensen
Deputy Judge:
Jerry Richards
National meet continued
on page 5
The Progress Building closed promptly at
2:00pm. Thanks to all the members that
turned up to help break down the displays.
Keeping the event open for the entire day
on Sunday was an experiment for us this
year. Although we did have a good turnout
at the gate, it was not enough to offset the
expense of renting the facilities the
additional day. Since we will more often
than not be competing with Father’s Day
and another local motorcycle event in town
on the Sunday of our meet, a suggestion
has been made to extend our Friday hours
until late (like 10:00pm) to comfortably
entertain the crowd after work on Friday
instead of on Sunday. This might help cater
to the public demand for expanded meet
hours without forcing us to incur the
expense of an additional days rent. Your
thoughts? The planning committee for
next year’s event is already forming, and
they’d love to hear from you…
“Never let your hands get to close to a
feeding Viking Member.”
Our Hero John Eiden.
VendoRama
by Keith W. Peters, OWG*
Editor’s Note: The Viking Chapter doesn’t
endorse or guarantee the following vendor(s)
will do a great job for you, but 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.
He’ll interview the vendor and write about them, or you can send
your own write-up directly to the Editor or Keith.
Novus Plastic Polish #1
These little 8 ounce bottles of spray windshield cleaner
have become harder to find lately so I called the
factory in Savage, who directed
me to five local vendors. The first two were DOA
but here are three sources for this great “pack
along” bug softener and general plastic
cleaner.
· Seelye Plastics at 9700 Newton Ave.
S., Minneapolis 952/881-2658.
These folks offer Novus #1 at $3.88
per bottle but they have a minimum sale
size of $25 (7 bottles) and have it in stock.
· Lieberman Music/Suzo-Happ Group at 9549
Penn Avenue South (south side entrance), 952/887-5249. This group has Novus
#1 in stock and sells it for $4.75 per bottle.
· Harley-Davidson Dealerships. One shop in the Cities quoted $3.95/bottle and they
have it in stock.
And, remember that if you get stuck somewhere on the road without food, you can boil the
old sock you’ve been cleaning the windshield with and drink the liquid for a temporary (and
probably not deadly) shot of protein. Eating the sock itself will plug you up thoughdon’t ask.
*Old White Guy
Runnin Wit Da Prez…
E
By Ivar Natins
leven members gathered for breakfast
in Mendota Heights on Saturday morning
July 19 under a cool overcast sky. After a quick
bite and some crack diagnosis “Ride it until
it falls off, gets louder or stops turning all
together” requested by a curious
motorcyclist, we were off on the annual 2day President’s Ride. This year’s destination
was Elmer ’s Car and Toy Museum in
Fountain City, WI. One quick gas stop, a tasty
lunch in Lake City overlooking Lake Pepin,
one hundred forty miles downstream and
we were there.
Three generations in the auto salvage
business has allowed Elmer and Bernadette
Dualman to amass a large collection of
automobiles, pedal cars, motorcycles, and
toys. The collection is housed in 4 different
buildings on a bluff high above the
Mississippi river. Two pole barns are filled to
capacity with vintage automobiles from the
30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Many of the
cars in the collection are unrestored
examples of daily drivers. A third building or
barn houses mini-bikes, go carts,
motorcycles,
and
snowmobiles. Countless
pedal cars are displayed throughout all of the
previously mentioned buildings. The last
structure open to public viewing (and my
favorite) is the “Toy Shop”. It’s filled from floor
to ceiling, wall to wall with toys, toys, and more
toys.
All the cool stuff we pushed around the house
until we wore holes in the knees of our jeans
is there. The toys we cut our fingers on and
pinched our fingers in, the treasures we fought
with our siblings and friends over, the stuff we
grew up with, is here. A slow stroll through the
shop with my wife, Paul Davidson, and Stan
Mewhorter reminiscing about our cherished
favorites was the highlight of the day for me.
