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DECEMBER 2010

06 - Ride & Event Calendar

39 - The Sema Show

12 - H-D & Voodoo Economics

41 - American Heat

15 - Harley Har Har

44 - Bikers for Boobies

16 - High Seas Rally 2010

47 - Rip's AZ BAD Ride

20 - The Cannonball Run

49 - Blinded by the Light

23 - Doing the Grand Tour

51 - Santa Won't Need Rudolph

30 - Reader Feedback

54 - Weekly Events

32 - Thunder Mountain Ride

55 - The Making of a Cover

35 - Rocky Point Rally 2010

CONTRIBUTORS: YOU, the Motorcycling Community

CHRIS DALGAARD

LISA DALGAARD

NATIONAL PUBLISHER & CA EDITOR

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Mike Sayer

Gary Mraz

STEVEN ADAMO ART DIRECTOR

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Randy Twells

MICHELE

Larry Serna

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Art Hall

Babydoll

Mel Jacobson

Digger Dave

George Childress

Arizona Lynn

NEVADA

Robert Sweeney

Bob Dawg

ARIZONA

Linda Dahl

Famous Jake

“Wild Bill” Saxton

DJ Bean

TigerLily

SOUTHWEST EDITOR

STAFF WRITERS:

PHOTOGRAPHERS:

CD, Randy Twells, Lisa Dalgaard, Mike Dalgaard, Famous Jake, Linda Dahl, Tom "PIR8" Tinney, Mike Sayer, Robert Sweeney, Art Hall, TigerLily

Art Hall, Ray Ambler, Ron Sinoy, CD, George Childress,

WEBMASTER Kirk Johnson - phoenixbikers.com

QUICK THROTTLE® 2010 is published monthly and NO reproduction of content is permitted without Publisher or Editor’s prior written approval. Publisher and Editor assume no financial responsibility for errors in ads beyond the cost of space occupied by error; a correction will be printed. Publisher is not liable for: any slandering of an individual, or group as we mean no malice or individual criticism at any time; nor are we responsible for the opinions or comments of our columnists; and promises, coupons, or lack of fulfillment from advertisers who are solely responsible for the content of their ads. Publisher and Editor are also to be held harmless from: failure to produce any issue as scheduled due to reasons beyond our control; all suits. claims or loss of expenses; this includes but is not limited to, suits for libel, plagarism, copyright infringement and unauthorized use of a persons name or photograph. Publisher and Editor do not promote excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. The Quick Throttle name and logo is owned nationally by Chris and Lisa Dalgaard of Bonnie & Clyde Enterprises, LLC.

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DECEMBER 2010

THE ISSUE: Pechanga Casino, Temecula CA, denying Veterans motorcycle club members, specifically Vietnam Vets MC, the participation in the Vets Eat Free promotion on Veterans Day 2010, unless they removed their patched vests. THE COMPLAINT: Robert Ingersoll sent around to various motorcyclist interest groups his account of the incident, which we quote here in part: On Thursday, November 11, Veterans Day, eight Veterans, seven Vietnam Vets and one active duty Marine, as well as two of their wives, were threatened with arrest and told to leave the [Pechanga] Casino. After leaving the Menifee Veterans Memorial Dedication ceremony in Menifee we headed to Pechanga for the complementary buffet offered to honor Veterans. While in line for about 20 minutes we were approached by Pechanga Security and told we would have to leave because we were wearing our vests with a mc on the back. MC stands for Motorcycle Club. Also on the back of the vest was a patch that said VIETNAM VET, and USA …. Lt Jim, of their Security, said he would have us arrested for trespassing if we did not leave. As Vietnam Vets, this was the same treatment we received in 60’s and 70’s.…

ers, an Indian Motorcycle Club, have sponsored Toy runs for Years at other Casinos. There are many Veteran Motorcycle Clubs in the area, Vietnam Vets, Legacy Vets, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion Riders, Brotherhood of Marine Corps Riders, Leathernecks, Rough Riders, and many more. There have been court cases that state: Discrimination against bikers on the basis of clothing or motorcycle club membership is illegal in California. Unruh Civil Rights, Act CC 51et seq and Cohen V California, a Supreme Court ruling, that stated that individuals have the right under the First Amendment to wear clothing which displays writing or designs…. After leaving Pechanga we headed to Applebee’s on Highway 79 in Temecula. There we ate, were treated with respect and dignity, and the manager ask[ed] to take a picture of us for their wall. … Robert Ingersoll, Murrieta, California Pechanga’s Wall Post on Facebook (echoed in similar email response to me from their Public Affairs Dept.): Pechanga is proud to have served over 1,500 free meals to Vets and Military personnel yesterday.

I, Robert Ingersoll, a former Marine and retired school teacher of 35 years, had called the Casino a week earlier to make sure that wearing our vests would not be a problem. I was assured that it would not be a problem by Sgt. Moreno …. He said he would tell everyone in the days briefing that Veteran Motorcycle Clubs may be attending. We have been in many other Casinos in the area, without a problem. In fact the Vietnam/Legacy Vets, along with the Rez Rid-

We have a strict policy prohibiting any type of gang attire from being worn in our facility, which includes vests with the “colors” of motorcycle clubs. Those wearing such “colors” are asked to take them off while in our facility. Two different veteran groups came in wearing such “colors”. One group took them off and enjoyed their free meal and the other refused and were asked to leave. Please understand we have these guidelines for the safety of our guests.”

OPEN LETTER FROM QUICK THROTTLE TO PECHANGA CASINO:

they did not leave or remove their vests? And, what is it about the vest worn by any veterans’ motorcyclist group member that constitutes a safety or comfort hazard to other guests?

This is Quick Throttle Magazine. I’ve contacted your Public Affairs office and given your organization more than a week of opportunity to specifically address the concerns raised in Mr. Ingersoll’s letter. A repetition of the same ‘gang attire’ and ‘comfort and safety of all our guests’ policy, such as I finally received in email from your office, does not answer these issues. While we want to report this without bias, we want to examine the positions of both parties, and the arguments for both, see what results and give our opinion as well. We are leaning toward the position that Pechanga was morally wrong in their refusal of service to Veteran motorcyclists unless they removed their vests. I am wondering how this Sgt. Moreno could state that the group was OK to wear their vests in Pechanga Casino, and that he would inform all the security personnel, and yet have this turn into a threat of arrest if

Can you really expect Veterans who are attending a Veterans Day event specifically in honor of Veterans, to hide as if shameful the very emblem that identifies them as such, in return for a free meal? The concern is, what is right, not what is the easy blanket application of a policy that is stuck in the mud of 2002’s Laughlin incident which generated hysteria among the uninformed, and in their minds painted anyone on a motorcycle who wears a patched vest, with the same broad brush. Why would you hold an event in the first place, that would ATTRACT the many Veterans motorcycle groups in the region who are a very visible part of the festivities at any patriotic celebration, that is therefore also a setup for a publicly embarrassing incident both for Pechanga and the Veterans involved, that requires denial of their affiliation in order to benefit?

It must be acknowledged that Indian casinos are on sovereign Indian land, and as such have their own set of laws and rules, yet they are also bound by certain laws of the United States and the State of California, especially when it comes to the gaming part of the business. Where the line is drawn or what rights a casino has to discriminate against certain groups may be unclear at the moment to us, but Ingersoll did reference a California court case that seems to support his position. Does Pechanga apply its policy consistently and also refuse casino entry and presence to members of every veterans group such as retired golden-agers Veterans in their VFW logo windbreakers and tennies? To be consistent, you would really have to prohibit those jackets as well, since your post says this “includes vests with the ‘colors’ of motorcycle clubs” (italics ours) but does not LIMIT the distinction to motorcycle clubs. Is this profiling? How little do you think they value their patriotic identity as an American Military Veteran and member of ANY Veteran association? That it has the value of one free meal? I do not think so. Pechanga points to a conveniently unidentifiable group who supposedly complied with this policy; if so, I wonder why—was it some ill-thought spur-ofthe-moment cave-in, not realizing in their haste to just get a free meal how their compromising behavior would reinforce Pechanga’s treatment of other veterans’ motorcycle groups, once Pechanga achieved their compliance and compromise? What does it say about their core values? “We are die-hard Americans, but only if we don’t get denied our free meal”—? Boy, I hope I have THOSE GUYS in my trench when push comes to shove…! Sure enough, this unnamed group is held up (made up?) as proof that the policy is reasonable. Legal or not, do you really want to antagonize Veterans and all patriotic Americans this way? Do you see how all this looks to the clubs named by Ingersoll and all motorcyclists? They all support one another. I’m sure that Pechanga wants to keep the thousands of motorcyclists in the region coming in and spending their money. They won’t be doing that based on the chatter we are hearing, which increasingly includes the word “BOYCOTT”. Reaching out to the Veterans motorcycle clubs for a do-over, would be a good way to start redeeming Pechanga’s image with all motorcyclists. Robert Ingersoll’s appeal has reached the desk of California State Senate District Representative Louis Reyes, and has been forwarded to the California Bureau of Gambling Control for further investigation. We welcome readers’ letters on the above, including anyone who actually removed their vest to have their apparently extremely valuable free meal, at Pechanga on Veterans Day, and also from Pechanga Casino officials. Let’s fix this and honor those most honorable heroes among us, our military veterans who put their life on the line without hesitation, and only ask for acknowledgement of the same freedoms they fought for on behalf of every American, to identify themselves as who they truly are, AMERICAN MILITARY VETERANS.

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DECEMBER 2010

DECEMBER 2010 DECEMBER 2 SIERRA VISTA, AZ* BIG BAD BIKE NIGHT AT RENDEZVOUS - Presented by Harley Davidson of Sierra Vista. All riders and colors are welcome to Rendezvous’ Big Bad Bike Night on the 1st Thursday of every month! We block off the parking lot for you to show off your bike and we have 2 for 1 drink specials and giveaways all night long. The best bike night in Southern Arizona only at Rendezvous! 6:00 pm at Rendezvous Nightclub (520-458-2902) [email protected]. TUCSON, AZ* HARLEY-DAVIDSON OF TUCSON BIKE NIGHT - At Native New Yorker from 6:00 to 10:00 pm with 39 cent wings and drink specials. Harley Girls with great giveaways. DECEMBER 4 PACOIMA, CA* THE 43RD ANNUAL PACOIMA CHRISTMAS PARADE - Join us as we celebrate the 43rd Annual Christmas Parade & Charity Toy Run! Presented by Pacoima Chamber of Commerce in association w/Bosco’s Charity Foundation. Join Grand Marshal Danny Trejo from “MACHETE” along w/Honorary Grand Marshals, Emilio Rivera from FX hit show “Sons Of Anarchy” and Luis ‘Lou’ Pizarro of “Operation Repo”. After the parade there will be live entertainment, food, vendors, and more. $10 unwrapped gift. Bike line up at 8:00 am at 13720 Van Nuys Blvd. For more info: Bosco Nava at 818-470-2136 or [email protected]. BAKERSFIELD, CA* OILDALE TOY RUN – Presented by Ethel’s Old Corral and benefits the children of Oildale, 50/50 drawing, live music, drink specials and raffle prizes. For more info: 661.873.9223. YUMA, AZ* TUCSON RED & WHITE TUCSON CHARITY RUN AND SUPPORT PARTY – “Let’s Ride Charity Run & Support Party” - Sonny Barger Book signing at Bobby’s Territorial Harley Davidson, 2550 E. Gila Ridge Rd Yuma, AZ $20 Donation includes:

Run shirt for first 200 participants, Door Prize Ticket and Mine Shaft Catered Lunch. Partial proceeds to benefit Families in need Yuma County. $500 Bobby’s HD Gift Card for High Hand $100 Prize for mileage guess. All Motorcycles and vehicles welcome. Sign in from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. For more info: Maxx at 520-820-6966 or www.hamc2son.com. MESA, AZ* AMERICAN LEGION POST 35 TOYS FOR TOTS RIDE - Sponsored by American Legion Riders Post 35. The ride starts at from Skunk Motorsports, 202 W. Main Street in Mesa. Registration is from 8:00 am to 10:00 am. Riders: $20 without a toy, $15 with a toy. Passengers: $15 without toy, $10 with a toy. Ride pins for the first 100 participants; paid ride includes: ride, lunch, door prizes and live music. All proceeds go to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program and other American Legion Riders programs. For more information call Jesse “Smog” Hendrix at (602) 717-7545, or go to http://alr35.org/ToysForTots2010.htm. PHOENIX, AZ* ARIZONA BIKER LEATHER’S 8TH ANNUAL ANNIVERSARY PARTY Thank you for 8 years from George, Ann and Staff! In store specials all day; starts at Noon till 4:00 pm, free food and drinks. Music, raffles and vendors, free vendor set-up. Call to reserve your spot now: 602-843-5847. (NE corner of 19th Ave and Thunderbird) 13833 N. 19th Ave Phoenix. TUCSON, AZ* ANGEL TREE TOY RUN - Presented by Steve Young, and benefits Children of Tucson AZ Inmates. Do you want a different kind of Toy Run? This toy run actually delivers the toys to the children of Tucson; the run will start at 8:00 am going directly to the homes and delivering the toys to the children, not a pile. Admission: $10.00 Single/$15.00 Couple. 8:00 am AZ Victory Motorcycle 1102 N. Anita Ave. in Tucson. For more info: 520-405-1217 DECEMBER 5 NATIONAL CITY, CA* - THE ANNUAL LIGHTING OF THE CHRISTMAS TREES - SUNDAY THE 5th at 4 PM at Sweetwater Harley-Davidson— Refreshments, Christmas Music and Christmas Cheer! Come celebrate with us and bring the whole family! 3201 Hoover Ave. More info: 619-477-4477 or www.sweetwaterharley.com. SEE AD AVILA BEACH, CA* 30th ANNUAL SLO COUNTY TOY RUN - Ride from Avila Beach to the Loading Chute in Creston. Admission is $5.00 and a new unwrapped toy or $ 15 w/out toy. Admission includes a 30th commemorative run pin for the first 1000 riders. BBQ, live music, raffle and 50/50 drawings. For more info: Bernard Duque at 805-489-7001. DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES & MISSION HILLS, CA* 7TH ANNUAL MOTORCYCLE CHRISTMAS TOY RUN – All riders & drivers welcome! Raffle prizes and 50/50 drawing. Trophies for “Kids Choice Best Bike” & “Santa’s Favorite Car”! Riding Pin for the first 250 bikes. With a special invitation to all Classic Cars which benefits The Children of Los Angeles Harbor UCLA Medical Center. Bring a new unwrapped toy (for babies to teenagers 1 second to 18 years old) to the starting location of your choice: Location #1: Downtown Los Angeles, Catch 21 Restaurant parking lot at 441 S. Central Avenue. Arrive at 8:30 am; leaving at 10:30 am for LA Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance. For more info call Ray Reynoso at 562.857.9888 or LACEA Roberto Larios at 800.464.0452. Location #2: Mission Hills, Millie’s Restaurant parking lot at 10318 Sepulveda Blvd. Arrive at 8:00 am; leaving 8:30 am and going to the starting Location #1, to meet group. For more info call Ralph Sanchez at 818.400.0652 or Dave Mills at 661.993.9631. After the ride, join us at San Pedro Ports O’Call at 6th and Pacific. Rain or Shine. For more information and donations: www.Christmastoyrun.com. ONTARIO, CA* 22ND ANNUAL POMONA HOG TOY RUN - Pomona Valley HOG’s 22nd annual Toy run to benefit Santa Claus Inc. Raffles, games, food, drink, entertainment. Admission $7 plus one new unopened toy. This is the one you don’t want to miss. Starts at 10:00 am; and for more info: www.pomonahog.com. PHOENIX, AZ* 38TH ANNUAL KICKS 4 KIDS TOY RUN & LAW TIGERS TRIVIA RIDE Phoenix’s longest running Toy Run this year will add the Law Tigers Trivia Ride, traveling from the F.O.P. Lodge #2 (19th Av & Cactus 8am sign in/last bike out 10am) down I-17 to the I-10 and ending at Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino (last bike in 12pm). Your map will guide you to 5 stops along the way; each stop will have a question. Look around because the answer to the question will be right in front of you at each stop. Law Tigers has sponsored cash prizes of 1st $300, 2nd $100, 3rd Motorcycle Gift Package. They’ll be Vendors, Refreshments, Entertainment, 50/50, Best Xmas Decorated Bike Show and a $5 Lunch Poolside at Wild Horse Pass. All for the donation of one Toy valued at $5 or more. We are looking for vendors if you would like to join us please email me at [email protected]. SEE LAW TIGERS AD

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SCOTTSDALE, AZ* SEE WHAT BIKERS CAN DO! - Well now, its time to say THANK YOU to all of the bikers ,volunteers, sponsors, and non-riders who attended and helped this event raise over $6000 + in one day **See What Bikers Can Do**. On hand will be a rep from each charity, and they will be presented with a check for their cause. There will be live music by Big Nick and the Gila Monsters and door prizes. 6:30 pm at the Dirty Dogg Saloon - 10409 N. Scottsdale Road. For more info: Juli Salvante at 480.368.8095, [email protected] or their website at http://www.dirtydoggsaloon.com.

at 8:00 am at the Post, 922 N. Alma School Road with kickstands up at 9:30 am. Cost: $20/single, $25/double. Grand Prize - HD Fat Bob, 2nd and 3rd Prizes $1,000 each. Drawing for the Fat Bob will be at 4:00 pm at Chandler Harley Davidson at 6895 W. Chandler Blvd in Chandler. Then continue onto Post 91 for the 2nd and 3rd place ($1000 each) winners. Also lots of other smaller raffle drawings. Call Post 91 at 480-855-3268 to purchase your tickets! Cash and credit cards accepted! Hurry and get your 1 in 300 chance to win this bike.

