The Bitch on Front
As new members of the Manomet Mystery Riders, we are asked to write a little story on our history of how we became motorcycle enthusiasts. Well, my story starts out like the rest, I have been riding bikes since the age of 7. My first bike was a 5 hp pull start homemade job that I bought with my paper route money from one of the older kids in the neighborhood. It utilized a lever slide brake that you had to push your ass against in your seat to stop. The first time I rode my tractor tired jalopy, I was hooked. By the way, the ride only lasted three and a half seconds as I proceeded to give it full throttle and crash into the steps that were attached to my house, which was about 50 feet from where I started and in the opposite direction. Even though I crashed on my first try, my Dad could tell from my big shit eating grin (coming from behind my grass & dirt filled hockey helmet turned dirt bike helmet) that I was overwhelmed with joy. We tried again later that afternoon after my Mother took a Valium to calm down and realize that the first time you ride a bike, you may fall down.
Riding had become such a passion for me in my youth that we used to ride our dirt bikes to school and chain them up to trees in the woods so we didn’t miss any riding time once school got out. When I reached the legal age to drive, I went to the registry and scheduled my car and motorcycle permits on the same day. I wanted to ride a street bike more than drive a car.
I hadn’t ridden in some time while I was married and helping raise my children, but always had in the back of my mind that someday I would own a bike and ride again. After I got divorced, I met a woman who rode a Harley Davidson Fatboy and I started riding her bike, which has brought the passion back into my life. It has allowed me the opportunity to meet a lot of nice people and make a lot of good friends in the club over the past two and a half years. Even though I didn’t have my own bike, I have to say, they still made me feel like I was part of the group.
For as long as I can remember, there has always been a certain saying for the person who rides as a passenger on motorcycles, called “The Bitch.” We have all come to know this term well as we have heard it numerous times and have read it on the back of motorcycle rider’s shirts… “If you can read this, the bitch fell off.” Well, what if the bitch really fell off? Hmm, let’s think about this for a minute. Most people would have to say “I would pull right over and help her or Oh my God, I would feel terrible!” Yes, that wouldn’t be fun and it would probably really suck! Now think about this, what if “The Bitch” who fell off was actually the one riding up front? What if “he” was riding your bike with you on the back, heheh! What would you do then? Our fellow member, Francine Manning, could probably tell you how she would react if that happened, because most of you know me. I, Tom Brewer, am the bitch on front!
From the President’s Desk
Hi MMR members and friends,
Wow where has the summer gone? Well, for some of us we found it in Sturgis, S.D. With temps in triple digits. Betty & I, along with Jay Donovan stayed with Mike Lallier and his wife Donna in his brand new 40’ 5th wheel toy hauler camper. Mike bought a Thunder Mountain Big Boar Chopper while in Rapid City, Harley Davidson. Way to go Mike! Our campsite was just outside Deadwood. Roberto, Tom D’Eramo & Carol stayed at the KOA at Hill City.
We would set off just after the crack of dawn for our day’s adventures like everyone else; we toured all the natural’s sites, Custer State Park, the Needles, and the Wildlife Loop and more. We also took in Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument. While in the Badlands, in the middle of the desert at 115º, we were stopped for speeding doing 53 mph. In, get this, a 45mph zone with no houses in sight not even another human being in sight!! We got off with a warning to slow down. Thanks.
Our day trip to Devils Tower was another 115º day. Our pit stop in Hulett, Wyoming offered some great photo ops for my magazine (Northeast Rider) that I freelance for. The ride home through Spearfish Canyon offered some much needed relief from the heat and outstanding views of waterfalls. It’s difficult to put it all into perspective.
On another note our friend, Tom D’Eramo, hit a deer and suffered a compound fracture of his left leg but as bad as it was he is still lucky it wasn’t more serious. Tom was flown back to Mass. and operated on at the Boston Medical Center to repair the damage. I, personally, came upon several deer strikes keeping my accident scene management training in the back of my head. Roberto Theodore and I offered to take Tom & Carol’s camper back home. Bobby was my navigator as I drove the rig all the while listening to the CB on ch.19. What a holler. I can’t help but end this brief note on safety. Please look twice and think three times while riding.
Deane Laitinen,
Manomet Mystery Riders - President
September 2006
Honda Hoot
by Will Schobel
PLACE: Knoxville,
PACE: Yours & Yours Alone
TIME: June 20-23
Sandy and I trailered just about 1,000 miles each way to the Honda Hoot. The six days we were there we rode 1,000 miles on the bike. The weather was great; we only got caught in the rain one night. I know all of you Harley riders are rolling your eyes, but there were about 17,000 people from all over the country with all kinds of bikes.
