0910.ROAR - Top Cats
Contents
1. val Se gt x gt gt a iS 4 gt 4 gt gt n gt lt gt gt R P lt gt gt ES Al 2 gt a member to embers of the road OCTOBER 2009 Top Cats Historian become official historian for the club Over the next year we want to create a written and oral history of our club thatwe can share with The club turns 15 in 2010 Many of our legacy members have or will be moving on We want to capture their and others stories of our humble If you have an interest in becoming Top Cats Historian or being a part of this activity please contact Dennis P Moment Dougherty at wombat dpdougherty com The Top Cats Board is looking for existing new and potential m beginnings as well as favorite tales Q gt AW SIN MININ 0 gt y NAVAL AA 2 WY af aT Wie TOP CATS ILLIN OIS Page 15 UN X VOX NN NO NA 4 Modern Versions of the Monowheels Want to give it a try GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 1 2009 HELD AT VILLA SOPHIA RESTAURANT WAUCONDA Submitted by Muriel Brandt for Joan DeRango The meeting was called to order at 7 23pm by Carl Charity Event Update Eileen Perry Marcyan Top Cats President The final donation to NISRA will be 15 000 A big thanks was given to all those who helped2. We continued on traveling Highway 14 through Harvard and crossed the state line into Wisconsin shortly thereafter The road was fine with little traffic as the group motored on in tight Top Cats fashion Highway 14 became 67 as we traversed into and through Walworth Fontana Williams Bay Como and finally to Lyons Wiscon BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS TOP CATS ILLINOIS Page 3 KAUTION KORNER assume that you are seen Always have your es cape routes planned just in case an emergency maneuver must be performed For example you see in the oncoming lane a car waiting to turn left across your path will the car behind also try to go through as well Just as subtle adjustments in your lane may make you stand out and become more visible so may brighter colored clothing driving lights and modulating headlamps Stops Signs Red Lights Don t assume all dan gers are from in front or the side of you always scan your mirrors as well and anticipate traffic be hind you Leave enough room to allow you an es cape route and be prepared to follow that plan bike in gear and you re scanning the road We can all wear highly visible clothing and have our motorcycles lit up like a Christmas tree but that still doesn t guarantee our safety Knowing where you are in relation to the potential hazards out there and planning contingencies constantly is what will best reduce your risk of an incident OCTOBER 2009 When r
3. ILLINOIS Page 7 Topic 1 GPS devices basically do two things 1 Using Routes Via Points and Waypoints they define a route and facilitate navigating that route 2 And using Tracks they capture the route you actu ally navigated Thus you can go back after the fact to re create a route diversion you found attractive The balance of this article assumes you are intent on preserving this record of the routes you actually rode to the extent they are different from your in tended route On the Garmin 276C there are two categories of Tracks Active and Saved Active Tracks depending on the level of detail you are capturing will collect a record of approximately 2 full days of riding Then depending on what you have asked the unit to do it will either no longer capture new data or in the Wrap setting it will overwrite the old information with new data The overwritten infor mation will be lost forever So if you are intent on preserving this data you will need to take an active role in Track management One solution is to download the Active Tracks to your PC frequently While on the road this is not always possible Another alternative readily ac complished on the road is to convert Active Tracks to Saved Tracks The 276C has the capacity to create 15 Saved Tracks This Saving is readily ac complished on the unit but a couple of complexi ties are worth noting Active Tracks are maintained separately with a u
4. If traveling next to another vehicle on a multilane road either slow or acceler ate past that vehicle so you re not sitting next to that vehicle for a prolonged period of time The other operator may not see you in their blind spot or worse they just forget about you all together Cross Roads When traveling through intersec tions take great care to look at what s around you Is that car waiting for you to clear or just dialing his cell phone Look for eye contact but never KO UR at ik ROAR Ever since was a young boy had dreamed done any research never visited dealerships or about riding a motorcycle loved everything even read magazines Of course there was no about them the sound the look the wind in internet to search let alone bike specific forums your face and just the plain adventure of doing to visit The old XL had a lot of miles and a fair something that not everyone does amount of wear but it looked perfect to me More importantly it was just what had to spend told The owner we ll refer 10 him as Bob that wouldn t buy his Honda until could ride it So we started with a lesson Once could ride it we agreed we d do a title and cash swap can remember sitting on the porch with my friends during the summer and watching the mo torcycles tooling down the wide boulevard that ran in front of my grandmother s house We d sit there while taking a break from playing ball or just
