360Bikers Foundation

Ian, Trudy and Lee (left to right) cooking dogs over the bonfire at Terri's.

I have to thank Terri for holding this part of the anniversary party off. The bonfire was great, but the getting together with friends was unmatched. Terri coordinated a great event and the food was fantastic.

We had lots of food including hotdogs, chili, brownies and even the making for smores.  We enjoyed a full wolf moon and moderate temperatures that made the fire even more inviting as the night wore on. Van even brough Bo in the side car and entertained with his striped snake.

I hope this can become a regular event as everyone had fun and lots of riders attended.  Click the link to look at the rides and events calendar for the 360Bikers in Sout

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We’re down at Fudruckers and saw this great looking Indian.

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When the iPhone came out I wrote about how it was the perfect device for motorcyclists. It has the cellphone, GPS, mapping, email, and many more features. With the release of an SDK several months ago more applications are now available. One is the one I’m using now to enter this from my phone. Made by Wordpress, it allows bloggers to enter text and photos right from the phone so you can post about your ride during your ride! OK, so I’m a geek, too. This is nice.

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Motorcyclist really are a social group. Rides are a nice mix of solitude and socializing that gives you the opportunity to be alone and with a group. The support you get from fellow bikers is unmatched and I know of no other group that takes care of each other as much.

After six months of riding together and growing as a group, 360Bikers had a celebration that Will has been waiting to do for a long time. More than twenty of us descended on his house bringing food and beverages to get us through the night. From 7:00 till dark we ate and socialized, meeting new members, their girlfriends and wives, and generally just having a great time. After the sun was down we watched “Wild Hogs” on an outside theater with hi-def and surround sound, courtesy of Rich. Will’s wife even let me do some grilling while she met with people and took care of other behind the scenes needs.

Vic had gone out earlier in the week and shot a small wild boar. Yes, to go along with our “Wild Hogs” movie we actually ate some wild hog. Will’s crowning moment was when he unveiled the bleached skull of the pig as the center piece of the party. Steve (“Slick”) gave some musical parodies and earned a few part recognitions in the movie. Somehow, it’ll never be the same watching that movie again.

It was a great evening with really great friends. Those that missed it should make plans for the next one.

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Well, I’ve always sorta looked at it that way, but now more than ever I can prove that buying a nice, small commuter bike is like getting it for free.  Now, I admit, I’m using my own numbers here to prove the point.  You can substitute your own and you may find you could get a bike for free even faster than me.

First, how far do I drive and how many days do I work a year.  My round-trip to work is 34 miles and I work about 240 days per year.  That comes to 8,160 miles per year.  I have a Chevy Avalanche, not exactly on the dean’s list of fuel economy.  I get about 16 MPG.  That means in 1 year just going to work it takes about 510 gallons of gas.  Now, we’re not quite there yet but at $4.50 per gallon that costs me $2,295 to go to work in gas money.

Now, I just checked Ebay and it seems you can get a Kawasaki Ninja 250 or a Honda Rebel 250 for about $2,000, plus or minus $500.  You see where this is going already, don’t you.  Yeah, these bikes get 65 to 75 MPG CITY!!!!  Now, you still have to buy gas so at 65 MPG this will cost you less than $600 for the entire year.  That’s a savings of about $1,700 per year.  By 18 months your little commuter bike is like riding for free.

Now, not everyone can do this to the extent we have available in South Florida where riding is almost year-round.  But every little bit helps and a little bike like this could save you enough money to fuel that Harley-Davidson Ultra, Honda Gold Wing or VTX, or countless other bikes that struggle to stay in the 30 to 40 MPG range.  Either way, the numbers above save me $7.21 every day I ride a little commuter bike over the Avalanche.  If I ride just 100 days a year that means I save over $700 in gas.  I can live with it.  Even at that rate, the bike is free in just 3 years.

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Connie is a regular rider with our group. She is an active rider with other groups and assists with organizations. I wanted to get some perspectives from her in an online interview. Here is what we talked about.

Lee: Where are you from?
Connie: Originally from Philadelphia but living here about 20 years !!

Lee: Did you ride motorcycle when you lived there?
Connie: No, I didn’t.

Lee: How long of you been riding?
Connie: Going on year 5 now.

Lee: What is the longest ride you’ve been on? (elaborate)
Connie: I rode up to visit friends In Georgia who live 45 minutes north of Jacksonville. It was quite an adventure…..a bit scary alone…..but an achievement…..Also, rode to Mt. Dora here in Florida, and of course the West coast of Florida.

Lee: What do you like most about riding in South Florida?
Connie: I would say the weather ….. it’s almost perfect all year round; longer rides in the winter, shorter ones in the summer heat.

Lee: What do you like least about riding in South Florida?
Connie: lol…..it’s flat !!! and we do have some crazy “snowbirds” driving down here in the winter.

Lee: What is your favorite kind of ride?
Connie: Humm….. I really enjoy overnighters….to me it’s like a mini-vacation over a weekend….as having my own business… it’s not easy to just take off whenever I feel like it….. I like all types of rides, some with a bit of challenge is good also, and especially enjoy riding through areas like LaBelle here in Florida with the tree-lined roads and also through horse country.

Lee: What are your opinions on the helmet / no-helmet laws?
Connie: Personally, I prefer not wearing one as I love feeling the wind, and the freedom of riding without one…however, it can save you from becoming brain damaged or a spinal injury in the event of am accident if you are wearing one.

Lee: Do you always wear a helmet?
Connie: Sometimes……I do wear one always on 95 or on highways…..If I am taking a shorter ride along the beach say early morning when there are not many people out driving, or on a very unpopulated country road, I prefer not to…..However, they do say most accidents happen close to home !!

Lee: If you were to describe a general common attribute about women motorcycle riders, what would it be?
Connie: They’re hot !!! They are independent and free spirits…….I think they are very careful riders…. I do feel some men are intimidated by women motorcycle riders…. and that’s a shame…..

Lee: If you could say one thing to all the women bikers out there, what would it be?
Connie: Keep on riding !!!! Look and act like a woman … I dislike tattoos and/or hard looking women riding motorcycles….it brings a bad connotation to the rest of us.

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This is a very good piece of literature, especially from the biker perspective.

__________________

I saw you, hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.

But, you didn’t see me, put an extra $10 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you, pull your child closer as we walked by on the sidewalk.

But, you didn’t see me, playing Santa at the local mall.

I saw you, change your mind about going into the restaurant.

But, you didn’t see me, attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you, roll up your window & shake your head when I drove by. But, you didn’t see me, driving behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you, frown at me when I smiled at your children.

But, you didn’t see me, when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you, stare at my long hair. But, you didn’t see me, and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you, roll your eyes at our leather coats and gloves.

But, you didn’t see me, and my brothers donate our old coats and gloves to those that had none.

I saw you, look in fright at my tattoos.

But, you didn’t see me, cry as my children where born and have their name written over and in my heart.

I saw you, change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.

But, you didn’t see me, going home to be with my family.

I saw you, complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be.

But, you didn’t see me, when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you, yelling at your kids in the car.

But, you didn’t see me, pat my child’s hands, knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you, reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road. But, you didn’t see me, squeeze my wife’s leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you, race down the road in the rain.

But, you didn’t see me, get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you, run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time.

But, you didn’t see me, trying to turn right.

I saw you, cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in. But, you didn’t see me, leave the road.

I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass.

But, you didn’t see me. I wasn’t there.

I saw you, go home to your family. But, you didn’t see me.

Because, I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker. A person with friends and a family.

But, you didn’t see me.

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