A fishing camp back upstream a click provided
us with showers, liquid refreshments, and a
place to pitch our tents for a mere $4 per
person. A quick ride to the Alma Hotel for dinner
was followed by a short walk and a brief visit
to Mississippi Lock and Dam No. 4. Back at
camp: we stood under a tree in our “Plastic
Pajama’s” during a brief rain shower,
scrounged for abandoned seating, inverted an
old utility sink for a table, raided someone’s
houseboat project gone astray for firewood,
and had a great time. More often than not, you
Runnin’ Wit da Prez’ continued
Unfortunately, the neighbor’s were a bit loud.
Turns out, “Ghetto Camp” lay about 30 feet
from two sets of Burlington Northern Santa
Fe mainline rail. By about 4:00am most of
us learned to sleep in fifteen to twenty minute
increments (between trains). I had no idea
BNSF owned that many trains…
Lots of coffee,
no, I mean
LOTS
of
coffee, and
breakfast
:“Our fearless leader
after a day in the sun
back at the
and wind. Note the
Alma Hotel
deluxe furnishings
in the background”
S u n d a y
morning was followed by a safe ride home
for a long afternoon nap. As with all Viking
Chapter rides I’ve attended to date, this years
President’s Ride resulted in big fun,
adventure, good food, major laughs, and next
years ride already carved into my calendar.
by Keith Peters
J
ohn Lesney, WWII pilot of the B-17
bomber “Swannie Pride,” was among
the honored veterans we visited with on
Tuesday evening 7/15/08. John’s social
worker, Barbara, had called ahead asking if
anyone would be riding a Vincent since that
is the bike he rode after WWII. Rick Schunk
was nice enough to ride his beautifully
restored 1948 Rapide. (Another Veteran
resident, who may have been Howard, said
that he also rode a Vincent.)
John sold his AJS Single before being
deployed to England for his 35 bombing
flights across the channel. After the war, he
bought a new Harley from Carl Hetridge at
Carl’s Cycle. His 1950 Vincent Rapide
came from Don Hayes who started Reliable
Cycle Company on 26 th and Central,
Nordeast. John and Don rode their bikes
from Minneapolis to California in the early
1950’s, with Don riding his Ariel Square Four.
Rather than camping, they made the twoweek trip in luxury, staying in motels. John
was sorry to say that he doesn’t have photos
.
from that trip.
John preferred riding the Vincent over flying
the B-17, saying that if he went out on the
Vincent, he knew he would always come
back alive.
.
In the photo above: “Mike Crane stops by
”Ghetto Camp” on his return trip from the
BBC Rally in Blue Lake WI. to provide some
musical entertainment while young Max
dances for his dinner and Bob Zick – off
camera left - amuses the inebriated fisher
folk with yet another smoky burnout on his
Honda CBX)
Author’s Note: The day following our return
trip, Bob Zick met with some bad luck atop
his CBX in St. Paul. The incident put Bob in
Regents hospital with temporary
paralysis, a broken forearm, a puncture
wound in his leg, and a bit of road rash. We
all wish him a speedy recovery and hope
he and his motorcycle are not
beyond repair.
“ Bob, having had more
than enough of Ivar’s shenanigans’,
attempts to push him off Buena Vista
Bluff”
“No stranger
to the
microphone,
Mike Crane
makes a few
announcements
between licks
during the
General
Meeting”
Visiting with Veterans
2008
get what you pay for. Ah Hell, it was home.
“John Lesney
chats with Rick
Shunk over his
1948 Rapide
“Them Dang
Vincent Guys”
Visiting with Veterans
2008
by A bunch of folks
A
perfect summer evening and more
than 80 frozen treats supplied by The
Good Humor Man (Paul Meisel) were two of
the many highlights of our July general
meeting and annual Ice Cream Social with
the residents of the Minneapolis Veteran’s
Home. Twenty-eight members (if you include
the dog) and twenty-six motorcycles ranging
in vintage from 1936 to 2004 attended the
event.Club member Jean Iwen, who works
at the home, provided the following
comments from veterans:
An 82 year old resident who is on hospice
and almost always refuses to go to activities,
said “yes” to going out of doors for the
motorcycles.
A veteran who ordinarily has a sober
expression was grinning on his way back in
to the building. The event helped him
remember when he was a rowdy 17 year
old and said: “I crashed a dinner party on my
motorcycle by driving through the wall of a
neighbor’s screen porch with my buddy riding
on the back!”
Another 80+ year old resident said he was
glad to see people have interests other than
just work.