5. etc Being a mem ber of other riding organizations has given him an even better appreciation of the organization Top Cats of Illinois He thanked the board for the role they play in making that happen The proceeds for the Charity Ride will be pre sented to NISRA at the October General Meeting Past President s Comments Brandt Gary recommended to the board that associate members Mary Walters and Stewart Johnson be elevated to full member status Motions were made and approved for both With no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned at 8 35 Candidates for elections are being finalized Still open is the secretary position BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS Rides amp Events Sunday October 04 G R A S S Class Keller Williams Tuesday October 06 General Meeting Villa Sofia 7 30pm Carl Marcyan Tuesday October 13 Board Meeting D amp J Bistro Lake Zurich 7 30pm Carl Marcyan Sunday October 18 Fall Colors Ride Rt 176 amp Rt 60 Mother Nature Mike Bradbury Support the TOP CATS Sponsors es _ Membership Has Its Privileges All suppliers and vendors who support the Top Cats 1 1 x HARLEY Davis by providing discounts to Top Cats members will be listed in ROAR GAA ea a Sign up your favorite merchant today WILD EIRE Ciny LIMITS HARLEY DAVIDSON en HARLEY DAVIDSON PANS d Top Cats Get 20 Off Certain Parts and Merchandise at City Limi
6. agree that this past summer was not an optimum one for motorcycling Here and there we had a good week or two but it was considerably wetter and colder than summers past However Topcats has some excellent rides planned for the remaining season Take advantage of the fall and join us for some great riding Attend our membership meetings at our new location in Wauconda at Villa Sofia More room better food and service Thanks to Dennis Dougherty and Gary Brandt for locating and arranging for this new spot HARLEY DAVIDSON MUSEUM IN MILWAUKEE VISIT A large Topcat contingent visited the new Harley Davidson Museum as part of the Presidents Ride a couple of weeks ago The museum is tremendous you could spend a couple of days looking in detail at all the exhibits On Fridays at approximately 11 A M the doors are opened to their archives depart ment and H D historians will give you a tour of the inner sanctum not normally opened to the public There is a restaurant on the premises as well as a gift shop During summer months on Thursday eve nings H D hosts an outdoor party with live music and outdoor bike displays Check out the Iron Horse Hotel directly south across the river The hotel is for bikers and is nicely furnished to appeal to the biker crowd See you at the next meeting and RIDE ON Carl E Galena Ride ao 9 Sa Road Captain Tom Nichols August 16th BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS TOP CATS ILLINOIS Page BY A
7. and Joan De Rango are scheduled to teach A Safety Committee meeting was held after the last General Meeting A decision was made to rework the Road Captain Day of the Ride Segment of the G R A S S class for 2010 Two Road Captains were nominated and ap proved for Senior Road Captain status Mike Bradbury and Dennis Doughtery Another couple was killed while exiting a gas sta tion on 12 amp Quentin No details available at this time No change in the Anita Zeffke case Potential charges to be filed this month Due to time the awards discussion was tabled un til the next safety committee meeting 5 ROAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES Continued from page 7 Activities Gre Smith Dennis continues to gather font examples to be During the month of September there is a ride sent to the board members so a decision can be scheduled for at least one day 0 every vveeRend made on the official Top Cats font Dennis vvants to insure the font chosen is web friendly Sam Rides are needed for October ples will be forthcoming We need to start to think about a winter activity Dennis followed up with John from Villa Sofia re Joan DeRango suggested Whiryball She will garding the set up and service for our general provide information to Greg meeting Villa Sofia has committed to setting up the room in a more conducive manner Villa Guest Boand Sofia committed to supplying an additional server Dennis wi
