360Bikers Foundation

Great ride to La Belle to Flora and Ellas for breakfast and pie.

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Occasionally, the stars align, your luck is great and you wind up with a great ride.  Once again the most popular riding club in South Florida came up with a dandy ride for Saturday, October the 3rd.  See photos on our Meet Up site under 360 Bikers.

Under a 40% chance of rain threat we started our journey at the Gun Club Cafe.  It’s a great breakfast joint in West Palm Beach.  It’s cozy, the food is great and there’s plenty of parking.  We headed North on Beeline highway (710) from Haverhill Rd.  It was pretty much a straight shot to (70) in Okeechobee from Beeline Hwy.  We met the rest of our crew at the Racetrac gas station here.  About 14 riders joined here to make a large crew of about 28.  Our route followed 70 North to 98 North.  From there it was about an hour to Sebring and SR 27.  Just a few miles North on 27 took us to downtown Sebring, FL. 

I have been to many bikefests in FL but had never even heard of the Heartland ride unitl now.  The fest was much more than I imagined.  There was food, fun and deals to be had for all.  One of the highlights of the day for me was the Central Florida Drill Team.  Most drill teams I have seen, have made use of the compact Harley Electra Glides, which make all the maneuvering considerably easier.  However, at least 2 of the Central Florida riders sported the Flagship of tourers, the Goldwing.  It was especially impressive as the Goldwings did everything the Glides did and just as smooth.  We picked up a pair of MP3 equipped sun glasses for my better half for a great price and the obligatory event patch and pins.  The whole fest had a strong resemblance to Leesburg, in scope and content.  Although Leesburg is better known.

The ride back was just a pleasurable as the ride to the fest and followed the same route.  Normally not a 360 staple but it was great all the same.  We have some great ride leaders and organziers.  We also have plenty of safety conscious and experienced members, mixed in with some newer riders.  The blend is smooth and effortless and it shows when we ride. 

 That our beautiful state is hot is understatement, but at 55 mph plus, little traffic, no stop and go, underneath the blue skies and an Eagle flying overhead, I couldn’t think of a better way for 28 brothers and sisters to spend a Saturday.  

Once again a great ride, after all, that’s what 360Bikers are known for.  Until next time, RIDE SAFE!

GR

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Welcome once again faithful readers to another installment of the 360 Bikers Blog.  The 360 Bikers are the most popular Motorcycle riding club in South Florida and the ride today was a prime reason for our popularity.

The ride to Dune Dog began at 10:00am at the Starbucks in front of the Wellington Mall.  About 33 riders showed up to take the ride.  Ice coffee was the way to go as the sunny South Florida weather was already well under way.  After some picture taking and lots of greetings we got down to our rider meeting.  I believe every make and model was represented from 250cc Rebels to 6 cylinder Hondas.

The first group was lead by our fearless leader Lee and tailed by Nick.  I lead the second group tailed by our resident expert Hawk.  Our route for the day took us through Wellington heading West.  Whenever we ride as a group we turn heads but when you ride 25-30 bikes strong, that’s a parade.  We cruised through Wellington into Royal Palm and took a slight detour for some quick maintenance on a members motorcycle.  The groups flip flopped the lead and tail gunners with Lee joining the group I was leading and Hawk leading the second group with Nick Tail Gunning.  The switch was flawless and we barely skipped a beat.

Our group maintained a leisurely pace along Crestwood on to Royal Palm Beach Boulevard.   We headed North to Orange, West to Coconut, North to Northlake and East to Bee Line Highway.  I wrote this all in one sentence because essentially we did not stop at any of these locations.  We barely hesitated, catching each light or arriving just as the light was beginning to change.  This makes for a great flow when riding in a group.  Our ride North West on Beeline was the quickest part of our trip as the speed limit reaches 60 mph on stretches of Beeline.  Traffic was light and the traffic lights were accommodating.

We headed North East on Pratt Whitney adn then East on Indiantown Road.  This stretch took us back into town and what I thought would be the most congested part of our trip.  Boy was I surprised.  Our good luck with smooth traffic and accommodating lights continued all the way East on Indiantown Road.  If any of you have ever traveled on Indiantown Road you know it is the most congested road in Jupiter.  There are shops, stores, dealers, shopping malls and restaurants every 10 feet.  None of those affected our ride this day.  We made record time all the way to Federal Hwy or Dixie Hwy, depending on what town your in.  At this point we finally stopped for more than 1 minute (just barely) at a traffic light.  There was more than one rider getting up off of their seat to stretch.