Jean said that the observers who didn’t or
couldn’t express comment were enjoying
the sights, ice cream, and general
excitement of the event.
Although not a trained therapy dog, Gypsy
the Wonder Mutt, complete with goggles,
made it to the event in her sidecar rig. Many
of the residents enjoyed petting this gentle
pooch, and
“Vets, Pets, Vikes, and Bikes,
countless
make for a good event on the
front lawn of the Minneapolis
sloppy wet
Veteran’s Home.”
dog kisses
added even
more to the
event.A short
ride in precise
formation to
Adrian’s Pub on Chicago Ave. in So. Mpls.
follows this event each year. We completed
our backward dinner by chasing our ice
cream sandwiches with cold beer, tasty
burgers,
and
greasy
fries.
Mmmmmm…
“Fine dining on the
sidewalk in front of
Adrian’s Pub”
As a follow-up to our recent National
Meet’s theme, this aspect of “My First
Bike” arose in conversations
throughout the fairgrounds. Some tales
were supported with photographs, and
others with brief displays of the scars
that remain. All were accompanied with
smiles, laughter, and fond memories.
Ah, the cost of an education…
My First Motorcycle
CRASH.
by Mike Blackburn
B
ack when Richard Nixon was declaring
“I’m not a crook!“. I got my first motorcycle.
Prior to this I did the usual Bonanza mini
bike with paddle rear brake and centrifugal
clutch, a couple of mopeds, 2 speed models
with both snail and slow gear, and a Vespa
scooter, which is almost a motorcycle.
But now I stepped up to the “Big Time“. My
status in the motorcycling world was greatly
improved with a CL350 Honda, blue and
refrigerator white. This wasn’t a moped or
scooter. We’re talking TWO pistons, TWO
carburetors, FIVE speeds and a pair of real
gauges, with needles! This was my vehicle
to the world. Visions of discovery and sights
filled the space between my ears. What
adventures awaited me?
The first morning of ownership I awoke,
quickly dressed and skipped breakfast.
Moments later I approached the Honda,
flipped the choke on, inserted the key and
kicked it to life. Starters I tell myself are for
wimps, real motorcycles are kicked. As the
bike burbled and rumbled I cinched up my
brain bucket then pulled in the clutch, twisted
the throttle a couple of times to clear the
crabs, stomped it into gear and sped off
briskly. The grin on my face must have been
enormous.
I decided to cut through the parking lot. At
this point I was introduced to the world of
physics and the dreaded “Parking Lot
Cable“. Everything that was about to happen
took less then a second. But to me it seemed
I was stationary and the cable was moving.
The first hint something was amiss… my
headlight shattered followed by a “long black
rope” popping over my mangled headlight
rim then taking off the tops of my gauges.
Next the “rope“slammed into my chest, slid
up my throat then stopped at my chin. The
Honda continued forward, sans rider. For a
brief moment I was on my back, perfectly
level with the ground but suspended 3
feet above it. Soon gravity took command
and pushed me to the pavement. As I fell
I watched one of my amber turn signals
flutter overhead. My throat was burning.
Reaching up I rubbed it then looked at my
hand. BLOOD! My Blood?!. Late night “B”
movie images of a spurting jugular (later
determined to be a bad case of cable
rash) flashed before my eyes. I rolled over
and the Honda was laying on its right side
a short distance away. Everything that
stuck out on the side like mirrors, levers,
foot pegs, and signals didn’t stick out
anymore.
As I worked myself up to my knees I heard,
laughter? Really loud can’t catch your breath
kind of laughter. I stood up and saw a guy
bent over, holding his side and pointing at
me in utter hysterics. Talk about adding insult
to injury.
Countless days filled with motorcycle
adventures and misadventures have
come and gone since that morning. I
still love to ride, I don’t cut through
parking lots, and I still hate that guy…
Vikings Ride to Sturgis
2008
by Ivar Natins
A
ll be it sparsely attended (our riding party
as well as the rally in general) the trip
was once again a great success. Saturday’s
leg of the trip included a visit to Dean
Hanson’s shop near Evan MN. “Impressive”
really falls short as a description of Dean’s
operation. Some of the group opted to ride
on to Pierre SD that evening while others
stayed in Wessington Springs as usual. An
Arlington South Dakota Viking Chapter
member Dick Syverson and his wife Jean
caught up with the Wessington Springs
contingent that evening atop their freshly
restored 65 Harley Electra Glide.
