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4 OCTOBER 2011

PAGE 5: LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

PAGE 8: RIDE & EVENTS CALENDAR

PAGES 9 & 10: THE PORTAL –FICTION BY JANGA

PAGE 12: ROAD SIGNS

PAGE 13: 9-11 TRIBUTE RIDE

PAGE 17: SOUND H-D ANNIVERSARY PARTY

PAGES 20-21: VICTORY CROSS COUNTRYROAD TEST

PAGE 25: GOOD VIBRATIONS

PAGES 27-28: BIKER FRIENDLY BARS &RESTAURANTS

PAGE 29-30: ROYAL ENFIELD MOTORCYCLES

PAGE 30: BEWARE OF FLYING FISH

PAGE 32: BIKER BUDDY

PAGES 33-35: STURGIS 2011

ON THE COVER: “BEAT THE STORM”by IAN MATTHEWSEE HIS WORK AND MORE AT:www.cruisingoods.com

STURGIS2011


HEN IS A LAW NOT A LAW?:The obvious answer is when that“law” is not enforced with any de-gree of regularity or effort. This

may come as a surprise to many especiallygiven our states dire revenue needs but for rea-sons known only to themselves law enforce-ment has pretty much ignored the hand heldcell phone law. Ticket numbers are minisculeby comparison to other new laws, and theproof is simply to look around you while outdriving or riding our roads and highways.Every other driver you see is still yakkingaway on a hand-held cell phone. Several carriers I spoke with say their num-bers for sales of needed Blu-Tooth adaptersare significantly off from where they shouldbe, with less than half the phones in the stateequipped with them. Meanwhile we continueto see crashes and injuries caused by dis-tracted drivers talking or texting away withoutany concerns about getting a ticket. By the way a huge segment of the populationin our state seems not to even know it’sagainst the law. Perhaps law enforcement isstill too busy trying to nail us riders for sup-posed violations of the helmet law? Why do Ijump to that conclusion? Try this: Over thepast 9 months I have seen at least three WSPbulletins regarding the helmet law sent out totheir troops and the media, yet I have not seeneven one reminder that the hand-held cellphone law is in place.A rider with a bogus helmet is a danger onlyto him/herself while a yutz on a cell driving6,000 lbs of steel can and has caused deadlymayhem on several occasions. Maybe somere-prioritizing is in order? Ya Think??

WEIRD WEATHER OR IS IT?: We haveall seen how strange our weather patternshave been up here this year as May & June feltextra chilly, while spring gloom lingered wellinto July. We saw record low temps, thenrecord high temps, then record rain. However,if you go back three years you will note thatfor this whole time period, we have had a lateor limited spring but a really nice Septemberand early October. Many promoters and organizers have seen theshifting weather patterns, and smartly reactedto it by placing more events in late Augustand throughout September. In fact this Sep-

tember’s “Ride & Events Calendar” was thebiggest one we have ever run. There werethings going on every weekend and lots ofthem. Keep that in mind for 2012.

OYSTER RUN SNAFU: Speaking of Sep-tember events, we screwed up, big time! Wemistakenly had the Oyster Run as being onSept 24th in our calendar, when as you allknow, it took place on the 25th. We are trulysorry for the error and apologize. Sadly, wecannot fire the moron who set that date sinceit was me and I am steadfastly refusing to firemyself. Rank does have its privileges!I broke a hard and fast rule and paid the pricevia a series of e-mails and phone calls manyof them questioning my competence, myparentage and my IQ. As you know we say inprint on the calendar pages that if you do notsubmit your event directly it will not be listed.For the past few years the organizers of theOyster Run have not sent us a listing but Ihave inserted the run anyway. It’s always onthe 4th Sunday in September, so what couldpossibly go wrong if the promoters fail to pro-mote it and we list it, since it is huge and hasbeen going on for 30 years? Well I scribbledthe date and passed it over to our calendarperson and now we know what can go wrong,don’t we? Rules are there for a reason. Fromnow on, if the OR promoters don’t send usthe info direct, you will not see your run inour 2012 calendar. PERIOD! I cannot spendany more time proving I actually did graduateHigh School, can read and did have two par-ents who were really married, so I am not anSOB! Meanwhile a few of the amateur websiteswho steal our listings every month and pla-giarize us now look like the crooks that theyreally are since they listed it wrong as well.Proof that in every cloud there is indeed a sil-ver lining!

NEW H-D COMMERCIAL: By now manyof you have seen the absolutely great HarleyTV commercial featuring a biker, a pet shopand his using a dozen leashes tied to his big,powerful Harley to yank the cage doors offand set these little guys free. Great ad, bril-liantly done and a great message called “Free-dom!” What you may not know is that thisad, and the one before it were from ideas sub-

mitted to Harley’s new agency by the PUB-LIC! The hot shots on Madison Ave call thistechnique “crowd sourcing” and it’s all therage right now. With ads like this it’s no won-der Harley sales are up so far this year. Way togo!

DOUBLE Q BIKER BASH: Be sure tocheck out the ad for our second annual fallbiker event at the Quinault Resort & Casinoin Ocean Shores this Nov. 19th. Last year’sevent was a sell out so you should reservenow, so as not to be miss out on the fun, food,vendors, music and prizes that are part of the“BASH.” We have teamed up with the Quin-ault to get you special room rates and provideyou with a great way to kick start this year’sHoliday season. The ad is on our inside backcover so check it out and make that call!

COMBINED BIKE NIGHT TV GIVE-AWAY: Roberta & Dave Archuleta of Fed-eral Way, WA. were the lucky winners of aSamsung 43’’ Plasma Hi-Def flat screen TVat our final bike night of the year. It was heldat Rock the Dock in Tacoma, sponsored bythe Dock as well as American Motorcycleand Quick Throttle Magazine. Lots of otherprizes were handed out and you didn’t haveto buy a thing. It was all part of our land markseries of combined monthly bike nights thathave now set the standard for how a bikenight should be done. If you missed out thisyear, we are happy to tell you that they willbe back next year even bigger and better thanever! Mark your calendars and keep an eye onour calendar for specific dates. We will havethe first one in June 2012 but we may do a“teaser” night in early spring, weather allow-ing.

WINTER HOURS: Just a reminder that ouroffice is now closed on Mondays as we headinto the fall & winter months. We are openTuesday thru Friday from 9 AM till 5 PM.We are available at all times via e-mail and ofcourse our website is always up and runningand bringing you all the latest news on line at:www.quickthrottle.com

That’s all for this month. Have a frightful Hal-loween and we will see you back here in No-vember! MD

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OCTOBER

OCT 1 & 2WA* 2011 LADIES OF HARLEY SUMMIT. Indepth seminars & hands on training. Pre-reg by Sept10. Space limited. Red lion Hotel Vancouver at theQuay, 100 Columbia St, Vancouver. Joni 360 6964962 or [email protected] 8WA* COLUMBIA H-D 67th ANNIVERSARYPARTY. 9am-5pm. BBQ, bands, tattooing. Colum-bia Harley-Davidson, 1314 NE 102nd ST, Vancou-ver, WA. 360 695 8831 See Ad Page 11OCT 8OR* 8th ANNUAL BRITTNEY RIDE FOR ST.JUDE at Seven Feathers Casino Resort. 8am-4pm.60 Mile Poker Run, Live & Silent Auction, Heads orTails, Bike Show Voting, Food & Beer Garden, LiveMusic by Blind Lion. $25 per person. Sponsored byD&S Harley-Davidson. Event location/Casino isright off Exit 98 or 99 on I-5 midway between Eu-gene & Medford. More info/register online at:www.Brittneyride.com or D&S Harley 541-941-1133. OCT 8 & 9WA* LEGEND H-D INDOOR SWAP MEET.Customers bring in & sell all of your unwanted parts,clothing, etc. Limited space, call today to get on thelist. 360 698 3700, 9625 Provost Rd NW, Silverdale,WA. www.legendharley.com See Ad Inside Front CoverOCT 15WA* BASH TURKEY RUN. Provides dinners for500+ families. 10am. $20. 5/5, lotsa prizes. BASHOffice, 118 141 St, Ct S, Tacoma. Info: 253 536 6480or 23 360 654 OCT 15WA* DOWNTOWN H-D GARAGE PARTY FORWOMEN. 12-3pm. RSVP: [email protected]. 3715 East Valley Rd, Renton, WA. 425988 2100, www.downtownhd.com See Ad Page 2OCT 22WA* LYNNWOOD H-D ROCKTOBERFEST.Live music, BBQ, fun, more. 5711 188th St. SW, Lyn-nwood, WA, 425 921 1100, www.lynnwoodhd.comSee Ad Page 7OCT 29WA* ANNUAL CHILI COOK-OFF. Pumpkincarving contest, more. Sound Harley-Davidson,16212 Smokey Point Blvd, Marysville, WA, 360 4545000, soundharley.com See Ad Pg 15OCT 29WA* TRUNK OR TEAT. 12-3pm. DowntownHarley-Davidson. Trick or treat, wear a costume,bring in your pre-carved pumpkin – winner gets $100DHD gift card. 3715 East Valley Rd, Renton, WA.425 988 2100, www.downtownhd.com See Ad Pg 2OCT 29WA* HAUNTED HARLEY HALLOWEEN. Leg-end Harley-Davidson. Silverdale & Wenatchee. Allday. Trick or treat each dept, 1pm costume contest,pumpkin contest, more! Silverdale: 9625 Provost RdNW, Silverdale, WA. 360 698 3700. Wenatchee: 3013G.S. Center Rd, Wenatchee, WA. 509 662 3434,www.legendharley.com See Ad Inside Front CoverOCT30WA* LADIES GARAGE PARTY. Lynnwood H-D.5711 188th St. SW, Lynnwood, WA, 425 921 1100,www.lynnwoodhd.com See Ad Pg 7