We headed North for about 3 blocks to Dune Dog on the East side of the road.  The parking lot had plenty of room and we were soon parked across the parking lot.  We posed for a few shots here and headed inside.  About 15 minutes after we pulled in the second group pulled into the parking lot and we were once again one big happy group.  We found some more great friends and 360 Bikers to hang with inside Dune Dogs.  Mark, Yarka, Maverick and Dale, long time 360 bikers, met us for lunch and the ride home.

Lunch consisted of Leroy Brown’s Junkyard Dog, (it was great) and Baby Back Ribs, w/hot wings, coleslaw and fries for the missus.  Lunch was ordered and served in good time considering every seat in the house seemed to be taken.  The pricing was reasonable and the service was friendly.  We posed for some more shots after lunch and headed out.

We headed North once again to find Ocean avenue and immediately were stuck waiting on a raised bridge.  After a few minutes and some more pictures we started again.  We continued South to Indiantown, East to Ocean and then headed South along the beach.  Back on to US 1 for a few miles then East to Ocean once again.  We achieved a good flow along the Ocean with some great views.  We headed West along Blue Heron Blvd and were separated by a traffic light at Australian.  As my group, slowed to wait for those at the light we lost touch with the front group.  We continued South on Australian enjoying the weather and the ride.  At 45th street, Hawk rode to the front and suggested we go West on 45th and we soon caught the first group and passed them as they had stopped to wait for us.

We continued West on 45th, losing our second gunner, Nick, here.  Love the bike Nick (Yamaha Raider).  We headed South on Haverhill Road to Roebuck for our connection to Jog Road.  We headed South on Jog Road. As we headed South on Jog Road, members began to peel off.  We actually, left the group here,  and headed East on SR 80.  It was another great 360 plan and another great 360 ride.  Until next time, Ride Safe!!!

GR

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Welcome faithful readers, to another edition of 360 Bikers Blog.  The latest blog from the most popular Motorcycle Club in South Florida.   The members of  360 Bikers are some of the finest people you will ever meet.  Check out our website and follow our visionary leader as he leads a great group in supporting a great cause.

Today I would like to share a helpful tip I picked up in Daytona, during Bike Week 2009.  I was actually watching the Harley Davidson drill team go  through their paces at the Harley Davidson dealership on Beach Street.  If you have never seen a drill team go to work it is something to see.  Have you ever seen the fully dressed touring motorcycles in parades?  They accelerate and do figure eights all within inches of each other.  Chances are those motorcyclists were part of a drill team.  The motorcycle units on Police forces have to go through similar training to hone their skills.

My wife, Brandy and I watched the entire show. The entire time the drill team was riding in circles and figure eights, the leader was talking about what they were doing on his headset microphone.  At the end of the ride.  The leader stopped and invited us all a little closer.  As we got closer he got off his 2006 Ultra Glide and proceeded to lower it , as gently as possible, over on to it’s side!!!!  As the Harley laid on it’s engine guard, I could only think of the veins popping out of my brother’s neck if he saw his 2003 Ultra laying on it’s side!!!  The leader walked over to the crowd and asked us, “how many guys will it take to get this bike upright?’  The general consensus was a minimum of 2, there were calls for 3, if the second was your 98 lb wife.  The leader said, “what would you say if I told you an 11 year old girl picked this bike up all by herself?”

About this time I am looking for the angle.  My thought was, he doesn’t expect us to believe him so where’s he going with this?  Outside of a short, retired, former Olympic women’s weight lifter coming out of a dressing room and lifting this bike, I can’t see it happening. 

The leader’s name is Don.  Don says, “Have you ever laid your bike down or had a buddy lay his bike down?  I’m going to show you how an 11 year old girl picked up this bike and how you can too. I will need a volunteer.”  Being the nice guy that I am, I put my hand in the small of Brandy’s back and shoved her into the middle of the circle.  She was less then pleased.  Eventually though, she relented to being a volunteer. Don began with a few questions for Brandy and then went into the steps she would use to lift the bike. 

