The Shadow Knows – April, 2012

Are you in the Northeast? Is your club, bike shop, or dealership doing something cool? Do you have important news about your state’s motor­cyclists’ rights organization? If you have facts, gossip, rumors, innuendos, emerging scandals, or “everybody’s gotta know” info about the local riding scene, please send it to me at mkleiman@goodsamfamily.com. If the Shadow knows, everybody knows!

A few weeks ago, while I was at Tramontin H-D in Hope, New Jersey, buying some accessories for my Switchback, I saw several members of the Northwest Jersey H.O.G. chapter. One of them spotted me and yelled, “There she is!” Uh-oh. It seems I’d made an egregious error in my piece on Dale’s Chilly Chili Run that appeared in the February issue of THUNDER PRESS. I had correctly stated in the story that Northwest Jersey H.O.G. was awarded second-highest attendance at the event, but the photo caption showing Northwest Jersey H.O.G. members Greg Biolsi and Jim Scabet read that they were members of Bergen H.O.G. Sorry, guys; it was an honest (if sloppy) mistake. (I don’t think they’ll ever let me live it down)… Speaking of H.O.G. chapters, when Lighthouse Harley-Davidson in Huntington Station, New York, closed its doors a few months back, the Lighthouse H.O.G. chapter was left without a sponsoring dealership. THUNDER PRESS contributor and Lighthouse H.O.G. Public Relations officer Dom Mazza tells me after 10 years of riding with the H.O.G. chapter, the members wanted to stay together so they formed a new riding group—L. I. Harley Riders. The group is open only to Harley-Davidson riders, and was officially sanctioned as an AMA organization on March 1. The group’s first benefit ride will be on April 7 (the day before Easter) to Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, Long Island, New York. For more information on the group and upcoming events, go to www.liharleyriders.com or email liharleyridersinc@gmail.com… My dear friend Dr. Robert Kopp will conduct a book signing at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum on Tuesday, August 7, from 1:00—3:00 p.m. Dr. Bob, senior pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Belvidere, Illinois, is promoting his book I Just Wanna Ride (FTW). Dr. Bob explains, “This book is about biker culture as metaphor and a challenge to the church.” If you can’t make it to Sturgis this August, you can purchase the book in paperback or Kindle format on Amazon.com. You can also buy it at a discount from his website at www.koppdisclosure.com/p/i-just-wanna-ride-ftw-pre-orders.html… Longtime professional motorcycle daredevil and world record holder Douglas Senecal, a.k.a. Doug Danger, is facing a challenge more deadly than his jump accident in 1992 that caused him to suffer 17 broken bones and put him in a coma for a month. Senecal is battling stage 4 cancer that has spread throughout his body. A benefit was held at his food and drink establishment, the Danger Zone Saloon in Warren, Massachusetts, on February 19. “The Fight for Life” was a huge success, and enough money was raised to cover the medical insurance and travel expenses for radiation. You can still help out by sending a check or money order to Doug Danger, c/o Louis “Rocket” Re, 182 Fairview Circle, Middle Island, NY 11953. The fearless 49-year-old isn’t letting the disease get him down. He’s already planning his next feat—a world record attempt for jumping 23 cars on a Harley-Davidson… The Blue Knights MC New Jersey Chapter IX held their annual awards dinner on February 8 at the Hilton Garden Inn Rockaway. The club is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and during the banquet, the founding members were honored. Sponsors and supporters of the chapter’s fundraisers were also acknowledged. But the main reason for the banquet was to present the donations raised during two of those events. A check for $4,000 from the Harvey C. Irons Make-A-Wish ride October 16 was accepted by Make-A-Wish New Jersey President Tom Weatherall and Make-A-Wish recipient Nicolas Fuca and parents Nick and Jacqui. And a check for $13,500 raised during Dale’s Chilly Chili Ride on New Year’s Day was presented to Julia Quinlan and the staff of the Karen Ann Quinlan Foundation. Thanks to BKNJIX for the invite, which gave me another opportunity to see what the club is really about… In November, longtime Harley rider Gail Szandrowski saw her dream turn into reality with the opening of Motorcycle Outpost, her new aftermarket motorcycle store in Cochranville, Pennsylvania—about 15 miles north of the Pennsylvania/Delaware/Maryland border. Gail sells and rents tools and parts, stocks riding gear and is planning to open a consignment shop for swap items. The shop is geared toward helping the do-it-yourself mechanic, offering customers the ability to peruse service manuals and do Internet research. Motorcycle Outpost is open evenings and weekends, and the location is 1016 Gap Newport Park (Route 41 just north of Route 10). Stop by the store, find out more at www.motorcycleoutpost.com or call 610.593.5939… Corey Worcester, the 22-year-old son of Wreaths Across America founders Morrill and Karen Worcester, was involved in a serious auto accident that occurred on February 10 just north of Columbia Falls, Maine. Corey sustained internal injuries and was airlifted to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. John O’Leary, THUNDER PRESS contributor and Patriot Guard Ride Captain for the Wreaths Across America Escort to Arlington, tells me that Corey underwent surgery for a fractured pelvis and all his ribs were broken, and on March 1, he had another operation to reset his pelvis. I hear Corey is struggling with his recovery, so please wish him well … Rich Gannello, marketing and communications director at Motorcycle Mall, gave me an update on the new building: “Motorcycle Mall will be moving to a brand-new, two-story, 108,000-square-foot facility, tripling their current size. Starting April 1, Motorcycle Mall will be at their new location, 655 Washington Avenue in Belleville, New Jersey, just one mile from their current location. Motorcycle Mall will also be an EagleRider location renting Victory Motorcycles. For more information on their moving sale, their Grand Opening event in April and other 2012 events, visit the website (www.MotorcycleMall.com) or Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/MotorcycleMall).”