BISBEE, AZ* 2ND ANNUAL COCHISE COUNTY CHOPPERS TOY RUN - Presented by Cochise County Choppers & Marine Corps. League Toys for Tots. Benefits Boys & Girls Club of Bisbee. This year, we are PROUD to announce that we have partnered with the Marine Corps League, for this toy run; so this will be an official Toys for Tots Run! Registration (& breakfast) is at Cochise County Choppers from 10:00am12:00pm. after party La Ramada Bar & Grill 1948 S. Naco Hwy. Bisbee Az. It is free to attend! DJ Mata, live band, a jump house for the kids, food drinks, etc. This is a family event. Vendors call us for more info. Vendor space will be $20.00 per 10x10. 10am. Cochise County Choppers, 402 Bisbee Rd. For more info:520-234-6402 www.cochisecountychoppers.com or [email protected].

CHANDLER, AZ* CHANDLER HARLEY-DAVIDSON HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE - Free Gift Wrap with any purchase: FREE photos with Santa from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. 6895 W. Chandler Blvd. For more info call 480-496-6800, or check the website www.chandlerharley.com.

SIERRA VISTA, AZ* SIERRA VISTA HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE 9am to 5pm. 176 West Fry Boulevard. For more info: (520) 458-9500 Fax: (520) 458-9515. DECEMBER 7 ORO VALLEY, AZ* BIKE NIGHT AT THE LOOP - Starts at Dusk. 10180 N. Oracle Rd. in Oro Valley, AZ. (520-878-0222) Presented by The LOOP, Taste of Chicago. Come and enjoy the only Bike Night in Oro Valley. The Loop, Taste of Chicago is where you want to be on the first and third Tuesday of each month! Enjoy sports on one of our many HD TVs around the bar, or chill on the patio (smoker friendly) with an icecold beverage. Win The LOOP Gift Certificates. “Best V-Twin” in Show Certificate awarded at every event! Don’t miss the fun, food and friendships only at The LOOP. Bike Nite starts at Dusk. The LOOP is located at 10180 N. Oracle Rd. in Oro Valley, AZ. (520-878-0222). For more information please visit their website www.theLoopTasteofChicago.com. DECEMBER 9 TUCSON, AZ* HARLEY –DAVIDSON of TUCSON and THE HOG PIT SMOKEHOUSE BAR & GRILL Presents BIKE NIGHT - Starts at 6pm at The Hog Pit Smokehouse Bar & Grill– 6910 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson, AZ. There will be special bike parking (east parking lot), various vendors and plenty of giveaways. Try their Slow and Low smoked BBQ, original BBQ sauces and ribs; all made in-house by Chef John Mertes, Food and bar specials. The Hog Pit/Harley-Davidson Bike Night is the third Thursday of each month. Come early to avoid traffic problems. Free admission. For more info: 520.722.4302 or [email protected]. SEE THE HOG PIT ADD DECEMBER 11-12 TUCSON, AZ* 29TH ANNUAL SUN RIDERS MOTORCYCLE TOY PARADE -Presented by Tucson Sun Riders MC. Benefits Aviva Children’s Services. Live music, food, drinks, bike games and bike show. Parade registration $15 in advance, $20 day of, plus a toy. 520.312.8120, www.tucsonsunridersmc.com. Come out and join the Sun Riders for the 29th Annual Toy Parade on Sunday, December 12, 2010. We will be having a pre-party on Saturday, December 11th from 2pm- 7pm. This years event will be held at Holiday Inn, 4550 South Palo Verde Rd. Cost for the parade: pre-registration is $15.00 plus a toy or day of event is $20.00 plus a toy. SAN MARCOS, CA* BIGGS HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S GRAND OPENING PARTY - The King is Back! Grand Opening Party for Biggs at their new location -1040 Los Vallecitos. Join us for a fun-packed day of live music, great food, door prizes, specials throughout the dealership, and surprises, even a live Elvis show on the 11th! Start the day off early (riders meet at 6:30 am and the party goes all day till 6:00pm) with the North San Diego County Biggs Hog Chapter in the annual Toy Store Invasion benefiting Rady’s Children’s Hospital. The party is now both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday’s activities include the band Rolling The Stones. Don’t miss out! It’s the party of the year! For more info: Melissa at 760-481-7300 or www.biggsh-d.com. SAN DIEGO, CA* USO & HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S 2ND ANNUAL CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL – More details to follow. DECEMBER 11 CHANDLER, AZ* LEGION #91 CHANDLER AZ FAT BOB BIKE RAFFLE AND RIDE -300 tickets sold at $100.00 each! Tickets are on sale now; accepting credit cards. Sponsored by the American Legion Riders of Post 91 in Chandler, AZ. Registration starts

GOLDEN SHORES, AZ* DESERT ROAD RIDERS’ MC 2OTH ANNUAL TOY RUN – Leaves at 12 noon sharp from Hooches Bar & Grill. Please bring 1 unwrapped toy and 1 box/can food to benefit the local children and shelters. Run ends at AVI Casino beside the Pavilion. John Earl & the Bogie Man Blues Band, 50/50 raffle, bar, normal biker stuff. Santa will be there for the kids! For more info call “Later” at 928.279.8896 or www.desertroadridersmc.com. TUCSON, AZ* HIGH BARS N LOW CARS SHOW N SHINE - Red & White 81 and Yaqui Warriors present Toy Drive & Charity Event. Bike N Car Show. To benefit Pascua Yaqui Youth all vehicles welcome. Located at Casino Del Sol, AVA Amphitheater East Lawn 5655 W. Valencia Rd, Tucson AZ. 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. Price: Free with New unwrapped Toy. $20 without TOY, Don’t be a Grinch. Cars: Lowriders, Hot Rods, Rat Rods, Pickups, Vintage. Bikes: Choppers, Bobbers, Touring, Sport Bikes, Vintage. “Awards and Prizes” Food, Beverage, and 81 support merchandise available. FMI: [email protected].

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TUCSON, AZ* HARLEY-DAVIDSON OF TUCSON HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE - Free Gift Wrap with any purchase: FREE photos with Santa from 1 to 3. 7355 N. 1-10 Eb, Frontage Rd. For more info call 520-751-3380, or check the website www.tucsonharley.com. PEORIA, AZ* ARROWHEAD HARLEY-DAVIDSON HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE - Free Gift Wrap with any purchase: FREE photos with Santa from 12:20 to 2:30. 16130 N. Ftn. Dr. Peoria. For more info call 623-247-5542, or check the website www.arrowheadharley.com. TH

PHOENIX, AZ* 16 ANNUAL TOY AND POKER RUN – Registration is at 10:00 am with kickstands up at 11:00 am (1818 W. Bell Road). 1st stop: The Steel Horse Saloon; 2nd stop: Chopper King (701 W. Deer Valley Road), 3rd stop: Connolly’s (2605 W. Carefree Hwy.), 4th stop: Track Side (19194 W. Gordon Way/203rd Ave & Grand Ave). The final stop: back to The Steel Horse Saloon. Cost of registration is $20 with a new unwrapped toy. Cars are welcome, and the 1st 100 ride participants will receive a ride pin. Come out and join us for a good time and poker ride. For more info: 602.942.8778 or check the website: www.steelhorsesaloon.com. DECEMBER 12 BAKERSFIELD, CA* 27TH ANNUAL BAKERSFIELD TOY RUN – The 27th Annual Bakersfield Toy Run for The Salvation Army Sunday December 12th 2010. Line up at 7:00 am at Beach Park 24th & Oak St. Parade at 10:00 a.m. Free coffee & donuts at the park. Entrance fee is an unwrapped toy & non-perishable food items $20.00 value or $20.00 per person. There will be event pins, shirts, vendors, door prizes, food, beverages and live music. Best “Christmas” decorated vehicle, trophies Info: John Mullin (661) 747-9309 [email protected]. GLENDALE, CA* 23RD ANNUAL SKID ROW L.A. TOY RIDE – Sponsored by Glendale Harley-Davidson and ABATE Local #1. Please bring a toy for a child which will be handed out at the Fred Jordan Mission. 9:00 am at Glendale HD, 3717 San Fernando Road. For more info: [email protected] or 818.484.5389.

SAN DIEGO/OCEANSIDE, CA* BIG COVER UP - 15th Annual Ride with the Pioneers MC and the Messengers MC from San Diego Harley to Kennedy’s Custom Cycles! Bring $10.00 + blankets & socks for the homeless. All proceeds are split between St Vincent DePaul and Brother Bennos Homeless Shelters. Food, Music, Bike Contest... run Pins for the first 200. Registration @ 0900, kickstands up at 11:30 am! This is a Clean and Sober Event; no booze, no drugs, no attitudes, have fun. 9 am Downtown. For more info: http://pioneersmc.homestead.com. VENTURA, CA* 7TH ANNUAL DAVID MANN CHOPPER FEST – 8:00 am to 3:00 pm at Seaside Park; on the grass, under the palms, by the ocean. A Tribute to David Mann – hosted by Jennifer Scott; featuring some of David Mann’s greatest original paintings that will be displayed by Ron Segal: new & old skool motorcycle show, live blues & rock bands, custom bike builder displays, vendors, new & used parts swap meet, beer and food. General admission $12, with military I.D $7, children 12 & under free. Show entry $40, show entry includes 2 passes and event t-shirt. For more detailed info: www.chopperfestival.com or call Tory @ 805.217.2113 or Harry @ 805.650.6777. DECEMBER 16 TUCSON, AZ* HARLEY–DAVIDSON of TUCSON and THE HOG PIT SMOKEHOUSE BAR & GRILL Present BIKE NIGHT. Starts at 6:00 pm The Hog Pit Smokehouse Bar & Grill– 6910 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson, AZ. There will be special bike parking (east parking lot), various vendors and plenty of giveaways. Try their Slow and Low smoked BBQ, original BBQ sauces and ribs; all made in-house by Chef John Mertes. Food and bar specials. The Hog Pit/Harley-Davidson Bike Night is the third Thursday of each month. Come early to avoid traffic problems. Free admission. For more info: 520.722.4302 or [email protected]. SEE AD DECEMBER 18 FULLERTON, CA* HOLY MISTLETOE CELEBRATION & TOY DRIVE - Join HarleyDavidson of Anaheim-Fullerton for a full day of Holiday Fun. Santa will be here at 10:00am with all his helpers collecting toys for the Spark Of Love Charity. So come down and celebrate your holidays with HDAF. For more info: [email protected] or 714-871-6563. FOLSOM/SACRAMENTO,CA* 3RD ANNUAL CLEAN AND SOBER TOY RUN - Presented by Nor Cal Clean and Sober Living,benefiting Sayonara Community Center, W.E.A.V.E., and under privileged children. Registration is $20 and a new toy. First 100 riders receive t-shirt, dog tag, meal, beverage, and 5 raffle tickets to win guitar signed by Tesla. Raffle, music, food, beverages, vendors, prizes and so much more. Event starts at 10:00 am and the starting point is Folsom Harley Davidson -115 Woodmere Rd. in Folsom. For more info: Daniel Patterson at (916) 459-0942 or www.norcalcleansober.com. PHOENIX/ANTHEM, AZ* BUDDY STUBBS H-D APPRECIATION DAY - 11am-3pm at both dealerships! Great time to pick up those last-minute gifts for friends and family. Pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Anthem H-D from 11:00 am -12:00 pm and from 1:00 pm -3:00 pm, at AZ H-D; free food, drink and live music, plus, museum tours and a pool tournament at AZ H-D. Enjoy free gift wrapping donated by Ladies of Harley! Call 602-971-3400 or 623-465-1122 for more info. DECEMBER 19 LOMA LINDA, CA* LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY CHILDREN’S TOY RUN - Rain or Shine $10 + new unwrapped toy per rider. Sign-in from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at Quaid’s HD at 25160 Redlands Blvd. in Loma Linda. Awards for largest club, best decorated bike & bike w/trailer, judging at 12:30 Escorted ride to LL Univ Hospital at 1:30 for award presentation and interaction with the kids. Year bars to 1st 350 riders. AMA sanctioned 50/25/25. For more info: Chester Phillips at 562.927-5965 or www.myspace.com/mrabikenight. DECEMBER 22 TUCSON, AZ* TUCSON VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE RIDERS BIKE NIGHT - Every other Wednesday night starting at 6:00 pm (12/8, 12/22, 1/5, 1/19 etc.) Event Location: Barrio Brewing Company, 800 East 16th St. in Tucson, AZ. Presented by Tucson Vintage Motorcycle Riders. Gathering of folks with an interest in vintage/classic motorcycles of all years, makes and models (yes- even scooters) Enjoy great bikes, great food and great beers in the company of kindred spirits. We have no rules, no dues, and no leaders, just a common interest (and a T-shirt) that binds us. Barrio Brewing Company, 800 E 16th St. in Tucson, AZ. For more information please email [email protected] or autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/tucsonvintagemc.

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JANUARY 2011 JANUARY 13-15 LAS VEGAS, NV* 20TH ANNUAL LAS VEGAS MOTORCYCLE AUCTION - World’s Largest -500 Motorcycles! $15 admission; watch our website for updates, www.midamericaauctions.com.

for at the end of the ride. Pre-registration is $25.00 for rider and $30.00 for rider and passenger. If you are interested in riding, being a vendor or just want more information, please call Sandy at 623-587-0139, email Sharon at [email protected] or visit the website at www.azwildlifecenter.net or Facebook at www.facebook.com/azwildlifecenter. MARCH 2011

JANUARY 15 MESA, AZ* STAND UP AND STAND PROUD PRESENTS...SALUTE TO AMERI
CAN VETERANS AND MOTORCYCLE RIDE FOR HOMELESS VETERANS - The event begins at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning, January 15, 2011 and should end approximately 2:00 P.M. January 15, 2011. Registration $10.00. Go to the website for more information on program, bands, music and more... Location: Mesa Market Place, Signal Butte and US 60, Mesa Arizona. Guest speakers and other activities and events in preparation for a Valley wide motorcycle ride on February 4th, 2011 to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum as the community gives back to homeless veterans through Stand Down Arizona, the annual event that provides outreach and support for homeless United States Veterans in the Valley of the Sun. During our event we focus on saluting those who are true American Hero’s and reminding the community to never forget. For more info call Tom Steinhagen at 480.832.2466 or check the web at www.standupandstandproud.org. JANUARY 20 TUCSON, AZ* HARLEY –DAVIDSON of TUCSON and THE HOG PIT SMOKEHOUSE BAR & GRILL Present BIKE NIGHT - Starts at 6:00 pm The Hog Pit Smokehouse Bar & Grill– 6910 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson, AZ. There will be special bike parking (east parking lot), various vendors and plenty of giveaways. Try their Slow and Low smoked BBQ, original BBQ sauces and ribs; all made in-house by Chef John Mertes. Food and bar specials. The Hog Pit/Harley-Davidson Bike Night is the third Thursday of each month. Come early to avoid traffic problems. Free admission. For more info: 520.722.4302 or [email protected]. SEE AD FEBRUARY 2011 FEBRUARY 5 IRVINE / SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA* 3RD ANNUAL DR. JOE CORTESE MEMORIAL MOTORCYCLE POKER RUN - Hosted by The Rotary Club of San Juan Capistrano and CARE, this fun ride begins at the event sponsor location - Orange County Harley-Davidson 8677 Research Dr. in Irvine and ends at the Car Show in San Juan Capistrano. Proceeds fund medications, spay/neuter, emergency surgeries, adopting homeless and abandoned dogs and cats and Rotary charities. 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm. For more info call 949-240-1735; e-mail [email protected] or visit www.capoanimalrescue.com or twitter.com/8thCAReShow. TONOPAH, AZ* TMF’S CHILI LOVERS CHILI RUN - NEW LOCATION! TMF’s 10th Annual Chili Run to be held at the Tin Top Bar & Grill, 37900 W. Salome HWY in Tonopah. The run benefits Michaels Garden (children with special needs). 11:30 am – 4:00 pm. Chili entries $5 per category for more info call Terrye at 623-8265293 by 01/31/2011 Vendor info call Judge at 623—266-7657 by 01/8/2011. Event entry $10 per Adult Children 17 & under free. live music by 9-2-1 Band out of Buckeye AZ. Cash prizes, vendors and more. Portion of Proceeds from the event goes to Michael’s Garden. Hamburgers, hot dogs and cold drinks are available also. For more info call Terrye/Judge at 623.266.7657 or email [email protected]. Come out and have a great time. FEBRUARY 13 FLORENCE, AZ* 28TH ANNUAL FLORENCE PRISON RUN - Ride a Harley, go to Prison. Live Rock N’ Roll, Large Booths, 21 & older (NO MINORS). Run pins to first 1,500 riders. Come on out and show your Red & White Support. Hot, Fun Times and Cool Bikes Charles Withrow Rodeo Grounds 11608 Hwy 79, four miles south of Florence, AZ. Starts at 11:00 am, admission is $20.00. For more info: www.hamc2son.com or Maxx at 520-820-6966. FEBRUARY 20 PHOENIX, AZ* BIKERS SOAR FOR WILDLIFE - The “Biker’s Soar for Wildlife” ride is to benefit the animals at the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center in Phoenix. Registration is 8:00 to 9:30 at Arrowhead Harley-Davidson, Peoria. Come hungry and enjoy a great breakfast from Mi Familia. The ride will end at Pioneer Living History Village where you will enjoy a great lunch, music by Faded Jeans, raffle prizes and special auction gifts. And of course you will get to see some of the animals you are riding

MARCH 19 TUCSON, AZ* TUCSON RED & WHITE SPRING OPENER – Save the date, more info to follow. MARCH 20 CAMARILLO, CA* 8TH ANNUAL ST. PATRICK’S POKER RUN - Event to benefit Ventura Sheriff’s K9 Foundation and Food Share. Terrific prizes, including a new genuine motor scooter donated by Ventura Harley-Davidson. Plus...poker run, entertainment, 50/50 raffle, catered lunch, event pins to first 300, vendors and more! Pre-reg $20 per person, after March 13, $25 per person. Registration form at www.venturahog.com. Event starts at 8:30 am, rain or shine. For more info: Terry Crawford at 805 485-1717. MARCH 25-APRIL 3 SCOTTSDALE, AZ* ARIZONA BIKE WEEK - Pre-rally days run March 25 – 29 Check out all the rides and parties. March 30 – April 3; it’s the biggest party of them all - Cyclefest at WestWorld!! This year we’re celebrating our 15th anniversary. Cyclefest features hundreds of vendors, builders and manufacturers. After the sun sets we really rev it up with nightly, top name concerts in the HandleBar Saloon. Check our website for this year’s line-up at www.azbikeweek.com. Just $40 gets you into all five days of concerts and festivities. For more info: Suzy at 480.644.8191.