All of the events were very well planned, and all rides included lunch. We signed up for a ride everyday. You would meet at the park in the morning and go on the ride either by yourself or with a group.
Our 1st ride was to the Cumberland Gap. We rode about 69 miles out and 149 miles back. The roads were great, lunch was hot, and later on we enjoyed a savory pork dinner. We even witnessed a Civil War reenactment in the street. To top off the fun-filled day, we attended the Bike Night & World’s Fair where we watched an impressive fireworks display. The next day we headed out to the Point Resort. During which we enjoyed boat rides on the lake, for lunch, steak sandwiches & fried catfish. Later on in the evening Sandy & I attended the Dixie Stampede, a dinner show.
A Poker Run for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation was our third day activity during which we enjoyed bagged lunches. Later that evening, Sandy and I went to the Down Home Party at the Museum of Appalachia where we had a pulled-pork barbecue. Our final ride, “Best Dam Ride & Fish Fry”, encompassed a trip to Norris Dam. For lunch we enjoyed fried catfish.
The closing ceremonies for four day quest riders were from 4-6 that evening. Your presence was required in order to receive the prizes, which included: your choice of a new Honda motorcycle, a GPS system, trailer generator, tires, jackets and helmets. The Vendor Expo was massive. There were even demo rides on Hondas, Victory and Buell.
Sandy & I can not wait to attend another Honda Hoot. Despite all that we did, we have to go back because we missed so many things. If you would like more info. regarding Honda Hoot please visit the website: www.HondaHoot.com.
BMW Rally
By Clem Walsh
Clem Walsh recently attended the 2006 BMW Motor Club of America International Rally in Essex Junction, Vt., which was held from July 20 to July 23. There were approximately 8,000 attendees of which many camped on the fair grounds & expo center in Essex Junction. Among the many members attending were a large number of BMWs with sidecars as well as an abundance of antique bikes. The BMW Company had an outdoor display of their new models and one could sign up for demo rides. They also had a nice indoor display of restored antique bikes, which they own.
One of the interesting and most attended displays was a new product called Hit Air Jackets and Vests from Japan. (Hit-Air on your search engines) These vests and jackets attach to your motorcycle frame with a cord setup with a 40-lb. pull release. Should you be thrown from your bike they inflate the neck area as well as the chest, back and lower spine in 1/15th of a second from a CO2 cartridge located in the vest or jacket. Lots of interest but the price of $699 turned a lot of people off. There were many informative seminars on riding as well as overseas guided tours through Europe, China and Africa. One company offers a 3 month, 35,000 mile tour around the periphery of the African continent!
Clem says that the BMW rally (his first) was very different from the several Harley dominated rallies he has been to (much quieter) although they seem to drink an equal amount of beer! Everything was very well run except that they could have used a lot more showers as the temp. hovered in the 90's.
Next year’s rally will be in Wisconsin.
The Grand Pooba & Bubble ’s Trip to Sturgis
by Terry Quinn
First let me give you some background on Gail and me, and our experience with motorcycling. After a long time of wanting to ride, last August of 2005, I took the Ride Safe course in Plympton and got my license. A week later I went out looking for a used bike, found one and bought it -a ‘98 Vulcan 1500. After a couple of weeks of riding alone, I looked up clubs and groups on line and found the MMR and decided to see what it was about. I went to a meeting, and met the people who ran Ride Safe, decided I wanted to join, and got someone to sponsor me. I filled out the application and started to show up on Sundays. I found that I liked it as much as I thought I would and tried to get my wife to take a ride with me. Finally she did, and she liked it as much as I did.
At the bike show in Boston in Feb. we met a guy who ran bike trips to Sturgis and other places, and after a long discussion of how easy it would be and how safe he would make it, we signed up for the trip to Sturgis in August ‘06.
The next meeting we went to at MMR we met my instructor from the riding course and I told her we were going to Sturgis with this tour group. She had a fit! Seems she did the same thing a couple of years before and other people she knew had gone with the same group. All of them had bad experiences with this same tour group. So after talking with several people and getting the same story, we decided to forfeit our $750 deposit and cancel the trip with him.
That’s when I saw Paula’s note in the newsletter saying that they still had rooms for the Sturgis trip. I called her and we decided to go with her and Billy, the only 2 people we knew who were going. We figured that at least we had a room and we could do this on our own, and make our own plans for where to go and ride there ourselves.
So after riding together on the Vulcan, Gail and I decided that we needed something more comfortable for the trip. We ordered a new Harley Electra Glide and tried to find the time to ride it and get used to it before the trip. We managed to put only 700 miles on it before we loaded it on the truck for Sturgis.