8. the clutch in with all my might engine racing away thought was doing just fine and then Did mention that the bike was now pointed at the rear of one of the cars parked in the middle of the parking lot Maybe three or four feet away from my front wheel was this old car the kind with really big fins on the back the way old cars used to look I m not sure what kind it was all remem ber are the fins they looked kind of like this Anyone who has ever taught someone to ride has surely felt the same sense of panic that the owner ROAR FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND A GARMIN AND OTHER DIRECTIONAL CHALLENGES By Tom MALIA To BEGIN THE COLUMN IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION INTRODUCTION As most of you know am a huge advocate of using GPS devices In my view they enable you to do things you would not otherwise prudently attempt like setting off to explore Amsterdam at night with little or no local knowledge Or to survive situations that might otherwise be quite unpleasant like being separated from your riding group in downtown Tokyo experienced both situations with very positive out comes thanks to my trusty Garmin 276C The frustration have in using a GPS device is that as with most things com puterized you can fairly readily master the basic functions And a GPS is after all a computer with a very specialized application But it is only with extensive and frequent usag
9. with the O b nin event The membership was asked to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance Secretary s Report Deferred to October Introduction of Guests President s Comments Activities Greg Smith Meghan Lazier from 0 5 Business met with see Page 15 several club members prior to the meeting to get information for an article she is writing Carl thanked this year s Progressive Dinner hosts Gary and Muriel Brandt Wayne Kirkpatrick Carl s brother Chris Marcyan and other helpers Three Top Cat members Don Schaffer Carl Mar cyan and Chris Marcyan attended the 2 Annual IL State Police Ride to Springfield There were 45 bikes at Soldier Field with 95 of them troopers Top Cats were the only club represented in the whole state which was due to the IL trooper guest appearance Tonight s meeting location Villa Sophia will now be where our General Meetings will be held This month s Board meeting will be held at D amp J Bistro in Lake Zurich Membership Eileen Perry No new members were announced this month BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS TOP CATS ILLIN OIS Page 7 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 8 2009 Submitted by Joan DeRango A motion was made and passed to purchase from Wayne Kirkpatrick the remaining supply of Sturgis Veteran Pins at a cost of 200 00 Vice President Bradbury via emails to Mar cyan Tom Smith of the Wauconda Fire Department w
10. NDY KONSEWICZ Obama s Financial Overhaul May Affect Your Next Motorcycle Purchase President Obama s financial overhaul may have an effect on the financial institutions of manufacturers like BMW and Harley Davidson manufacturers that provide buyers with loans directly from their institu tions These companies own state chartered industrial loan companies that benefit from federally insured de posits and lend money but are not regulated as heavily as normal banks The Obama administration s plan would force companies with ILC charters to register as bank holding companies with the Federal Reserve Does this mean you won t be able to get that loan for the tire burning corner cutting sport bike you ve been eyeing up No it may be more difficult for first time buyers to obtain a loan though It does mean that you might have to go to a real bank to get your loan The good part is you may not get charged the 20 something percentage rate that comes along with borrowing from some of these institutions And don t think these companies will back down without a fight Even if regulation makes it more expen sive those firms that depend on providing such loans will presumably accept the stricter oversight that comes with owning a bank So if you re under the age of 20 years old you might not be able to go out and buy a brand new R1 ora BMW K1300S but I m sure there are tons of bikes that you can afford without signing your life away at the deale
11. October 2009 Volume 09 Issue 10 Inside this Issue FOLKS FOR SPOKES KAUTION KORNER My First Scalzitti FINDING YOUR WAY GPS TRACK MGMT President s Ride Pics Galena Ride Pics Andy S WorlD FALL COLORS SOMETHING DIFFERENT GENERAL MEETING BOARD MEETING Rides amp Events Upcoming Events October Grass Class General Meeting Board Meeting Fall Colors Ride November General Meeting Board Meeting December General Meeting Board Meeting The Official Publication of the TOP CATS ILLINOIS PRESIDENT S MESSAGE By Carlton R Top Cat Marcyan OPEN SEASON ON BIKERS HAS ENDED IN LAKE COUNTY The Lake County Illinois State s Attorney announced the in dictment of Laura Hunt on the charge of reckless homicide as a result of her killing motorcyclist Anita Zaffke June Sth Hunt s indictment came down from the Grand Jury more than 3 months after the event because of detailed investigation called by State s Attorney Michael Waller The original charge of failing to reduce speed a traffic violation was quickly dismissed by Waller to preclude Hunt from pleading guilty on that lesser charge thus preventing indictment on the felony that carries a potential 5 year prison term Double Jeopardy prohibition would have prevented prosecution on a greater charge after pleading guilty to the lesser Hopefully the media will continue to publicize this case sending a strong message to vehicle operators that they mu