NOVEMBER

NOV 5ID* ANNUAL TOYS FOR TOTS RUN by ABATEof N.ID, Kootenai CH. 1030am. Bring toy, no

stuffed animals please. Pot luck feed, raffles, prizes.Lawrence’s Motorcycles, 1704 Govt Way, CDL. InfoErnie 208 691 5008NOV 10WA* WING DING. SUPPORTS TOY RUN FORCHILDREN OF HARRISON MED CTR. ByABATE, N. Kitsap Ch. 6pm. Donate toys. FREE hotwings, raffles, 50/50. Romeo’s B&G, 6812 KitsapWay, Bremerton. Info: Marge 360 307 9736.www.abate-wa.org/northkitsapNOV 13WA* 22ND ANNUAL EMIL KREOFSKYTEDDY BEAR RUN & CHILI COOK-OFF. Reg9am. $10 + new stuffed animal. Clark Co. PUD Cen-ter, 1200 Ft. Vancouver Way, Vancouver. 50/50, chilicook-off. Sponsor: Columbia Harley-Davidson, 1314NE 102nd ST, Vancouver, WA. 360 695 8831 Info:Jamie 360 695 8831. NOV 19WA* DOUBLE Q BIKER BASH. Quick ThrottleMagazine & the Quinault Beach Resort & Casinopresent the 2nd Annual Double Q Biker Bash. Every-one is invited. FREE entertainment by Fan Halen,Giveaways, Food & Drink Specials, Biker BlackjackTournament, Best Bikini Body Contest, Vendors &more! Special room rates. Call now to make yourreservation. See Ad On Inside Back CoverNOV 26WA* 26 ANNUAL MARY BRIDGE CHIL-DREN’S HOSPITAL TOY RUN. 12 Noon. $10 do-nation. By Viet Nam Vets Legacy vets MC. Allwelcome. Destination H-D, 2302 Pacific Hwy E.Fife. Info: www.vnvmc-waa.com

DECEMBER

DEC 3WA* 34th ANNUAL OLYMPIA TOY RUN. $15or new unwrapped toy. Gate opens 10am at SouthSound Center, Lacey, WA. Parade starts at 1pm.Open to all street legal bikes. Benefits the SalvationArmy Toy n’ Joy Shop. Info: www.olytoyrun.com See Ad Page 24DEC 11WA* 11TH ANNUAL ASHLEY HOUSE RUN.1030AM. Ride with Santa to deliver gifts. $10/15,toy donation. 50/50, prizes. American CustomCycle, 29304 SR 410 Hwy, Buckley, WA. 360 8291212

WEEKLY EVENTS

MONDAY

First Mondays meetings COMBAT VETERANS UNITEDInfo: Mothergoose 1 509 460 0015, Yakima

TUESDAYS

BIKERS AGAINST CHILD ABUSE (BACA)Puget Sound Chapter meets 2nd Tues, each monthKing County Chapter meets 3rd Tues, each monthLake Washington Chapter meets 2nd Tues, eachmonthInfo: 253 228 6687 [email protected]

HARLEY TACO TUESDAYSBy Columbia H-D3 Monkeys Pub & Grill7917 NE Hwy 99Vancouver, WA

THURSDAYS

TACO THURSDAYSManchester Pub, 2350 Colchester Dr. E, Manchester, Wa. 360 871 2205

UNCLE SAM’S AMERICAN B&GTacos all day, band16003 Pacific Ave, Spanaway, WA253 507 7808

FRIDAYS

BIKE & HOT ROD NIGHTMay thru OctLynnwood Harley-Davidson, 5711 188th St, Lynnwood, WA. 425 921 1100. www.lynnwoodhd.com

SAT & SUN

BIKERS FIGHTING CANCERN.Sound Chapter meets 2nd SatS. Sound Chapter meets 2nd Sunwww.bikersfightingcancer.org

SINISTER SATURDAYSLEGEND H-D – Silverdalewww.legendharley.com

2ND SATURDAYS BUNCO, 7pmAMERICAN LEGION RIDERSPost 92 Adjutant, Stanwood.

2nd SATURDAYS 10am-2pmHot Dogs & ChiliColumbia Harley-Davidson, 1314 NE 102nd ST, Vancouver, WA.360 695 8831

BIKER FRIENDLY CHURCHES

SUNDAYMidnight Cry Biker Church 5pmAssoc of Christian Crusader Ministry210 Ave B, Snohomish, WA 360 563 0471midnightcrychurch.com

Faith Bible Fellowship2139 Fern St • Walla Walla, WA 98362(509) 529-1281 www.faithbf.org

MARANATHA27405 216th Ave, SEMaple Valley, WA 425 432 8

CITI POINT CHURCH830 N. 16 st, Mount Vernon, WA

GOSPEL OUTREACH MINISTRYJoseph, Oregon 541 398 1142

CHRISTIAN FAITH CENTER253 943 2400 • 33645 20th Ave S, Federal Way

13000 21st DR. SE, Everett

6575 Kimball Dr, Gig Harbor

Check your local dealers—Many have BBQs, Mystery Rides, Bands, Etc.

CONTACT US DIRECTLY WITH DETAILS OF YOUR EVENT: [email protected] or mail to:Quick Throttle NW, Box 2241, Port Orchard, WA. 98366 or Fax To: 360 769 0441. Please do not phone events in. ALL LISTING ARE FREE. Submission deadline is the12th of each month. Calendar will appear on line exactly asseen here. No changes or additions between issues can be made

IF YOU DON’T SEE YOUREVENT, IT’S BECAUSE YOU

DID NOT NOTIFY US!


OCTOBER 2011 9

“Dumb Bitch!”Chad cursed into the

wind. He squeezed the Harleythrough a tight curve, then turned his wrist

hard, juicing the throttle. He climbed up the pass mut-tering, “Bad enough I get fired, then she has to kick me out! Maybe

if they paid me what I was worth there wouldn’t be money missingfrom the till.” The more he ruminated, the madder he got. Don’tneed them, don’t need her, he thought over and over. Abuse! Shecalled that abuse! She doesn’t know abuse. I treated her good com-pared to the others. Too good. I shoulda….

The chill he was feeling got intense as he neared the sum-mit of Snoqualmie Pass. When he left Seattle that morning, theweather was typical for June—overcast, cool. His worn leatherjacket, over a t-shirt and jeans, wasn’t giving him much protection,but, he anticipated, he would soon be through the mountains. Highdesert! It would be warm enough then, maybe hot. Hot as hell. Bringit on, he thought, I’m tired of freezin’ my ass off, ridin’ in the rainhalf the time.

An old prison buddy had offered Chad a gig in Sturgis. Hewould get there well before the big motorcycle rally in August—helpthem set up, line up some t-shirts and tourist junk to sell. Soundedlike a good deal.

He was glad he had spent the extra bucks on good gloves.His hands weren’t cold anyway. The intimidating peaks thatcrowded around the road were still splotched with snow; rivulets ofmelt snaked across the lanes. A few more blasts of icy wind thatrocked the bike, and he was through the worst of it.

Shivering, Chad sped along the down-side of the pass,barely braking through the wide descending curves. Not much traf-fic and no rain. A few 18 wheelers lumbered along, hugging the rightlane, power brakes hissing. The rocky terrain gradually ended, con-

sumedby thick pine growth covering the lower

mountains. Chad checked his tank. Hell of aplace to run out of gas.

He pulled in at Roslyn to gas up. He wolfed down a cou-ple of gas station hotdogs chased with an energy drink. The Harleywas running great for an old beast. He smiled and bet himself thathe could make it all the way to Sturgis without stopping.