All made the ride to the Hills on Sunday in
relatively mild temperatures for a change.
Monday found the group and more at Jerry
and Trudi Richards’ property near Cheyenne
Crossing for the annual chili feed. I needed
to adjust the shocks on my Sturgis mount
afterwards…
Tuesday evening caught 2 groups of Viking
riders in a massive hailstorm. One group
was heading home to Deadwood from
Rapid City, and the other from Keystone.
Each group ended up pulling over to “sit” out
the storm in the middle of nowhere without
shelter. Out of shear kindness, the Rapid
City group was waved into an open garage
by a roadside resident, and the Keystone
group was told to move their bikes off the
shoulder and to the safety of a private
driveway, after which they were invited into
the owner’s porch and supplied with
countless dry
towels. It’s
obvious to me
that
the
people
of
South Dakota
are
what
make
the
Sturgis Rally
the
best
place in the
world to be on
2 wheels.
Amidst great
fanfare (and
the occasional one-liner from the peanut
gallery) Paul Miesel presented Dick
Syverson with his Century Rider’s award
and a bottle of Century Rider’s reserve
Wednesday morning.
Next year’s ride begins promptly at 8:00 am
at the Hilltop restaurant in Excelsior MN on
August 1st. Mark your calendars and
start packing…
Sturgis, a small town with lots
of parking.
Bits and Pieces
by Ivar Natins
Hey Chopper and Bobber
Viking Chapter AMCA, Inc.
Antique Motorcycle Club of America, Inc
5065 Nine Mile Creek Circle
Bloomington, MN 55437
Guys!
Courtesy
Minnesota
Motorcycle
Monthly:The Minnesota Legislature has
passed a bill that requires all license plates
to be “displayed horizontally with the
identifying letters and numbers facing
outward from the vehicle, and mounted in the
upright position.” Buried in the general
transportation bill, legislators addressed
concerns about the display of license plates
initially voiced by the State Patrol. Effective
August 1, section 43 of House File
3800 clarifies plate orientation,
mounting, and sticker placement.
Fall Schedule continued
Oct. 8, 2008
(Wed.)
B.O.D. Meeting 7:00pm
Diamond’s Coffee Shop
1618 Central Ave. N.E.
Minneapolis, MN
Oct.10, 2008
C.A.C Ride 6:30pm
(Fri.)
3728 Nicolett Ave.S.
Minneapolis,MN.
ph. 612-827-4602
Oct.11, 2008
Mid-America Fall Auction 7:30am
(Sat.)
Minnesota State Fairgrounds
1265 Snelling Ave.N.
St.Paul, MN. 55108
Oct. 15, 2008 General Meeting 7:00pm
(Wed.)
Twin City Gear
1551 99th lane N.E.
Blaine, MN.
ph. 763-780-9780
Nov. 5,2008 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner 7:00p\
(Wed.)
Old Country Buffet
2120 Ford Pkwy.
St.Paul, MN.
ph. 651-699-5631
Nov.12, 2008
B.O.D. Meeting
7:00pm
(Wed.)
Festival Foods
401 W. 98th St.
Bloomington MN.
ph. 652-358-7480
Nov. 19, 2008 General Meeting
7:00pm
(Wed.)
Leo’s South
16375 Kenrick Ave.
Lakeville, MN 55044
ph 952-435-5371
Dec. 10, 2008 B.O.D. Meeting
7:00pm
(Wed.)
To be announced- Diamonds?
Jan. 10, 2009 Holiday Party
4:00-9:00pm
(Sat.)
Richfield Community Center
7000 Nicollet Ave. S.
Richfield, MN
On a sad note, It has just been learned that
club member Thomas Stanton was killed in a
motorcycle accident August 25. He was headed
eastbound on county road 66, lost control of
his bike, and was hit be a car also heading
eastbound. The driver of the car turned around
so her car was facing westbound. A pickup
heading westbound served to avoid the car and
ran over Tom.