12. e that you master some of the intricacies or shortcuts that are possible and useful And then at least in my case when you do not use the device again for a while you forget how to do some of those useful functions you previously mastered Thus my concept for this column is that it would be a compendium from many GPS users to explain some short cut or little used intricacy or how to accomplish some complicated task that is not covered very well in the user manual would not anticipate that it be devoted to GPS Operations 101 although that may be a good topic for an other column give Mary Walters your thoughts This column will assume therefore that readers already have a working knowledge of GPS operations so we can cut right to the issue at hand without having to cover the introductory basics So when you discover some little used but attrac tive feature on your GPS submit your findings to ROAR Further in that the various devices do different things or do similar things differently each column will have to be written based on the operations of a specific hardware device SURVEY To make future editions of this column as useful as possible please respond to the following sur vey by e mailing our Editor at ROAR topcats org with answers to the following questions 1 Are you a GPS user today or intent on becoming one 2 What device do you have today or are intent on buying 3 What operational issues would you like to see the colu
13. e ride started up the bike and went through the usual mental checklist Kathie closed the garage door and then mounted the bike was trying to do my best and the Harley Davidson am riding opened a slumbering eye or two in my subdivision as we left with a ROAR Since we were heading in the same direction for the start point met up with Gary and Muriel Brandt in Wauconda and we took the back roads to the BP Amoco on Highway 14 at the intersec tion with 22 Naturally there was a Top Cat and his rider already there when we got to the Shell station am never the first bike at my own rides Some times I m not the even second or the third or fourth More riders started showing up early which liked because we had more time to catch up and chat before we took off After the meet and greets chatting breakfast coffee and waiting for my riders subsequent visits to the bathroom gave the pre ride 140 mile long ride one gas stop motorcycle themed res taurant signals etc etc etc It was 9 03 a m and we were ready to get going My route started us on Highway 14 going northwest so we had to suffer through all the traf fic lights in Cary and Crystal Lake heard we made 20 green lights before our first red light but wasn t counting did have a few minor group separations by Woodstock but they were no big deal kept checking my rear view mirror and watched our speeds to keep us together as best as possible
14. entually took us up to 83 where we got on and quickly off the highway to take County road O North again After roaring into Muskego led the group on a back way to start South again on County road U After some sweet open road with broad views we got to Highway 20 and headed east From there we made our lunch stop at Spokes Restaurant in Sturtevant pulled the group in and headed to park us in the back but my riders had different plans and scattered to park them selves near the front At least we got to the res taurant before lost any riders on the ride Spokes is a biker themed restaurant They have 15 or so bikes mounted on the wall as well as other memorabilia throughout the place They have a 1948 Indian Chief that is just a work of art asked and they claim it runs and runs well but it seems criminal that it is not being ridden in stead of being decoration at the restaurant After a pleasant and leisurely lunch we gathered for the trip home led the group on a straight shot South on Highway 45 to the end of the ride at the Shell station on Highway 176 and 60 The ride was superb in my humble opinion with nice roads food and Top Cats all together With the exception of Bob Carmody from Chi cago the added plus is we all seemed to beat the rain to arrive home in time for the Bears game against the Pittsburgh Steelers And they won too lt was Sunday morning and was getting ready to leave to start th