“First thing you must do is make sure you are not hurt or your passenger is not hurt.  The bike can be repaired.  The second thing you must do is make sure the bike is off, power, ignition switch.  Next you make sure the bike is in gear, so it does not roll away as  you are trying to lift it.  Extend the kick stand, depending on which way your bike is laying.  Do a little stretching to prepare yourself.  Put the small of your back into the front seat and plant your feet about six inches apart in front of you. Use your left or right hand (depending on which way your bike is laying) to grasp the handlebar, under handed.  Use the other hand to find a something to hold onto, normally a passenger grab rail.  Choose something that won’t brake or bend.  You will be using your legs, the strongest muscles on your body.  Slowly shuffle your feet backward using the muscles in your legs to push the bike upright.  The shuffle motion is like doing Michael Jackson’s moonwalk.”

I am fairly pessimistic, so I’m thinking my 5′ 2″ inch wife will not be able to lift this bike alone.  Boy, was I wrong.  Brandy lifted the bike ont he first try, all on her own.  After her, an even smaller young lady lifted the bike.  Then an older lady lifted the bike.  Of course, I wouldn’t embarrass myself (and as far as I saw, neither were any of the other men) by trying myself.  What if I couldn’t do it!?!?!? 

This was an amazing display and a great tip.  Don told the story of one of his female students who wouldn’t go out for a ride unless her boyfriend rode along.  She said she was scared she wouldn’t be able to handle the bike if it fell over or something.  After being taught how to pick the bike up properly, she turned to her boyfriend and said. “I guess, I don’t need you anymore.”

Finally, this really does work.  If you’re ever out with the 360 Bikers, ask Brandy about it.  She offered to demonstrate but I won’t allow her to lay my bike on it’s side.  Next time we’re out at Fisherman’s village though Hawk, you have nothing to worry about.  Until next time, Ride Safe!!!

GR

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Well here we are 2 weeks since the start and end of Bike Week 09 and I already miss it.  I’m actually late with this, as we got back home on the last day of Bike Week.  Some of us had to get back to the job we last saw 9 days ago.

What can I tell you about Bike Week?  If you haven’t been you need to go and if you have been, then you already know.  Bike Week has something for everyone.  Old bikers and new bikers, you are guaranteed to find something that fits you.  It really is like your local bike night, times 100,000. The amount of bikers and bikes is really overwhelming and I never get tired of seeing it.  You will definitely see your model and make, in many different styles and colors here and steal ideas to make your ride fit you and your personality.  I can always find something to add to the bike. Which is just as it should be.  If you go to a venue like this, you should expect to find the best possible prices.  If you search around long enough you will find a great deal at bike week. 

It may have been just me, but I thought I noticed a few less of everything this year at Bike Week.  A few less bikers and a few less vendors.  This shouldn’t come as any big surprise, given the economy.  I’m sure the final numbers on attendance will show a difference.  I did see an interesting report on Destination Daytona while I was there.  The evening local news reported they were selling 45 Harleys a day through bike week.  I was surprised but if you did the math, 45 X 9 days is 405 bikes  for the week.  If you have several hundred thousand extra people in town to ride motorcycles I don’t think it’s out of the question.  So good for them and great for bikers everywhere. 

There were some great shows at bike week as well.  If you’re inclined, you can pay to watch the AMA races at the track.  There were a number of custom bike shows.  Endless bikini, T Shirt and shorts, shows. We missed the Cole Slaw wrestling but we did catch the Monster Energy “Dome of Death”.  They weren’t to be confused with the “Wall of Death” at the Iron Horse.  These kids were free and much more dangerous.  We missed “Little Kiss”, midgets who dress up, make up and all, like the original Kiss and have concerts, but we did see the house band on Main Street,  rock some of Ozzy’s “Crazy Train”.  I heard ”Little Kiss” sounds just like the original. We miss the Brawl in the Cage at Destination Daytona but we did see some Evangelists crusaders versus Strip Club Choppers.  This was interesting for several reasons.  The crusaders were pretty much protesting everybody and everything.  The guy hanging out at the Strip Club Choppers tent, looked amazingly like “Kid Rock” just taller.  The crusaders had a guy with a bullhorn, one guy with a pole that had signs listing those being denounced, and 2 security guys standing behind him.  Kid Rock was drinking beer after beer and blaring death rock at the crusaders.  I thought Kid Rock and Strip Club Choppers got a raw deal because about 1/2 a block away, there were 2 beautiful young ladies having a “bikini bike shine”!?!?!? They definitely deserved some protesting.

