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When Karen became the Activities Officer for First State HOG last fall, she had several goals.  The one she voiced most frequently was for our chapter to win a “Best Represented Chapter” award at a local poker run.  She had noticed that our chapter wall at Mike’s Famous Harley-Davidson was lacking awards.  We have got to do something about that!  Besides the plaque, Karen wanted to increase participation in our chapter rides and events.  She loved to plan picnics, dinner rides, and other events…and the bigger the better!  I don’t think there was anything she loved more than to be a part of a huge group of riders in formation, heading out to have some fun.

Back in March, without thinking much about it, our chapter quietly took the award for most participation in the Motorcycle Accident Victims Foundation Saint Patrick’s Day Poker Run.  Then only a couple of weeks later we took nearly 40 people to the Delmarva HOG Poker Run in Seaford, Delaware.  Karen’s husband Ed was the road captain for this trip, and Karen was so tickled every time another bike pulled into the lot that morning at our pickup spot.  She jumped up and down like a school girl when they announced that our chapter had taken the prize.

Karen got her wish - not once, but twice!  And the riding season had barely begun!  Unfortunately Karen’s season was about to come to an end, permanently.  She was killed on April 24th while riding on a chapter trip. First State HOG members were devastated by the incident, but we have come back even stronger.  We will not let Karen’s dream die.

On Saturday, June 13th, we took a group of riders down into Maryland for the Baltimore Metro HOG Chapter “Panty Poker Run.”  This trip was great fun, and somehow we managed to win “Best Represented” again.  Our neighbors in Baltimore had been very supportive after the accident.  Several of them rode the hour-long trip in the pouring rain for Karen’s viewing and funeral.  When they learned that we were dedicating our award to Karen, they decided to get it engraved “In Memory of Karen” and will make the trip up to our next general meeting to make the presentation.  We got caught in some rain on the ride back that day, a rainbow appeared as we got closer to home… we knew it was Karen smiling down on us.

On Sunday, June 21st, we took a group of riders up into Pennsylvania for Tri-State HOG’s Father’s Day Poker Run…and AGAIN won the award for best represented chapter.  FOUR awards to hang on our wall at the dealership!  They’re going to have to get us a bigger wall soon!

But wait, there’s more!

On Saturday, June 27th, several of us headed to the All-American HOG chapter’s “Brain Freeze” Poker Run.  Given our chapter’s propensity to ride for ice cream, we figured a poker run with ice cream joints at every stop was just the ticket!  With 20 on 14 we did not have enough people to beat out some of the more local chapters.  But given that we rode 125 miles to get there, we did ride away with the plaque for “Longest Distance Traveled”! Chalk up award number FIVE!

Karen’s spirit is alive and well in First State HOG.  We love you and miss you girl!

Tags: HOG, Mrs Road Captain by Diana Green
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While I have been focusing on promoting Million Mile Monday whithin our local HOG Chapter it didn’t occur to me that I should do a little promoting of Million Mile Monday here at Road Captain USA to our online friends. Then an e-mail from the marketing people at HD woke me up. So here goes…

Tags: HOG, News & Announcements by Jay Green
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The May 2009 issue of East Coast Biker Online has been out for quite some time now. Check out Diana’s article on Women Riders Month in ECBO on page 24. Joker’s monthly New England Update is on page 56 and my monthly Product Review is on page 58. Click Here!

I also have an article on page 34 about the April poker runs hosted by both of the Delaware HOG chapters. Below is a picture of Ben Ewing, Director of Delmarva HOG, accepting the plaque for best represented riding organization from Karen Fortner, Activities Officer of First State HOG. I love this picture, it brings back a lot of good memories.

Tags: HOG, News & Announcements, Websites & Blogs by Jay Green
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Man is it great to be back on two wheels! Spent most of the day riding although it wasn’t very warm out. Left the house at 8:00am and there was frost on all the car windows. It was around 35 degrees out. I just bought my heated gloves yesterday but don’t have them hooked up yet. I got them at Mike’s Famous Harley-Davidson in New Castle, DE. They were on back order all winter. They would have been nice for today. My fingers and toes were freezing. Well at least I have the gloves for next year. I finally got to try out my new split view mirrors. More about them in a future post.

I met up with the other FSH Road Captains and Poker Run Committee members in Smyrna, DE to pre-ride our 2009 First State Spring Poker Run route. It was great to see everyone. The route was very nice through pretty farm roads in lower Delaware. Our Head Road Captain has put together a really nice route. The blast shield on my HJC SY-MAX 2 helmet came in handy as the morning sun tried to blind me. A very nice feature. My blood brother Gordy thought I was trying to scratch my head through my helmet as I manipulated the blast shield controls on top of my big giant martian helmet.

I came home briefly after the ride to check on Diana who is fighting off a sinus infection. We had hot cocoa with marshmellows and rested a bit. Then we bundled up to hit the road for our First State HOG monthly dinner ride. It was 2:30pm and a little warmer , probably about 56 degrees. We had a huge showing, the biggest for one of our dinner rides so far. We had 17 motorcycles and met up with two more at the restaurant in Port Deposit, Maryland. Big Ed took us on a fantastic back-road ride through twisty country to get to Port Deposit on the banks of the Susquehanna River. He put together a very nice ride and I bet he pre-rode it too. He puts a lot of work into these dinner rides as does his wife who plans these dinners. I rode sweep, my first official Road Captain duty this year. It was great fun! Dinner at the Susky River Grill was pretty good too. A big success.