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Nov. 13, 2010 • Just east of Ocotillo, CA. — A 10th Anniversary club ride for the Saddletramps MC of Lakeside, CA, eastbound on Highway 98 in Imperial County in clear fall weather was routed to let the 21 people on 12 motorcycles stay off the main highways and on a lesser traveled, more enjoyable route. Sadly it turned out to be the last ride for four of their group, as a still-at-large driver in a Honda Civic tried to pass the staggered formation of bikes without enough distance to safely get by on the two-laner before an oncoming Dodge Avenger would close the gap. Although the Avenger driver swerved onto the shoulder to avoid the passing car coming straight at him, he lost control, went into a 360 and careened back across the road, T-boning the bikes in the middle of the long formation. Lost in the unimaginably violent explosion of bikes, people and a car, were Lance & Amy Heath, Tonya Trayer, and George “Bill” Miller. Five others in the club group were injured—John Lombardo incurred a leg injury; the seriously injured— three still in the hospital—include William & Melanie Barnes and Wilson Trayer. Kelly Halley was hospitalized and has been discharged but faces a long daunting recovery process. The female passenger in the Dodge Avenger died in the collision. Law enforcement is actively seeking the Honda Civic driver who slowed briefly but then sped away towards Calexico as the carnage unleashed behind him. With heavy hearts, surviving families are leaning on each other and their Saddletramps affiliation, with memorials, blood-drives and fund-raisers bringing an outpouring of support from the community in general and the motorcycle world in particular. And in the middle of their own grief, Saddletramps members visited the unfortunate driver of the Dodge Avenger, who was still in the hospital, and offered their condolences and assurances that they do not hold him responsible. Carl Smith, President of the Lakeside Chapter of the Saddletramps MC, was in the lead the day of the tragedy, and starting with CPR on the road right there, has shouldered the aftermath, dealing with media and other concerns for the victims’ families and the Saddletramps MC, looking after their own. *** I had come to know the Saddletramps as a group and some individually, by covering several years of their club events, at their annual camp-outs. A familial group, personable, welcoming and easygoing, yet watchful over one another. As a fellow rider, they welcomed me as one of them. The love of the ride binds them, it’s in their blood. Over 500 attended the Heaths’ memorial, mostly bik-

ers. At the Celebration of Life & fundraiser at Renegade Country bar for all those lost, over 1,500. At the Blood Drive and Family Fund Raiser at San Diego Harley, over 1,500 showed as the event had to extend to a second day to accommodate all the donors. San Diego’s KGB radio filled the airwaves with a live broadcast from the dealership. Plans are already underway - It will become an annual event to commemorate the lives of these lost riders, provide ongoing support for

the families, and give life to others. There were tears, yes. But there were also hugs, and remembering, and looking ahead to the future, to let these four ride on in peace, forever on that desert highway. To learn more visit Facebook/type in “Saddletramps”. You can send donations directly to: The Saddletramps MC • c/o Carl Smith, President 16204 Alpine Blvd. • Alpine, CA 91901

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BY GARY MRAZ

Few probably remember the description of President Ronald Reagan’s economic strategy as “Voodoo Economics” but it may have saved Harley-Davidson from extinction. In 1972, Harley owned 100 percent of the market for motorcycles of 1000cc or higher, a decade later it had less than 15 percent and falling. In 1983 Ronald Reagan levied a stiff 5-year tariff on Japanese motorcycle imports above 750 cc giving the American motorcycle company a temporary reprieve. Fortunately Harley survived and the rest is history. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA hosted a “Born to be Wild” motorcycle exhibit and the fitting ride is on a 2011 Harley Davidson Road Glide Ultra. Navigating the dreaded city freeways is somehow far more tolerable cradled within the Road Glides cockpit. A plush seat and new more aerodynamic windscreen coupled with an 80-watt Harmon Kardon 4-speaker stereo blasting Steppenwolf make the world’s busiest section of tarmac almost enjoyable. The Road Glide Ultra comes fully functional. The lowers offer protection and additional storage and the large tour pack easily two full-face helmets. This motorcycle is truly a touring machine. But, the biggest improvement in the 2011 Road Glide is its power plant. The TC 103 is without a doubt the favorite of Harley aficionados everywhere. The big pushrod-operated V-Twin is the star of the changes differentiating the 2011 Road Glide Ultra and the 2010 Road Glide Custom. The new mill pushes out a claimed 9.6% more torque than the TC 96, achieved in part by upping the bore from 3.75 to 3.875 inches to push max output numbers to a reported 102 lb-ft of torque at 3500 rpm but there’s plenty of pull as low as 2200 rpm. It adds the right amount of gusto

needed to spice up Harley’s touring line. The extra power also adds a richness to the exhaust note coming out of the dual exhausts as H-D switched the Road Glides and the Street Glide back to a 2-12 arrangement for 2011. Connecting to the 101 then to highway 23 the terrain opens up just enough to tease the spirit. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is perched high on a hill overlooking Simi Valley. An expansive facility, it houses the Boeing 707 that served as Air Force One for 7 presidents. This place was privately funded, with no drain on the taxpayers. They host

a variety of permanent and rotating displays. The ‘Born to be Wild’ exhibit is an assemblage of motorcycles displayed in three areas. Celebrity /Movie motorcycles, Vintage Harley Davidson’s and Vintage motorcycles. The Terminator’s original Harley Davidson Fat Boy from T2 is on display and of course the Governator couldn’t resist a photo op on his beloved motorcycle. The Library is also home to a complete replica of the Oval Office (why do I have the feeling “The Gipper” would sit in the big chair while visiting). I rode to the library with two special ladies; El-

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donna is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant with 23 years of honorable military service. She deployed after 911 to the Middle East and retired from Active Duty in 2003. Christina is a United States Marine Corps veteran and career motorcyclist. This was the first visit for both former service personnel and they were very excited to see the history and spectacle of this amazing place. Our favorite permanent installation is the Ronald Reagan Pub. Originally located in Ballyporees Ireland, Ron and Nancy had visited his namesake and when they closed business in 2004 the entire interior wood and bar were donated to The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. They not only set the Pub up below the wing of the 707, the library actually obtained an alcohol license and now serves wine and beer from its original taps. Have one for the Ole Gipper!

The vintage bikes were a pleasure to view but probably a pain to ride. The 2011Road Glide Ultra on the other hand spares no option; this is definitely a long distance cruiser, ready for the long haul. A quick squeeze on the front brake lever and the four-piston fixed Brembo calipers put the bite on dual rotors and the feel of Harley’s brakes continues to improve yearly. Combined with the ABS that comes as part of the PowerPak, the braking system is much more confidence-inspiring than years past. Harley’s done a solid job of keeping its ABS unobtrusive by hiding the components in the wheel hub in an independently controlled set-up. A good stab at the brakes is all it takes to get the ABS to engage and the corresponding foot or hand will experience a pulse letting riders know the system is pumping the brakes faster than humanly possible.

In my opinion this is the best Road Glide yet, the lowers are easily removable as is the tour pack and yes there is still a cigarette lighter, Thank you Mr. Davidson. Highway 118, The Ronald Reagan Highway skirts the mountains and is only 30 miles from beautiful downtown Burbank. This short 275 mile loop is a teaser and picking a compass point and just riding till dawn is very, very tempting. Without a doubt the Road Glide Ultra bequeaths all that is wished and desired for long distance touring. Good job Harley-Davidson. And what about Voodoo Economics? China, Taiwan and Japan to name a few charge high tariffs on the import foreign vehicles, including motorcycles. With stiff international tariffs currently being imposed on American exports by countless countries it seems like a little Voodoo Reaganomics may be just what the witch-doctor ordered right now.

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COME BACK SANTA! Twas the night before Christmas and one thing was clear… That old Yuletide spirit was no longer here. Inflation was rising; the crime rate was tripling; The fuel bills were up, and our mortgage was crippling.

I stood there in silence; I could not believe it! My childhood hero was ready to leave it. The sleigh, the red suit, the presents and all, It seemed sure the hopes of all children would fall.

I opened a beer as I watched the TV, Where Donny sang “Jingle Bells” with Marie. The kids were passed out and slumped over their beds, While visions of bitchin’ dirt bikes danced in their heads.

But then, in my chest, I felt a swelling, a heaving, Didn’t know what to call it, except for, “believing”

When out in the yard came a deafening blare. Twas our burgler alarm, and I hollered, “Who’s there?” I turned on the searchlight, which lit up the night, And armed with my handgun, beheld a strange sight. Some red suited clown with a white beard immense, Was caught in our 8 foot electrified fence. He called out, “I’m Santa! I bring you no malice!” Said I, “If you’re Santa, I’m freakin’ Elvis!” But then, as his presence grew clear to me, I saw in the glare that it might just be he! I called off our Doberman chewing his sleigh, And frisking him twice said, “I think he’s ok.” I led him inside where he slumped in a chair And poured out the following tale of despair; “On Christmas eves past I was jolly and chuckling, But now ‘neath the pressures, I fear I am buckling. “You’ll note that I’ve arrived with no reindeer this year, And without them my sleigh is much harder to steer. Although I would like to continue to use them, The wildlife officials believe I abuse them. To add to my problems, the Mayor dropped by and told me my sleigh was unsafe in the sky. I must now wear a helmet, despite my objections, And bring in the sleigh twice a year for inspections. After that came an I.R.S. audit; The government claimed I was out to defraud it. They finally nailed me for 65 grand Which I paid through the sale of my house and my land. And yet I persist, though it gives me a scare, Flying blind through the blanket of smog in the air. Not to mention the hunters who fill me with dread, Taking shots at my sleigh as I pass overhead. He rose from his chair and he heaved a great sigh, And I couldn’t help notice a tear in his eye. “I’ve tried,” he declared, “To reverse each defeat, But I fear that today I’ve become obsolete.” He slumped out the door and returned to his sleigh, And these last words he spoke as he went on his way: “No longer can I do the job that’s required, If anyone asks, just say, ‘Santa’s retired!’”

I knew that Santa was real, but he needed believing, the way a Holly bush just sometimes needs a weeding OK I’m no darn poet, but of this I can say, I believe my cold heart grew three sizes that day! And I exclaimed with a roar, with a blare, without pause, “Don't worry, Santa, I'll take up your cause! I won’t be the man who let down Santa Claus!I I can help pull your sleigh!" And I threw on my leathers and sprinted away, to the garage where my Ultra Glide Harley did lay, And I threw off the canvas and polished the chrome, Fired up that big engine and said goodbye to my home, And as St. Nick stood there, drinking my beer, I believe I saw a glimmer of that old St. Nick cheer, I shouted, “Hang out Santa, I’ve got cable and pizza, I’ll be back once I’ve rumbled through Nome and Geneva!” And as I rode through the air, that torque pulling with might, I yelled, Harley Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!”

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One Week on the high seas with a bunch of bikers and I have a whole new appreciation for that word “Biker”. Like many of you, I had heard of the High Seas Rally. It was a biker cruise without bikes right? You just wear leather and talk about your bike like it was the lover you left at home to endure a mandatory week’s vacation with your spouse. Boy was I wrong….. After a week with Dean and Debbie Anderson, founders of the High Seas Rally and 1,700 bikers, I now remember what a rally is supposed to be like. When HSR began in 2002, it was in response to the overpriced, undervalued, police filled, commercialize rallies that sprang up during the peak years of the motorcycle craze. After working 70 hours a week for 11 years in their own tool franchise, Dean and Debbie Anderson retired and took on this uncharted adventure. They knew it would be difficult at first to get the world’s largest ships like Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas to accept a bunch of bikers with the stereotyping and profiling that we experience but they worked hard and made it happen. It also helped to have high ranking ship staff members be motorcycle riders. I heard the captain a few years back even participated in the belly smacker contest! Dean is definitely a gear head who owns 11 vehicles from motorcycles to muscle cars to a motor home. He rebuilt his first motorcycle, a 1962 Sears Allstate 250 and has acquired many bikes and cars that he still has including his beloved 2000 Confederate. Debbie was hesitant to ride again after a motor bike accident when she was 9 but overcame her fear and now rides circles around most men on her 1994 Heritage Nostalgia. They are truly riders who put on a kick ass rally not just promoters who ride. The Incredible prizes given away on this cruise might be a big reason why riders keep coming back and they also get to donate to a great cause that allows people with Kidney failure to go on vacation - The Kidney Dialysis Fund. HSR closed the week this year raising an incredible $182,969.00!!! Day 1 – Boarding the Ship -HSR guest were personally greeted by Dean or Debbie with gifts to start their experience off right. An HSR backpack bag for day trips, a leather portfolio, a cool pin and patch. Each guest also gets a personalized name plate for their cabin door and just like the class act that they are, Dean and Debbie welcomed every guest with a bottle of champagne in their cabin. The greeting time is the beginning of an annual reunion for the veterans of this event. Some have made it a tradition and come from all over the world. We saw familiar faces and some unrecognizable that were already in their Halloween costumes. That night there was a costume party that had me wondering how people fit these elaborate costumes in their luggage. Some were over the top like Shower lady with Norman Bates stabbing her, a Three headed monster, 7 girls KISS Band and so many more.

Day 2 – Coco Cay, Bahamas.

Since Labadee, Haiti was threatened by Hurricane Tomas, the captain consulted with Dean and Debbie on the course of action. They decided to forego Labadee, for the gorgeous white sand island of Cocoa Cay, Bahamas. The clear blue lagoon had a depth of 5-6 feet and was sur-

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rounded by rocks which made for incredible snorkeling. There were plenty of opportunities to buy 50/50 and cabin raffle tickets and there was a t-shirt swap. Back on the ship was the Treasured Chest Contest. Lovely wenches dressed up to raise money for The Kidney Dialysis Foundation. Over $2,000 was raised in about 20 minutes This was the first general reception for the High Seas Rally Crew and the nightly theme was filled with a sea of Peace signs, tie dye and bell bottoms for 60’s, 70’s and 80’s night. The nightly giveaway event followed with Roy Riley, Master of Ceremonies and a hysterical comedian introducing the special guests on board A NASCAR Driver, a WWF Woman Champion, World Record holding Motocross Kids and our hosts Debbie and Dean. We watched a presentation of how this rally started and their unbelievable support for the Kidney Dialysis Fund. The “Virgins” wearing the orange bracelets like us made up about 60% of the audience. The rest were on their 2nd-8th voyage and several hundred had not missed one yet. They recognized the 16 Kidney Dialysis recipients who brought the room to tears with their gratitude. HSR brings 16 bikers onboard every year that are on Kidney dialysis machines. Since they are unable to travel, they bring the dialysis machines and medical staff onboard for their treatments, give each of them a Balcony Suite, pay for their airfare and give them $400 to spend during the week for FREE. They spent $100,000 getting the equipment, nurses and the patients on board this year. HSR raffled off several of the 33 cabins they were to give away that week and Largest Riding group prizes. Three Riding Groups who brought the most members split $6,000 with the #1 riding club, S.Nevada HOG, that won $3,000 donating it back to the Kidney Dialysis Fund. Many Vendor Prizes were also given out that night. A large part of this trip is the Vendor Village. 18-20 Vendors are handpicked, given a balcony suite with food and Vendor area in exchange for $5,000 - $15,000 in prizes each to give away. This year’s vendors included Kuryakyn, Lehman Trikes, Scott Jacobs, Motor Marc, Performance Machine, Ultimate Seats, Condor Trailers, Medallion Gages, SteveSoffa.com (Hardcore Watches) Skull Jewels, Nolan Helmets, Rivco Products, The Leather Lady and more gave away almost $150,000 in prizes. Attendees have the opportunity to see the latest in new products from these manufacturers and go to tech seminars.