It was getting warmer already. I-90 twisted its way out ofthe pine forest and leveled out. Crops appeared on each side of theroad, stretching into the now visible horizon. Chad was starting toenjoy the ride. Sun! Smooth and dry. It was great. He slowed withthe traffic through Ellensburg and watched for the sign where I-90forked off toward Spokane.

He was making good time until he came to a line of trafficwaiting to get through a mile of road construction. Cursing, he duck-walked the bike through the bumps, spitting dust; he was feeling theheat now. His jacket felt like an Eskimo parka, and sweat from underhis helmet trickled slowly down the back of his neck. The smell ofsweaty leather had always made him slightly nauseous. On the otherside, he gunned it, fishtailed, and raised his middle finger at the flag-ger as he got back up to speed.

It was noon by the time Chad got through Spokane and intoIdaho. He kept thinking about his girlfriend—ex-girlfriend—he cor-rected himself, how she would soon be calling him, begging him tocome back. He almost ran out of obscenities from his vast collection,imagining what he would say to her, mentally jabbing his finger inthe air, to underline each cuss word. When he stopped for gas, hechecked his cell phone. There were no messages. He tore his helmetoff and threw it across the parking lot. When he calmed down, hewent and got it, stuffed it into his saddle bag.

Montana would take some time. More construction butplenty of fast, easy road in between. Felt good to get that helmet off,Chad thought, welcoming the cool air whipping past his head. Healways liked to keep his hair cut short or shaved off. Bad enough get-ting bugs in his beard.

The vivid blue sky domed enormously over the vast land-scape. Distant mountains nestled into the misty curve of the earth.Scrub brush covered the terrain. Chad kept his eyes on the road,oblivious of the famous “Big sky” scenery. He entertained himselfby weaving closely through any traffic that was taking up both lanes.As he relaxed, lulled by the rushing wind and vibrating motorcycle,his thoughts turned to Sturgis. Plenty of hot babes in Sturgis. Oh,


10 OCTOBER 2011

yeah! Better have a plan, he figured, alittle side business. Chad didn’t do drugs him-self, but there was money to be made from those whodid. Why piss away my profits, he thought. Get someonehooked and it turned into a cash cow. The miles slid away as heconcentrated on ways to enrich himself by getting over on unsus-pecting victims.

His rumbling belly reminded him that he better stop to eat.After a couple of burgers and a large coke, he downed an energydrink and got a couple more to go. It was getting late, and heplanned on riding all night. He rubbed his butt and walked aroundthe parking lot stretching his lanky limbs, then fired up the Harley.

It was well after midnight when the buzz wore off. Justneed some coffee and a little rest—half an hour, Chad thought, thenI’ll be fine. Must be almost to Wyoming. I can make Sturgis by noon.Told them I’d be there by the 25th. His eyes were burning from hoursof wind and glare. The pain in his back almost made him forget howcold he was. He took the next turn off. There was a sign ‘OPEN ALLNIGHT’ and an arrow pointing down a two lane road.

“Where the hell is it?” Chad yelled in frustration. He hadtaken several turns but didn’t see any lights. His arms and legs feltnumb. He rode for another mile in the dark, no sign of stores or any-thing human. He could smell the dust mixed with something else—organic, animal—he couldn’t name it, but it made his heart speedup. Far down the road, headlights appeared, coming toward him.He blinked several times, trying to judge the distance but his visionblurred. Maybe he could flag it down, find out where he was. No, hethought better of it. I’ll just let it go by, turn around and follow it outof here.

The headlights got closer, high beams on. Just before thetruck reached him, its lights picked up something in the road—rightin front of Chad. What the hell…horses, Indians armed to the teeth!He swerved, saw the space between the headlights rushing up.

Chad was lying in the dirt on the side of the road when heopened his eyes. It was quiet. The night air was warm and musty.The only light came from a sliver of moon showing through darkslow moving clouds. He sat up quickly, checking his body. To his re-lief, he didn’t seem to be hurt, in fact he felt okay, rested. The bike!he thought in a panic. Where was it? Then he saw it outlined up onthe road, kickstand down. He checked it over; same old Harley—nota scratch on it. The engine was slightly warm. Looking around, hetried to remember what had happened. Must have missed the truck,he thought. That was pure luck. I must have been seein’ things.Damn energy drinks. He had to pee, bad. After taking care of that,he went back to the Harley, checked his saddle bags and the packstrapped onto the back. Everything was there, as far as he could tell;cash was still in his pocket.

The bike started right up with the comforting potato-potato-potato idle. He turned it around and took off back where he

came from. About half a mile

down the road Chad noticed asmall log building with a light in the win-dow. There was a sign in front. Well, how did Imiss that, he wondered, I must have been half asleep. I’llget a coffee, then get back on I-90. He turned into the unpaveddriveway and parked the Harley next to several other bikes. Chadopened the heavy wood door and stepped inside. The light was dim.A lantern burned in a corner. Shadowy figures were outlined aroundthe room.

No! Oh no! Waves of fear and revulsion swept through hisbody. His heart felt like it had stopped. As soon as he steppedthrough the doorway, he knew exactly where he was. He also knewwho he was, and it wasn’t Chad anymore. He thought he had es-caped into another life, would get redemption, but he blew it! Hewas back. He had been here every year for a hundred years before hislast life.

7th Cavalry under Custer, that lunatic. What the hell wasthe date? June-damn-it-to-hell-25th. Not again, not again! Everyyear the same disaster, fighting the same hopeless, doomed, bloodybattle. Indians on fast ponies swarming everywhere, surroundingthem, hideous painted faces, shrieking, firing rifles, arrows thuddinginto flesh, swinging tomahawks, closing in.

So I tried to run, got some guys killed; how long do I haveto pay? He knew the pain he would feel would be real even if he was-n’t alive. He would still feel every damn thing, even his scalp beingripped off.

He rushed back out the door. Too late. Dawn was breaking.There were no motorcycles, just horses. Soldiers, eager and excited,were checking weapons and supplies. The log building was fadinginto the bluff. The last thing to disappear was the sign that read,‘CAUTION. PURGATORY PORTAL.’

The soldier that used to be Chad touched his long, dirtyhair, and smelled his sweaty leather buckskins. Was he the only onewho knew the day would end badly? The horror of it? He knew fromlong experience that there was nothing he could do to stop it.

The trumpeters sounded the command, “MOUNT.”


or the first time in a few years I missed Sturgisthis year. I’m not really bummed about it though— I figure there’s always next year. And I get tosee the pictures and hear the stories from our Ed-itor Mike and other friends who did go. I had apretty valid reason this year – I was off in Scot-

land, land of my ancestors, on what’s become an an-nual trip “home”. Riding in Sturgis can be crazy andinsane at times, but then again riding in Scotland is justas insane and crazy, especially to those of us raised upin a part of the world where we “stay right except topass.” However, riding is riding no matter what, andthe reaction a motorcycle brings to non-riders is thesame wherever you go.

Over the years I’ve become a bit adept at driving a four-wheeled cage in a land where your drive left and steerright, although no matter how long I’m there I still in-stinctively walk to the left side of the car to get in –then correct myself and head to the right side. I get inand reach with my right hand to buckle up. Not find-ing a seatbelt there, I reach over with my left and dragit over and then key the ignition. The only real differ-ence on that side of the Atlantic is that the steeringwheel is on the wrong side – and despite how I’veteased folks just like I was teased at first – that the gasand brake are reversed too – it’s not true. You do haveto shift with your left hand, and for us “righties” thattakes some getting used to.That, and you stay left, ex-cept when passing (wait a minute, that’s what folks dohere too!), and try to remember to stay in the left lanewhen turning, least you run head along into an oncom-ing double-decker bus, which usually scares me into re-membering to stay left the rest of the trip.

The first time I rented a Harley over in Scotland it wasat West Coast HD in Glasgow. I half thought the throt-tle would be on the left and the clutch on the right, butlike over here, its set up exactly the same. This wassome years ago and I was traveling with a friend andwe thought renting bikes for a few days of exploringthe Scottish scenery would be fun. Scottish weather ismuch like it is here in the Pacific Northwest, in factwhen people in Scotland ask where I’m from and I saySeattle, they almost always say “just like home eh?”The Rental manager, a fellow HOG Chapter RoadCaptain, was kind enough to map out some rides for ustoo. After the usual reams of paperwork involved in

rentals, and getting rain gear,helmets and coats, we headedout towards the Trossachs Na-tional Park and, as the song

says, the bonnie bonnie banks ofLoch Lomond.