15. erimeter of the lot and then there was parking in the middle for one row of about a dozen cars Well as time moves on so do friends We drifted apart taking different interests finding other buddies and although still thought about riding my first motorcycle gang was gone had no one to spur me on Quite the contrary had parents that flat out forbid me to have a bike Both my Mother and Father had lost friends in motorcycle accidents and they made it pretty clear that as long as was living in their house there would be no motorcycles for Larry Well fast forward to the week after graduation bought the first bike my three hundred plus dol lars could find Or at least tried to buy it a 1970 Honda SL350 that looked something like this really didn t know much about bikes hadn t Continued on page 5 BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS of the bike was feeling as he ran towards me The sound or a high revving engine with an inexperi enced rider astride his bike with that new rider s hand wrapped tightly around the clutch Well you can imagine what happened next One minute both of my feet were planted firmly on the ground the next my hand slipped off the clutch and the bike rocketed skyward The front wheel shot up as the rear wheel pitched up a roster tail of rocks and dirt and the bike jumped forward The front wheel bounced on the trunk of that big finned car and then just kept going Befo
16. ication contact the editors at ROAR TOPCATS org BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS
17. iding our motorcycles we have lots of tasks to keep straight and in order Are we wear ing the proper gear Is the motorcycle in good running order Is my passenger prepared and comfortable How are all the other riders in our group doing With all of this we often forget to consider the other vehicles that share the road with us Motorcycles are much smaller than other vehicles on the roadway They can blend into traffic and their size makes judging speed and distance a bit more difficult for the other motorists out there So how can we make ourselves more visible and thereby safer at the same time Blind Spots Yes the most obvious and probably dangerous of the hazards is also the one we can probably control the best When traveling down the road and you pass are overtaken by other ve hicles are you aware of your placement in relation to the other drivers line of site If you assume most motorists are lazy and will only use their pe ripheral vision at best to check around them for other vehicles then make sure you are in clear eyesight of that car next to you Anticipate traffic flow around you 3 seconds 5 seconds even 10 30 seconds down the road Are lanes closing up ahead Can you tell what lane adjustments will be executed by vehicles around you due to a fast slow moving vehicle Slow down or speed up gradually if possible to keep a safe distance from others drivers so that you will be seen by those vehicles around you
18. ill speak at the next General Meeting Mike continues to search for a flag vendor Doug Jackson General Manager at Woodstock Harley Davidson offers a discount to Top Cats members in exchange for advertising in ROAR The percentage for the discount is under discus sion Doug is offering 10 the club is requesting 20 which is the discount received from City Lim its Harley Davidson Larry Scalzitti is interested in speaking at a Gen eral Meeting He is currently out of town but will work with Mike on a date Mike is also working with the Nolan helmets rep resentative to speak at a General Meeting ROAR Website etc Dougherty September ROAR is available Dennis Dougherty has distributed an editorial list for the board members regarding who is responsi ble for writing articles No progress has been made finding a qualified individual to work on updating the website Carl requested that Dennis present an upgrade plan to the current board to include costs to be approved Continued on page 18 OCTOBER 2009 Board Members Present Carl Marcyan Joan DeRango Wayne Kirkpatrick Eileen Perry Greg Smith and Gary Brandt Via phone Dennis Dougherty Board Members Absent Mike Bradbury Tom Nichols Guests Bard Boand Meeting called to order Carl Marcyan The meeting was called to order at 7 25 Safety amp Awards Kirkpatrick G R A S S class will be held on Oct 4 Greg smith Gary Brandt Joe Romanski