DAY 3 – AT SEA - Belly Smacker Contest and Biker Leather Formal Night The Belly Smacker Contest is so popular that it’s watched by the entire ship! These people are diehards and get all black and blue for a $500 prize and a medal. One guy was 67 years old and plans to do it until he’s in his 70’s. If you’ve been on a cruise before, you know that Formal Night means Tux or Suit and Formal Dresses. In perfect Biker style, all Dressed in Leather.

Day 4- Ocho Rios, Jamaica Party, Party Mon – Jamaica and Cozumel are the party ports and a picture speaks a thousand words! Some people went to Dunns River Falls and other hot spots as well but everyone stopped at Jimmy Buffets to get their poker walk card. The Tattoo Contest was held that night which was very competitive and difficult to judge because they were all so impressive. HSR also awards $50 for each HSR tattoo that people have with a maximum of 10. A limit they had to set a few years back because of one man, Dave Henry who covered his body in HSR tattoos. Not just a tat lover, he wanted to show support for the dialysis program. This year, Steve Soffa.com- Hardcore Watches donated a custom handcrafted timepiece to the overall winner Craig, of his very own tattoo. What a priceless memoir from an incredible trip! Steve also just designed the winning watch for this year’s World Series of Poker Tournament.

Day 5- Grand Cayman – What a great day! This is the best place to Snorkel and Scuba Dive! Some of us tried SeaTrek, a modern dive helmet developed for novices to enjoy the undersea beauty. On board the ship, the Vendor Village was open again. Great products from these folks like Condor with their new “Tramp” A trailer and a ramp. Medallion with their new custom gauges and Kuryakyn with their Perfect Storm. The incredible art of MotorMarc and Scott Jacobs who’s works you will often find adorning the covers of Quick Throttle Magazine. This was followed by a moving Veterans Tribute. Very few dry eyes in the theater on this night.

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DAY 6- Cozumel, Mexico – Si Senor Frogs. Carlos and Charlie’s and Jimmy Buffets were both Poker Walk stops. HSR arranges for a all you can drink specials at these places which can be dangerous. The rumor was that our ship left some of our people behind but in fact, it was other cruise attendees that couldn’t hold their alcohol. “Cause there’s a little Pirate in every Bikerrr” ARRGH This is the HSR moto and that slogan is even on their event shirts. So, a Pirate themed Mutiny night was in order and people went all out again. A few of the last events were the Topless Man Contest and Biker Bingo

Day 7 – Day at Sea Their final Auction was a huge money maker for the Kidney Dialysis Fund. All the events HSR banners were auctioned off for between $2,00-$4,000 each. The banner that made the most was autographed by 8 NASCAR drivers and donated by Geoff Bodine who was a guest of the HSR event. Jeff also personally donated 4 pit passes to any race next year which raised another $3,000 for the fund. Some other items for auction were handmade jewelry, a huge crocheted flag and a few quilts. One was special enough that it raised $4,000. Ken and Judy Inhoff from Sussex, WI were one of 16 recipients of the HSR trip from the Kidney Dialysis fund. They saw this as opportunity to give back to the foundation that allowed them to come on this incredible adventure. So, they bought the commemorative HSR quilt for $4,000. Over $40,000 was raised in under an hour with just that auction making the total donation to Kidney Dialysis $182,969.00. That puts HSR over the $1 Million mark in just 12 cruises. Big contributors to that are Paul & Audrey Ribarich from the Desert Pirates out of Phoenix, AZ who donate $10,000 each year. In 7 years they have donated $70K from Paul’s mothers Trust. His Dad died of Kidney Failure and they knew The Kidney Dialysis Foundation, where they could see the immediate results of their donation, was the perfect recipient. Their friends Kevin & Debbie Nicholas along with 20 other members joined them this year. There are very few events where the promoters can raise so much money yet give out event more in cash and prizes. All in all, there were over $344,000 in prizes given away. 50/50 cash giveaway -6 people split $35,665 Poker Walk cash winners -6 people split $9,670 Pirate Biker Bingo -5 cash winners split $15,070 Largest groups- 3 groups split $6,000 cash Tattoo Contest payout - $2,375 cash Early Bird pay off cabin giveaway $2,500 cabin credit Vendor prize giveaways (391) value $122,412 Cabin raffle winners - $2,500 to each (33) winners $82,500 Lehman Trike raffle winner $30,000 Lehmans’ beautiful yellow and red trike was won by Tony & Annette Campbell from SneadsFerry, NC.

2010 Grand Prize Giveaway 2009 HD Road Glide $38,000 with a Razor Paint Job and Kuryakyn Chrome Accessories went to Lady Luck - Wendy Ellis from Lincolnton, NC The level of commitment by Dean and Debbie Anderson is one without limits. A few years back when Dean fell on stage and broke both his legs on a High Seas Rally trip, some might have called that their maiden voyage but Dean and Debbie were even more dedicated to the goal of chartering an entire ship to raise more money for the Kidney Dialysis Fund. In their 8th year, Debbie and Dean have this down to a science. You can tell just how much they are beloved by looking at the hour long receiving line they had on the last night. Just like at a wedding where everyone wants to thank the bride and groom, their farewell was filled with hugs and good wishes until next year in Alaska. See more on the HSR and over 1,100 photos on www.quickthrottle.com – “R” Rated in our Gallery. Hope to see you in Alaska.

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Story by Ray Seidel • Photos by Scott Jacobs & Ray Seidel In September a pack of antique motorcycles made a journey of 3,294 miles over a 2-week period, from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to the Santa Monica pier in California. I hooked up with them during the final stops along historic Route 66, as they rolled into Victorville Harley-Davidson. The first rider I meet is Joe Gardella on a 1914 twin, single speed Harley “Silent Grey Fellow” I ask if the bike met his expectations. “Absolutely, exceeded them. Magneto failed about a week and a half ago, but other than the magneto it’s been working like a charm.” I chat with Monty Montoya from Albuquerque New Mexico who has been helping with this ride. “Awesome ride over the mountain. Joe has that twin cylinder one-speed – he doesn’t shift, it’s either this or that. They can get 60 on the flat or downhill. Going uphill they have a little bit of a hard time. There are times we’re down to 30 – it’s pretty tough. It’s all about momentum. Every time you go down you’ve got to get momentum to go back up the next hill. I’ve been shadowing one of the teams – sort of a buffer for these guys because every gas station that we come into people want to ask questions. So I answer the questions and talk for them while they’re doing maintenance – because every gas stop, and about every

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30 – 40 miles we have to stop, dump old oil out, put new oil in, play with the spark plugs, the magneto, whatever is needed to be done. They can require a LOT of maintenance.” That night they head for the Victorville Quality Inn. “They’ll be changing tires, doing all kinds of maintenance, maybe even a couple of engine rebuilds – there were two of them being rebuilt last night. Every night they’re working till 11, 12, 1:00 o’clock in the morning, or later to get the bike ready for the next morning. #22 – a 1915 Harley Davidson, rebuilt the engine about three times on the ride. You have to keep the same engine or you get docked points.” “If you’re not losing oil, you don’t have any oil” I recall bikes of this period were total-loss oil systems. One bike sitting on its stand is spewing oil below it. “There’s probably at least a thousand gallons of oil across the country.” Monty continues his recap. “This situation will probably never happen again, riding these old bikes across country. One of the curators for the Harley-Davidson museum is riding a board racer, and he didn’t think he’d get this far on that bike. There are two ladies on the ride – one of them is riding a ’14 Harley, she is the wife of Pat Simmons of the Dooby Brothers, probably in 14th or 15th place at the moment. The other lady is a German – there’s a German couple involved, and they’re on a one cylinder bike.

A one cylinder, one speed bike. She broke down a few days ago – they got it running. She’ll be coming in late – she’s done over 12 hours every day. She’s riding a JAP bike, some kind of a British bike. It’s a pretty impressive situation, her riding that motorcycle.” I catch up to Doug Rykel – riding a 1914 POPE single cylinder, single speed. How’s it holding up? It’s holding up pretty well. As you can see there’s a lot of little repairs here and there – a couple of pieced of bailing wire and some clamps, some beer cans, and whatever else needs to keep her going – but it’s going, it’s a good running old bike. It’s a 1914 – this is what they call the big belt single overhead – it’s a 125cc – it really rolls along with the big twins. It’s a fantastic old bike. What kind of mileage does it get? It seems to me we’re getting 35-40-45 miles per gallon. Depending on how hard we run it. This bike will actually run all day long at 50 mph, whereas most of the singles are doing 35. Is this total loss oil? This is total loss oil. We use 50 weight. We didn’t change to 60 weight in the desert. We could have but we didn’t. It’s been running good on 50. We had a problem – we burned a hole through the oil tank. Anybody use synthetic? I don’t know if anybody is using synthetic. We’re using 50 Valvoline or Harley oil.

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How are you stocked up on parts? We actually broke some component in the rear wheel- we robbed a hub off a ’14 YALE and we adapted it over 3 hours on the Navajo reservation. Next I go talk to Jim Petty riding a 1915 Indian V-twin, 3-speed. Sponsored by the Charlotte Indian dealer. “It’s been plenty of fun, beautiful scenery. Maintenance of the bike is probably the killer. Riding is the easy part really. It hasn’t bothered me one bit, riding 8 hours a day.” What kind of average speed? I’ve been running 46-48. Just a comfortable speed, and I think it conserves the bike – it’s a good cruising speed. I can push more than that, but for me it’s good to run it between 46 – 48. It could get close to 60 if I had to open it up. [He has a couple of bicycle speedometers that work pretty well and are accurate.] Using regular? Actually, yeah, that’s what I normally use, but I switched over to high test here recently, and the bike’s been running good, so I don’t know if it makes any difference or not – it holds 2 gallons – it’s probably the cheapest thing to cross the country on. I get between 40 to 45 mpg. What has been repaired so far? We broke a valve – then broke a valve guide. Those were a couple of things that were hard to come by.

It’s been one of the more reliable Indians in the group, really. Did you do a practice run first? Yeah, I took it down to Daytona Beach first part of the year and that was fun – riding down by the beach. The owner of the dealership had a new bike, so he and I would cruise down the boulevard on my bike and his bike – that was pretty fun. At the Sunday finish in Santa Monica, I talk to Laura Klock, helper for rider Cristine Sommers-Simmons’ TEAM EFFIE, riding a 1915 Harley, 3-speed twin. “We just made sure the bike was running every night – we do maintenance, tighten all the chains, change the oil, check tire pressure, all that. We got involved with the other riders too, which was awesome. We really learned a lot. There are a lot of great people, and we had a blast. We were in 40th place yesterday, so hopefully we’re still in the top 40 today. [They were #20]. How’d they find out about the event? “We’re all Motormaids – it’s a woman’s motorcycle group, the oldest actually, started in 1941, with 1200 of them across the US and Canada. When the idea came up to do it, it was decided on an all-woman crew since she’s the only American woman in the cannonball. The team is named Team Effie after Effie Hotchkiss who 95 years ago this year was the first woman, or man, to ride a 1915

Harley Davidson coast to coast. She got some water from the Atlantic Ocean and dumped it in the Pacific, and we’re doing the same thing.” The other woman rider was Katrin Boehner, coming in #17 overall, on her 1907 JAP. (Wearing black). “It was easier than I expected. I didn’t expect the bike could go so far. I didn’t have any serious breakdowns. One day we could not get it going in the morning and we didn’t know why. Nothing was wrong. Later we found out it was probably a combination of poor quality gas and high altitude. It was about 1:00 o’clock at night, and we were sitting in front of the bike, and thinking ”What’s wrong? Why? WHY?” She came in first in class. WINNERS WERE: Class 1: Single Cylinder, Single Speed - Katrin Boehner, 1907 JAP Class 2: Twin Cylinder, Single Speed – Bradford Wilmath, 1913 Excelsior Class 3: Multi-Cylinder, Multi- Speed – Rick McMaken, 1915 Harley Davidson. The race will eventually be seen on The Discovery Channel.

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BY RANDY TWELLS • PHOTOS BY RT & CONTRIBUTORS
SEE END OF ARTICLE Touring the Great West—a dream of a road trip— Ride a Harley through God’s country for four days, and tell the world about it. Diane Norton of the Idaho Division of Tourism being a rider herself, decided to bring ten international women moto-journalists to ride the Yellowstone-Grand Teton Loop. A ride here can be a girlfriend getaway, or a mixed group, or your own solo adventure, even the trip of a lifetime. The Grand Teton-Yellowstone Loop goes through three states: Idaho, Wyoming and a small section of Montana. You can plan your trip as this one was, using the Top Ten Scenic Drives in the Northern Rockies Adventure Map, Teton Valley Idaho Guide, Idaho Official State Travel Guide, Taking the Scenic Route (Idaho’s Scenic Byways), National Park Service guidebooks (“Yellowstone” and “Grand Teton” for instance). Special “Top Ten” & “Scenic Byway” signposts along the way at roadside match up with your maps to point the way. We rode brand new 2011 Harley-Davidsons brought here by the Motor Company just for us—but you can rent up to 12 Harleys at a time for a group, at Chester’s Grand Teton Harley-Davidson. Starting at Hilton Garden Inn, Idaho Falls, ID—checked in for our first night, went to Museum and Chester’s H-D. From here we rode about 400 miles over four days—through Teton Pass, Jackson Hole, WY, up through Grand Teton National Park and into Yellowstone National Park overnighting at Grant Village. Then through Targhee Pass, to Island Park, ID, through Mesa Falls and our final night at Teton Valley/Victor, ID , and back to Idaho Falls to catch our flights home. But on our first night, we saw the sights in Idaho Falls—Reception at Museum of Idaho, Idaho Falls, ID—Our hosts provided hors d’oeuvres and a guided tour— The exhibit we saw, “Wolf to Woof: the Story of Dogs” showed the development of (wo)man’s best friend. The Museum which has local area historical artifacts is also on the cusp of receiving on loan the fantastic exhibit, “Bodies… the Exhibit”, a big score to be sure. Meantime visitors can check out the “Decoding DaVinci” exhibit. In a community of 53,000 people the Museum racks up over 140,000 visitors a year! Pretty impressive for a town that is not a major metropolitan center. As David Pennock the Museum Director pointed out however, along with long-distance travelers who visit on their way to other areas such as Yellowstone, the people from the region itself are grateful for this wonderful resource; 15,000 school children visit yearly from 19 surrounding counties. That evening was a party at Chester’s Grand Teton Harley-Davidson. Wood plank floors taken from a 100-year-old building are the backdrop to the here-and-now chrome horses that wait here for new owners. Freshly grilled sliders and fixin’s and a live band topped off the fun. Then just two blocks away back at the Hilton in the guest lounge we talked over our route over refreshments and made more plans for the days to come. Getting on the Road!—In the morning we got on our Harleys—with me on a flameenhanced bumble-bee yellow Wide Glide—and headed out with Amanda Lee from the Motor Company, and Diane Norton leading the way. Our New Best Friend Alan Barsi, H-D Fleet Mgr., followed in his dually for bike support, and Diane’s assistant Nancy Richardson took our luggage in her van so we could focus on the ride and bring you the story and pictures. Teton Pass—Riding east from the Idaho Falls area on Route 20, shortcutting up Hwy. 31 and turning southeast on Hwy. 22 at Victor, we then rode the curving forest highway up through Teton Pass, stopping at the 8,431-foot summit to check out the view of Wyoming and take a few photos. Snow covered the mountainsides in places at this elevation; yet the roads were snow-free and dry all the way for our whole trip.