So, here we are - new riders with a new bike, new club members, only know two people from a few Sunday rides, and we are heading out to the biggest motorcycle rally in the world. We must be nuts according to our family and friends! But this is something I have always wanted to do. It’s something every man in America would like to do, but most don’t have the time or the will to make their dreams real. My kids are grown, it’s time for me, I told my wife, and she is the kind of woman who understands.
On Saturday morning before the trip, we rode the bike to East Bridgewater to meet up with Mac who is taking the bikes to Sturgis. While I was waiting for my bike to be loaded onto the truck, another rider pulls up behind me on a bike just like mine, ‘06, same color, Electra Glide, etc. He says he is dropping it off for a friend and he needs a ride to a train station to get home or he will have to hitch hike. I told him to get in to our car and Gail and I will give him a ride to the Whitman train station.
The following week, Gail & I get a room at the Ramada Inn in Boston, leave the car, and get on the plane for our flight to Denver and connector to Rapid City. When we arrive in Rapid City, I call the man who is driving the bikes out on my cell phone and he tells me he is in Randolph not Rapid City but a friend has taken the bikes out on his truck. Now I’m getting worried, but as planned, take ourselves and our two big suitcases on the shuttle from the Rapid City Airport to the Town House Motel to look for our bike.
At the Motel, we did find Arnie, the driver (nice guy) and the bike. While I left to get gas for the bike ride to our hotel in Custer, Gail arranged for a cab to take her and the luggage to Custer, 50 miles away. After gassing up, I got out a map and headed out for Custer on the bike. Gail was still waiting for the cab.
While she’s waiting, along comes a truck with Mass. plates and a group of people who were also picking up bikes. The driver of the truck hears Gail saying that she is waiting for a cab to go to Custer, he tells her to cancel the cab, puts our bags in the back of the truck, telling her to get in, you’ll ride there with us! Mind you, she has never before set eyes on any of these people! Even so, she’s not fearful of these people, and seems to feel it’s safer to ride with a truck full of total strangers than alone in a cab far from home, besides, they are bikers, so how worried should she be?
So in the truck she goes, telling her new friends that I am on the road on the bike somewhere ahead. After some discussion, they find out that we belong to MMR - and so do they!
They decide to catch up to me and mess with me. I am riding along, wondering what the heck this nut in this truck is doing - he won’t pass me no matter how slow I go, and when I speed up, he stays with me. Meantime, Gail is having a great time with the group finding out who is who. When we are about 5 miles from Custer at a light, they all roll down the windows and I see Gail in the truck with this bunch of strange people! She’s smiling and waving at me, so I know she is OK. One of the men in the truck informs me that she’s fine, and they have renamed her “Bubbles!”
When we get to the hotel, they fill me in on what’s going on and I am amazed at what nice people they are and how kind it was of Lee and Debbie of the Manomet Mystery Riders to give her a ride.
Still not feeling quite like we “belonged,” we decided to go to dinner across the street from our hotel in Custer by ourselves that night. When we got back, Lee and the rest of the MMR group were outside the hotel getting ready to go eat and told us to come along. We said we had already eaten and Lee told us that “you’re with us, next time you go where we go” And we knew that we had found a great group to belong with.
The next morning at breakfast we saw Billy and Paula and they told us that the ride was planned to leave at 9 am to go to Sturgis by way of Deadwood. We were ready, and Billy led the group like he does on Sundays. We had a great first day seeing Sturgis, Deadwood, the Needles Highway and so much more!
Remember that this is a new bike and I am not really experienced riding! Day Two, we headed out to the Badlands on interstate 90. I have ridden at 50 mph but never with someone on the back and never faster than that. We hit 60 mph in the first mile! As the road moved from town into the flat lands, the crosswind picked up and the temperature rose to the high 90s. It was like having a hair drier in your face, and I am riding faster than I have ever ridden. And I am having trouble keeping up. At the next rest stop, Lee came over to me with more advice (he gave me a lot of good advice during the trip). He says I need some octane boost, to which I reply, “What’s that?”
I got some and quickly found out why I’d needed it! What a difference it makes - lots more horsepower and now I can keep right up with the pack. He also told me I should have taken off my lower fairings to let the air get to the motor. Again he was right. Since I didn’t have any tools to remove them, I wired them open to help cool the engine. Later in the trip he told me I was braking too much on the turns (and between the Needles Highway, the Wildlife Loop and Iron Mountain Road, there were turns like you would not believe!) Lee explained that under 2,000 rpms I should be downshifting more and using the engine to slow the bike in the turns, and not the brakes. Right on again! All his advice made my time on the bike a lot better and I enjoyed the riding much more.