The ride home after dinner with 19 motorcycles riding in excellent formation up Rt 40 with many of our members wearing their HOG patches made me proud. If this is any sign of how our riding season is going to be, then it is going to be wicked pissa awesome!

“I am not a Space Ball!”

Tags: HOG by Jay Green
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There is something spiritual about being a motorcyclist that is impossible to explain to non motorcyclists. Part of the mystique is brotherhood! We don’t go into a motorcycle dealership to buy brotherhood, but on the road we experence so many things that we did not expect. No wonder we become passionate about this sport! We are very fortunate as human beings to have a connection that others don’t understand.

There is no doubt that among motorcyclists there is a brotherhood or an “open door policy” for friendship. Making new friends during childhood it is a lot easier than during adulthood. I am guessing this is partly due to the fact we are all thrown together into a school and partly due to the fact that as children we are more open to developing relationships. As an adult it is difficult to make friends. Some males don’t make many friends after graduating from high school or college. Their interaction with other adult males may be limited to co workers.  We become less trusting and throw up walls that inhibit us from starting conversations with total strangers. I grew up in the Boston area and it was unnatural to strike up a conversation with a stranger of the same sex. It’s taboo! Back home, a man who talks to another man he doesn’t know is either gay or about to pull a scam! You only talk to women if you are hitting on them. Under these circumstances it is difficult to make new friends. It is a lot easier of course to start a conversation with someone that we have something in common with. For example a man may feel less inhibited starting a conversation with someone wearing a t-shirt for his favorite sports team:  ”hey you like the Bruins, I like the Bruins… we can talk about this topic because we have something in common”. Now let’s introduce the sport of motorcycling…

You ride a motorcycle, I ride a motorcycle… we understand each other! Ah, the refreshing open acceptance that allowed ourselves to make friends with strangers during childhood is back! I joined the First State Chapter of the Harley Owners Group just shy of two years ago. I have made dozens of new friends through HOG. Grown men and women of all ages welcome each other with hugs! There are people I have met recently in my HOG chapter that feel more like family than friends. We are blessed to have found this experience. Motorcycling is so much more than just riding a two wheeled form of transportation!

Now think of your neighbor or the average Joe down the street. He gets married, has children and goes to work day in and day out. He comes home from work tired, spends time with family and watches the boob tube. He doesn’t do much else! He has little interaction with others. He is disconnected and can’t make new friends. He forgets life is an adventure and his journeys are limited. I feel sorry for these people who failed to discover what we have! 

I am a lucky man! I own a Harley Davidson motorcycle that has opened the door to numerous adventures, taken me to places I would have never visited and created lasting friendships I otherwise would not have made. This sport has given me and my wife something we can share together that enriches our lives. Thank God for the Harley Davidson company and the Harley Owners Group!

No wonder there are so many people out to squash our fun. Those people trying to put a stop to motorcycle rallys, loud pipes and enact helmet laws. There are even a few bad apples putting scathing comments on our motorcycle blogs! They are jealous! It’s that simple!

We have it, they don’t! Be glad you have it my brothers and sisters!

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts, HOG by Jay Green
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Not long ago I posted a joke about a man who seemed very upset to his wife. She thought something was seriously wrong with their relationship. She thought that he might be angry at her, having an affair or just didn’t love her anymore. In the end the man was just upset because his Harley Davidson motorcycle would not start that morning. In the big scheme of life a motorcycle mechanical problem should not be a big deal, but it is difficult for us to remember this because we are so passionate about riding.

To most of us, motorcycling should be just about fun. If you belong to an MC or made motorcycle riding your profession, than motorcycling will take on a bigger role in your life than those of us who are in it purely for pleasure. For those of you out there who are members of HOG chapters or lone riders… remember this: Ride & Have Fun! That’s what it’s all about; it’s that simple. There are too many other things in life that cause stress, riding shouldn’t be one of them!

I have recently taken on the position of Director for First State HOG. At this early stage of my Directorship I believe the single most important thing is the HOG creed: Ride & Have Fun! It’s easy to get caught up in the politics of he said, she said and territorial disputes over who is supposed to do what. As a blogger it can be tempting be baited into an online argument with a rude commenter. It is also easy to get caught up in the online argument of who is a biker and who isn’t. Most bikers are big into the concept of respect. To some, reputation is everything. We have big ego’s and a little thing can come across to another as a manner of disrespect. A small disrespect can easily evolve into a full out war. In all these cases, please remember: Ride & Have Fun! It’s that simple.

Well there you have it, my new religion: Ride & Have Fun!

Please feel free to comment, but don’t disrespect me or I will delete your comment and go about my business of Riding and Having Fun.

Tags: Deep Biker Thoughts, HOG by Jay Green
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