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Lunch in Jackson Hole, WY—Down the other side of the Tetons, we stopped in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for lunch hosted by the Jackson Hole Chamber, at Billy Burgers and the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. Across the street was the city park with arches made of elk antlers (stacked and entwined with nothing else holding them together) to welcome visitors. Jackson Hole bills itself as the “Last of the Old West” and has an Old West Days event during May each year. Entering Grand Teton National Park—Continuing north on US Hwy. 89, we stopped at a photo opp viewpoint; in the distance to our left looking west stood the jagged Grand Tetons, majestic in snow-capped splendor. On to Yellowstone National Park/Grant Village Hotel—After stopping for a photo opp at the Yellowstone National Park sign we rode along the River through the park to Grant Village Hotel, our stay here hosted by Xanterra Parks & Resorts. We left our ponies in the parking lot and located our rooms in these quiet natural surroundings. Shuttle bus park tour—with our guide John Akers; in this one afternoon he took us from turnout views to see bison and a bear right there in the field, to mudpot formations, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the famed 308-foot-drop of Yellowstone Falls made famous over a century ago by renowned artist Thomas Moran. As we rode along John explained how geysers and mudpots form and the history of these places. John explained that the road is built on the most stable ground possible through the park, steam coming from unseen crevices all over; but also the one new geothermal formation a few feet wide that actually came up under the road over a year ago, forcing crews to fence it off and divert traffic around it. Wolves live here too although unseen by most visitors. These indigenous creatures had been hunted out of the park, were reintroduced in 1994 and their descendents now number about 300. Dinner at historic Lake Yellowstone Hotel—John joined us for our Xanterra/Wyoming Tourism-hosted gourmet dinner. As we arrived, a small herd of bison was crossing the grounds; with no fences, range animals can wander everywhere, as they did here. Inside, the casually elegant Victorian-influenced 100-year-old lodge has beautiful pale plaster walls, huge picture windows at every turn that look out on the lake, and ornate architectural treatments, a historical treasure to behold. The beautiful plank floors in the grand hall where stagecoach travelers once dined, now echoed motorcycle boots, the notes of the grand piano and tinkling glassware as the conversation flew over dinner. Old Faithful Geyser Basin—In the morning after a nice breakfast in the sunlit Café just down the path among the pines from our rooms, we pack up and get on the road again, on Hwy 89 over the Continental Divide, Craig Pass and to Old Faithful Geyser Basin, to see Old Faithful erupt on its 90-minute schedule, and enjoy lunch at one of five deli/grille/dining spots right there. I walked over to the beautiful Visitors Center to see the displays/dioramas that show the geothermal and natural history of this area, and how geysers form. It also has a store, a theater showing educational presentations, a ranger desk and plenty of info brochures and maps. Explorers with the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition in 1870 entered the Basin and named Old Faithful, after they stayed long enough in the area to note its regular eruption schedule. There is also a one mile square hiking trail in the Basin, where you can see Morning Glory Pool so named for its appearance like the flower, only bigger. Most of the park’s geysers are located in Geyser Basin, and Yellowstone has nearly 60% of all the geysers on planet earth. The Old Faithful Inn has been putting up overnight guests right there within sight of Old Faithful the geyser, for over 100 years. As I looked up from the lower lobby area into the atrium style structure overhead, I thought, “Lord of the Rings”. The dark rustic natural knob log beams, supports and multitudinous structural intricacies, became the standard for what is called “parkitecture” building style. Wildlife Viewing – Once again on the road, we pointed our Harleys up US Hwy 89 again past more huge formation fields venting water and blowing steam. The landscape is wild, ungroomed, in its natural state. Sun shining down on vivid green meadows, opening to one valley after another following the river. Far off in the valley we see elk and bison so we stop at a roadside turnout to get a better look, and the bison actually came up onto the road and walked past us, then up into the forest across the road. We carefully took pictures, keeping in mind these are very large wild animals, with unpredictable behavior. Back To Idaho—Island Park—Heading west again on US Hwy. 20 through the town of West Yellowstone, MT, Targhee Pass and another Continental Divide crossing, we finally re-enter Idaho, rolling south into Island Park, that sits in the world’s largest caldera, 23 miles in diameter, created from a volcano that collapsed in prehistoric times, now overgrown with pine forest.

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Overnight at The Pines Resort Cabins in Island Park— a cluster of about a dozen two-story natural log homes, each is secluded in its own little piece of Targhee National Forest. With rustic luxury and all modern amenities plus hot tubs on the decks to boot, we were happy to unwind with some relaxing ‘beverages’, and let the rest of the afternoon slip away til dinner. Up front was the Lodgepole Grill where we enjoyed dinner with Island Park’s Mayor, Tom Jewell who filled us in on the area. Besides being a fishing and hunting paradise, Island Park has the ‘Longest Main Street in America” at 33 miles. Our hosts at The Pines cooked a wonderful homestyle meal for us of beef pot roast and of course, Idaho potatoes and vegetables. After good food and conversation, the night was restful and quiet as we slumbered later in big plush rustic beds, here in the middle of Targhee National Forest. In the morning, a gourmet waffle breakfast courtesy of our Pines hosts got us back on the road. Mesa Falls Scenic Byway— along the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. The road in is curvy and fun, and parking is in a big nicely paved lot. We took the walkway past the visitor center there, a restored two-story log structure with a covered veranda built around 1910, that has been used as a company office, a hotel/inn and dance hall, and is now a visitors center with a photo display of the building’s history and artifacts and specimens from the area. There are two falls, Upper and Lower, we went to Upper Mesa Falls, which drops 114 feet and is 200 feet wide. Not widely known outside Idaho, it’s a beautiful natural spot undeveloped and unspoiled. A rainbow hovers over the mist, and the sun glances off the water like it’s hammered metal. The only manmade intrusion is a walkway with railings and a vantage point right at the edge of the cliff, where you can get great photos in all directions up and down the river and of the falls. Overnight at Teton Springs Lodge & Spa, Victor, ID—Riding through rolling farmland and under huge skies back around the Idaho side of the Grand Tetons again, and almost in their shadow, we arrived at this posh oasis that blows you away with sheer luxury, yet you are out in the middle of God’s country. With a salt water pool, relaxation rooms, a salon, hot tubs and massage therapy to die for, and full gourmet kitchens in every sumptuous suite, I felt like the Queen here. The bed was like being carried in a cloud. The hotel is in a private community with luxury homes on large properties, Headwaters Golf Club and natural open surroundings. Dinner at Linn Canyon Ranch— A vintage ranch house with huge trees, a sheltering covered veranda and a big ranch kitchen where our feast was prepared. Teton Springs GM Jeff Naylor and Teton Valley Chamber President Reid Rogers hosted us. We learned that National Geographic is sponsoring Teton Valley Chamber as the first Geotourism Center, recognizing their work in making this area a Sustainable Destination, preserving the area’s resources for future generations. A simple crackling bonfire in the yard later put the final touch on our evening. Back at Teton Springs Lodge our driver for dinner, Tyler Barham, gave us a special song session singing his “Tennessee Girl” YouTube hit; look for it on the country charts. If this Florence, MT native is still working at Teton Springs when you stay there, look him up —You never know who you will meet on a road trip! Back to Idaho Falls— We rode back along US Hwy 26 and the Snake River again to the Hilton where we had started out, to say ‘goodbye til next time’ to our friends both old and new, and catch our planes back to our hometowns. I put up my borrowed yellowjacket Wide Glide, and we all took more pictures. Of each other, the namesake Falls right behind the hotel, and our clutch of Harleys that carried us hundreds of miles for four wonderful days. Along the way I made new friends, and met many people who either have lived in or visited the same places as I have. Yes, it’s a big world and yet a small world, even on the Yellowstone- Grand Teton Loop. Look for ride video at www.quickthrottle.com ; For tour info go to www.visitidaho.org *Additional photos by: Diane Norton, Nancy Richardson, Alan Barsi, Michelle Baird, Xanterra Parks & Resorts.

Memories of a Honeymoon Road Trip, the Great West, June 1949. “Sometimes following a new road, takes you down… an old one too.” As I rode through Yellowstone and stood watching Old Faithful blowing boiling water skyhigh, I recalled black & white pictures my Dad would show me, from the honeymoon road trip he took with my Mom in his prized 1947 Buick, in June 1949. In Yellowstone, pictures of a bear in the field, a bird on the car fender as he drove, and my Mom sitting on a log watching Old Faithful erupting. When I returned home, I dug out the box searching for them….And there she was, her face turned to Old Faithful, as Dad’s camera recorded the event. Now I understood why he treasured these pictures, especially once they were some of the few things he had left to remember her by. The memories. Now for me to treasure, as I stood where they stood, and took that old road back in time. —RT

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The Price of a Patch – In North Las Vegas By TigerLily In our May 2010 magazine, Robert Sweeney captured bullish behavior of law enforcers towards motorcyclists. His article titled, “A Sinister Easter,” covered the 10th anniversary celebration of one of our long-time, North Las Vegas partners, Sinister Cycles. On the heels of that report, QuickThrottle Magazine learned about a motorcycle club named Downaz Ridaz, that was raided in North Las Vegas. Downaz Ridaz is a sport bike club that originated in Los Angeles with chapters in San Diego and Las Vegas. Coincidentally, members of this club had supported Sinister Cycle’s event. Club member, Paul Lemoine, contacted us in late April to report an incident that outraged local motorcycle activist groups such as ABATE, BOLT, COC, and U.S. Defenders. QuickThrottle was cautious to report the allegations of abuse of law enforcers until we investigated. The story is legit. On April 29, 2010, QuickThrottle Magazine received the first of a series of emails with the subject “A Very Concerning Situation,” by Paul Lemoine. (Edited for brevity and clarity.) “This weekend should have been a time for celebration for Downaz Ridaz, M.C., as we had planned to commemorate our first year anniversary of our Las Vegas Chapter. Instead, it was filled with chaos and confusion for members and guests. Prior to the party, our club leaders took extra steps to ensure compliance of all the City’s rules and ordinances. We were assured by a North Las Vegas City official that alcohol was allowed for consumption at the party as long as it was not being sold. We used flyers to promote our free “casino-theme” anniversary celebration to the motorcycling community. We offered complimentary drinks and homemade food to our guests. At 9:30 that kick-off Friday night, some 25 uniformed and undercover officers swarmed the gathering, ordered our guests to leave, and announced, “The party is over!” These officers were from the North Las Vegas Police Department’s gang unit, S.W.A.T., the Business License Division, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board. At the time of the raid, another club member and I were

directing traffic for the arriving guests. The two of us were handcuffed and much later charged with “working without a valid work card.” Several other members were also placed into custody while officers confiscated and disposed of all the food and drinks. Club members were cuffed and detained inside for three hours while officers issued citations. A few doors down, a man who stepped out of his business to see what was going on, was also placed into custody for having an “open container.” He was drinking a Coca-Cola with ice in a plastic cup. Gaming Control found no evidence of gambling. After hours of questioning, those of us that were handcuffed were loaded into the back seats of patrol cars. No Miranda rights were given and none of us were told why we were being arrested. As officers were beginning to leave the property, a motorcyclist entered the parking lot. As he approached, a hooded undercover officer – who did not identify himself to the rider – stepped into the rider’s path and ordered him to stop. The rider swerved to avoid hitting the hooded man, and as the rider passed, the officer withdrew his handgun. With the rider still in motion, the officer reached out and grabbed him by the shirt, jerking him off his bike and onto the ground. Several other officers rushed to assist the hooded officer subdue the stunned and potentially injured rider while repeating the order to, “Stop resisting!” I witnessed the entire scene from about a 20-foot distance and could not believe what I was seeing. I heard the undercover cop joke afterward when he said he was glad he didn’t shoot him, or they [the cops] would have been stuck there doing paperwork all night. Seven of us were placed into custody and by 1:00 a.m. we were transported to the North Las Vegas Detention Center. A bondsman was contacted and by 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning, bail was arranged for most of us. However, bond could not be posted because our files kept being shuffled to the bottom of the stack each time a jail administrator got to them. Our friends and family called throughout the night, only to be given conflicting information. No one would tell us why we were arrested and how long we would be detained. By 4:30 p.m. Saturday, we were finally officially booked, and bond was posted. Most of us were released at approximately 6:30 a.m., Sunday morning. That’s when we discovered that we were being charged with violations ranging from “working without valid work permits,” to “operating a business without a license.” Fines

total into the tens of thousands. To add insult to injury, policies at the North Las Vegas Detention Center require that confiscated monies be returned in the form of pre-paid credit cards which carry extremely high fees and make recovery of cash difficult. The effects of these detainments have caused many hardships and jeopardized peoples’ jobs. The club is currently being advised by legal counsel. North Las Vegas has made it clear to the motorcycling community that bikers are not welcome. They may be harassed, followed, put under surveillance, jailed without reasonable cause, and held for the maximum amount of time before being charged. If you wear a patch, you’re a target! What happened to my club – a family club – was a violation of our civil rights. Please consider publishing our story in your magazine, as I believe these events represent a potential nightmare for any organized motorcycle group.” Paul’s report to us is well corroborated by in-depth interviews with witnesses, contact with one of the defense attorneys, online North Las Vegas Municipal Court records, and journalist observations of court proceedings. The rider that was jerked off his motorcycle by a hooded cop was the only person charged with a felony – attempted murder of a police officer by using a deadly weapon. He ultimately pled down to a DUI and served 30 days in jail. An interview with this person was not obtained, but there was no indication in any of the online documentation or witness accounts that his alcohol level was tested. Paul’s original charge, “working without a valid work card” was reduced to “impeding traffic.” His case went through four court proceedings from May 17 to September 29th. Total fees and fines were $562, and he paid his attorney $500 to represent him. The club secretary was charged with six misdemeanors: failure to obtain (1) special event permit; (2) liquor permit; (3) food permit; (4) health permit; (5) advertising within city limits without a city business license; and (6) employing person without a valid work card. Total fines: $6,322. The club president had virtually similar charges so the two teamed up to retain the services of defense attorney, Patrick McDonald. McDonald defended the president, the secretary, and a third club-member. About that third

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member, McDonald explained that “the charge against him was dismissed because his conduct had clearly not violated any of the provisions of the North Las Vegas Municipal Code.” As to the club president and secretary, McDonald stated “Some of the alleged conduct did not violate the North Las Vegas Municipal Code. Other alleged conduct may have violated the Municipal Code. Consequently a plea bargain was entered into – between the clients and the City of North Las Vegas – that benefited both the clients and the City of North Las Vegas.” The secretary took a plea bargain to lower the first four charges to “jaywalking,” and the fifth and sixth charges were dismissed. Each jaywalking fine was $200 and the court added fees totaling $448. The club president had the exact same outcome. The cost to put these two cases to rest was $4,796 - including the $1,500 attorney fees. It took seven months to resolve, six court appearances, time lost from work, and lives put on hold. Any violation of the rules of court would have resulted in an arrest warrant. According to McDonald, these defendants had no right to a court-appointed attorney because “the North Las Vegas City Attorney’s Office was not seeking jail sentences as part of any sentence on a conviction.” So by lawyering-up, the club president and secretary saved over $10,000, combined. But more digging revealed more details. The cases involving the club president, secretary, and Paul, were all heard by Judge Warren VanLandschoot, elected by the people of North Las Vegas. This judge is not an attorney. Rather, according to his official online bio, VanLandschoot “served 28 years with the North Las Vegas Police Department.” Does VanLandschoot express any anti-motorcyclist or pro-North Las Vegas PD bias in his courtroom? Consider this: No recordings of any kind are allowed in this courthouse. The public is not allowed to bring any electronic devices - no cell phones, no audio or video recorders. According to a court clerk, the North Las Vegas Municipal Court “is not a court of record.” That means that the court does not have any sort of transcript, audio, or video recordings of any proceedings. Therefore, how could anyone prove if judge bias or misconduct existed? To whom would a citizen appeal for justice? Facts: You have ten calendar days to make notification to appeal your case to the district court level;

you must pay any fine before or during your appeal process – not after; and, you start over with a brand new arraignment, judge, pretrial, and trial. Is the power of the North Las Vegas judicial system balanced in favor of justice or corruption? QuickThrottle Magazine is investigating yet another motorcycle-related case in Judge VanLandschoot’s court. Did the justice system fail these motorcycle enthusiasts? Who will be targeted next? Although Paul remains good friends with members of the club, he recently made a decision to no longer wear his patch. He said, “I am looking forward to leaving this city for good one day. There are still areas of this country where I can ride a motorcycle and wear a leather vest without the threat of being labeled a criminal.” Paul is expressing frustration and exhaustion. Despite the difficulty of his personal predicament, he cared enough to warn fellow motorcyclists by exposing North Las Vegas. Paul Lemoine is an American patriot and hero and he deserves our gratitude for shedding light on “A Very Concerning Situation.” Special thanks to Taz, Dave, Renegade, and Bones – local community motorcycle activism leaders. Each played key roles in this investigation.