19. ll continue to follow up with John to in Bard informed the board that for the last Sturgis sure the changes are made Despite the shaky ride half of the attendees were guests of Top start everyone felt this location has the potential Cats 2010 will be Top Cats 15 anniversary and to be much better than Village Green The Octo the 75 for the Sturgis Rally Discussion ensued ber meeting will be held at Villa Sofia about what could be done to increase attendance on this ride A decision was made to survey Membership Perry members on what changes they d like to see in the ride plan that would encourage them to attend the Sturgis ride in 2010 Bard will create the sur vey to be distributed to the membership Eileen expressed concern about the lack of new members joining the club this year despite a steady flow of guests at our General Meetings With the riding season coming to an end interest will begin to wane Eileen will follow up person ally with all guests Treasurer Tom Nichols via email to Marcyan An updated budget was distributed to the board S tary 6 After review a motion was made and passed to accept the budget as presented Joan updated the group on Pat Machaud s pro gress Special efforts will be made to bring Pat to the October meeting if at all possible Old Business New Business Wayne expressed his appreciation of how well Top Cats members work together to accomplish rides training charity events
20. mn cover BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS powered up creating only one Track for the day When you save the Active Tracks the unit takes whatever Tracks are in its active mem ory and saves them as one Track labeled presumably with the date on which you saved the Active Tracks This creates two issues to be aware of First tf you rode one day in Illinois and then did not use the unit for a while and then used it again for a ride in Colorado for instance the Active Tracks will contain a separate record of those two days of rid ing that would then be saved as a single Track Thus you probably will want to save each day s re cord of riding at the end of that day in order to keep dissimilar Tracks separate Secondly if you decide a couple of days after com pleting a ride to save your Active Tracks and you do so indoors so the unit is not likely to be able to establish satellite synchronization the date label on the Saved Track will not be the current date but will be the date on which the unit was last linked to the satellites This fact can be a little disconcerting when you go back to find a Track you know you just saved only to find none labeled with the current date Obviously the unit can only know what the current date is by talking to the satellites TURN IS IT RIGHT 2 9 WAIT A MINUTE OCTOBER 2009 TRACK MANAGEMENT USING THE GARMIN 276C TOP CATS
21. nique label using not surprisingly the date on which the Tracks were captured for each time the unit is powered up during the day Thus the Tracks are much more manageable if you are not turning your unit off and on during a day of riding This can be accomplished by setting the unit to auto matically convert to its battery power any time you shut your bike off so the unit stays continually I S A C AA 4 GKU Sr BORO SA PA A Pi EFT Gr GIRONA aa NF TER CE GHAPTED KROL Chas AD AUSTRIA Sp ORS BARR TESE CHARS CARTA BEL 4 ss GOAL CO COUR URN Cia ZP 2 5 V4 P rer o RE APN TER MOLLA pe 7 No S N PENMA RA OS Ching A S HER KKSUND No IT N ORE o 7 lt CHAR SG A ART INGTON CS aree Dn 3 3 SLUG TR LOS P TH STER Ine A 2 gt SLAND SELGI AAN NE BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS TOP CATS ILLINOIS 5 VIA gt UE jin 4 TA dif i e i Li 1 6 A cet rac 10 ROAR ITS MESSAGE Continued from page rendering of this indictment Sending a loud signal to the community that such vehicular negligence will not be tolerated is important for our own safety Drivers need to know there are strong consequences to inattentiveness recklessness or negligence towards bikers THE RIDING SEASON CONTINUES FOR A LITTLE LONGER think we can all
22. piration seemed driven to prove that a single wheeled conveyance is achievable and can replace other modes of transportation by offering less expensive single rider machines for individ ual travel The first monowheels were powered by a rider with pedals in the year 1869 and were created by numer ous companies and inventors In 1869 4 versions of monowheels were invented Rousseau of Mar seilles and W Jackson amp Co of Paris France produced a version of a monowheel But Allen Greene and Elisha Dryer of Providence Rhode Island and George Bergner of Washington Missouri actually received patents almost simultaneously for the first monowheels that year Others followed with their designs all similarly based on a single wheel with the rider inside of it The first motor powered monocycle called the Garavaglia Monowheel appeared in 1904 Next the Edison Puton Monowheel was built in 1910 with a 150cc single cylinder motor Others followed such as The Coates Monowheel patented in 1912 and the D Harlingue Monowheel in 1917 The D Harlingue Monowheel had the driver sitting behind the wheel which is a unique approach to monowheel driving An other monowheel was created by David Cislaghi who obtained a French patent for his design in 1924 The Motoruota Company produced a motorwheel fittingly called The Motoruota motoruota is Italian for motorwheel in 1927 with a 175cc engine and a 3 gear system BIKERSWHO MEAN BUSINESS
