I receive at least 100 news feeds a day to help bring news of what’s going on in the Midwest. Lately, I’ve been having some difficulty finding exciting and amusing tidbits to share with you. Please, please, please; be careful out there. This is supposed to be a fun column and not a listing for obituaries. I love you all, my brothers and sisters; there are too many of us leaving this world before we have to. Ride like everybody is trying to kill you… Happy 10th birthday to the V-Rod and to the Revolution engine. The tagline 10 years ago was, “It’s time to challenge the senses and the status quo.” The engine was developed by H-D Powertrain Engineering and Porsche Engineering. The V-Rod is about power, attitude and styling. I hated the V-Rod when it came out, and I sent a scathing letter to H-D criticizing their design, but 10 years later I wish I could take that back—what a beautiful, powerful styling idea it was from Willie G. and his team. And I just love to watch those Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod drag bikes dust those other motorcycles at the strip. Teams keep complaining about their speeds, and they keep adding weight to the bikes but they just keep going faster… Brian Law of King City, Missouri, was out giving a ride to an 11-year-old neighbor boy when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed after hitting a deer. Law then left the scene of the accident leaving the boy behind to fend for himself. Law has been charged with driving on a revoked license, driving without insurance and having no registration for his motorcycle… Lafayette H.O.G. Chapter #1188 sponsored by Eagle Harley-Davidson in West Lafayette, Indiana, held their annual ride to help the Cornerstone Autism Foundation purchase iPads for children with autism. Al Shaffer, director of the H.O.G. chapter, felt that autism is generally overlooked by most charities and wanted to draw attention to it and help support it. One out of 83 children is born with some degree of autism, and at the Cornerstone facility iPads are very useful tools for therapists when working with the children… We have all heard the news about the members of the Muskegon Motorcycle Gang that were involved in the horrendous wreck in Wisconsin. Muskegon Harley-Davidson dealer Hot Rod Harley will donate $100 to the MMG Motorcycle Tragedy Fund for every motorcycle sold from June 1 to the end of 2012. Ame Matuzeski, who works in finance at Hot Rod and is a friend to several of the MMG, created a fund at PNC Bank branches nationwide to help families cover medical bills and travel expenses to and from the trials. Two members were killed, Dan Winsemius and Dan Yonkers, and eight others were injured when Clinton Lovelace crossed the centerline and wiped out 10 of the 12 motorcycles that were on the ride. Along with all of the serious charges, police found unused syringes and brown paper (LSD) that he said he didn’t know about, as well as his daily scrip for Adderall and Xanax. Other charges include bail jumping and violating his probation. This will be a long trial and plenty of travel time for the families. Please help by donating to the fund, and let’s put this SOB away for good… Bummer for Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana! As Purdue University’s president, Daniels will be allowed to ride his beloved Harley to work, but will not be allowed to ride it around campus on official business. As Daniels was introduced as president-elect, Board of Trustees Chairman Keith Krach had to mention that motorcycles are not permitted on campus. Purdue Police Captain Eric Chin pointed out that he is free to ride from one end of the campus to the other, as long as he follows the rules and isn’t on official campus business. Capt. Chin has no problem with Daniels riding his hog on campus, but not for any official university travel. I think Mr. Keith Krach just made an enemy… Jim Larson of Prior Lake, Minnesota, bought a Harley with a sidecar so he and his wife could do some riding together, but she was too scared to ride so he rescued “Cooper,” a golden retriever, and fitted him with a pair of riding shades and off they went. Once a week they hit the dog park, the lake and Mickey D’s where Jim gets a burger and Cooper gets fries… Holly Potelle (55) of Wichita, Kansas, who started a toy run 33 years ago that has grown to be the largest toy run in Kansas, lost her life when a gust of wind blew her motorcycle off the road. In the 33 years since the ride started it has grown to over 3,000 participants. Milt Mounts, marketing director at Alefs Harley-Davidson, said that her loss is going to leave a tremendous void in the event. I think Holly’s Toy Run has a nice ring to it, don’t you?… Sturgis Brown High School has completed the Buffalo Chip Challenge custom motorcycle. The custom Harley-Davidson will be auctioned off after the Legends Ride, an event that has donated more than $200,000 to local Black Hills charities. The auction will be held on August 6. The stock bike was donated by Black Hills Harley-Davidson and recreated with high-end aftermarket components and modifications. It was customized by the Sturgis High School students under the leadership of Keith Terry of Terry Components. Check out some of the build pictures at www.facebook.com/SturgisLegendsRide… That’s it for this month. It’s all about you; the Midwest biker. Ride fast, but ride safe.

 

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