Hey QT, Is it just me or has Sons of Anarchy lost what made it so good during Seasons 1 and 2? I will admit, I only watch it on Hulu, so I have only seen episodes 1, 2 and 3 (of season 3) maybe 4, 5 and 6 have been better. But so far I have seen too much about baby kidnappings, senile fathers and not enough action. Please tell me it gets better after the 3rd episode... Jeff Santa Barbara

Response from Ray Seidel, our official SOA Correspondent In Season 3 the world of the Sons of Anarchy is an eye opener for the Club in general and Jax in particular, as well as the viewer, in revealing what goes on in the Club outside the formerly tranquil town of Charming. With the abduction of Abel storyline, has this third season taken the series down a dead-end road, or a broader detour that expands on the mythology of the series? The jury seems split on the direction Kurt Sutter has steered this time out, but from his perspective this was the time to get out more of the back-story of who John Teller was, how Gemma joined a motorcycle club, and the broader strokes of Jax’s changing World View. Kurt is well aware of this split in viewer reaction, but insists this all will come together and lay the foundation for the following seasons, and is preferable than simply reheating the same old dishes that have already been served. So, has this paid off? Remember, what is 13 weeks for the viewer is less than a week for the characters. Indeed, only 3 or 4 weeks have passed for them since season 2. But for the many viewers (myself included) the hunt for Abel seems to have just DRAGGED on, with little payoff in uncovering the John Teller back-story. “We’ll show you Californians what we have to go through to put bread on your table.” This is not to say the Belfast story is boring…the twists and turns make for a fun ride, and seeing the mother chapter out of their element makes for fresh scenes, literally and figuratively. Meanwhile the story back in Charming continues to grow intense. The town of Charming has been going to Hell in a hand-basket. Formerly, the club was tolerated for keeping the small town free of crime, drugs, and Big Business that kills the mom & pop stores of the little man. Now that has all changed, and the club is looked upon as the source of killings in the street and other troubles. The backdoor dealings (Stahl – Jax, Jimmy O’ - Father Ashby, Jacob Hale Jr. – Salazar) keeps the action and suspense at the level that keeps ME at least coming back for my next SOA fix. Bring on Act IV next year, I’m ready. PS: Keep you eyes and ears on The Homeless Woman throughout the series.

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Photos by: Linda Dahl, Lisa D, Digger Dave, Stacie Edwards After two days of intense storms here in the desert southwest which dropped (hurled) hail the size of baseballs in areas, spawned 4 tornadoes and caused unheard of destruction, the weather cleared up just as fast as it had started and everybody was more than ready for a ride up into the mountains. People hauling their bikes in hail-damaged trailers and tow vehicles (some were still a little leery about the weather) and riders with hail-damaged bikes started rolling in on Friday more than ready for a relaxing weekend. The normally sleepy town of Payson, Arizona which is better known for their Pro Rodeo events, beautiful scenery and laid back atmosphere was transformed into a sea of black leather and steel horses rumbling in from all directions to enjoy the 1st Annual Thunder Mountain Ride. The event which was hosted by the town of Payson, Mogollon Health Alliance (pronounced “mug-e-own”), Judy Baker CEO of Thunder Mountain Ride along with John Coppock and numerous local volunteers drew an estimated crowd of 8000+ in paid attendance wandering in and out during the three day event which benefitted the Mogollon Health Alliance, the American Legion Family and the Grace Lee Haught Childrens Memorial Fund. So what was the big attraction that would draw that many people for a FIRST annual event? The 11 new Harley-Davidson’s (from 883’s to 2011 Road Glides), 2 Yamaha’s, a couple of nice ATV’s which were being raffled off had something to do with it, oh and don’t forget the $5000 in cash, ride in bike show (two categories), 3 big poker runs, fireworks show, vendors, kids village and top name music contributed to the entire sha-bang! Kickoff parties with bike giveaways hosted by dealerships had started the previous weekend also helped get everybody in the mood. Every motel in town was booked solid, campgrounds were filling and local businesses helped with coupon books offering discounts on food and beverages. The music kicked off starting on Friday with local favorites the John Scott Band and the 74th Street Band followed closely by Mogollon who capped the first nights entertainment. Music started Saturday morning at 11am with the John Scott Band, Rondavous, Echoes the Fall, and culminated Saturday night with a performance by Amanda Overmyer of American Idol fame. The local bars and taverns kept everyone dancing at the days end until closing time. All of the poker runs departed Payson on Saturday

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around 10am in the morning heading to the North, East & West, with an average ride of around 130 miles each. There were raffles and giveaways on each of the routes for the registered riders, and the weather was absolutely perfect with temps in the low 80’s. Many riders were happy just hanging out at the event visiting with old friends, meeting new friends, listening to the non-stop live music and kicking back on a huge field of green grass sipping on a cold one or even drowning a worm in the adjacent lake with hopes of having a fresh fish dinner. People-watching was a favorite along with checking out the wide assortment of outrageous custom one-off bikes which weren’t constructed by big name builders, but mainly by riders tinkering around their garage. It seemed like the variety went from one extreme to the other, from an old iron head Sportster which was constructed out of vintage mechanic hand tools and an octagon barrel flintlock rifle, along with all sorts of other strange gizmos welded on here and there, to a custom “Dragon” bike complete with chrome fangs incorporated into the fuel tank and huge claws where the normal air dam would be. Vendors offered everything from leathers, to some bling for the ladies to onsite custom freehand pinstriping, there was more than enough space so people weren’t elbow to elbow, plenty of room to kick your heels up to the wide variety of music, and of course the food and beverages. Overall for a “First Annual” event it was well planned, had the full cooperation of the local community, and for a change it was family oriented. Plans are already underway for the 2nd Annual Thunder Mountain Ride and it’s going to take even more work to top this year’s event. Keep your end of summer plans open, you won’t want to miss the next one, I know the Quick Throttle staff will be there and we hope to see YOU there also! Ride Safe~~Ride Free

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eople are crying “The event’s down, way down I tell ya’”. Seems that’s all you hear after any events these days. When it comes to the Rocky Point Rally, this shouldn’t matter, it’s still fun as hell and shouldn’t factor into decisions to attend. It wouldn’t matter if it was attended by one thousand or ten thousand, the Rocky Point Rally is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on (and for some who took their clothes off). But before I tell about all the fun we had, I want to talk a little about the attendance and all the buzz you hear about attendance after events like this.

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Ten years ago a guy from Phoenix named Lyman thought it would be a blast to invite a bunch of his riding buddies down to Rocky Point for a party. About 300 bikers took over the Malecon in Old Port (AKA The Fish Market). The next year a bunch of people heard about the fun and about a thousand bikers decided to check it out this quiet little fishing town. Over the next few years the exponential growth of the rally was mind boggling. By 2007 over 10,000 bikers were crowding into this sleepy little fishing town. You couldn’t get a room if you waited til a month before the rally, you couldn’t get a beer or a street taco in under 20 minutes either. During these same years people were buying houses

and motorcycles and just about everything else at an increasing rate. Year after year Harley announced record sales with a 7.8 percent increase in 2004 and a 10.1 percent in 2005 and 8.3 percent in 2006. You get the idea. We all know what happened to the housing market. In 2006 I could have sold my house for about four times what I can sell it for today. I sometimes think about why I didn’t sell and buy a cozy place in a sleepy little fishing town south of the border. Oh well, at least I didn’t get caught in the refinance whirlwind and take all my equity out. Like so many home owners, Harley dealers and rally organizers, everyone thought the increasing numbers didn’t have a ceiling. That there was no top and no other way except up. But the real estate market explained

it in terms even the most innocent ‘B’ credit blue collar worker could understand. Some say the bottom fell out of the real estate market. The truth is it corrected itself. So why am I rambling on about the real estate market and the rise and fall of motorcycle dealerships? Because, the Rocky Point Rally (along with most rallies) is experiencing attendance numbers that are following the same energy and time line of the housing market and the motorcycle sales market. Most would agree the housing market experienced a natural correction and motorcycle manufacturers experience a natural sales cycle. Event coordinators, promoters and rally goers should see current attendance numbers a

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I pulled in a couple days early so I could make sure there were magazines and maps around town for everyone. Well, that’s the excuse I used to justify a couple extra days of beaches, beer and breezy days. After a few errands, it was time to cool off at Playa Bonita where I ran into one of my favorite locals Jose’, owner of the BooBar on the Malecon. Jose’ is a character and while hanging at the BooBar he keeps his guest entertained and drinking. (Jose’ added tequila to make it the four “t’s”.) We shared a cold one and caught up on the last few months then he graciously invited me to a BBQ at friends place. Since I went down alone and my only plans were to sit on the 12th floor balcony and listen to the waves, I accepted his invitation. I met some great people that night. Our hosts Ernie and Sue made me feel like an old friend, Stacy is a riot! Oh, and if you ever need a steak grilled so it melts in your mouth, call Ernie. Bikes start rolling in along Benito Juarez Boulevard early Thursday. From there the choice destination is plentiful. There’s Calle 13, Old Port, Freemont St or the MIrador. Each area offers a variety of food, drink and entertainment. Many bars and restaurants brought in bands from north of the border that we’re all familiar with. Trying to check out everything in one day just can’t be done. I settled for a stroll down Calle 13. Camel Toe, Sunset Cantina, Max’s and El Sombrero are just a few of the places I stopped for a beverage or taco. Thursday night the welcome party was hosted by Penasco del Sol at the very end of Calle 13. It was a first time for this rally and worked out well. A thousand or so rolled through during the evening. For anyone who hasn’t been to Rocky Point in a while, Penasco del Sol used to be the infamous Plaza Las Glorias. Remodeled and renamed, this place is a must stay hotel with ocean views from every room. I often make this my camp while in town.

natural part of the economic cycle. My question is WHY have all the bikers gone? I can understand some rallies seeing lower attendance, but Rocky Point? Rocky Point is different from any other rally. I can’t imagine anyone leaving the Rocky Point Rally and not saying “Now that was fun!” Every rally has its specialty. Laughlin has the casinos, Arizona Bike Week has rides and concerts, Love Ride has celebrities, Daytona has beaches and Sturgis has, well… Sturgis. Rocky Point has the four ‘T’s”: Tecate, Titties, Tacos and Tequila. Put those all together and you turn this sleepy little fishing town into the party rally. Rocky Point is where you go when you want to

leave the rules behind, because there are no rules. Some say it’s like Mardi Gras without laws prohibiting indecent exposure or public drinking. The rally starts on the first Thursday of November. In Rocky Point this time of year you will have to deal with temps around the mid 80’s, a slight cooling ocean breeze, fresh shrimp brought in daily by dozens of shrimp boats, $2.00 beers and very friendly locals in a sleepy little fishing town. Rocky Point locals include a very large population of American. Americans who decided that life in a sleepy little fishing town south of the border was better than the daily corporate grind.

Friday the excitement really begins as bikes start rolling in dozens at a time. Friday, deciding where to start is easy. The Malecon is a given as the place to begin. It’s the place you tell others to meet you, it’s the stop for your first cold beer if you travelled most of the morning, it symbolizes the start of the rally. We set up post in the corner booth at the BooBar with a few hundred Mardi Gras beads. That should get us plenty of the second “T”. This corner is perfect for checking out the people, watching the burn outs, photo ops and taking it all in. My crew showed up in the afternoon and we got the party rolling. Shortly after, the rest of the night became an obscure blur and I wonder which parts I imagined and which parts really happened. I’m mostly curious about what I don’t remember. I have no idea what we had for dinner or which order we went to all the destinations on our agenda. I do know we found the swim up bar at our condo, went to the wet t-shirt contest at Camel Toe, saw the Cell Phone

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Cowboy’s at Sunset Grill, Bobbi and Tom were having a blast and I know I didn’t get to bed til 4 am. I also know Saturday morning came way too soon. The good news, ‘hair of the dog’ was only a stumble away. Don’t judge me for cracking a Tecate at 10 in the morning, it was medicinal! I swear! Once again, the Malecon is the place to be. We take our post back in our corner booth at the BooBar. Saturday always promises more excitement with more burnouts, more bikes and of course the four “T’s”. And they were in abundance. Getting our tequila delivered by the shot proved to be way too slow, so Jose’ hooked us up with tequila by the bottle. Now we’re talking. We’re not talking hair of the dog, we’re talking the whole damn dog! Saturday night is an exciting night of bands, dancing and drinking but the realization that the fun is just about to end looms overhead. Playa Bonita hosts the end party including announcements for the winners of the poker hands. This place is perfect to host a big party, with a large outdoor patio, easy access to the beach and locals selling their trinkets “almost free today”. And of course more of the four “T’s”. As the evening winds down we find our way back to our condo early. That would be early by Rocky Point standards. As you can see, the Rocky Point Rally is the party rally. This is not a rally for the weak or the faint of heart. This is for those that love all of the four “T’s” and know that eventually they will participate in each one of the four “T’s”. This rally should not have anything to do with the economic cycle because we all need to break loose and enjoy just hanging out with our biker buddies where borders simply don’t matter. On a side note: There were a lot of questions before the rally about border violence and passports and personal safety. I’d like to let you know my opinion on all of these. First I think it’s important to mention I travel to Rocky Point several times a year and I often travel alone. Addressing each of these issues separately: Border Violence - No denying there is crap going on in some border towns. Lukeville/Sonoyta are not among them. Sonoyta is the town south of the AZ border that greets you when you travel to Rocky Point. They have not experienced the violence known to other border towns for a couple reasons, mostly because it’s out of the way of larger cities in Mexico. From Sonoyta you go to Rocky Point. Not much more. Plus there aren’t many Rocky Point citizens that want to leave this quaint, sleepy little fishing village with great beaches and jobs to create issues of human smuggling at this border. Also, this town is too small to hide in if you are engaging in serious illegal activities. So Rocky Point, Lukeville and Sonoyta escape the issues El Paso, Nogales and Tijuana haven’t.

Passports - First, if you don’t have one, why? Seriously it’s like not having a drivers license. The passport card is only $40 - it just doesn’t make sense not to have it. Either way, YOU DON’T NEED IT TO TRAVEL TO ROCKY POINT. Let me say that again. NO PASSPORT REQUIRED. I’m serious. I have witnessed it firsthand, I have watched more than one person show a drivers license and a birth certificate return to the US without hassle. I asked a border guard to clarify this for me. Rocky Point is in the “free zone”, 60 miles you can travel in a POV without a passport. Returning to the US, just prove your citizenship. If you are an American citizen you cannot be denied entry to your homeland. Guaranteed in your constitution. Personal Safety - I love this one. I said before, I travel

to Rocky Point many times a year, often alone. I follow the same rules I would follow if I were in Phoenix, San Diego or Mt. Home Idaho. I don’t go wandering around alone in places I don’t know, I don’t go to unlit areas after dark, I lock my car doors, I make sure if I stop someplace there are others around. Any of this sound like what you do where you live? Truth is Rocky Point has a lower crime rate than San Diego or Tucson. Now that you know, how about marking your calendar for the Rocky Point Rally 2011. This Rocky Point Rally was dedicated to Jen - The ultimate Rocky Point party girl. We miss you bad girlfriend.

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A love for cars, trucks and SUVs is the motivating force behind the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). This trade association consists of a diverse group of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, publishing companies, auto restorers, street rod builders, restylers, car clubs, race teams and more. SEMA. Every year in Las Vegas over 2000 vendors gather at the LV Convenon Center and show their wares. It is primarily for aermarket manufacturers of tools, accessories, parts, paint, & new products for automiblies and in a small way motorcycles. Even though it is auto-centric there are many overlapping areas that make this a show of interest for motorcycle enthusiasts, service techs, and builders. In suupport of this one larege bike industry leader Arlen Ness was on hand to sign autographs and his booth was busy. Also seen in the crowd was Ma Hotch, Dave Perowitz, Jessie Rooke and other motorcycle related people. As well, ne of the major pares of the event was the Kicker party featuring motorcycle stunt jumpers. While there are thousands of vendors and tens of thousands of parts from around the world, whole cars also are on display mostly specialty type producon cars, hot rods and customs. A dizzying array of eye candy - of all sorts! It runs for four days and I dare say you will likely have trouble seeing it all. I hope to see more motorcycle involvement in the coming years as so many cras apply to cars and bikes that it just seems natural to include them. book your rooms early - It's a really big show!!.

