Berks County Harley owners Group - Berks County HOG

Berks County
Harley owners Group
Chapter #4579
April 2010
Hotline: (610) 926-3380
Director’s Report
by: Frank Young
Warm days are becoming more regular, and the frequency of club rides is picking up.
Chuck Smith already has us riding for growlers, and before you know it, we’ll be meeting every
Wednesday for ice cream and hamburgers. Kevin Mahan has so many activities on the calendar
that you’re going to find yourself flipping a coin to see which ride you’re going to go on. It’s
going to be a great year.
On April 17’th, while some of your officers are in North Carolina for POT training, Classic will be having it’s spring open
house. Like every year, there will be a wide variety of discounts, and the officers that are still here will be on hand to lead demo
rides and dish out hot dogs.
Patches in memory of Bob Berger have arrived. The cost is $5.00 per patch, and the folks on my list will get there’s first.
After that, I will have a few extra for folks who forgot to sign up. They will be available at the April meeting, and then probably
just about any time you see me after that. Money generated by the patches will be donated to the Holly Heilman Cancer Fund.
Ride for life is coming up on May 1’st. Don’t forget to get your packet from Dot. We’ll meet up at Classic to ride over
to VF together. Keep an eye on the Google site for the time on that. This event is huge every year, so if we don’t start together,
we’ll never find each other.
Get ready for a fast paced, high adventure summer that starts now and won’t end until the Polar Bears take back over in
November.
Our Sponsor
Shut down your troubles and start up your engines
(610) 916-7777
P.O. Box 708
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a v a i l a b l e o n t h e we b at : ht tp : //h o g . c l a s s i c h a r l e y. c o m /e ve nt s
Apr
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8- 8pm Berks HOG Meeting at the Gouglersville Fire Company
15-17- Primary Officers Training
17- 10am-5pm Classic HDSpring Open House & Demo Rides
18- Harry’s Hotdogs Ride. Leaving Classic HD at 10:30am
(George Miller)
22- 6pm Meet at Big Bertha’s (Chuck Marley)
24- LOH Spa Day. Leaving Classic HD at 8:30am
24- 10:30am Pre-Ride meeting at Classic HD for the New Owners/New Members Ride
24- 11:30am-2:30pm New Owners/New Members Ride to Red Lion Restaurant.
28- 6pm Burger Ride #1:Shanesville Steakhouse and Tavern
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www.classicharley.com
Leesport, PA 19533
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1- Ride for Life
2- 10am Lunch Ride to Bubba’s Pot Belly Stove (Chuck M.)
5- 6pm LOH Meeting at Wendy Chubb’s Home
6- 6:30pm Officers Meeting at Classic HD
8- 10am LOH ONLY Ride to Peddler’s Village. Leave from Classic HD.
12- 6:30pm Ice Cream Ride #1:Way-Har Farms (Bryan N.)
13- 8pm Berks HOG Meeting at Gouglersville Fire Company
15- 10am-2pm Demo Rides at Classic HD
15- Crusier Cafe Ride (George M.)
16- 11am Susquahanna Hills Ride (Chuck S.)
19- 6pm Burger Ride #2: Island Pizza
22- 10am LOH Ride Strasburg Railroad. Leaving Classic HD at 8:30am
26- 6:30pm Ice Cream Ride #2: Jen & Jessie’s (Bryan N.)
29- Wyomissing Hills Memorial Day Parade
29- 11am-4pm Chesapeake Inn (Chuck M.)
30- 2:30pm-11:30pm Cape May Sunset Beach George. Leaving Classic HD
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By: Scott Hargreaves
Reminder! new member/ new owner ride April 24th (Sat.) meet at
Classic in the rear conference room at 10:30 am sharp. After a meet and greet Honor & Respect
and safety briefing we will leave Classic for a 1 hour ride to the Red Lion
restaurant just outside of Pine Grove, Pa. for lunch (your own expense) and return back to Classic. Please
sign up at April’s meeting or email me if you want to go, I need a head count. This is a fair weather only
ride.
By the way, I was out riding over the weekend and I came across two guys pushing a pair of brand
new Honda Goldwings, I could have sworn it was Harry and Kerry, could it be??? Naw it couldn’t have
been!!!