23. plain running around and exploring The kind This was going to be my first ride on a real mo of youthful exuberance that kids used to special torcycle was so excited Why we chose to ize in back in the day Every time we saw a bike conduct the training where we did is still a mys headed towards the house we d assume the tery to me We met behind a large building in a position arms out feet under our chairs sitting crowded urban area on an elevated dirt parking astride our imaginary mounts As the bike roared lot It was and is the only parking lot like it that l d by wed roll on the throttle shifting and making ever seen all sorts of loud motorcycle noises Most of those times I d close my eyes and pretend that it was me on the bike riding and not just me and my pals sitting on the porch pretending but then the bike would fade into the distance and the sound of each other roaring away was all that was left Right then we would all vow that as soon as we could gather the money we d be riding real Bob was a nice enough guy who gave me the bikes basic introduction This makes it go this makes it stop this is how you change gears in an emergency pull in the clutch etc Well after a few kicks it was running fine and plunked it It was at 15 to 20 feet high and was steep sided with a dirt ramp like drive that led into a circular path for parking There was room in the lot for a ring of cars around the outside p
24. rcycle was a lot harder than going through the motions on my grandmother s front porch but it sure was fun After awhile Bob seemed to be comfortable with my progress was stalling it less and the starts and stops were getting smoother It didn t take him long before he shifted his attention to a very attrac tive young lady who was walking to her car think Bob pretty much forgot about me as continued to make revolution after revolution around the lot That was his first mistake and then came mine had grabbed the front brake a bit harder on a stop in the middle of one of the long sides of the circular lot was surprised how easily the handle bar jerked to the left and how quickly the bike lurched hard to that side As tried to keep the bike from falling over pressed hard on the right handgrip to push the bike back to an upright posi tion Just as Bob had told me that if something s not going right just squeeze the clutch so re membered to do that However wasn t prepared for the sound of the bike when by pressing on the right handgrip to straighten the Honda also caused the throttle to roll on hard The old SL s engine screamed loudly as it reached its maximum limit At this point had gotten the owner s attention again He was on the other side of the lot running towards me and screaming something but re mained oblivious to what was about to happen Frozen in time trying to steady the bike pulling
25. re knew it was riding the motorcycle across the roof of the car and then just as quickly down the hood didn t quite sticking the landing as the bike laid over on its side and slid in the dirt coming to a halt be tween two parking cars and just inches from the 20 foot drop off was a little dinged up and so was the bike but wanted to keep going Bob wanted to keep going too but not the same way had intended He wanted to leave before the owner of the big finned car came out to look at his car Actually there was no damage that could see other than the tire tracks across the car Bob quickly told me that wasn t ready to own a motorcycle asked for 20 for repairs and took off faster than the speed he arrived with never saw him again Oddly enough bought almost the same bike the next week and l ve been riding ever since never did find out who owned the big finned car had never seen it in the lot before and never did again Shortly after my first ride it started raining and the owner probably never knew that had been using his big finned car as a ramp on my very first motor cycle ride OCTOBER 2009 TOP CATS ILLINOIS Page 5 Continued from page 4 down into first gear rode around the lot in first gear then would stop andr peat again With each new lap around the track felt a little less wobbly my starts were not quite as jerky and started feeling a bit more relaxed Rid ing a moto