At first it’s relatively easy to remember tostay left – especially when there is lots of on-

coming traffic on the right side, but out in the countrywith little traffic it’s another story. On roads about acar and a half wide, coming to intersections I’d almostalways pull to the right on the bike. I finally solved thatproblem by taping a big arrow pointing to the left toremind me to stay there. But first we had to get out intothe country. In the UK, Freeways are called “Motor-ways”, and exits are called “junctions”. We were toldto take the M-8 motorway to Junction 5 and leave themotorway and take the A-81 North. The Junction isa roundabout, and backwards to us American’s, so inour haste and speed we took the wrong ramp, andended up in the driveway of a Scottish retirement cen-ter with a whole living room full of seniors looking outat these two American blokes in full black leather onnoisy bikes who had just invaded their quiet respite.

After figuring out where exactly we went wrong, weheaded back out and up through some charming smalltowns. Harley’s are not the dominant bike in the UK,although it seems everyone knows who they are andtheir sound. We stopped for some refreshments and toget off the bikes for a bit at a small supermarket, andwhen we walked in one of the cashiers said “thoseyour ‘arley’s mates?” We said yes, and she shrieked “I‘ave tae see” and left her till – with customers in linemind you – and ran out to look. We quickly paid forour Cokes and went out too where we found her fawn-ing all over the bikes and going on and on about“’arley’s” being the best bikes and how much sewanted one.We let her pose on them until anotherclerk came out and told her to “get her arse inside”.

This theme was repeated throughout the trip, andevery trip I’ve taken since to Scotland. No matterwhere we’d end up – a pub or inn parking lot, or apetrol station, folks, the bikes started conversations.And just like in America, I got to know the locals in away we might never have otherwise. It is universal –folks love a motorbike and love bikers, envying ourfreedom and our metal and chrome steeds. There isjust something about a bike that invites conversationand friendship no matter where you are.

At my last HOG Chapter meeting we talked about“ATGATT” which is short for “All the gear, all thetime”. I have to confess I don’t always adhere to thisrule. I love riding sleeveless and where permitted, hel-met-less. It’s my choice, and I know not the safest one,but its how I choose to ride. When one thinks of Scot-

land one thinks of kilts. When over there, it’s verycommon to see people wearing them, although I’venever seen a Scotsman wearing one on a motorcycle –and a kilt fails the ATGATT rule big time. Being Scot-tish, I’ll tell you I do have several kilts. I’m notashamed to admit this, and I wear them and I must say,think I look damn good in them. However, I’ve onlyridden in my formal kilt once and it wasn’t in Scotland.

Back in 2007 I had to attend a wedding in upstatePennsylvania. It was a Scottish/Baptist wedding —that is a Baptist service in a Baptist Church, with every-one wearing Kilts. I figured it would be a nice part ofthe country to explore so I shipped my kilt outfit to myhotel in this small town, flew to Philadelphia andrented a bike for the week. What I didn’t count onwas a hotel that was five miles from the church, andthere was no place to change into a kilt at the church.This entailed riding five miles through town in fullScottish regalia on the back of a Heritage Softail. Notan easy task mind you.

It takes some skill to ride in a kilt that’s for sure, butboy do you feel “free”. For one thing, you have bareparts exposed and hot leather seats sitting out in thesunshine. One also must contend with billowing fabricin the breeze. You kind of have to straddle the bike,tuck the kilt underneath the naughty bits, (especially ifyou wear the kilt “ken unerware” which is the Scotsterm for “no underwear”) You throttle up, put your feetup on the boards and hope the wind doesn’t blow thefabric out from underneath you and up into your face.Thank goodness it was only five or so miles to thechurch on 35mph roads. But on a Saturday morning,and past a Harley dealership full of riders and a HOGmeeting, I’m sure it made a memorable if not life-scar-ring sight. Arriving at the church I hoped I didn’t stealthe Bride’s thunder, and the photographer took morethan a few pictures, and the bridesmaids all gave me around of applause. And once again the bike stole theshow and just like in Scotland, it started the inevitableconversation about riding, and seeing the world andwhat lies around the next bend in the road.

It’s universal I guess. Whether in Scotland or upstatePennsylvania, or Alki Beach. A motorcycle invites dis-cussion, conversation, and friendship. Oh, if onlythere were more of us “world diplomats” on Harley’sacross the globe, inspiring friendship and conversationover two wheels and a V-twin engine. What a muchbetter place this world would be wouldn’t it? It’s whyI applauded Jon Huntsman when he was asked at aRepublican Presidential candidate debate what he’d“bring to the White House” if elected, and he said “myHarley-Davidson motorcycle.” Can you imagine? Itmight just be what it takes to bring about world peace.

Gary can be reached at [email protected] and you canread his blog at http://grgardner.livejournal.com

12 OCTOBER 2011

F


OCTOBER 2011 13

Sunday 9-11, the tenth anniversary of the worst terror-ist attack in our nation’s history saw tributes, TV spe-cials and local rides & events throughout the entirecountry. The largest tribute ride in our area was actu-ally a group of staged rides leaving from various loca-tions all over western Washington and converging onEvergreen Park in Bremerton to participate in a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the location of a perma-nent memorial to the 9-11 tragedy.

Leading the biggest contingent were actual steel beamsfrom the Twin Towers carried on a flat bed truck andled by an honor guard of Police and Firefighters fol-lowed by hundreds of riders. All in all over 3,000 mo-torcycles made the journey from a dozen or morelocations along with hundreds of cars and thousandsof local “walk ins” to witness history and mark thisblack day in our history. This ceremony was attendedby upwards of 8,000-10,000 people and was the culmi-nation of three days of events and remembrances thatwould be followed by a huge concert at the TempleTheatre in Tacoma that night. For more pictures andinformation visit www.9112011.org

“All photographs courtesy of www.BFBUS.com & Dragoni”


14 OCTOBER 2011


OCTOBER 2011 17

Sound H-D celebrated their 5th Anniversary on thehottest weekend of the year! The sun was out andtemps were in the 90’s! Perfect riding weather!

An estimated 1000 people stopped by on Saturday, Sept 10th to enjoyall of the festivities taking place at Sound H-D. The first 50 peoplewho walked in wearing an original 5 year old Sound H-D Grand Openingt-shirt were given a FREE Sound H-D 5th Anniversary t-shirt!

The HWY 9 Band rocked the crowd all day long! They were a perfectfit for this biker party, playing a great mix of classic rock, southernrock & country!

Rhodie’s BBQ provided riders with a free pulled-pork sandwich, po-tato salad and baked beans for lunch. Vendors included: DeadcenterFairings, Purple Slice, Wyle X, Tucker Rocky, Sturgis Sweet KettleCorn, Anvil Tattoo and Norpoint.

Their t-shirt cannon was a huge hit as Sound H-D staff blasted freeJones Soda Co. tank tops and various other shirts from businesseswithin their local community to the excited crowd!

Inside the dealership the place was hopping! Riders roamed andshopped every department, checking out the new 2012’s on the show-room floor, the expansive MotorClothes & Parts Departments, andmany were talking to the Service Dept about upgrades & maintenanceto their scoots over the fall & winter.

The next day, Sunday Sept 11th, Sound H-D hosted the symbolic 9.11Patriot Ride. Over 340 bikers showed up to ride in it! The ride startedat Sound H-D and wound through the back roads of SnohomishCounty. As the sea of bikes cruised through local communities, peo-ple of all ages in cars or on foot, were honking and waving in supportof the ride and in memory of the lives lost on 9.11 ten years ago. Aspecial thank you goes out the Puget Sound HOG Chapter, EvanAdolf, Ron Wagner, Lake Stevens PD & Marysville PD who did anoutstanding job putting it all together!


Story by Randy Twells; Photos – RT & Barry Hathaway

GETTING THERE— As a woman rider not getting any younger, I’ve startednoticing that the body I’m stuck with just doesn’t work like it used to, withmany injuries over the years diminishing my physical endurance and stamina.Which I guess makes me the acid test for reviewing a bike for comfort and fea-sibility on a long ride. I need a couch!

I got the invite from Victory for the Press Ride located this year in Park City,Utah. Great! They fly us in, we ride the bikes, fly home or, I was offered thechance to also ride my demo bike to Sturgis afterwards. Last year on the Vic-tory Press Ride, I rode the Cross Roads from Gateway Colorado to Sturgis,somewhat with the group, off and on. This time, I would be on my own, ridingabout 1,000 miles to Sturgis on an indirect route, not with the group, and takea side trip to Afton, Wy to see The Fryed Brothers Band play along the way.

I also had to decide if I was turning in the bike at the end of the week at Sturgis,or riding it ‘away’. Last year, I motorcycle camped all week by myself. Al-though it worked out great, the Cross Roads making it easier with its great han-dling over gravel roads and uneven grass fields around the campground, I wasready to fly home at the end of the week. And at a certain point, you startthinking about your possibly limited future chances to do something like this,health- or otherwise-speaking. Fly home? Ride? This time I was in a hotel forthe week, the wonderful Quality Inn in Spearfish, eager hosts for our QuickThrottle Headquarters location. I decided, staying at the very comfortable andbiker friendly Quality Inn, I would RIDE the new 2012 incarnation of my oldbest friend the Cross Roads, home. From Sturgis, SD to Southern California,would be about 1300 miles.