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American Heat Motorcycle Rally returned to Palm Springs in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, with hundreds of bikes occupying Palm Canyon Drive, accumulated into a sea of sun-reflecting chrome that was probably visible from space, and a Bike Show that drew huge crowd attention for its exotic entries, including one from Canada. And visitors came from all over within the US, including Las Vegas and Seattle. Starting about Noon on Friday of the 3-day weekend, blues & country rock from the Crop Circle Cowboys got things rolling, and they traded sets all weekend with Latin rock musical guests The Best of Times, your favorite 5 guys covering Santana, Kool & the Gang and all the great street-party tunes. Friday night the Palm Canyon Roadhouse rocked with the VIP Party to kick things off for the weekend. Plenty of live music and hors d’oeuvres awaited partiers and the responsibly consumed beverages flowed. Saturday the Poker Run also started at the Roadhouse, took the twisty road up to Joanne’s Restaurant & Bar in Idyllwild, stopped at Palm Springs Harley-Davidson, and ended back at what better place than the Roadhouse again. Prizes were awarded for the best three hands and a lady named Diane from Alpine, CA in San Diego County won with a pair of aces. The next two winners were tied pairs of jacks & queens each, only separated by 10 & 7 highs. By Saturday afternoon as the October-angled sun started dipping here at the Main Stage event central, bikes started arriving at the red carpeted Bike Show area, with one competitor having ridden his entry all the way from Canada to be here. Soon multiple entries in each of 9 categories would be judged, looking at the details that would take an entry from the dime-a-dozen category to the oh-my-god category and a winning score. A couple of highlights— Import Cruiser—Quentin Kerfoot from Port Coquittam, BC, Canada (near Vancouver), rode his “it used to be a” 2005 Honda VTX 1300R “Honeydripper” aka ‘sexy bitch’ all the way, and showed up after about 1600 miles at the red carpet, ready for show. He says he likes to do long road trips, and in looking at what events were going on this one fit his timetable so he went for it. It’s got 48K+ miles on it, and in that time although he didn’t start out intending for little miss Honeydripper to get so many things ‘done’, one thing led to another and this is what resulted. “About the only stock items left are the

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rims, frame and engine.” And he has flirted with diamond-cutting the heads. With 5 first places and a best of show this year alone, our man Quentin is just flexing his bike show muscles, and has lots of other events in his sights—a convenient excuse to get on the road. He emailed me later that he took the roundabout way back to BC, about 4170 miles, 8 states & 2 provinces, just to enjoy the ride, longer. Builder Award—Tied between Sam Baldi and his wife Dawndra, for their pair of exotics that embodied the heart and soul of dedication to the project. Sam’s bike “Unforgiven”, won Best of Show at Laughlin River Run earlier in the year, and caught the attention of the show judge here with heat shields actually painted to match the best realistic flamed paint this judge had seen to date, with vaporous flaming skulls and female warriors to die for. Designed by an intrepid mom and rider, Dawndra’s street rod with the unexpected demure touch of Italian Renaissance gold-leaf filigree in a simple wreath along the main bike lines on a deep multi-layered wine metallic background, stood on its own as an example of ‘less-is-more’. Best of Show — a hand built one-off by Ben Josef Beck of Lake Havasu, a full 10’ 6” long from stem to stern, in layer-upon-layer of Cadillac white. All hand fabricated graphics in chrome applied to the sheet metal as overlaid sculpture, not painted on. An air intake over a foot tall shaped like free flowing rectangular ductwork, but evoking a modern art piece. Ben spent about 2 years and about $110,000 on this bike with a 127 cu. in. SWM racing engine, and named this 48-degree raked rocket “Lethal”—whether that’s an effect on the wallet or the competition, seems to be a moot point. After the show, Ben got on and fired up Lethal, and the crowd, clustered around him, parted into a 50-yard exit chute, down which he rode off, into the night. There were other beautiful bikes including two Shovelhead examples that blended old school with cutting edge styling. New, old and everything in between including a trike. At trophy award time, show judge Gordon Madison, pro bike builder and artist himself, gave a little insight on each winning bike as to what caught his eye and his vote. The party continued in the soft night air that, after the day’s desert heat, retained its warmth long into the night. The sounds of Best of Times doing Black Magic Woman floated up skyward, as fans swayed to the rhythms under the stars. Sunday morning, the Main Stage was the setting for the Christian Motorcyclist Assn. service, with plenty of time afterwards to stroll the Chrome Alley vendor area again and also see more of Palm Springs, such as the famous cable car aerial tram, and some of the historical landmarks right in Palm Springs, from a century past. Randy Burke and Roadshows make American Heat at Palm Springs a welcome spot for bikers, for 3 days every October. Come check it out and you never know who you will meet and from where!

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BY DANGEROUS JAMES PHOTO CREDIT: JULI SALVANTE/PHOTOPIZZAZZ

I am always inspired by those who are driven to do special things for others. The ones who are always looking to give back, make a difference. Shelley Martin, Manager/Bartender for the Dirty Dogg Saloon, happens to be one of those people. When I asked her what inspired her about doing the Bikers for Boobies event, she first told me that her purpose in life is to help people and that she has always enjoyed giving to charities. It all started last year when she went to the owner of the Dogg, Jack Estes, and told him she wanted to raise money for breast cancer awareness and thought an event where everyone wore pink would be cool. Jack suggested a poker run and Shelley said OK, even thought she had never put a poker run together. With nothing but sheer determination and the help of event planner Missi Hughes, of Two Gals Event Planning, they pulled off a pretty successful event, considering they did it in less than three weeks, and raised over $2500. The first year event garnered so much attention that Shelley and Missi had no doubt that this was to be an annual to do! With a lot more time to prepare and a litany of sponsors ready willing and able to be involved in another successful event, its no wonder on why this year’s event blew last year’s out of the water! While all money raised last year went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, this year’s event started with a twist and a new recipient. Missi had planned an event at the Dogg that was to benefit Casting for Recovery, an organization that helps breast cancer survivors rebuild the muscles in their chest by teaching them to cast fly fishing lines. Pretty cool, huh? Who knew? Missi wanted Shelley to be there, but Shelley was long overdue a day off and really didn’t want to go. For those of us who know Shelley well, know that she has way too big a heart to say no, so she showed up after all and again, was inspired but what she experienced. The survivors who were at the event were raising money by auctioning off these beautiful hand decorated bras. Shelley was so impressed by the ladies and their bras, that the next thing you know, she was modeling the bras helping them sell them. Seeing these survivors in action is what inspired Shelley to make them a new beneficiary for this year’s event. The event is called the 52 Card Shuffle, although it is your typical poker run. The first stop, at Gavilan Peak Sports Bar and Grill in New River gives us a chance to take a nice ride to the north to start things off right. Owner Mike, takes great care of the riders with quite a breakfast spread, while we register and get checked in. The second stop was at Connolly’s Sports Bar on Carefree Highway, who makes one of the best Bloody Mary’s around! Third stop was the World Famous Hideaway, where Mark Bradshaw and his crew never disappoints, followed by the best part of the ride, as we take the back way to Fountain Hills (are we lucky here or

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what?), ultimately stopping in at the Vu, which does have the BEST view of the east valet from anywhere. The final stop, of course, was the Dirty Dogg Saloon, where this year, Jack was able to get an area fenced out front, that helped accommodate the much larger crowd. Survivors from Casting for Recovery even pitched in! They shuffled the cards at the stops! Cyndee Hilliard and her husband, Dave, Jan Miller and her husband, Joe, as well as Kitty and Donna Fischer, and Laura Rasmussen, you guys rock! As the riders came in, there were plenty of raffle items to choose from and all kinds of silent auction items to take their chances at. Shelley, while on the ride with her man, Vince Rollen, kept busy selling raffle tickets, 50/50 tickets, beads and bandanas! Girl is like the energizer bunny! She keeps going and going and going…then once she got back to the Dogg, her and Amy took turns and sometimes together, getting dunked in the dunk tank! The high hand was won by Mike Taylor, of CycleWorks, who donated his $100 winnings back to the cause. I actually won the $185 50/50, which I gave back as well. The Psychobilly Rodeo Band donated their time, talents and sound for the second year and sounded great doing it! Other notable sponsors were, Frashers, Mable’s on Main, Adobe Animal Hospital, Law Tigers, Photopizzazz, Renegade Classics, and Chester’s HD. So from the registration fees, which started with 272 riders and ended with over 350, cash donations, 50/50, raffle, silent auction items, beads, bandanas, etc, Shelley and her amazing crew raised over $6000 dollars for breast cancer awareness! There will be a special event at the Dogg on Sunday, December 5th to present the checks to the beneficiaries, so come and show your support! Congratulations to Shelley, Missi and the Dirty Dogg Saloon for their success in this year’s Biker for Boobies Event! I know I can’t wait for next year’s event because you can bet that it will be even bigger and better!

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By Dangerous James Additional information provided by: Heidi Goldsmith www.RipsBADRide.com Photo Credit: Ron Boyd of Tucson H.O.G. Chapter October 24, 2010 - Rip’s B.A.D. Ride—Bikers Against Diabetes—is a Biker fundraising ride and family festival that unites the Biker Nation in the fight against diabetes. The B.A.D. Ride is a FULL day of GREAT riding, BIG entertainment, DELICIOUS food, LOTS of activities and a GOOD vibe! Rip Rose, a biker photojournalist for Easyrider, had a dream of the Biker Nation rallying to fight diabetes. Rip enlisted the support of the Davidson Family, motorcycle industry leaders and bikers touched by diabetes. The Ride began in Southern California in 1997 with a mere three hundred riders converging into Glen Helen Pavilion from a few start sites in Southern California. Last year, more than 5,000 riders from eighteen different start sites converged into Oak Canyon Park, Irvine, California raising nearly half a million dollars to help fight diabetes. Rip’s dream is now realized and the reality of the Ride going nationwide is here. Rip’s B.A.D. Ride is going across the country with rides now happening in three other states. Arizona, Kansas, and Iowa were added to the list of B.A.D. states across the US. The Ride is attended each year by celebrity riders such as Larry Hagman and has the support of Karen Davidson and Willie G. of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles. Each ride has multiple start locations where riders meet in the morning, hang out and begin an escorted ride. Those who don’t feel like being a part of the pack can ride over directly to the festival site. Rip passed away in 2000. His legacy lives on each year as Rip’s B.A.D. Ride unites the biker community nationwide to continue the fight to prevent and cure diabetes and improve the lives of those affected by diabetes. This year was Arizona’s 6th Annual B.A.D. ride and it continues to be one of the year’s highly anticipated events. The ride had two start points, Arrowhead Harley Davidson and Chandler Harley Davidson. I started from Chandler where there must have been close to 200 bikes alone. The weather was great and there was a lot of excitement and enthusiasm to get the ride underway. After a well handled safety briefing, we lined up and were on our way. The Arizona event is always held at the Pinal County Fairgrounds, which is a perfect location not only to hold such an event, but because its also half way to Tucson, which makes it great for all of the southern Arizona bikers to join us. The venue has plenty of open space for parking which always fills up with bikes from all over the state. It also lays out nicely for the vendors who set up basically in a horseshoe around the stage where all the entertainment takes place. And finally, is the big warehouse where the custom and show bikes park for competition and where there are hundreds of picnic tables are set up to eat the great lunch that is provided as part of the registration fee, unless of course you are one of the hustlers that goes out and raises a boat load of money, because then you can make the VIP section! In years past when I have participated in this event, we have usually taken the I-10 highway straight to the

fairground exit, but this year we went the back way which made the ride ten times more enjoyable, not only for NOT being on the highway, but because of the nice twistys back there and the beautiful scenery…plus I’d never gone that way! Maybe it is just me, but I am always amazed on how nice the weather is for this event which is always in the last part of October. This year was particularly warm which just solidifies why we live here, right? But I also wonder if Rip himself makes sure that Mother Nature cooperates in making sure his brothers and sisters have perfect riding weather! Once we got to the site, most people get right to shopping the vendors, some get to the prize table where, depending on how much money you raise, can net you some very nice gear, complete with the great B.A.D. ride logo. Some people go right to the lunch barn and some go get a beer and hang in front of the stage and rock out to Arizona’s own, Mogollon, who play this event every year. With everything there is to do, including bike shows and bike games, the event is

always a blast for a great cause. Heidi Goldsmith, who is with the Arizona division of the American Diabetes, and who is largely responsible for this event each year, told me that this year we had over 1000 people (participants, sponsors, vendors and volunteers), including some special guests! 93.3 KDKB Radio Personalities, Ruby Cheeks and Neanderpaul were in attendance and actually made the ride from Chandler HD and Arrowhead HD, respectfully. Of course, the best news of all was that this year’s event raised over $80,000! According to current CDC data, there are more than 365,000 people in Arizona affected by diabetes at an annual cost of more than $3 billion to our local communities. I encourage you to take part in next year’s event. Everyone is affected by this disease somehow. Quick Throttle is a National partner with Rip’s B.A.D. Ride, so it is very easy to find out about the ride near you and it is so worth it!

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Sunday morning, I turn in my warm sheets squinting as the first daylight peeks through the window enjoying the smell of freshly, brewed coffee. Lying there I play the ride and the day over in my head. This day has been planned for many months and is going to be a new experience! I slide on my jeans and boots as I sip my coffee. Glancing at the clock I put my hair up and tie on my bandana… better take a warm shirt and coat…no telling if it will be cold or hot where I am going. This Sunday morning I don’t want to be late. Stepping into the garage I circle my bike in anticipation of riding. I break the silence and sit and just relax a few minutes as she warms up. As I pull out once again my mind wanders to what this day will bring. No traffic, no red lights and no worries as I cruise down the newly paved road. Getting a bit nervous realizing I am about to enter unknown territory I take the long way there to unwind a bit. I start to think perhaps I should change my destination to more familiar grounds but I know I have to carry through with my original plans. There it is…in the distance, The Viscount Hotel…YES, my day is about to explode with excitement as I attend my first day in TRAFFIC SURVIVAL SCHOOL! Eight hours of pure bliss! Now at age 56 and never having a ticket till a certain camera noticed me three times in one week speeding, I was not thrilled. I found a place in the back of the room where I could hide out with my Quick Throttle material and laptop. I set up my desk so I could work part of the day. Just had to do my time and nothing they were going to say was going to be of interest to me. Soon I realized that was not the case. Out of the forty people that were enjoying this class with me…38 were there for running red lights in intersection, this piqued my interest. The instructor raced motorcycles and was recovering from a 120 mph crash at the track. He mentioned he felt safer at the track than the intersections of Tucson. I listened to the class discuss how they were not really sure when they were supposed to turn or where they were supposed to stop their cars and how it was the camera’s fault that a picture was taken of them when they were in the middle of the intersection when the light turned red!...some thought yellow meant you will need to turn soon. Almost half of this class had ran the same red light! An intersection I travel often. I starting thinking perhaps I needed to trailer my bike home from this event! The stats are what blew me away.

Someone runs a red light every 5 minutes in rush hour traffic in Arizona! • Arizona has the highest death rate in crashes caused by red light running in the US with Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa as top danger cities for this to occur. • Most injuries to others are related to red light runners. • Four in five crashes happen within 150 ft of an intersection. • Running red lights causes the most violent crashes to motorcyclists, as they are usually t-boned or head on accidents. So I will admit I rode away from this class with a renewed awareness. Until drivers avoid distractions like cell phone usage, eating or reading, and start paying more attention to their fellow man on the road, and finally learn that red means STOP and yellow does not mean SPEED UP, a lot more lives will be lost in Arizona intersections. Ride Safe, and assume the other guy isn’t. Around the next bend, Arizona Lynn

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A bright nose won’t be needed this year for Santa to find the kids at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. That’s because the Sin City Victory Riders lit it up well for Santa to see. The Ranch was established in 1942 by Father Jack Adams and covers 40 acres of Southwest desert in Boulder City, Nevada. These kids have no grand Christmas expectation - at least not like kids with working moms and dads who make sure to put cookies out for Santa. Club member, Keith Reed, found the Ranch and got the club to adopt it. Motorcycles showed up in August - 27 of them - to meet and greet. Club Secretary Donna Dovel said, “I think it’s safe to say that we were all affected deeply by our visit with the facility.” The Ranch rescues children and provides stability and a safe and nurturing environment. Staff member, Veronica Huening, contacted the club to decorate a home. Veronica said, “This gives an opportunity for our children to know what it is like to have company over and it just might create an opportunity for our Therapeutic Home Specialists (teaching parents) to make some friends outside of the campus.” Arlen Ness Motorcycles of Las Vegas across the street from Boulder Station - graciously keeps their doors open late to host the club’s monthly meetings.

So Club President Mark Williams announced early on to be there for the November meet. He said, “Night of Lights at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children is closing in on us and we need to get organized. Our club will be responsible for decorating the Transitional Living Home.” After the meeting, Mark rallied the troops with this: “Everyone will be responsible to bring lights, extension cords, and/or food. Please bring hooks, hangers or whatever needed to secure the lights. I will bring the ladders. There is no ceremony or fireworks. They simply turn on the lights after dark. We will be long gone by then, but all-the-better for our effort.“ Food brought in by the club was shared with the kids and all the pots and containers were left there for their use. These kids have lots of basic need. But their most cherished gift is the gift of people’s time. Please contact the Ranch website, www.stjudesranch.org, to get involved. They operate on a shoe-string budget and anything you give them in the form of donations, gifts, or time – is very appreciated !! The club met at 10 a.m. and was completed by 2 p.m. The house was well illuminated and the Sin City Victory Riders are confident that Santa will see them. But the kids hope Santa will not leave Rudolph behind.

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By Randy Twells Photos by RT & Courtesy Sweetwater H-D When Tom Horning founded a Harley-Davidson dealership back in 1984, he was also devotedly raising a young family with his wife Marianna. After many successful years in Chula Vista, Tom moved the dealership to a much larger facility in National City, becoming Sweetwater HarleyDavidson, which would provide a place for the dealership to grow as a family business, for many years to come. But in the meantime he was also concerned for all children, his dealership being the US starting point for riders in the Tijuana Toy Run for 25 years. Concern for children who are victims of abuse also inspired him to start organizing another benefit run, which would become known as The Sweetest Ride, with Trinity Children’s Foundation as the beneficiary organization. The Foundation’s Mission simply put, is to break the cycle of child abuse. By providing a safe haven and many support services, Trinity can help many children each year to escape an abusive environment and be nurtured into a better life. Tom also loved to ride, and kept a photo on his office door, showing him on his bike out on the road somewhere, captioned “I’d rather be out here than in here!” Tom’s passing in April of 2008 prevented him from being on the first Sweetest Ride in person, (in spirit he surely was) in October the same year, but that did not prevent riders from all over making sure that Tom’s legacy was fulfilled and that the kids the Trinity Foundation serves were still supported. So this year the third Sweetest Ride was held and riders gathered again to ride in Tom’s memory and support the mission— to help break the cycle of child abuse. Radio personality Clint August from KGB 101.5 rode his Harley as our honorary Grand Marshall. Service Mgr. Brian and Anastasia, Marianna & Tom’s daughter and GM, led us out on a beautiful ride through southern San Diego County’s back roads & byways. Stopping at some preselected businesses along the route, picking a poker card from the bag at each place along the way, we all enjoyed a refreshing tour through fall scenery. Returning to Sweetwater we enjoyed fantastic spaghetti, salad & breadsticks luncheon and fabulous chocolate brownies, enjoyed in the customer lounge area to the backdrop of the band playing classic rock music only a few yards away right in the dealership. High Hand prize was a leather jacket, Low Hand prize was a leather vest. Raffle prizes were some very nice items including eyewear, a tool kit and a heated vest. This ride in memory of Tom Horning and continuing his legacy was important to all. Donations collected were presented to Joey from the Trinity Foundation right there, and she thanked everyone personally. Knowing that their help directly benefits the children makes this a special opportunity to give, from the heart. And that, is the Sweetest gift of all. Look up www.trinitychildrensfoundation.org and help if you can, and Join Us! next year.

