I Love My Motorcycle
By MARY ANN Ohsol #12023When I first got back into riding, around 1998 or so, I bought a used purple Suzuki 500 crotch rocket I saw at a gas station. On the ride home in pouring rain, the roads were all curvy, skinny, roads with potholes, and I was scared to death. I think the adrenalin kept me up! I hadn’t ridden in about seven years, and my former experience was more off road than on. I was much more comfortable climbing straight up muddy knobs than I was on the road. I put many miles on that old purple crotch rocket, just heading off to the southeast mountains with my little granny tent.
One of my favorite rides was the Blue Ridge Parkway. I traded that bike for a used Suzuki 1400cc cruiser, which was quite a switch! It was comfy, but it was too loud for my tastes, especially in state and national parks, and the bolts kept coming out of the heads!
One day I was in a Honda dealership in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and I talked trade. They gave me a great trade in on the Suzuki for a new 03 orange Honda 1300cc VTX. I loved that bike; it had about 30 coats of polish on it when I was taking it back at 1,000 miles to get a light bar that I had ordered installed on the front end and my first oil change. An elderly lady pulled right in front of me, making a left turn across three lanes of traffic! She totaled my bike as well as her Toyota Corolla. I did a somersault over her hood and unfolded onto the highway. I, of course, had all my gear on and was ok except for a sprained thumb.
I then decided to go back to a smaller bike, because even though I loved the Honda 1300cc VTX, it just felt too big. I live in an area of very steep hills and sharp curves, and the VTX wheel base was so long I had to just lumber around those curves and switchbacks. After the wreck, I bought a new 03 Honda 750 ACE Shadow. Her name is Cherry and she is great! We bonded instantly!
My cherry red Shadow can snap around those switchbacks like nothing! I am still riding this bike today, and she is still like brand new. She’s as comfortable as my living room couch! I have the Mustang seat and it gives great lumbar support. I have a modulating headlight and brake lights, and the brake lights are custom made with 140 led lights in each one, and mounted on the sides of my license plate for greater visibility. I also have the bar lights on the front, again for extra visibility. I want to be seen by approaching traffic (as well as traffic behind me when stopping).
The dealer let me keep the engine bar foot pegs and my saddlebags off the Suzuki, so I have an engine guard bar (I don’t like to call it a crash bar) with the old foot pegs, which are comfy for long cruising trips. I put a loud horn on her, and I have added hand guards by National Co. for winter riding. I have the dog carrier on the passenger seat, as my dog, Daisy, loves riding.
I wanted to get back into woods and trails some, so I bought a KLR 750 cc from a friend in 2007. I had ridden one back in the 80’s and it was really fun! Well, this time, I was surprised to find I couldn’t reach the ground! I shrunk! So, I sold it and looked for something that fit me better.
See page 12 for the complete story!
Sample Content:
Also In this Issue:
*Stratton Mt. Vermont Ride-In information
* Public Relations Committee Information
* Book Review by Carol McCann
*Cumulative Mileage Report
IN THIS ISSUE
May/June 2010
A Foreign Riding Adventure (or not)
By PEGGY Walker #368
Jumbo (Hello),
An adventure I write about, but first here’s how it started. Sue Konopka and I (Peggy Walker) took a day class in nature photography in March 2009, from John and Barb Gerlach, renowned nature photographers. We enjoyed their presentation. They made it a fun, informative and worthwhile day. We found out that they led various photo trips into Yellowstone, Michigan’s UP and Kenya, Africa. The write up on the African trip mentioned that visitors would see lots of baby animals, wintering European song birds, etc … Well before we left that day, we were fantasizing about the trip.
I figured it ended there, but Sue called me at work a couple days later, “Guess what? I got a brochure with all the details, including price.” Well, we started discussing the pros and cons of the trip. A bit expensive, but we were both loosing investments into some black hole at the time, why not spend some on ourselves. We needed passports. Sue had a good one, but I needed one – easy to do. Husbands were not interested in going – save some money, at least I had a girlfriend to do the trip with. Staying in tents, but they had flush toilets and running water, etc. We talked and discussed for several weeks, then it was settled. We’re going to Africa!
We left on January 3, flying from Milwaukee to Detroit, then Amsterdam, then to Nairobi. We returned January 17. The two longest flights were both eight hours long with two layovers that were rather long as well. We arrived the evening of January 4, and spent the night in a motel in Nairobi before beginning a long drive to the first of four game preserves where we stayed.