I did have my doubts I could manage this; (the farthest I’ve ridden alone isabout 375 miles, San Diego to Laughlin, Nv, on a 1999 solid mount ‘shaker’)but stuck to the idea of “one town at a time” getting there, had my AAA tourbooks and old fashioned paper maps (no GPS, ‘just’ a smart phone) so I couldfind my way and call ahead for a hotel. And the handy magnetic tank bag I gotfrom Victory a few years ago, with about a half gallon of storage space—a mapwindow on top, storage for a water bottle, extra maps & essentials.

So in Park City, Utah, based at the Sky Lodge, I focused first on a wonderfulday of riding with the Victory Press Team, stopping at some beautiful scenicspots along the way and getting some amazing photos— both mine and shotby pro photographer Barry Hathaway. We rode a big loop out on Hwys. 65 &39 north out to Woodruff, Ut. Along the Monte Cristo Range I enjoyed ridingwith Mark Blackwell, former champion off road motorcyclist, and Victory GMSteve Mennetto. We had let the rest of the press group get a bit farther ahead,and the three of us had a nice relaxed ride; they let me set the pace and settledin behind me, as we took the big sweepers and the 9,000 ft. Monte Cristo Sum-mit with ease. We crossed over to Evanston, Wy for lunch, and then back southto Park City on Hwy. 150 through the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, stop-ping at great photo spots with forever views. A ride to die for. Later we haddinner at a local spot in Park City, trading stories from the day.

**CROSS ROADS notes: My Cross Roads carried me through the purposely-selected twisty roads like a sport cruiser—responsive and fluid, with ABS anddual front brakes allowing lots of hard braking and good grip, yet nimble aswell, belying its full figured touring design. The 29degree rake & trail/front endangle allow the bike to corner tightly with plenty of stability, and the trannygear set up is very forgiving with smooth torque to exit the even if I’m some-times not in exactly the best gear for the speed. **

After the Victory Press Group Ride left, I sat down at the Sky Lodge’s lobbyguest computer and plotted away on Mapquest for my own ride all the way toSturgis. Mileage, gas stops, routes. Park City to Sturgis in 3 days, then Sturgisto Southern California in 5 days. As the first leg, I got on the road to Afton,Wy. On the way I went through the 7,600 ft. Salt River pass, stopping at thesummit to shoot the view and, a group of riders who happened to stop theretoo, and sure enough included Greg from Antelope Valley H-D way back inLancaster, CA. Go figure!

**CROSS ROADS notes: Stable handling, dual front brakes and ABS madequick-decision stopping at turn-outs and viewpoints very rider-friendly. Thesurface to ride onto is not often predictable and yet this bike handled all of thevaried surfaces I pulled onto, with ease, even when sudden uneven ground pre-sented itself. One time I rode diagonally onto what I thought was only about

20 OCTOBER 2011


a one inch raised edge of a driveway when it turned out to be more like 2 or 3inches, but the Cross Roads just rolled on over it with no wobble at all. **

Then I got to Afton and Colter’s Lodge, for The Fryed Brothers Band gig thatnight. This lodge is over 100 years old. The cavernous interior seems to go onand on forever—with the huge old inlaid wooden bar dominating the mainhall. Maybe there’s a space/time warp, or something. From the outside, itcan’t possibly be that big inside. The upstairs hallways and unblinking windowsspeak silent volumes from a century of western travelers stopping overnight,a slice of each visitor’s life playing out here.

My PLAN next, was to take the best lowest-mileage route from Afton to Stur-gis. Mountains in the way necessitated zigzagging southeast & northeast vs.a straight eastbound route. I had it all scoped out. I figured I could do 440miles in a day, and get to Buffalo, Wy just east of the Big Horn range, the lastobstacle of the day.

**CROSS ROADS notes: I was not using a tour trunk. I flew on the planeto Park City with my own large roll bag and T-bag I would secure to the bikefor the ride to Sturgis. The Cross Roads’ luggage rack, passenger seat & itsbackrest were all I needed to anchor the bag straps and bungees. The zipperedsaddlebag liners with handles acted like soft suitcases and made for easy car-rying of the rest of my stuff in & out of hotel and returning into the saddlebagsfor the ride. The squeeze-clip closures for the saddlebags (behind the ad-justable buckle closures) allowed fast access to my camera to shoot the sceneryat a quick stop. The adjustable suspension air pump lets you add or releaseair for the best load support and seat height for your ride, so I let all the air outbut a couple PSI, leaving me right at the lowest 26.25” seat height with all mygear loaded. **

Turning towards Sturgis—When I learned of a 10-mile construction zone onthe route I had previously planned heading out of Afton, Wy, I rethunk—re-folding the map, I stuck it in the tank bag window, put away the Mapquest di-rections I’d printed out so nicely in Park City, and zigzagged a differentway—rejoining my planned route up through Thermopolis, but not enoughtime to guarantee going through Big Horn Nat’l Forest & make Buffalo beforedark. Deer jumping on your bike in a national forest at dusk is not good. I gotto Worland at 7 pm, sat figuring for a bit, and could see by the sun’s angle that

Buffalo at another 110 miles east, was not in the cards for this day. Althoughthe guys who pulled in later behind me at the gas station there, assured methat at the pace I was going having passed them about 15 miles back, it shouldbe no problem….

Then I thought, they are going to Sturgis and staying someplace around here,so between asking them and a couple phone calls I had a room at Carter’s Innin Ten Sleep just short of Big Horn NF. (Ten Sleep? An old Indian name in-dicating how many ‘sleeps’ (or overnights) this was between their starting andending travel points.) Pressure off, I rode the 35 miles with the beaming sunsetin my mirrors; I had to stop and shoot it at roadside. Then looking east, theroad winding east through some badlands to the valley where Ten Sleep lies,the sunset glow spreading east, random thunderstorms sprinkling through arainbow, and my timing all combined as an infusion of heavenly glory droppedout of the sky and lit the Ten Sleep valley in a warm, pink, reflected glow oflight and color, the green of the trees and growth, the rock and earth colors,the blue sky with dull violet thunderclouds. Although there was no place tostop at the moment and capture it on camera, I will never forget this sight.

Lesson learned—don’t commit yourself to a pace or milestone that will temptyou to ride over your head, to exhaustion, or past dusk, in unfamiliar remoteareas. I backed off before I did that, and, and I was glad I did.

**CROSS ROADS notes: 1) On the highway, I encountered plenty of con-struction zones notwithstanding my alternate route. The Cross Roads’ sub-stantial physical size and 750 lb. weight, wider wheels/tires, plus low center ofgravity with the adjustable air suspension enabled greater low speed stabilityover the crazy washboarded packed asphalt/dirt mixture that was the tempo-rary detour though most half-to-one mile stretches of construction I ran into.I needed no foot-plants in the nose-to-tail procession of vehicles through theseareas. I can only suggest the Cross Roads might be a great slow-race bike!

2) Carter’s Inn has a loose gravel driveway. A bike with narrower tires andless stability might have bogged down here, but the Cross Roads handled thegravel well, even fully loaded with all my gear. And even with my lack of ex-perience riding on loose gravel. **

See next month's issue for part 2, or go online at at www.quickthrottle.com!

OCTOBER 2011 21


22 OCTOBER 2011


OCTOBER 2011 23


24 OCTOBER 2011


OCTOBER 2011 25

BY: Randy Twells

Salem-Keizer, OR*---July brought thesecond annual Good Vibrations event tothe Northwest’s Salem-Keizer area, with“music, motorcycles, malt and merlot’ adding atouch of class to the unwashed biker masses. Motorcycle events have a typical formula; it’s thesetting that makes the difference. When you can ridethe scenic routes through the wine country, and atthe end of the

day enjoy the well appointed comforts of a hosthotel, it’s a weekend to remember. More than 650VIP registrants enjoyed the full treatment this year.Although the rain that developed kept some ridersaway, those who participated enjoyed stunt shows,live music, a chance to see what’s new in gadgets andparts for your scoot, a bike show, and other stuff tokeep you busy all weekend. Starting things off with a VIP Party at the Renais-sance Inn, the Ted Vaughn Blues Band entertainedthe crowd while they munched complimentaryfood and sipped some local brew on the house.Changes from last year’s inaugural event includedbringing in the LiveFast stunt show high flying mo-torcycle stunt team, and tribute band SkynnynLynnyrd, a performance faithful in every detail tothe original group. Guitarist Robert rocks the stageand the backup singers brought it on home for a greatshow.** After a ride to Spirit Mountain Casino riders headedback to Keizer’s Elks Lodge for another VIP Partythere. More free food and beer. White Wolvesplayed and got ‘em rockin’ on the dance floor too.Two Poker Runs on different routes gave riderssome wonderful scenery, with winners of eachreceiving nice cash prizes of $100, $50 & $25.It paid off for Mike Bymers from Fife, Wash-ington to make the trip here as he was the win-ner of the run on Saturday! The rest of thePoker Run winners were Oregonians so the lo-cals prevailed overall. More music at Salem H-D (Hoodoo Johnson)and Vendor Village(T-Bone Stone). Then Sun-day morning a VIP Breakfast at Keizer Civic Cen-ter got the day started and although it had rainedthrough the night, over 70 bikes participated in theBikers Parade for a finale to the weekend. RT.

