Happy birthday to all bikers who celebrate in June. Happy birthday to IHR members Rod Colman from Hollister and Ed Linderman, master chef and host of the annual IHR campout at his home in Shingle Springs. I will see you both in September. When this campout first began, the Lindermans’ (Ed and Lori) property looked like tent city. There were maybe 50 tents and an equal number of Harleys. As time softened us up, IHR bikers began to bring in motorhomes or opt for a resting spot in the house. Last year, the number of Harleys could be counted on one hand, and Rod pitched the one and only tent. As the years have gone by, other changes have taken place. We have lost members, and we have gained members. Dan Bowie from Santa Cruz is one of our newest members with a birthday in June. Happy birthday, Dan. Happy birthday to other bikers in Santa Cruz. Happy birthday to Everett Downs, happy birthday to Adam Kraten, happy birthday to Russ Nagle and happy birthday to Teresa Pellemeir. Teresa, I am sure that you remember that pass with all of the heavy construction where you and Bud Guzman went down hard. This was in Southwestern Colorado between Paragosa and Durango. What you may not know is that I was some hours behind you on that same road. The first thing I saw was the huge, flashing light sign that said, “Motorcycles Caution.” I dropped to first gear and made it through. Oh my God, that was awful. There were big chunky rocks and deep, very deep ruts all over the road. This stretched on for a couple of miles. It was mountainous with no guard rails, and it kept threatening to rain. I continued on and reached Flagstaff, Arizona. At the motel in Flagstaff is where I met your friends from Temecula. They told me about your crash. You were taking the bike back to California in a U-Haul and Bud was in a hospital in Farmington, New Mexico. It is a small world that I should meet your friends and get the news. I went back into the motel and called Dale Visage. The world just keeps getting smaller. You, Bud, Dale and I were all members of Santa Cruz H.O.G. I called Dale because not only was he the chapter’s director, but he was also from Farmington. He was (and probably still is) related to half the population of Farmington. Who better to watch out for Bud? All’s well that ends well. Bud recovered. Wow, I just realized how sidetracked I got from the birthday greetings. But, Teresa, you have to know that I think of you and Bud and that bad time every June when I wish you a happy birthday. So, back to the birthday greetings. Happy birthday to Mike Tahija in Manteca, and happy birthday to Robert Kishi of Stockton H.O.G. Happy birthday to Amy DeNero of Monterey Bay H.O.G. in Santa Cruz, and happy birthday to Pam Hensley of NorthCoast H.O.G. in Ferndale. Amy and Pam, I need you to help me out here. The two of you are getting birthday greetings in both May and June. Mea culpa. Please send me an e-mail so that I can get it straight. Happy birthday to Les “Raptor” Winkler of Solano County Marines MC, and happy birthday to Barbara and Barron Sundancer of Vacaville. Happy birthday to David Moreno of San Gabriel Valley H.O.G., and happy birthday to Glenn Phillips, president of ABATE. Happy birthday to celebrity rider Cyndi Lauper… On May 1, 2017, Masaru Abe broke the world record for distance traveled on a wheelied motorcycle. The record of 205 miles had stood for 25 years. Masaru rode 310 miles on his Yamaha’s back wheel with no touch downs. For fuel, he had a support crew ride along side and hand him a quick-release dry refueling unit that he attached to his handlebar. But if you keep up with this sort of thing, someone somewhere is setting a new motorcycle record almost weekly. Masaru set his record in Japan. Marcello Sarandrea set his record in Italy. On March 6, 2017, Marcello set the record for the longest nonstop ride without touching the handlebars. He rode 137.94 miles or 222 kilometers in three hours and 10 minutes. Here is a question for you. Why is it that on my first Heritage, I could ride with no hands as easily as riding a bicycle with no hands? Then I traded in for a 2005 Heritage, and it will not allow a no-hands ride. If and when I let go, the bike instantly pulls hard to the right. Yes, I know that it is safer to keep your hands on the handlebars, but how fun is it to spread your arms and fly once in a while? Back to the subject of record breaking. One additional record set since the start of 2017 that I am aware of is the one set in Orlando, Florida, by Joe Dryden. On March 8, 2017, Joe set a new record for longest burnout. Riding his Victory Octane, Joe burned his back wheel constantly for 2.23 miles before it popped… If you read last month’s column, you will remember that I broke my right hand. It is slowing healing, and I am looking forward to getting some throttle time before next month. Wish me luck!