Their game preserves would be similar to our national parks, except they are fenced in. The human population of Africa is crowding out the wild animal’s habitat, like here. The wild animals are contained within these preserves. The landscape was varied; we saw plains, hilly areas and some mountain peaks. And lots of people, many just hanging around the small communities, riding bicycles, riding motorcycles (two, three and even four up), riding crowded buses or walking, sometimes miles away from any bit of civilization.
Our first overnight was at Sweetwater Game Preserve which is on the Equator. We saw antelope immediately upon entering the gate. There was a water hole across from the tents and the lodge where we ate our meals that separated us by a ditch and an electric fence. From there, we traveled to Mount Kenya/Samburu Game Reserve, where we spent three nights. Next was Lake Nakuru National Park (home of the pink flamingos) for three nights. This spot had cabins, while the rest were all tents. Finally ending with four nights at Masai Mara Game Preserve.
The daily routine was the same for the entire time we were at the reserves, other than the travel times. We would do a morning drive of about five hours starting about 6:30 AM. We would return for lunch and have a couple hours break to relax or edit our photos, when the sun light was bad for photographing. Then we would go for another drive of about three hours returning before dusk or you may get lost and have to spend the night in the wild. There were no road signs on the paths/trails through the reserves; the drivers used parts of the landscape as markings of where they were.
For the complete story, turn to page 20.
Twisty Sisters
By JANIS Perfetto #11596If it’s August, it’s time for the Twisty Sisters Riding Club Rally! The rally is held in Suches, Georgia at the Two Wheels Only Motorcycle Resort and Campgrounds (TWO) located in the beautiful North Georgia mountains, home of the best motorcycle riding roads (and off roads) in the world, well at least in the southeast. The Twisty Sisters Riding Club was established to provide more opportunities for women to enjoy the sport of motorcycling. Women from around the country attend the rally, which has traditionally been held the third weekend of August, however the ‘09 annual rally was rescheduled for August 7 due to the conflict with the International Women & Motorcycling Conference held in Keystone Colorado. TWO has limited rooms for rent and unlimited space for camping. Only motorcycles are permitted or vehicles towing motorcycles. The owners are gourmet chefs and you will be delighted by the delicious meals.
I have attended the last two, and I am eagerly looking forward to my third. The ’08 rally was more of a reunion and had a very relaxed schedule. We met up with our friends from all over and met new friends too. We lazed around the pool and carved the concrete or played in the dirt by day, and we sat around the campfire, told stories and bonded with friends by night. I roomed with fellow WOW members Marilyn Vershure and June Reeves. The Atlanta WOW chapter made their mark on the ’08 rally! Sadly, neither Marilyn nor June could attend the ’09 rally. Marilyn was recovering from surgery and June was still motoring out west somewhere after the 23rd International Ride-In. WOW members Jan Dru Basehart, Cathy Davies, Fay Kilgore, and Laura Mitchell represented Women On Wheels® at the ‘09 rally.
The ’09 rally hosted a full schedule of fun things to do. The theme for the menu was Mediterranean, prepared by TWO owner G.T. Turner and staff. As always, the food was delicious. TWO staff member Mimi White, a professional belly dancer known for her electrifying and expressive stage performances, provided belly dance lessons that proved to be the hit of the weekend.
For the rest of the story, turn to page 14!
New Zealand: What Incredible Luck!
By NORINE McVann #12161
While attending the 2007 International BMW Motorcycle Owners’ Association Rally, my partner Vicki, fellow WOW member and Lucky Charm, and I made it a point to attend the two presentations conducted by the GO Tour NZ Company. These seminars are a big hit with the rally folks because at the end of each presentation they draw an attendee’s name for an all expense paid tour of New Zealand. So, dutifully we made our way to the seminar site. This was our second time sitting through it during this rally, and probably our sixth time in total over the years.
Just moments before the drawing was to occur, we joked with each other and friends about how we would receive the award should one of us be so lucky to hear our name called out. Sure enough, when the moment of truth came and we heard “Vicki Breese” ring out over the PA system, we both jumped for joy. Vicki proceeded to run to the front with her hands waving wildly in the air as though she were a contestant on the “Price Is Right” just as she had described moments before.