We saw the shows.  We bought some shirts. We took some photos. We acquired some ideas and new parts for the bikes.  The real essence of Bike Week though, is the riding.  I saw many country ride tours and saw some obvious tourists/vacation motorcycle groups along the roads.  I know they had a great time.  We are lucky enough to stay about 58 miles west of Daytona when we arrive for our vacation.  I say lucky because by now we know every different way to get back and forth into town.  Here are a couple of country roads you must find and ride, while at bike week (CR309, CR308, CR308B, US17).  I call CR308B, the “little dragon”, those of you who have visited Tennessee and US129, you know what I am referring too.  I often wonder how the locals feel about their backroads? I mean, I travel here at least once or twice a year just to ride.  I wonder if I would be more apathetic if I lived here year round? Every morning and every night we had a great ride.  After 9 days and about 2,000 miles it was hard going home.  

Finally, I did catch up with Mike & Debbie and Mikey from the 360 Bikers, so we did officially call this a 360 run.  As the most Popular M/C riding group in South Florida, we had a responsibility to show up at Bike Week.  Of course I will continue to provide myself as a guide whenever anyone want to find some country roads during bike week.  I’m so selfless, it’s the least I can do.  Until next time, Ride Safe!!!

GR

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The goal of 360Bikers has always been the creation of a public charity to provide help for fallen bikers that are the victims of mishaps that just aren’t their fault.  Saturday, we had our second meeting as a group and made some significant progress.

Alan and Jan had worked together and made great progress in getting organized for the legal process.  I had mentioned at the earlier meeting that there are a lot of fees associated with the process and they have discovered a lot of the forms we would need.

We also elected officers for creating the new corporation that would become our not-for-profit entity.  The results are:

• President, Lee Keller
• Secretary, Jan Carlson
• Treasurer, Mitzi Ellis
• Sergeant at Arms – Ian Border

The Board of Directors

• Mark Baxter
• Trudy Baxter
• Roger Ellis
• Alan Neibauer
• Nick Perez
• Nicole Perez

Our meeting tonight continued the work from the Saturday meeting.  We met at Panera’s in Boynton Beach and got down to business immediately.  First, we connected to the IRS site to create our Federal Employee Identification Number.  This allows us to continue in the corporate process as well as pursuing the tax-exempt status.  We went over the requirements for the corporation and Lee will submit papers to create it under Florida Law.  Finally, we scoured the IRS tax exempt paper work, which is over 25 pages to be submitted for our charity status.

We will be meeting next week to complete some of these processes and begin working to help fallen motorcyclists.

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Welcome to another after ride Blog, from the most Popular Motorcycle Club in South Florida. This was a quick lunch ride but it epitomizes the creed of club. We have rides and events for any and all bikers, no matter what you ride or how many CC’s you have. On today’s ride we had a mix of models ranging from 250cc to 1900cc. Everyone had a great time.

Our ride started at 10:15am this morning. The riders gathered at the Shell gas station on 441 & Boynton Beach Blvd. This location has plenty of room to host a meetup 5 times our group size and gas/coffee to boot. Our leader Connie, proceeded with the pre ride meeting and we were off. Connie leading and Richard being the Tail Gunner on his Triumph for the ride. Unfortunately, I was not able to ride and was driving behind the Tail Gunner in my car.

The group rode South on 441, in the beautiful 70 degree weather, toward Boca Raton. Traffic was light and we made an Eastbound turn on to Clintmoore Road. As we traveled Eastbound toward Military Trail, Clintmoore adds a few curves to make the ride interesting. We head Southbound again on Military Trail passing under Glades Road to reach Palmetto Park Road.

On Palmetto Park Road we head Eastbound again towards the ocean. We reach Ocean blvd with a nice flow and no traffic issues. The area we pass through is usually crowded and heavy with traffic but it was nice and clear today.

We head Northbound on Ocean Blvd toward Linton Blvd. The Ocean view is beautiful and A1A is made for Motorcycle riding.

We turn Westbound on Linton Blvd. as we near our destination. The group was like a well oiled machine and there are no lags or spaces in the Staggered formation all ride long.

We arrive at Duffys right on time and are quickly shown to our seats. The waitresses took orders for drinks and quickly followed with food orders. Refills and requests were taken care of expeditiously and there was plenty of time for conversation.  The Wings are great and the price is moderate.  Everyone loved their meals.

After a great lunch it was time for us to ride once again. The group headed Westbound on Linton Blvd. to Jog Road. Northbound on Jog to Atlantic Blvd. Westbound on Atlantic Blvd to 441. Northbound on 441 back to our original starting point.  Riders peeled off as we traveled Northbound and headed for home.