*Some photos for this story contributed by Carol Infranca. **QuickThrottle.com has shots of Skynnyn Lynnyrd on-stage at another Roadshows event, on our Biker Gallery, foryour enjoyment!


26 OCTOBER 2011


IDAHOSTATELINECruiser’s Biker B&G 6105 W. Seltice Way208- 773- 5816www.cruisersstatelineidaho.com

HAUSER JUNCTIONCurley’s Hauser Junction26433 W.HWY 53208-683-2614 www.curleys.biz

MONTANAPOLSONMiracle of America Museum58176 Hwy 93406-883-6804

TROYHome Bar 228 Yaak Ave406-295-4741homebartroy.com

OREGONLaGRANDEBud Jackson’s Sportsman B&G2209 Adams Ave. 541-962-7858www.budjacksons.com

WASHINGTONALGONARoyal Bear Pub & Eatery35731 W. Valley Hwy S.253-833-6686

AUBURNSports Page2802 Auburn Way N.253-288-0436www.thesportspage.com

BUCKLEYLumberJacks B&G720 Main Street360-829-0412www.lumberjacksbarandgrill.com

CASHMEREClub Crow108 ½ Cottage [email protected]

CENTRALIAThe Junction Sports B&G 21008 Old Highway 99 SW360-273-7586junctionsportsbarandgrill.com

The Limit B&G1500 South Gold Street 360-330-8049facebook.com/thelimitbarandgrill

CLE ELUMMike’s Tavern427 E. 1st Street509-674-5252

EASTONElkhorn Coffee2482 E. Sparks RD.509-656-0346

The Easton Saloon1860 Railroad Street509-656-2309

ELLENSBURGAmerican Legion Post 81101 Craig Ave509-925-9488

Red Horse Diner 1518 University Way509-925-1956

ELMABetty’s203 W. Main Street253-208-9202

Rusty Tractor Restaurant 602 E. Young St.360-482-3100

ENUNCLAWCity Hall Saloon35317 314th Way SE360-886-0569www.cityhallsaloon.net

EVERETTBuzz Inn Steakhouse9910 Evergreen Way425-353-9620

FIFEThe Right Spot 5119 Pacific Hwy. E.253-922-7371

GOLDENDALEPine Springs Resort2471 HWY 97509-773-4434www.pinespringsresort.net

ISSAQUAHTriple XXX Drive In 98 N.E. Gilman Blvd. 425-392-1266www.triplexrootbeer.com

KENTPAT’S B&G114 Railroad Ave N.253-852-7287

LACEYThe RAM8100 Freedom Lane NE360-923-5902www.theram.com

LAKEBAYO’Callahan’s Pub15610 92nd Street KPN253-884-9766

MANCHESTERManchester Pub2350 Colchester Dr. E. 360-871-2205www.manchesterpub.biz

MONTESANOCharlie’s313 S. Main Street253-208-9202

MORTONThe Bucksnort Pub198 Main Street360-496-5355 See Us On Facebook

NACHESWhistlin’ Jack’s Lodge20800 State Route 410509-658-2433www.whistlinjacklodge.com

Walkabout Creek Saloon990 HWY 12509-653-1314

OCEAN SHORESQuinault Beach Resort & Casino78 State Route 1151-888-461-2214

ODESSARolling Thunder Saloon13 W. 1st Ave • 425-330-5341rollingthundersaloon.com

OLYMPIA2 Mile House Pub & Eatery3447 Mud Bay RD. W360-753-9964

Buzz’s B&G5018 Mud Bay RD.360-866-8335

Shipwreck Café West244 Madrona Beach RD N.W. 360-866-4788

PUYALLUPWayne’s Inn1902 E. Main St.253-848-3466www.waynesinn.com

JASON’S Good Food & Cocktails1402 Meridian South253-845-7367

POULSBOThat’s-A- Some Italian Ristorante18881 Front St. 360-779-2266www.thatsasome.com

PORT ORCHARDMoondog’s Too714 Bay Street • 360-895-2300www.moondogstoo.com

OCTOBER 2011 27


RONALDOld #3 Tavern8361 SR 903509-649-3301

SHELTONEl Sarape2503 Olympic Hwy N.360-432-1085

Grove Street BrewHouse233 S. 1st Street 360-462-2739grovestreetbrewhouse.com FaceBook: grove street brewhouse

Log Cabin B&G1749 Olympic Hwy S. 360-868-2823FaceBook: logcabincrew

Spencer Lake B&G1180 E. Pickering360-426-2505www.spencerlake.com

Taylor Station Restaurant& Lounge62 S.E. Lynch RD360-426-8501

SPANAWAYOak Tree Food & Drink 218299 Pacific Ave South253-847-3818www.theoaktrees.com

Uncle Sam’s American Grill16003 HWY 7253-507-7808unclesamsamericanbarandgrill.com

TACOMABilly B’S Irish Pub1213 S. 56th Street253-314-5260

Gloria’s B&G8201 Pacific Ave.253-475-5877

North Point B&G6210 29th Street NE253- 927-7767

The RAM3001 Ruston Way253-756-7886www.theram.com

Rock the Dock535 Dock St. • 253-272-5004www.rockthedockpub.com

Haven Pub12510 Pacific Ave S253-537-1252www.thehaventavern.com

TRACYTONTracyton Public House430 Tracyton Blvd.360-479-9354

WILKESONSunny’s Wilkeson Saloon521 Church Street360-761-7168

List your bar or restaurant here. Send details and $100.00 for a 1 Year listing to:BF, Box 2241, Port Orchard, WA 98366

Quick Throttle Magazine is availableFree at all of these bars & restaurants

28 OCTOBER 2011


Royal Enfield motorcycles have come to California and I spentsome time on a 2012 Bullet 500 B5 EFI. Truthfully, everywhere Iwent the Bullet got all the attention. Alone at a coffee shop orparked amidst a sea of Harleys gawkers commented on the im-peccable restoration job or queried its history and lineage. RoyalEnfield USA is a division of Classic Motorworks, the exclusive li-censed distributor in the United States. The full U.S. range ofRoyal Enfield motorcycles, including the popular Bullet C5 Clas-sic, is available at ten debut dealerships in California. Royal En-field USA is also looking to answer strong demand in Californiaby establishing additional dealerships in the state over the comingyears. Royal Enfield USA operates in direct affiliation with RoyalEnfield Motors, founded in Redditch, England in 1901 and man-ufactured and headquartered in Chennai, India since 1955.

“It’s very exciting to be bringing Royal Enfield to California, especially nowthat we have an ideal product line and a hand-picked network of outstandingdealers to make a strong entry into this important market,” says Kevin Ma-honey, president of Royal Enfield USA.

It’s pure Nouveau Retro because ostensibly the Bullet’s cosmetics haven’tchanged in over 50 years but what has changed is a Mikuni EFI system on anIt’s a brand new motor, new alloy fully integrated unit construction engine.The kick starter has been replaced by an electric-start button, a gas canister onthe rear shocks and in front a 280mm disc brake. All Royal Enfield’s comewith a full 2-Year warranty.

This bike feels at home through the twisties and its 27 horsepower was enoughto keep up with the gang. The 500cc air cooled one banger thumps alongnicely with the growl of a mad cat. Steering gets a bit twitchy at terminal ve-locity, the foot pegs buzz and mirrors blur but she settles in at about 70 onfreeways…at least you won’t be getting any speeding tickets. None of theRoyal Enfield line pretends to be high speed touring motorcycles. Weighing inat 425 lbs with a 3.56 gallon tank and claimed 85 mpg the Bullet puts Prius toshame.