26. rship for 25 percent interest Taken from an article by Tyler Hopper www irn2ryd com 847 438 6588 scalzitti mindspring com Basic Rider Course Experienced Rider Course On Street Courses OCTOBER 2009 FALL COLORS SUGGESTED DESTINATIONS FROM TOP CAT r S MEMBERS KETTLE STATE FOREST BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS Le 4 Page 3 UN OS OCTOBER 2009 TOP CATS ILLINOIS Great Hiking Options Too Check out these Internet Sites for More Details Kettle Morraine http dnr wi gov org land parks specific kms Brown County http www browncounty com Starved Rock http www starvedrockstatepark org ee 14 ROAR If a 2 wheeled motorcycle is better than a 4 wheeled car Can a single wheeled vehicle be even better That is doubtful in my book but many have thought otherwise through the years This is an article about monocycles and monowheels The definition of a monocycle is a unicycle but a monowheel is a one wheeled vehicle similar to a unicycle Instead of sitting above the wheel the rider sits either within or next to the wheel Many monowheeled designs have been created throughout the years with some even produced into working prototypes Some are powered by the rider like a bicycle with pedals and others powered by a motor Most have been the pursuit of individual inventors and small companies who with a bolt of lightning styled ins
27. st pay attention to bikers or risk criminal sanc tions that go far beyond a simple fine We must keep the discussion going about such incidents Contact your local papers as well as email writers columnists and radio and TV outlets to tell them your outrage over the lack of attention by drivers to motorcycles around them Do contact Michael Waller to provide support of his pursuit and Continued on page FALL COLORS THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT By Mary Walters The summer is coming to an end and we are looking for those last rides near home that will keep us happy until spring For this month s Fall Colors Edition of the Roar we have found some really nice places to spend a day or a week end You can take a long leisurely ride to some of these destinations or a short afternoon Either way when the time is right and the colors bright your day will be memorable Check out the pictures then take note of the distance from Barrington and make your plans Hope you have some good stories to tell us for next month s edition of the ROAR BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS sin We took our rest stop at a gas station in Ly ons where we hooked up with a Top Cat who couldn t make the ride start point From there we commenced with the next leg of the route We headed North through the somewhat typi cal back roads and County roads of Southeast Wisconsin that makes the area so biker worthy This back way of heading North ev
28. ts Harley Davidson FREE ADVERTISING in ROAR for TOP CATS Business Owners Attention all Top Cats business owners As part of our ongoing philosophy to support our members and goal to provide a more value rich publica tion we are now offering free advertising space in ROAR for Top Cats business owners Each business owner can submit advertising content and graphics up to 2 X 3 5 inches Business Card size for their company We will run the ad for 3 months after which you will need to resubmit it This offer is for Top Cats business owners only We are not accepting advertising for other businesses at this time Submit your ad along with contact information to the ROAR editors at ROAR TOPCATS org OCTOBER 2009 TOP CATS ILLINOIS is a group of motorcycle enthusiasts with similar interests Members consist of responsible Leaders Presidents Chairmen Owners Proprietors Partners principals CEO s and other Top Cats of large medium and small organizations institutions and companies For more information about the Top Cats visit our website at www TOPCATS org Dennis P Dougherty wombat dpdougherty com Mary Walters mwalters WTHS NET Andy Konsewicz andy konsewicz com Carlton R Marcyan cmarcyan sdflaw com Gary Brandt cgb002 comcast net Eileen Perry eprhia comcast net Joan DeRango jmderango comcast net Greg Smith vethog comcast net Andy Konsewicz andy konsewicz com Michael Bradb
29. ury bradbundy comcast net Executive Editor amp Board Liaison Editor in Chief Publisher Executive amp Board Safety amp Road Captains Membership Charity Events amp Calendar Humor amp Human Interest Motorcycle Community Muriel Brandt meo1957 comcast net Joan DeRango jmderango comcast net Eileen Perry eprhia comcast net Muriel Brandt meo1957 comcast net Don Schaffer numbersman cjbs com Dennis P Dougherty wombat dpdougherty com Muriel Brandt meo1957 comcast net Activities Charity Membership Email Safety Website Hotline Copyright 2009 TOP CATS ILLINOIS Carlton R Marcyan cmarcyan sdflaw com Michael Bradbury bradbundy comcast net Tom Nichols thomas nichols comcast net Joan DeRango jmderango comcast net Gary Brandt cgb002 comcast net Greg Smith vethog comcast net Dennis P Dougherty wombat dpdougherty com Eileen Perry eprhia comcast net Wayne Kirkpatrick wkirkpa177 aol com Carl Virgo Bender 1941 2001 ROAR is the official publication of the TOP CATS ILLINOIS and is published on the 1st of each month The content and opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of TOP CATS ILLINOIS President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Past President Director Director Director Director Founder For questions or to submit comments or articles for publ
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search