Travel life’s journey on two wheels
Remember those who gave their all!
We l c ome t o t h e C l ub! !
Luis Torres
Cheryl Bowers-Torres
Not Pictured: Terry Crossley and Terry Hale
Berks County HOG Pig Pot
Win cash by being present at our chapter meeting and play by placing
$1.00 in our Pig Pot jar. One member’s name is pulled at the close of the
meeting; if that member is present and did play, they win! If no winner; all the
money remains in the Pot and is added to the following month.
Congrats
April 2010
Bob!!
*********************
Berks County HOG’s member Bob Messner was present at the January meeting,
played, and WON!! He took home $71, CONGRATS!!
Berks HOG Newsletter
Safety Officer’s Corner
By: Dale Sheafer
All The Gear, All The Time. These words to live by are used by most serious riders in the Long Distance
rider’s fraternity. Long Distance riders know that it is important to ride comfortably using gear that assists the rider in
the completion of his/her ride in the grueling Long Distance and multiple day rally events. Catching a rock or other
road debris on unprotected skin can give the rider and/or passenger a ride ending injury. In addition to screwing up a
competitive event like an Iron Butt, the unnecessary injury simply hurts … or worse.
You might be saying to yourself “I don’t participate in long distance or competitive events, so this does not
affect the way I ride.” Au contraire, Mon frere. The same sensible concepts apply to you even when we participate as a
passenger. If things go bad, and you are not fully protected, in addition to hurting yourself, those you are riding with will
in all likelihood stop to assist you instead of simply enjoying the ride. So if you don’t care for your own safety, at least
have the courtesy for your fellow riders to dress appropriately for the task at hand.
People get hurt and even die while wearing the most up to date safety gear. While the gear will not make you
bullet-proof, in my never-to-be-humble–opinion, we stand a much more likely chance of a better outcome if (when?) we
meet the pavement with the gear than without it.
Gear Basics:
Helmet: When you choose to wear a helmet, it must be DOT and/or SNELL rated. Novelty helmets are a sad joke. If
you have a $50 head, get a $50.00 helmet. Personal experience and the experiences of others in the chapter have shown
that meeting the payment even at parking lot speeds can cause the head to impact the ground with enough force to crack a
helmet.
Boots: Over the ankle boots are best. They are designed to stay on and protect the riders and passengers feet in the event
of a get-off. Sneakers and flip-flops is why God invented saddle bags. Save the sneakers and flip-flops until after the ride.
Jacket: Motorcycle jackets are the Swiss Army Knife of riding clothing. A good jacket not only protects in the event
of a spill but also shields from hot and cold, prevents sunburn and helps prevent dehydration. Leather is still the king of
motorcycle jackets, but the newer ballistic textile jackets with body armor are a close second. Yes, jackets can be hot, but
sweat washes off, road rash doesn’t. As the old biker once said about riding with a leather jacket in the summer “Better
cow hide than my hide” in the event of a get-off.
Leg Protection: Save the shorts for the picnic! Jeans at a minimum, leather chaps or ballistic textile chaps with body
armor are a better choice for the same reason given in the Jacket paragraph.
Gloves: The two things that gloves do for both rider and passenger is 1) protect the fingers in the event of a crash and 2)
prevent wind, rain, bugs and other crap from blowing up our sleeves. The gel padded gloves may also help absorb some of
the vibration from impacting our hands and arms on those extended rides.
Eye Protection: Standard sun glasses and clear vision correcting glasses are not adequate for motorcycle use, unless
worn under a full-face helmet. Absent a full-face helmet, purpose made motorcycle goggles are the way to go. These are
designed to help protect against the flying crap and corruption often encountered while riding.
ATGATT
Ride safely and enjoy the summer!