OCTOBER 2011 29


My life has always been filled with un-usual occurrences that usually involvethe wild side of Mother Nature, and myfreakish timing. This summer was noexception. I enjoy sharing with friendsand acquaintances that I bought my firstHarley this year and that the experiencehas been life changing. When I add thatwhile on a summer ride going 45mph, Iwas hit by a 1 ½ foot long, live, thrash-ing fish, it’s here that I see the listener’ssmile change to a serious frown and apuzzled grimace. Please allow me to di-gress for a moment. I’m 53 years youngand probably not unlike many guys outthere, who grew up riding mini-bikes ortrail bikes but for some reason nevertransitioned into riding street motorcy-cles. For years in a recurring dream, Ifound myself quietly sneaking out to thegarage late at night to find my fire en-gine-red Harley Davidson motorcyclewaiting for my inspection. Unfortu-nately this dream slowly faded withtime only to be reignited occasionally byhearing myself say that a motorcycle isin my future plans. I suspect that my“man without motorcycle” statuswould have been my destiny if not for alife long friend, his love for his Harley’sand the open road, along with my cu-riosity that lured me to Daytona BikeWeek 2010. My wake-up moment cameafter a chilly start in Daytona and nu-merous biking events, a half price saleon motorcycles at the local Harley deal-ership and, you guessed it, my purchaseof a chromed-out, fire engine red FXDSuper Glide. You can call my Harleyencounter a coincidence but, I truly be-lieve that there is a motorcycle, or evena fish with your name on it somewhereout there as my riding incident contin-ues.

One early morning, I was en-joying a southern Maryland ride when Iturned on a very scenic road not farfrom the Potomac River. As I turnedonto the tall pine lined road, I wasaware of something quite odd. Flyingaway from me and centered on the roadwas a huge Osprey carrying a large fish.Not able to resist, I hit the throttle,which quickly brought me 20’ behindthe bird cruising about 40’ above theroad. From my vantage point, I couldsee the large bird repositioning its talonsand the fish desperately struggling for itsfreedom. Because of the mere weight ofthe fish, the Osprey seemed to have no

chance of clearing the trees with itsprize and returning to the nest. As I fol-lowed the interlocking pair in awe, avoice loudly sounded off within me say-ing “Dude. This is why you got thisbike!” Instead of listening to innervoices for this 1/8th of a mile however, Ishould have been thinking about proba-bility when at that precise moment, thebird decided to unload the fish. Immedi-ately feeling like I had just opened myeyes during a 3D movie at the neighbor-hood multiplex, the endlessly flippingvertebrate connected with my headlight,then my riding boot as it then found itsway into the ditch. Assessing that anydamage to my bike would be minimal, Idrove on feeling a strange sensationwelling up inside that resulted in a self-sustaining full helmet-shaking laughthat severely questioned the MarylandState helmet laws. Besides being anx-ious to tell anyone what had just hap-pened to me, a moment ofenlightenment hit me as a new rider: It’sthe ride, not solely the destination!Sometimes it’s easy to forget that it trulyis what happens between point A and Bthat makes this life style so special. Eventhough I certainly wouldn’t recommendmy catch and release maneuver to any-one, it has certainly been fun sharing myexperience with others. My hope for allriders is that we never forget that we aremerely a turned key away from that op-portunity to live in the moment. I wishyou all a safe 2011. See you at the nextbig bike event. Date: 12-15-10

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you’re a constant readerof QT, you may recall the turkey vulture-meets-windshield article from our Sept. issue.You may be tempted to think this one was“inspired” by that, but I actually receivedthis story first, and well, lets just say I hungonto it a while. It sounded like a variationon the “big fish that got away” story. Ulti-mately we could not verify the writer’s claimshere, but then, how could he prove it? A fishysmell on his boot? Some scales on the tripletree? Kurt told me, “My mechanic had tostraighten out my headlight that was point-ing downward after the impact. I was luckythat I didn’t have to have the fish’s dorsal finsurgically removed from my chest, as hard asit hit the front of the bike.” Kurt assures me that “This article reflects anactual experience.” And really, folks, whocould make this stuff up?!

Anyone looking for the fastest, most comfortable, best handling best brakingmotorcycle look elsewhere, that’s not what this bike is about. After a fewdays in the slow lane I realized that’s exactly where I wanted to be. Not pre-occupied with moving slightly faster than the surrounding cagers or downshifting to pass I enjoyed the ride, smelling the Roses. A wide range ofmotorcycle enthusiasts are purchasing the new RE’s from women riders,beginners, young vintage riders to old time vintage collectors. Riding thewave of new vintage the Royal Enfield hits the mark dead center. This is acommuter bike that not only gets the job done respectably, it will steal theattention from motorcycles three times its price. All the new Royal Enfield’sreek retro cool without the stench of costly maintenance and exorbitantprices of actual vintage.

Bullet 500 B5 5695.00

Bullet G5 Classic at 6295.00

Bullet C5 Classic (Motorcycle tested) 6695.00

Bullet C5 Military 6695.00

Bullet C5 Chrome 6895.00

Now Available in and a new Desert Storm Sand

Special thanks to South Bay Triumph, California’s first Royal Enfield dealerand full service center http://www.southbaytriumph.com/

Complete model and dealer information can be found on the company’swebsite at www.EnfieldMotorcycles.com.

30 OCTOBER 2011


OCTOBER 2011 31


32 OCTOBER 2011

Chihuahua/Terrier

She isn’t called Bat Girl because shelikes baseball. It’s the ears that makeher look so adorable. She is a loving,joyful girl with the greatest personal-ity. She gets along well with dogs, catsand people. Only 5 months old, al-ready housetrained, and learningmore. Smart, active little Bat Girl issure to brighten your life. You knowshe will be a good listener. All of the pets at Valhalla Rescue arein foster care with volunteer families.Want to get involved? There are manyways that you can help. Check thewebsite to see the great rescue andcare work that they do, and see othercute canines available for adoption.

VALHALLA CANINE RESCUE

GRAHAM, WA.253 847 7767

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A week in the heart of Biker Land—Writers/Contributors- Randy Twells, Meg McDonough, Fred Mathews,Photos- RT, Abel, Fred & Courtesy of The Buffalo Chip®

Rolling into Sturgis with several days on the road behind you, is something to remember.I feel like I’m taking a victory lap. No wait, it’s like breaking the tape in a marathon. No,it’s like…. NOTHING else. Have you ever felt more alive?

QUICK THROTTLE HQ’s at QUALITY INN, SPEARFISH. As we roll into the Qual-ity Inn, right off Exit 14 in Spearfish, we are welcomed with porte cochere bike parking, abike wash area, free bottled water in a huge ice chest, free breakfast, free BBQ on Mondaynight of the Rally week, complimentary beer/wine cocktails every night at 6, what a place!They love bikers here, and did everything they could to make us comfortable. In fact, ourinfo was that they were the only hotel in the area with all these free amenities for Rallyguests. And, kudos to Quality Inn for the excellent beds, my tender hip joints were sohappy! Their location although right off I-90 was behind a grassy rise and very quiet, andacross the street from a coffee bar/food /convenience store /gas station that was also lowkey and quiet with gourmet sandwiches and even bread pudding for take-out. So fromthis launch pad we headed out to see what’s shakin’ in Sturgis this year—

The LEGENDS Ride IV

Legends of both motorcycling and music participated in the 4th Annual Legends Ride fromDeadwood’s Franklin Hotel/Silverado Casino to the Buffalo Chip on Monday took thesold out crowd of 500 riders on a 55-mile route. Riders donate $150 each to participate,and this year nearly $54,000 was raised for the Black Hills Special Olympics and the SturgisMotorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame. (Almost $205,000 has been raised over LegendsRide’s four years.)

Rupert Boneham and Holly Hoffman from Survivor took the opportunity again this year,to truly make a difference on behalf of Rupert’s Kids Foundation. Rupert reminded every-one that we can’t just depend on government to take care of the less fortunate. But throughcooperation of business and private citizens, we can accomplish great things. He gets a lotof businesses to step up and give it up for a good cause.

Michael Lichter again shot his trademark overhead group photo of the Legends Ride crowdfrom the scissor lift across the street. Major sponsors, Interstate Batteries’ Mike Raganpulled MC duty along with Victory Motorcycles’ Robert Pandya, and Victory suppliedbikes for Rupert and other dignitaries to do the ride. I of course rode my Press Fleet loanerVictory Cross Roads, joined by our National Publisher Chris Dalgaard along with North-west edition’s Mike Dalgaard and Von Nix.

We also had the privilege of doing this ride with legendary Motor Maid woman rider andHall of Fame inductee (later in the week) Gloria Struck, Jackpine Gypsies’ Meg McDo-nough and many other women riders.

