What’s with Consumer Reports magazine? It listed the “10 motorcycles we most want to ride this summer” and there wasn’t a Harley-Davidson on the list. Come on; a BMW? A Suzuki? A Star? OMG; gag me, will ya? What the hell is going on here? Where is the world headed? Send them pics of your scoots; inundate them with pictures of real motorcycles; back up their servers. This is a sacrilege… Charlie May of Milwaukee, a World War II veteran, bought his Harley in 1946 and still rides it. Charlie was at the Harley-Davidson Museum showing his scoot at the Wild One Weekend for the five-year museum anniversary. Charlie is 90 years old and a pretty busy guy helping neighbors and building wood cabinets. He says he tries to ride it any chance he gets. He is my hero, folks… Megan Row of Kansas City, Kansas, was only 12 years old when, on a sleepover at a friend’s house, she learned how tragic breast cancer is and its effect on a family. After seeing her father wearing a pink shirt on his motorcycle she told her mother, “Real bikers wear pink.” That was the start of the Real Bikers Wear Pink breast cancer charity motorcycle ride. The first year raised $1,500. Seven years later and at 18 years old, Megan’s idea has raised over $22,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This was the last ride for Megan and her dad, Brad, as Megan will be off to college in the fall, but the ride will live on. Charles Bell, whose security company has been conducting the escorts for the ride, will take over the event and keep it alive… Congratulations to Jon Shipley on winning the Modified Harley show at Muskegon Bike Time in the Hot Bike, Baggers & Street Choppers Bike Show. His entry, “Firehouse Race,” will be featured in an upcoming event at the Harley-Davidson Museum. He will display the bike on September 1, at the AMD Invitational Custom Bike Show. The winner in Milwaukee will be the U.S. representative at the AMD World Championships in Germany… Sam Messino of Tinley Park, Illinois, knows how to show a girl a good time. Messino was on a blind date with a woman (no name listed) from Lowell, Indiana, when the police attempted to pull him over for speeding. He was finally stopped when he lost control and both flew off the scoot while trying to enter the expressway. He was charged for reckless driving, criminal recklessness and resisting arrest, plus numerous other citations. The woman was treated at the scene and got the hell out of there. He refused a breath test, and at the hospital they got his blood and charged him with drunk driving… Motorcyclists in the Hoosier state raised $52,652 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation at the Northern Indiana Ride for Kids on July 14. This event takes place across the whole country to help promote research and family support programs. They will still take donations at www.rideforkids.org… Mark Zielinski of Milwaukee turned 40 years old and decided he would buy a Harley and celebrate the 110th. So he found a 2008 FLHP for $4,800 online and fell in love. It’s what he wanted, it was black, it had some work done, it was badass and the price was right. He contacted the seller and sent the $2,500 down payment to… drum roll please… Gustavo, who works on a cruise line and just doesn’t have time to ride anymore. The scoot was in Italy and he would ship it. Shipping papers were false, but the shipping company is real. The weather in Italy is nice this time of year, maybe the pope could let him use one of his new Harley’s to hunt Gustavo down… Jeff Vore was feeling down in the dumps; divorce finalized, behind on his bills, cable turned off; just the bottom of the barrel, right? Hell, no! He won the Independence Day Indiana $1 million lottery. A machine operator by trade, Jeff is paying off his bills, keeping his job, taking his daughters shopping, setting up a college fund and buying a new Harley. He’s keeping his old one (“You never sell your first Harley”)… Jeffrey Trondson, 29, of Burnsville, Minnesota, went for a ride and never returned because Leah Marie Colwell (44) turned in front of him. Why? She had a B.A.C. of 0.360 and she told the cops she was alright to drive. She also told the police she was driving because her passengers had more to drink than she did. Her passengers threw out the Captain Morgan and tequila in a trash can at the scene. She was charged with criminal vehicular homicide by negligence, driving with a cancelled license, fourth-degree DWI and an open bottle violation. And get this, folks; a family member told the news people that she has an alcohol problem. Very, very sad; this woman was screaming for help… That’s it for this month; it’s all about you, the Midwest biker. Ride fast, but ride safe.