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R

iding season in the Northwest has more or less ended, and for most of us the bikes are put away and winterized and will sit quietly for a few months except for an occasional sunny/dry/semi-warm day excursion (at least for those of us wimps who don’t ride every day of the year like some of my hard core buddies do.) My three guys are all lined up, battery tenders plugged in, sitting cozy in my garage. I see them every time I get in and out of the truck and walk past them on my way into the house. I usually stop and look, maybe sit on them from time to time – I’m not sure if it’s because I think they are lonely and miss me, or that I need to feel them underneath me for a bit. And though I love the Northwest, and I’ve lived here 22 years now, I still long for a climate that’s nice enough to ride all year. However, until that time, I’ll get my rush skiing down the mountain when I can, which in my book is the next best thing to being out on the road.

In the Northwest, dodging puddles and staying dry, and hoping it doesn’t snow in the lowlands seem to be the major pastimes. In my world the elections are over, the legislature is reorganizing, and folks start thinking about the upcoming legislative session that starts in January. At that point I’ll disappear into that black hole known as Olympia, but I will be keeping an eye on things in the capitol and reporting on them here in this column, as well as the QT web site, which will have our updated legislative activity report. I’ll touch on all that next month, but for now, I’d like to enjoy one last month of not dealing with politics as best I can. It’s that time of year again too. The rush and bustle of the holidays – full of parties and get-togethers, and social functions and shopping in overcrowded malls. It’s the time for gifts and giving and reflections on the past year. As far as giving goes, bikers are without a doubt some of the most giving people in the world. I don’t know if it’s a love of our fellow man, a natural charitable nature resulting from an “underdog”

status, or any excuse to ride to raise money, and/or all of the above. Just look at the bulletin board at any bike shop or biker bar, as well as the calendar here in Quick Throttle. How many toy runs are there this season? How many HOG Chapters and other MC Clubs adopt a family or two or three or four, taking over food and gifts? All year long there are countless poker runs for a downed rider, charity rides for battered children, breast cancer, military families, and the list goes on and on. Why is that? Even in the midst of The Great Recession, bikers, who by and large are blue collar middle class, are out there being more than generous with dollars and time. Lord knows we love to ride, and any excuse to get out on the bike will do – but couple it with a way to raise funds for some worthy cause or another and we are there in big numbers. We don’t do it for the “credit” or the notoriety or to buy community good will like so many big corporations. We do it, I think, because we are all care about our fellow man, and the communities we live in. Isn’t that the true spirit of the holiday season? And bikers keep the holiday spirit all year long. As far as gifts go? I don’t know about you, but my family seems to think it’s perfectly OK to give me anything either 1) with a motorcycle on or in it, or 2) with a Harley-Davidson logo. I swear the biggest reason the Motor Company stays profitable is not the number of bikes they sell, it is because they put their logo on just about anything and everything, and therefore (in theory) its easy to buy gifts for bikers and wanna-be bikers since if it’s got a HD logo on it, chances are we would like it. Am I right? How many things do you own with an HD logo on it that someone gave you that you wouldn’t buy for yourself? That’s what I thought. And t-shirts? I tend to buy a few HD shirts myself as I travel the country on my scoot – especially if they have a cool back on them. My own rule of thumb is that it’s from a place I’ve ridden through with a cool mural back on it. But in my closet are

more than a few from places I’ve never been or worse yet, HD knock-offs from a street corner. But it’s the thought that counts right? I’ve yet to get the message across to my family though that just because it has an HD logo on it doesn’t mean I want and or need it. I’m practicing my forced smiles now. “Thanks for the Harley Davidson toilet bowl scrubber cousin Jill..” And reflection? Well, I know for my part, I’ve been doing a lot of that. Looking back on the past year at what I’ve done right, and what I’ve regretted and trying to make amends for that, as well as what I’m going to change going forward. To me that’s how the year is best closed out, especially this one. In 2011 I hit the half-century mark. I know that’s still young to a lot of QT readers, but it’s a rather daunting number for me. We all get a fresh start in 2011, a chance to ride down a road we’ve not been down. A chance to do things we wouldn’t do. A chance to maybe do-over things we screwed up before. A chance to make new goals, to learn and to grow. I know I’ve set a few for myself – some realistic, some probably not so, but it gives me hope that 2011 will exceed 2010, and I’ll get to usher in the second half of my life. The late John Denver once penned a Christmas song for his newborn son Zachary – and a verse from it goes: “as the wise men came with gifts, I’ve come with my gift to you. That peace on earth fills up your time, and brotherhood surrounds you. That you may know the warmth of love and wrap it all around you. It’s just a wish, a dream I’m told, from days when I was young…” And to all of you, that too is my wish for this holiday season for you. May you find happiness and joy down the roads we ride on not only as we close out the year, but as we ride into 2011.

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EVERY NIGHT - FREE DRUNK RIDER PICK-UP SERVICE! When you feel unable to Ride, Decide to call 1-800649-4749 and we will pick you up, You and your Motorcycle, Sidecar, or Trike and take you both SAFLEY home FREE OF CHARGE!!! This service is offered to ALL riders in the North San Diego County area. Call Rix Eden at 1800-649-4747.

LUCKY’S LOUNGE Bike Night every 2nd & 4th Wed. Bike Parking Provided, Food Specials $3 Draft Beer All Night, $1 7 oz. Beer w/Shot purchase 9800 Montgomery NE Ste. 8 & 9 Albuquerque, NM 87111, 505-323-4490 CRUISE NIGHT IN EL CAJON El Cajon Blvd., Downtown

MONDAYS PAID IN FULL M/M FAMILY BIKE NITE Runs thru 1st Monday in November. Bike show, trophies, 50/50, DJ, freeze dance for children. 1712 W. Orangethorpe Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92833. Contact Pastor Jose at 714.231.0070 TUESDAYS LONG WONG’S AT THE FIREHOUSE Since 1980. ALL AGES 5-8pm. Special Bike Parking. Live Music. Drink & Food Specials. Appetisers 2 for1, 50% off Wings. $1.50 Coors Light and Miller Lite, $2.50 Jack and Cokes. Appetizers 2-for-1 Country Night featuring LIVE Music, right after bike night “Desert Heat” w/ Charlie Shooter and specials guests $1 PBR Cans until we run out, $2.50 Whiskey Jars 1639 E. Apache Blvd. Tempe, AZ, 85281. 480-967-0167 HOG PIT SMOKEHOUSE BAR AND GRIL Join us for the Tucson Sons of Anarchy Chapter meeting and watch the show! 6910 E. Tanque Verde Rd., Tucson, AZ. For more info: 520.722 4302. COOK’S CORNER Taco Tuesdays! $1.00 Tacos - Beef, fish, pork and chicken. Corona Buckets - $18. Santiago Canyon Rd. & Live Oak Canyon, El Toro (949) 858-0266. www.cookscorner.com TUCSON, AZ* LOS VATOS PRESENTS - At Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar. 1390 W. Irvington Road Tucson AZ. From 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Come Show Off Your Hot Ride. To Benefit Local Charities. Hot Bikes, Hot Wings and Cold Beer. TORO BAR & GRILL Bike Nights 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. All-you-can-eat BBQ or Taco Bar, $5. Margaritas, $2.50 tap 1465 Rio Rancho Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124 www.riorancho-inn.com WEDNESDAYS GAVILAN PEAK Bike Night and Open Mic. All you can eat Spaghetti $6.95, $3.00 Margaritas - $2.00 Domestic Draft Designated Bike Parking, 2 Outdoor Patios 46639 N. Black Canyon Hwy. New River, AZ 85087 623-465-1020 www.gavilanpeaksportsbar.com BIG DADDY’S SPORTS LOUNGE Happy Hour Prices on Well, Wine and Draft $1.00 Jello Shots - 1/2 price Burgers Free Raffles - Off track betting! 10618 N. Cave Creek Rd. Phoenix (Cave Creek and Peoria) 602-861-1034 www.bigdaddysaz.com ERIN’S SHEPPARDS $3.00 Jack Daniels - $3.00 Sailor Jerry Rum - $2.50 Domestic Bottles 3114 E. Cactus Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85032 602-404-2300

THURSDAYS NICANTONI’S Stop by the NE corner of Warner and McQueen. Every Thursday at 6:30 to enjoy Free Wings, $2 bottles and drafts, $2 off pitchers and $1 off wine and mixed drinks. 1430 W. Warner Rd. #136, Gilbert, AZ85233 480-892-2234, www.nicantonis.com Check us out on Facebook! JIMMY D’s BAR & GRILL $2.00 Breakfast Special 7 Days a Week Daily Lunch Specials SPECIALS on Food and Drink Every Thursday Night for Bike Night 2017 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix, AZ 602-867-0255 DIRTY DOGG SALOON RIDE NIGHT Sponsored by Renegade Classics Come see the Famous Dirty Dogg Girls do their thang! Enjoy LIVE MUSIC Weekly! $3- 16oz Bud Light - Designated Bike Parking - Free raffles 10409 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85253 - - 480368-8095 CHUY’S Every Thursday. Designated Bike Parking, Happy Hour Specials 2-7 pm $2 Bud/Bud light longnecks, Live Music & Vendors. 7585 S Houghton Dr. Tucson 85747. 520-574-1530 CRUISE NIGHT IN LA MESA Downtown La Mesa FRIDAYS CHESTER’S HD The 1st Friday of every month is Motorcycles on Main Bike Night in Downtown Mesa from 6pm – 10pm. Free and open to all bikers. Sturgis Style parking right on Main Street. 2 blocks of Main Street shut down just for bikers! Call 480-894-0404 or www.chestershd.com WILEY’S PLACE Friday Patio Party! Happy hour specials. Jello shots $1.50, domestic draft $2.25, Imported draft $3.25 2509 San Mateo Blvd. Albuquerque, NM. Call 884-4151 SAND & SAGE GRILL Live Entertainment - No Cover, Drink specials Designated Bike Parking in Front Parking on Patio Available in Back 13831 W Glendale Ave (Litchfield Rd & Glendale) 623-935-5810 BAR USA The Biggest Little bar in Reno, Nevada. Karaoke night every Friday from 8-?? Cash to best judged singer. $2 shooters and the $2 beer bucket Food specials all day from Stephon’s Mobile Bistro! Open 10am -?? Come pick up your Quick Throttle Magazine here any day of the week. 902 S. Virginia Reno, Nv. 775-324-7633 www.barusa.org

COOK’S CORNER FISH FRY Fish, chips and slaw - $5.00. Country Night. Santiago Canyon Rd. & Live Oak Canyon, El Toro (949) 858-0266. www.cookscorner.com FRIDAY BIKER FELLOWSHIP Hosted by Bikers for Christ SVG 7 PM, Starbucks-Eastland, 2620 E. Workman Ave. W. Covina, 91791 www.bikersforchris.org SATURDAYS SAGE & SAND GRILL YOUR WEST VALLEY CONNECTION FOR BIKE NIGHT All Riders Welcome, Every Saturday 8pm-Close. Happy Hour Pricing, $2.00 Domestic Bottles & Well $1.50 Domestic Drafts, Live Music 9pm-1am - No Cover Designated Bike Parking in Front. Parking on Patio Available in Back. 13831 W Glendale Ave (Litchfield Rd & Glendale) 623-935-5810 LOOKING FOR MONTHLY RIDES to some of the most beautiful and scenic places in So. Cal.? Join THE OLDEST STAR TOURING and RIDING CHAPTER in Southern California, Inland Empire, Chapter 109. Third Saturday of the month at Yamaha of Cucamonga 8:00 am, WWW.yocracing.com. Visit www.yocracing.com/star/index.htm. Call Pres. Gary Entner at 626-826-4457 or Vice President Ron Lopez at 909-821-1583. BLACK SHEEP SO. CAL REGIONAL BREAKFAST First Saturday of every month (rain or shine), 9am at Rosa Café & Tortilla Factory, 28134 Jefferson Ave. in Temecula, $7 includes breakfast, beverage, tax/tip and door prizes. 909-600-2694 THE LIVE RIDE CELEBRATION SERVICE Every Saturday night @5:00pm, 6245 Sylvan Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93063, 805-306-0042. www.liveride.org. SUNDAYS BIG ART’s BAR-B-QUE at THE SWALLOW’S INN Is taking a break for the Holidays. We’ll see you in the spring. Happy Holidays! San Juan Capistrano., Ph. # 949-493-3188 ORIGINAL MIKE’S BIKE STOP SUNDAYS Happy Hour drink specials 11am to 5 pm, $1 Tacos, $1 hot dogs, 1/2 OFF appetizers! Live band! For more info contact Joe Big Daddy” Rodriguez @ 714-914-8895. 100 S. Main Santa Ana, CA. 92701 CONELY’S CUSTOM CYCLES- 1ST Sundays- BBQ alternates with SWAP MEET each month. Call to reserve Swap Space. SPACE LIMITED. All FREE. 142 Broadway, Chula Vista 619-498-1102 SECOND SUNDAYS Tripp Productions presents VATOS Y VICLAS every Second Sunday from JUNE to OCT., “MUSIC & MENUDO!” Motorcycle Show with Merchandise & Food Vendors 10-4. Historical Lake Elsinore Downtown City Park 243 South Main St., Lake Elsinore www.vatosyviclas.com THE BIKER CHURCH Rushing Wind Ministries meets every Sunday at 10 a.m. at our new location: 4168 Avenida De La Plata suite 101, Oceanside, CA. 92054. Join us for rockin’ worship music, street-level teaching by Pastor Z., and a lunch ride following every service. Call 760-940-0257 for more info.

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At Quick Throttle we pride ourselves in producing some of the nicest covers in the industry. We put a lot of thought into selecting the right one. Sometimes our covers work for several of our editions and sometimes only one region. Heck sometimes they fall flat. Usually the cover finds us, rather than the other way around. We seek out the best photographers and artists in the country. We are very fortunate to have an amazing photographer like George Childress of Main Event Imaging as part of our staff, “Motor Marc” Lacourciere offering us access to any of his prints, and legends like David Uhl, Scott Jacobs and Tom Fritz looking forward to the next Quick Throttle cover featuring their paintings. Sometimes we have a vision while spinning a few miles. This is how we came up with our December cover. The wind on my face brought images of a red bike in front of a Christmas tree surrounded by chrome. Maybe my subconscious was writing my Santa letter. The mind is a masterful artist with the ability to create art every bit as good as Picasso. That’s always the easy part. The trick is getting the camera to see what the mind’s eye sees. This is where bringing in a great photographer is important. George Childress thought the backdrop of the fountains with several bikes in front of a tree would make a great shot. We gathered as many red bikes as we could find at Westgate Bike Night. CycleRides.com was kind enough to mention it in his newsletter as well. We set up the tree, the metallic silver wrapped gifts, put a bunch of red bikes around it and felt hopeful. We got some great shots but

just not a cover. Like I said, getting the camera to see what the mind sees is tricky. And if it ain’t soup - we ain’t settling. So I threw out the feelers for another photographer when Barry Gossage was sent our way. Barry rides a chopper and I bet he has seen a couple masterpieces in his mind as the wind stirs his hair. So understanding my vision was easy for him. Check out some images twenty plus years with a keen eye will produce at www.BarryGossagePhoto.com . Barry had no problem understanding the feeling of a red bike for Christmas. We talked about what I was looking for and he went straight for the shot my mind’s eye saw. Hopefully our cover brought visions of a red bike under your tree. Special thanks to John Shope of Sinister Industries who delivered our model, the “Bloody Mary”, before the crack of dawn. John’s masterpieces are all worth photographing but there simply wasn’t enough time. Check out John’s website (www.sinisterindustries.com) for a full gallery of the Bloody Mary and his many other amazing creations. If you ever get to see one of his bikes throw flames, it’s worth hanging around for the show. Also a big thank you to Dave and Jennifer D. who brought out their beautiful red Big Dog. While it didn’t make the cover we were able to use it in an ad. I also wanted to send a special shout out to all the wonderful readers who brought their red bike out to Westgate Bike Night for a chance to be on the cover. There are some beautiful red paint jobs out there.

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