360bikers.com

Our first attempt at a truly organized group ride will be on December 9th as we go to the Toys in the Sun Run in Broward County. This great ride costs only $10 per person and an unwrapped toy. It begins at Pompano Race Track and ends at Markham Park. The proceeds benefit the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, to it’s for a great cause. The Sheriff’s Department shuts down I-95 and I-595 for the distance of the ride to accommodate the more than 30,000 motorcycles that participate in the parade. It ends with an all-day event at the park that has great food and entertainment.

360Bikers has two meeting points for our groups. First, the Wellington Mall main entrance will be our primary staging area. From there we’ll leave for the school district offices on Forest Hill. Both sites will have a photograph of the group which will be available through the site.

Here’s our agenda. We hope to see you there.

Meet at either the Wellington Greens Mall main entrance (leaving at 8:00) or the school district main office on Forest Hill Blvd. (leaving at 8:20).

Fill up before you show up.

• 6:00 to 7:30 Optional meet for breakfast at Denny’s in Royal Palm Beach
• 7:30 to 8:00 Meet at Wellington Mall Main Entrance
• 7:55 Photo taken of riders present
• 8:00 to 9:00 Ride to Pompano Harness track for staging area.
  • 8:00 Leave Mall on Forest Hill Blvd. to SDPBC Office
  • 8:20 PHOTO OF GROUP & Leave SDPBC to I-95 South to Atlantic Ave exit in Broward
  • 9:00 Arrive at Pompano Harness Track
• 9:45 VIP section begins rolling out ($250 for single rider and $300 for two) (I won’t be in the group)

Later…. Regular folks roll out.

Roll into Markham Park to hand in toy and attend event

Event

• Lots of vendors, dealers, and custom shops
• Lots of food
• Lots of drink
• Lots of bikes… 30,000 to 40,000 motorcycles
• Car Show
• Bike Raffle (2008 Street Glide FLHX and Trailer in a Bag)
• Motorcycle Celebrities
  • Gard Hollinger
  • Eric Gorges
  • Paul Cox & Keino (Indian Larry Legacy)
  • Paramount Custom Cycles
  • Purrfect Angels
  • Mike Pinera
  • Vagabond Chopper Company
  • Gypsy Highway Customs
  • Richie Supa
  • Dennis Rodman
  • Rob Van Winkle (Vanilla Ice)
  • Shannon Battle
• Lots of music (almost continuous stage usage)
  • Hep Cat Bald Daddies
  • Not Fragile
  • Cold Iron
  • My Soul To Keep
  • Slip and the Spinouts
  • Vince Neil of Motley Crew

We hope to see you there. Drop a line to lee at this domain if you plan on coming.

Lee Keller, www.360Bikers.com

Damn, I should be writing more often than this.  But the weather has been great and it’s more fun putting on miles.  Still, this is a responsibility.  I like to see feedback on the comments and observations I make here.

I’ve had the 2005 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide for about a month now.  I’ve put on a couple thousand miles and I’m liking the bike.  It’s different, but some of those differences are good things.   The short rake, for instance.  That’s one of the things that has taken a little to get used to, but the low-speed balancing on the Harley is definitely nicer than most other bikes.

Little things impress me, too.  Like the turn signal auto-cancel function on the Harley-Davidson that is absolutely flawless.  While I’m still not a fan of the turn signal switches being on separate grips (right turns can be tricky if you have to release the throttle to signal), but I’m hoping that is more of an adjustment on my part.

I have a couple complaints, though, and I want to qualify them as evident on the 2005 I’m riding.  Perhaps they’ve been addressed in the past couple years.  There are two extremely easy safety features that Harely has overlooked that other manufacturers have had on bikes for several years.  The first is to disable the engine except if in neutral or the clutch is in if the kickstand/sidestand is down.  This prevents riders from forgetting to put it up and prevents potential accidents on left hand turns.  It’s a simple contact point that can be easily implemented if they want.

The second is the lunge.  It can cause a small accident or injury to someone if you try to start the bike while it is in gear by accident.  Other bikes kill the starter if the bike is not in neutral or the clutch is in.  Another simple feature for Harley-Davidson to put on a bike.

Motorcycle companies should learn from each other.  When a good thing comes out for a car or truck, you see it implemented across the board quickly.  Safety features should be required of manufacturers when they are created.

Yesterday a cool front moved into the south that made it one of the most perfect riding days you can have.  Bikers were out everywhere enjoying the radically reduced temperatures where it has been so hot for so long.  Motorcycles with riders in leather were the scene in the morning before the temperatures rose.

Today, however, is supposed to be even better.  I’ll be leaving in a few minutes to joins from friend for breakfast before meeting others for a group ride.  With temperatures starting around 61 it’ll be refreshing even into the afternoon highs of the mid 70’s.  Our ride will likely take us to the Palm Beach Harley Davidson Anniversary event in the afternoon where, once again, motorcyclists will be doing things for charities.

This is riding time in South Florida.  Get on a bike and ride!