Finally, great weather, great people, motorcycles and a great idea (360’s), equals one more great 360 Bikers event. Until next time, Ride Safe!!

GR

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Welcome readers to another edition of our 360 ride Blog. If you are anywhere in South Florida and love motorcycles, there is no finer group of motorcycle enthusiasts to join. Of course, I could be considered biased, lol.

The night started simply enough. Get home, do some homework (with the little one), check the weather and confirm on the 360 website our ride details. While confirming I noticed our little group had gotten smaller. We had gone from 7 with 2 maybes to just 5 attendees. Undeterred by the chances of rain and a low turn out, I headed out to our meetup on 441 and SR 80, at the Home Depot.

I arrived at 6:20 pm and waited 5 minutes before being waved over by some motocyclists across the parking lot. I rode over to find Roger, Mitzi and several guest riders. Two minutes later, our fearless leader, Maverick, his co-pilot Dale and another guest pulled up. We quickly went from 5 attendees on 3 bikes to 10 attendees on 7 bikes….WOW!!

The lineup looked a lot like this; Maverick & Dale, Roger & Mitzi, Ernesto & Miriam, Chris, Nolen, Fred & yours truly Ken. I did my most serious Hawk impersonation I could muster as a Tail Gunner but I don’t think he has anything to worry about.

We started out Eastbound on SR80 and turned Southbound on Lyons Road. Lyons road is a nice shortcut through to Forest Hill Blvd. There is a round about halfway down the road to slow traffic and a a sheriff’s cruiser parked on the side of the road to help the cause.

We proceeded Eastbound on Forest Hill blvd. The traffic was heavier then expected for 7:00 pm on Thursday evening. We continued on without too many issues until the broken down vehicle at the intersection at Haverhill Rd. separated the group. Maverick handled it like a pro though, pulling over alongside the broken down vehicle and the Sheriff, to wait for the group.

We traveled through Lake Clark Shores and hit the narrowest roads in the world after I-95. The roads are so narrow on the stretch east of 95, that 2 sportbikes have trouble riding side by side in these lanes.

We turned Southbound on to Olive Avenue and followed this road into Lake Worth. At this point the road turns into Federal Highway. This road is well lit, with old fashioned lamp posts and few traffic lights.

After a few miles we reached Lucerne Avenue and turned West bound to arive at Lake Worth bike night. Lucerne runs Westbound one way and Lake Avenue runs Eastbond one way.

We circled Lucerne and Lake Avenue once and could not find parking to accompdate the group. We finally found some spots on K street. Note to self: If you want to park on Lake Ave or Lucerne, arrive at least 45 minutes earlier. Of course, then you will have to deal with rush hour traffic but I digress. The group made our way down Lake Ave to Too Jays for dinner. Along the way there are many vendors, selling gloves, shirts and other Motorcyle paraphenalia. There was even a set up for pin striping right there on the sidewalk. I was sorely tempted as I have wanted some pin striping for awhile.

Too Jays, I’m not sure if I am spelling that right, is excellent, deli style food. The sandwiches are stuffed with whatever you order and the pricing is moderate. The food is ablsolutlely fresh. I soon learned that Dale is a Too Jays afficionado.

While we were sitting down for dinner we noticed 2 familiar bikers pulling up to the curb. Daily and Lindsay had made the trip up from Broward to attend Bike night. Daily and Lindsay, ride the standard, beautiful Kawasaki’s. Daily’s Kawi has the matching saddlebags. A couple of accesories and Daily could put that bike in any show.

With the addition of Daily and Lindsay, that brought our 360 attendees up to a staggering 12 attendees. Okay maybe staggering is a little strong but if you can go from 5 to 12 on a work night you have to be doing something right.

After dinner we saw the sights. There are way too many places to eat & drink to mention. There was also the drunk, the pirate and the clown, which made the night extra exciting.  Of course, it goes without saying that hundreds of different makes and models of Motorcycles were on display. 

The weather was overcast and a cool 75 degrees. In true 360 fashion we started our return trip Westbound on Lake Ave., peeling off as we went. The route provided a true 360 back to our starting point.

Finally, I met some new friends, had some good food and took a nice motorcyle ride and once again, I have 360Bikers to thank for it. Nice Job Maverick. Until next time, Ride Safe!

GR

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