Sunday, August 21, 2005

New news, new links and (gasp) new rides

So I found some interesting news, came across a funny motorcycle blog and managed to get out on the bike twice this weekend. Nope thats not the heat of the South Florida sun getting to me, it really happened, I didn't dream it.

The rides will come tomorrow since I'm working from her house and the internet connection here is just a little too slow to upload the photos I took during the trip.

To business!

The Blog?
Gymi's Place is a blog that focuses on motorcycles and muscle cars with just a touch of painting thrown in. He has a great sense of humor and some funny pictures. Check it out! I've also put a link in the sidebar in case you ever just want to stop by.


New news
Another side to bikers
I previously mentioned a group of Christian bikers who used some of their time at Sturgis to visit hospitals and spread 'the word'. The Daily Bulletin.com has an entire article about a similar group in California.

"The Lord has blessed us to ride the machines we ride. That is a ministry tool," said Duane Dade, president of the Pomona Valley chapter of Black Sheep, a group of 32 Harley-Davidson riders who meet monthly to pray, study the Bible and ride their bikes with fellow Christians.

Read more about it here....


Sturgis? Did someone mention Sturgis?
Reporter Gordon Weixel and his biker buddy Scooter Pursley attended Sturgis and their adventures (or at least the ones they want us to know about) have made it into the Bismark Tribune.

The story covers everything from the television stations would providing a daily "Rally Tally" of such numbers as rally-related deaths, accidents and arrests to one of the strangest incidents in which a guy was killed near Custer when a portable toilet fell from the truck transporting it, hitting the biker who was following behind. Read it here it it's entirety...


Speaking of stories that have a life of their own
If you think Sturgis is the only story that has taken on a life of it's own, lets not forget the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's study released recently which reported that although traffic deaths declined and fewer people were killed in alcohol-related crashes on U.S. highways for a second straight year, motorcycle fatalities grew nearly 8 percent last year to 4,008.

Newstimeslive.com puts a face to the statistics with some real life stories such as the incident that happened to Wayne Mead. Wayne Mead was on his Harley heading south on Route 7 near Marcus Dairy in Danbury four years ago when the front tire of the car in front of him broke off its axle — thick metal rim and all. The tire bounced off the highway, launched into the air and made a beeline toward Mead and three other bikers.

"Nothing went through my mind," said Mead, 29, of Newtown. "It was so instant you couldn't react."

The tire flew between Mead and another rider, missing them by a few feet.

This article should be read by all bikers, if not to take us out of our comfort zones.

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