We did about 1,600 miles on this trip, I rode the bike at speeds of up to 85 mph, learned so much about riding and experienced turns and hills that would have scared the *&@#d out of me last month. But most of all we made friends! They accepted us like we were family. This is the greatest group of people we have ever met. No one was ever left alone; no one was ever left behind. We shared things if someone needed something even to the point of 7 people drinking from the same water bottle when we were at Wounded Knee and there was only one bottle of lukewarm water left among us in 100-degree heat.
I can’t say enough good things about the trip and how much Gail and I enjoyed it. But what made it so special was the attitude and the kind of people that make up the MMR. Oh, remember the guy we gave the ride to the train station? Turns out he was delivering that bike for his friends Brian and Denise Richie, who were in our group! Guess Maribelle Grillo was right when she heard this story, what goes around comes around! And the next time a MMR group plans to go on another bike trip, we’ll be there!
Thanks to everyone who traveled in the group with us: Lee & Debbie, Mike & Maribelle, Joe, Paul & Andrea, Brian & Denise, Hawk, Cy & Lynette, Gerry, Bill & Paula, and later, Rob, and “Lisa the Legend”, who rode her bike alone from Mass. to SD to join up with us for the last couple of days. It was a trip and group of riders we’ll never forget!
“Home, Home on the Range”
By Hawk Hickok Hickman
Day 1- Thurs. 8/3/06 - We land in Rapid City at 3 p.m., pick up bikes and drive to Custer taking a side trip through Custer State Park to get a little of the local flavor. Go to bed early to rest up for first real day. Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam And the deer and the antelope play
Day 2 - Fri. 8/4/06 - We ride over to the Needles Highway, which has a very steep gradient, up & down, with lots of sharp curves and tons of bike and camper traffic each way. Magnificent vistas each way, but you have to stop to look, as constant attention needs to be paid, while riding. Lots of cool tunnels, through the rocks, at certain points with one lane traffic. Continued to Hill City, stopping in Deadwood for lunch and slot machines. Some of us won enough to pay for lunch. Deane, Betty, Mike Lallier, Donna Ferland and some others were camping in Deadwood but we couldn’t get them on the cell phones. Then on to Sturgis. Great riding and lots of incredible sights. Where seldom is heard a discouraging word (except that Paul O'Rourke is near collapse) And the skies are not cloudy all day
Day 3 - Sat. 8/5/06 - We go out every morning early and clean our bikes; the hotel in Custer supplies tons of towels for cleaning. They have obviously had lots of practice at this. Off we go to the Badlands by way off Wall. Temperatures quickly rise through the 70’s to the 80’s, then 90’s, and finally into the 100’s. It is totally obvious how the Badlands got their name. They provide awesome scenery of the starkest kind. Dry, hot and arid, with an eye-catching landscape. Huge pinnacled hills that look like giant termite mounds. We have to stop for frequent cold drinks and wetting of our dew rags, to stay cool. On the way home, we experience 30 mile per hour crosswinds combined with 105-degree temps and two groups of bikes passed us at 80 mph. We stop in Keystone on the way home and it is a charming little town with an old West flavor. We grab some supper and then drive back to Custer trying to avoid deer in the road. Where Big Bill leads the rides With Paula directing him in back
Day 4 - Sun. 8/6/06 - Many people go to a local church, and we all needed a less strenuous day, so we don’t leave until noon. We did the wildlife loop in Custer State Park and saw tons of buffalo, antelope and prairie dogs. We shot photos left and right. Some of us bought clothing and decorations for our bikes at a neat trading post. We hung out in Keystone for lunch and then drove to Mount Rushmore. We had three different groups of four pose in the same positions 8 with the four presidents in the background (see pix on front page). It was a riot. We had to watch out for deer on the way home seeing several right next to the road. As we travel the roads After the buffalo pack
Day 5 - Mon. 8/7/06 - Tom, Carol, Roberto and Rob Staines arrive and we all head out to Hot Springs in the southern part of the state, via a beautiful route (Rt. 87) through the Black Hills National Forest. Around 2 p.m. we stopped at a cool spring (Cascade Falls) in the middle of nowhere and went wading and swimming. Robert, Carol & Tom went on to see the wild horses. Everyone had a great time as we cooled of for the first time in a while. Then we stopped in Pringle (where rumor has it they make stackable buffalo chips) at Elks Corner Crossing (Elk capital of the US) for lunch. Some of us went back to see the Needles while the rest went back to the hotel to rest. Round curve after curve Where you better not swerve
Day 6 - Tues. 8/8/06 - We left for Spearfish in the northern part of the state early. Along the way we stopped at a gold mine (in Lead) where you could pan for gold for $5 and get a small sample. We rode through Spearfish Canyon, which was beautiful. There were more bikes on the roads as more people were arriving every day. We stopped at a waterfall and took some pictures. When we got back that night we went out for pizza. Through the torrid heat What vacation could be as sweet?
