The Green Knights Military Motorcycle Club out of the Youngstown, Ohio, Air Reserve Station held their inaugural Dice Run to raise money for local food banks. The ride was led down the main runway of the 910th Air Station and out for a four-stop ride. Money raised from this event will go to food banks in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Chip Stork of the Green Knights said their first event went so well they will definitely have one next year… Mike Johnson of Mendota Heights, Minnesota, was out for a putt, zipping along minding his own business when the local boys in blue pulled him over. He was legal, no helmet and had on eyewear, so what’s the problem? He had his 3-year-old daughter in front and his 5-year-old son behind him; no helmets or eyewear. When questioned, he said, “No problem; we do it all the time. We are a motorcycle family.” He was charged with child endangerment and could get a year in the slammer if convicted… The annual ride in St. Charles, Missouri, billed as the Ride of the Century (and the last year it will be held in St. Charles), attracted over 4,000 motorcycles to St. Louis for a ride that ended up at St. Charles Motorsports and St. Charles Harley-Davidson. How did the locals respond to the event? They closed down the highways and herded them like cattle into a field. The tally: five arrests on warrants, eight criminal arrests, 95 warnings, 19 bikes towed, four accidents, 63 citations and three guns confiscated. A Springfield, Missouri, resident who outran the cops (they ran his plate) holds the new record, folks; they are going to mail 14 citations right to his house… Allstate Insurance and the States of Ohio and Illinois have put up “Watch for Motorcycles” signs at some dangerous intersections. Allstate is part of a national awareness campaign. John “KIKS” Kikol, who is very active in motorcycle safety, has this to say to everyone: “We can’t eat on a motorcycle. We can’t talk on a phone. There’s so many distractions that car drivers have, we have to take responsibility for what we do 100 percent of the time when we’re riding.” If you read this column, you know I remind you all the time: Ride like they are all out to kill you… A motorcyclist in Superior, Wisconsin, who drove around barricades near a washed-out road, survived a crash into a water-filled ravine. When the EMTs got there, he was found unresponsive in the water. He was revived and taken to a hospital in Duluth, Minnesota, where he is listed in serious condition. Police Chief Charles LaGesse said in a statement that the man was wearing a helmet and there was no indication that suicide was involved. LMAO… Sure am glad I don’t live in Nebraska. The Omaha Police Department has ended its summer-long war on their helmet law by issuing 977 citations over a four-month period. They put the $28,901 Highway Safety Award to great use. During the 25 “operations” held for DOT helmet checks, helmets were confiscated and the drivers were cited for illegal helmets. I don’t get it! Why not give a ticket and let them keep their helmet to get home with? WTF!… In Alexandria, Minnesota, the 11th annual Lakeland Hospice Motorcycle Ride was held to raise money for local hospice. Over 450 riders gathered for the run and the event and a chance to win a new Harley. Congratulations to Gail Harken from Coon Rapids on winning the Pearl White 2012 Heritage Softail hospice bike… Our condolences to Darrell Brintlinger and his family on the loss of Darrell’s twin brother Dave and his son Tyler. The twin brothers have worked for over 20 years for AMA Pro Racing as track officials, and Tyler (15) had been a junior member all of his life. They were involved in an accident near Danville, Illinois, following the Knoxville Half-Mile. Darrell is slowly recovering. Contributions can be made to: The Brintlinger Family, 1301 Cinnamon Place, Galloway, OH 43119… Tri-County Michigan Harley Owners Group Chapter #2250 out of Bay City has donated over $4,000 to the Just for Kids Foundation. They presented the check to the foundation at their monthly chapter meeting, which is held at Great Lakes Harley-Davidson. This was their third year for the event, and so far they have donated more than $9,000 to the Just for Kids Foundation that benefits all three counties the chapter represents… Chad Dejongh of Beaver Township, Michigan, reported his Rocker C stolen out of his front yard with a “For Sale” sign on it on October 18, 2009. Fast forward to September 22, 2011, while in the midst of a divorce, his wife Laurie told authorities she saw her husband using a Kubota tractor with front and rear buckets bury the bike on a relative’s property in Coleman, Michigan, to earn some easy insurance money. “If you say anything, I’ll bury you alongside the bike,” Chad told his wife as she watched, she told police. It took three years but he has finally been charged with two felonies—false reporting and insurance fraud… Gwen Hague of Aboite, Indiana, received a call from Lucky Harley-Davidson of Fort Wayne, thinking it was about a shirt she had ordered, so she didn’t call back. She had filled out the nationwide H-D1 on One national sweepstakes sponsored by the Motor Company on her visit to the dealership and that was that. Finally the folks at Lucky Harley-Davidson got hold of her to inform her that out of 90,000 entries, she had won the sweepstakes. The prize was her choice of $10,000 toward a new motorcycle, $10,000 in parts and accessories or $5,000 cash. Last time they saw her she was riding away on a brand new 2012 Softail Deluxe with her boyfriend, Tom Lucas, who also rides a Harley… That’s it for this month. It’s all about you, the Midwest biker. Ride fast, but ride safe.