It wasn’t until January of 2009, that the actual trip took place, a perfect time of year to enjoy summer in the Southern Hemisphere. It all stared in Nelson, located on the top of the South Island. It was 14 days and 2,000 miles of incredibly gorgeous riding that took us along the west coast through mountainous switchback roads overlooking the Tasman Sea and then across the south of the island and back up the east coast of the Pacific Ocean.
As it turned out, there were only two others who had registered for this particular tour. Lori and Jill, both BMW riders from Ottawa, Canada and faithful attendees to the Go Tour NZ seminars. Little did we know until our tour was underway that they had also been in the crowd that fateful day. They, too, had sat through their share of these presentations, and to our great fortune had decided win or loose, 2009 was their year to ride New Zealand. As luck would have it, we all had similar riding styles, shared many of the same interests, and got along famously. I was on a Suzuki, V-Strom 650 (great bike, by the way) while the other three, rode BMW F650’s.
One of the biggest challenges was wrapping our heads around the idea of riding on the “wrong” side of the road. Much fuss was made about the importance of keeping your wits about yourself, as adjusting to driving on the left side of the road takes constant vigilance. Vicki and I had made a plan to place “high viz” duct tape to the back of our right hand gloves and the right side rear view mirror as a visual reminder that the center line was to always be on our right. It worked! In fact, one time I thanked my lucky stars for that plan. Somehow, I had managed to get placed in the lead for most of this tour. As we started out on the morning of our third day, I suddenly noticed there was no one behind me until I caught a glimpse of Vicki waving to me from my left… Hmm, I thought, then with a start glanced down to the right and found the centerline missing! Yikes, I swerved quickly to the left as we approached the crest of a hill, a moment later a car whizzed by. Whew!
For the complete story, turn to page 16.
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Sisters
By BARB Kull #14125
This past August, I was in a crash on a rural paved road with no shoulders. I missed a left hand curve and apparently went into the right ditch. I came out of the ditch and back on the asphalt. My right knee dented the gas tank, big time. My right hand and my body took out the windshield. I landed on my left shoulder. I apparently took off my helmet and found my cell phone under my leather jacket; I called my “3 Musketeers” friend, Highway Kat. She played the message to me three weeks later. I don’t remember making the call.
I remember looking at my helmet on the asphalt and thinking, “I need a new helmet.” I looked at my bike on its left side and thought, “I need a new windshield.” I remember hearing a woman’s voice and being rolled into the hospital’s emergency room and then it’s a blank.
The police used my cell phone to call my listing of “ICE” numbers. The first number was the other member of the “3 Musketeers,” Freeway Fran. She was in California and called Lisa H. and Cheryl K. here in Minnesota. They spent the next six hours with me in the emergency room. I remember nothing, I tell you, nothing!
Lisa sent out an email to all the Ladyslipper’s members and my “family” came to my aid. Highway Kat spent almost every night with me in the ICU the first week. She was instrumental in how the orthopedic surgeon put my wrist and back plate together, so I can continue as a professional bus driver.
Cards, frogs and a journal from Jane C. began arriving to my ICU room, along with WOW members and their husbands. A week later, my left shoulder was plated back together. My spleen was lacerated.
In the mean time, Lisa found my bike at the impound, and Marlene M. offered her trailer and Fawn K. offered her truck. Fawn, Lisa, Highway Kat, and Jo G. brought “Rainbow” home to Isanti, 58 miles away. Along with my regular house sitter, Terry G., the Ladyslippers took care of all my pets for three weeks which include one horse, two dogs and six cats.
The accident happened at 3:30 PM on August 20, and I woke up at 5:30 PM on September 5. The first things I saw were all the frogs and cards. My first visitors were Highway Kat and Freeway Fran. After they left, the hospital served me my first meal in almost two and a half weeks, liquids and Jell-O. Now, I was still on oxygen because of my broken ribs, my left arm was in a sling and my right arm was in a cast and a sling. How was I supposed to eat my Jell-O? In came Lisa and Fawn to the rescue. Lisa fed me my Jell-O. Pictures were taken with the camera Lisa brought me and well wishes were written in the journal. Lisa also read the cards to me. Jane P. was out of town on vacation and asked Sue S. to visit me. We called Jane from my room. Jo G. and Michelle S. confused the nurse so badly during their visit and made me laugh so hard my ribs hurt.
For the rest of the story, turn to page 10!