Berks HOG Newsletter
April 2010
Sponsor Report By; Kevin Kodz
On the Tube…On March 1st stunt motorcycle
rider Seth Enslow jumped a whopping 183 feet on a
modified Harley-Davidson XR 1200 motorcycle. The
jump has been hailed as a world record since he went
about 18 feet farther than Bubba Blackwell did in 1999
in Las Vegas. As with motorcycle jumping records,
this one is in a little bit of dispute. As many of you know
Bubba broke Evil Kneivel’s world records by jumping on the
exact same type of motorcycle as Evil, the XR 750 dirt track
bike. Enslow’s jump was made on a modified XR 1200 street bike
that was outfitted with trick parts. So are these jumps a fair comparison? You
can be the judge for yourself. You can check out the Seth Enslow jump on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=hW1wNeOtzKc . There’s also video of Bubba’s jumps and stunts on YouTube at http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=sTNG3bZ1tzY . You’ll notice in a couple of the riding shots on the Bubba video that he’s on the
Buell X1 motorcycles that are in the showroom at Classic Harley-Davidson. Check out the videos and then you
can ask Bubba what he thinks when he performs here at Classic Harley-Davidson on April 30th.
K evi
n, A man
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In the News…Many of you heard the rumors circulating the internet last week that Harley-Davidson, Inc.
was the target of a take over by the investment firm KKR. Since that time similar internet sources have come
out to say that the story has no merit. Several people have asked me what I’ve heard and what I know about the
chance of H-D getting bought out. All I can tell you is…I have no clue. From what I’m told this was all just rumor
and there isn’t really any good information pointing to KKR making a realistic bid to buy H-D. But I know about
as much regarding this rumor as you do.
On the Street…The Ephrata First Sunday rides will begin again in April and I’m planning on making at least
a few of those events. If anyone is interested in check out Ephrata, feel free to see me at the shop.
Screw it, lets ride!
MDA
Ride for Life
Austin Whitmoyer and Sherry Whitmoyer were the
son and mother that came to last month’s meeting to
promote the MDA Ride for Life.
MDA Ride for Life will be held on May 1, 2010.
April 2010
Berks HOG Newsletter
THANK YOU!!!
I would like to thank everyone who donated to sponsor a basket at HHCF bingo and to let everyone
know that the bingo raised $8,000.00 to help cancer patients.
Thank You!
Sherry Knerr
s
’s Ride
Charley Marley
April 22 - Big Bertha’s, meet there at 6:00 pm
May 2 - Bubba’s Pot Belly Stove, leave Classic HD at 10:00 am.
May 19 - Hamburger Ride #2: Island Pizza, leave Classic HD at 6:00 pm.
May 29 - Chesapeake City, MD, leave Classic HD at 11:00 am following the Parade
See you there!
WEEKEND TRIP TO
POCAHONTAS COUNTY WEST VIRGINA
September 17, 18, 19
Pocahontas County and its surrounding area has become a very popular riding destination right here in our own
backyard.
We will be leaving Classic Harley Davidson Friday 9/17 at 9:00 am and heading to Barton West Virginia
approximately 330 miles.
I have rooms blocked at The Hermitage Motel you can call 888-456-4808 to make you reservations. There are
different types of accommodations available including small cottages for larger parties, be sure to tell them you are
with Berks HOG. You can check out their website at www.hermitagemotel.com for room types, rates and, things to
do in the area.
Saturday 9/18 I have a 150 mile scenic ride planned returning back to the Hermitage for dinner. The motel has a
full service restaurant serving breakfast and dinner. For those that may not want to go on the ride there are many
options available to spend the day.
Sunday 9/19 head for home we should arrive back in town around late afternoon.
For information or to sign up contact Kevin Mahan 610-670-3721 [email protected]
Berks HOG Newsletter
April 2010
2010 Berks HOG Officers
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484-769-2744
[email protected]
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610-670-5641
[email protected]
Secretary
icks
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610-488-1076
[email protected]
iller
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Geo
610-856-5077
[email protected]
ise
Den
Dale
717-445-7667
[email protected]
Safety Officer
April 2010
610-777-4225
[email protected]
Tra
Photographer
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Kev
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Ga
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610-670-3721
[email protected]
610-921-3850
[email protected]
610-916-3647
[email protected]
LOH Officer
arley
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Chu
610-777-3628
[email protected]
Road captain
hard
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Br ya
610-926-5926
[email protected]
Ro -
Road captain
fer
Shea
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Chu
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Activities Officer
Editor
610-777-4425
[email protected]
Assistant director
Director
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Treasurer
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Smi
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610-775-1873
[email protected]
Road Captain
Berks HOG Newsletter
Road captain
illits
cy W
Nan
610-678-0735
[email protected]
Membership Officer