Other celebrities & dignitaries along for the ride included Lorenzo Lamas, Bert Baker, and

Sturgis Rally is into its eight decade, with the 71st running this year.Just the name “Sturgis”, sounds bigger than life. Imagine anyother town name, it just doesn’t work. What the name Sturgisevokes— black & white memories of old panheads, shovels &knuckles, camping in the city park… races, mud, old school… alegend still happening. With that, we give you…

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even Mrs. South Dakota Lori Visker riding her own bike, with Big Kenny from Big& Rich leading the ride out of Deadwood.

We caught a couple sprinkles of rain, but otherwise the weather gods smiled on us.QT’s Fred Mathews however was under a different part of the sky during the day,reporting quarter-size (or larger) hail—making for a challenging ride surface—not tomention those without a helmet trying not to get knocked unconscious!

We had a stop again, eerily an “oh no not again” at first, stopping at the same gravellot just prior to the freeway underpass just outside Sturgis-where last year’s ride tooka break for Lorenzo Lamas to repair an oil line last year. This time it was to allowthe police department to clear an accident scene in town before we made the situa-tion untenable trying to pass over 500 bikes through there. Once the all-clear wasgiven, we got on the road again, entered Sturgis and I was pleasantly surprised at thisyear’s last leg through town—- Traffic officers at every intersection, blocking sidetraffic so we could go through unimpeded all the way out to the Chip VIP parkingarea on the green grass pasture out back. This made the Legends Ride flow smoothlythe whole way through. In prior years, the Legends Ride got bogged down in trafficafter entering Sturgis— But this year they got it right, and kudos to the Sturgis Rallyorganizers for making this improvement.

At the Buffalo Chip the riders were treated to a buffet dinner, and presented with livemusic and a charity auction of many donated items benefiting the Legends Ridecharities. Custom home builder Joe Sterling from Ten Sleep, Wyoming put up thewinning bid for the Michael Prugh/Western Dakota Tech design/build bike, to beridden by his wife Susan who stepped up for photos on the bike at the media’s re-quest.

Rod ‘Woody’ Woodruff, whose Legendary Buffalo Chip is the home of the LegendsRide, is already looking to 2012, so we are too!

QUICK THROTTLE’S READER PARTY With the FRYED BROTHERSBAND at the KNUCKLE! Quick Throttle held 2011’s Reader Party at the KnuckleSaloon- the huge bar, restaurant and entertainment venue that spans an entire cityblock along Lazelle. The Knuckle, a two-story galleried complex also hosted Ex-treme Sport Fighting during the Rally, and even had women competitors this year.For the QT Party, The Fryed Brothers Band autographed copies of Quick Throttle’sAugust issue with their starring cover poster for the film “I RIDE”, with a banner ofcovers displayed mid-air above Bobby the drummer— and rocked the house, throw-ing out plenty of Quick Throttle T-shirts and other items to the audience in theprocess. Playing their original songs plus their own versions of covers like “AngelsFlying Too Close to the Ground”, they did this one at the Quick Throttle Party andthen again Thursday of Rally week as a tribute to Miles Squire, a million mile riderand more, who appeared in I RIDE, and who died only weeks before this year’sRally. Earlier this same day, about 50 riders made a memorial run down SpearfishCanyon and stopped to scatter his ashes in the falls, where he would have wanted tofinally rest in peace.

***

STURGIS MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM & HALL OF FAME, at the east end ofMain Street downtown. Here you can see history and motorcycles blended together.The Museum charges $5 admission and has dedicated volunteers who also put onthe induction breakfast in Rapid City (they used to hold the breakfast in Sturgis orSpearfish til they outgrew all the available facilities). This year, Gloria Struck, anoriginal member of the Motor Maids womens’ motorcycle club, was inducted. It’sabout time! Gloria rides to Sturgis each year and she’s in her 80’s. I bow to you, Glo-ria. My hero.

***

New to Sturgis this year, The Rumble For The Heartland is a fundraiser ride startedby Lorenzo Lamas of Lorenzo Cycles. The inaugural ride started at Devil’s Towertaking the back roads to end up at the Buffalo Chip for some food & drinks followedup by some great music. Proceeds go to Operation Homefront and the Walter ReedNational Military Medical Center. Learn more about this and buy raffle tickets forthe Ralph Randal built FXR with a 124” S&S motor at www.lorenzocycles.com

BIKER BELLES – Women Riders Make a Difference—

By Meg McDonough

Photos courtesy of The Buffalo Chip®

The Buffalo Chip’s® first two tries at a women’s ride, previously named Pink &Proud, just wasn’t effectively promoting women’s role in motorcycling. A group ofbiker women that included Cris Sommer-Simmons, Gloria Struck, Lori DeSilva andMeg McDonough knew there were better ways to do it. Meg, long a friend of theChip’s owner, Rod “Woody” Woodruff, discussed their ideas with him almost im-mediately after the second Pink & Proud reception. Plans for changes were begun

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for this signature event that honors women’s history in motorcycling, as well as giv-ing back to the South Dakota and Sturgis Rally community.

One of the first changes was the choice of charitable beneficiaries. It was decidedthat part of the donations collected would be distributed to the Sturgis MotorcycleMuseum and Hall of Fame for the express purpose of creating or enhancing Mu-seum exhibits related to the heritage of women in motorcycling. The balance of2011’s contributions was to be distributed to a charity that focuses on helping femalechildren and adolescents.

Laura Klock, Klock Werks owner and world motorcycle speed record holder, hascreated a South Dakota Charity named “Helping with Horsepower”. That charityis helping young women rebuild their lives through a program that included teachingmotorcycle design and construction. They were rebuilding a crashed motorcyclewhich later would be auctioned to benefit the charity. Helping with Horsepowerseemed a perfect fit to provide the women’s riding community a meaningful oppor-tunity to give back.

The Biker Belles’ Ride was scheduled to follow the induction ceremonies of the Stur-gis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame. Registration was at the Lodge at Dead-wood, which is where it was staged. Meg McDonough led a group of nearly 100women through a very scenic ride through the Black Hills to the Buffalo Chip for theofficial Biker Belles reception.

The reception was held in a dedicated 8000 square foot tent set near the Chip’s mainentrance. A stage was set for performances by Missy Colville-The Iron Cowgirl andDan Lawson. Food was catered. Diva Amy presented a fashion show that featuredwomen’s riding gear that was then donated for the silent auction.

The event was packed with famous female faces, including several Hall of FameMembers. The event connected old and new friends. Many photographs were takenand many autographs were given. 80% of the contributions go to Helping withHorsepower. Today’s Biker Belles doing good for tomorrow’s Biker Belles. It wasa very successful event and a good time was had by all.

Please visit the BuffaloChip.com for updates on next the 2012 Biker Belles, or visitBikerBelles.com

We look forward to riding with you next year.

***

AROUND STURGIS and Beyond— Either location of the Broken Spoke will leaveyou wild eyed. At the Broken Spoke Campground you probably met Jack Schit andcan now tell your friends you do know Jack Schit! Downtown Jay Allen was helpinglead off the Michael Lichter/Sugar Bear ride, putting on a great bike show, or show-ing off the hotties.

Out at the Full Throttle Saloon, Michael Ballard and his guests were taping a seg-ment of Full Throttle TV with the help of an enthusiastic crowd of spectators. Wemet up with Greg "Goat" Cook who does charity event guest appearances, and wealso got some shots of FTS & the featured band Eve to Adam.

Must see’s— You have to take a drive around Needles Highway then test your skillson Iron Mountain Road while you visit the Black Hills. Rushmore is nearby alongwith the wondrous laminated wooden bridge. Just stay clear of the buffalo!

MUSICAL & MOTORCYCLE MAYHEM!!

Slant Artist Jeff Decker’s work & motorcycle collection was showcased in the LichterExhibit Hall at the Chip along with other items like vintage racing suits etc., forsome jaw-dropping walk-around examination. Marc Lacourciere’s gallery of workwas on display nearby. Outside, the Buffalo Chip is its own party. Self containedwith everything you need from bread to zip lines, eye candy to mobile works of art,midgets to music and everything in between. You might even run into Jeff Bridges…

Of course Sturgis is famous for the concerts staged at the Buffalo Chip. We got toattend and shoot most shows: Def Leppard, Buckcherry, Toby Keith, Lukas Nelson,Gregg Allman, Jeff Bridges, Tesla, Stevie Nicks, Leon Russell, George Thorogoodand more.

We had the privilege of meeting up with Lukas Nelson and his drummer/band mateAnthony LoGerfo before their show—I noted that Lukas doesn’t trade on his lastname. He paid his own dues playing music among his peers out in the world andabsorbing life around him. For one so young, he is mature beyond his years. Askedhow he started the band, Lukas says, “I met Anthony out surfing, and we becamefriends, are both musicians and decided to form a band together. “ What do theythink about playing Sturgis? “We are STOKED to be here!” Well, we were stokedto see them on the big Buffalo Chip stage too!

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