Day 7 - Wed. 8/9/06 - We went to Devils Tower in Wyoming (Wyoming is very close to Custer) & then to Hulett, Wyoming for what was billed as “No pants Wednesday.” It was extremely hot and everyone kept their pants on. However there were lots of bikinis with chaps & some pasties. We finally saw Deane & Betty there just as we were leaving. On the way back, the heat got to some people and we had some minor bike malfunctions. Lee was going to go get one bike with his trailer, but the rider, Paul O’Rourke, was able to nurse it home & deliver his wife Andrea home safely. We found out later that Tom & Carol had hit a deer and Tom suffered a broken leg. Finally, that day, we were absolutely flabbergasted when Lisa Lunedei showed up after driving 3 days on her Sportster! Oh give me a home Where helmet-less we roam and the bikini chapped bikey chicks play
Day 8 - Thurs. 8/10/06 - On the way to Wounded Knee, we took Lisa on Rt. 87, so she could see all the animals. She loved it. Wounded Knee is the site of the worst Native American slaughter in 1890. It was a stark memorial, in the middle of nowhere, at the border of Nebraska and extremely hot. We boogied home quickly to get out of the heat. At night we went to the Crazy Horse memorial for a fabulous laser show. Where seldom is heard a discouraging word And the bikes run smoothly all day
Day 9 - Fri. 8/11/05 - We drove to Sturgis and then Rapid City to meet Ed Kelley, who was working at the bike expo. Before Sturgis we stopped at a trading post where several people bought switchblades. Boys will be boys! People were worn out and went their separate ways for supper. Home, home on the range ...
Day 10 - Sat. 8/12/06 - Most people were leaving this morning, and those few of us left behind said our goodbyes. It was rather sad as we had all bonded during the trip and it was a little depressing to think about going home. That coupled with a light to moderate rain really put a damper on this day. Rob Staines and I rode in the rain and did Iron Mountain Road. Excellent adverse driving condition practice. I helped load Rob’s bike onto his trailer and went back to the hotel.
Day 11- Sun. 8/13/06 - Travel home day. Drove to Rapid City, dropped off bike for transport home and went to the airport. Lingering looks at the gorgeous scenery and quiet time for reflection before the plane took off. Arrived in Boston at mid-night and home at 1 a.m. Very strange to be back home.
Sturgis
by Lynette McMillan
This August, my husband Richard (Cy) and I, went to the Rally in South Dakota. We traveled with quite a group of Mystery Riders! Our group stayed in Custer, and the National Park was right at our door.
Every morning we had breakfast together at our hotel, and we were on the road before 9 a.m. There were eleven bikes that went out almost every day with a total of 17 people. We traveled to the Badlands (and they were BAD). The constant wind blowing was reminiscent of a blast furnace.
Our group rode through the park many days and we encountered huge herds of buffalo. One day, in particular, we had to stop the bikes as the herd was coming down the hillside to cross the road to a pasture. The sight was spectacular. Through the park we also passed antelope, deer (lots of deer) and prairie dogs. The riding was unbelievable. Especially, in Wyoming, the land was laid out in front of you as far as the eye could see. We traveled through the Spearfish Canyon for miles and miles, just breathtaking. Each and everyday brought new and wonderful places and adventures.
I could go on and on, but I won’t. We want to thank Bill and Paula for all the extra planning and effort they put into our travels. They both did a spectacular job in charting the days events for anyone who wanted to accompany them, and we all did. Bill led the pack and Paula was superb with the map and in pointing out the animals we encountered so we wouldn’t miss seeing anything.
For Cy and I, this was our first 10 day excursion on the motorcycle and the first time in that part of our country. We had so many laughs and met some wonderful people. It was as if we had our own travel agents with us. Lee Johansson took up the rear position and made everyone feel comfortable. Debbie Johansson made our hotel, and for some of us, airline reservations which was greatly appreciated. Hawk and Gerry were our shopping guides throughout the trip! Everyone made non-members, Denise and Brian, feel so welcome, as they did us.
In conclusion, the scenery and riding were exceptional, the people more so. We can’t wait to go again! Thanks to all for a very memorable experience!