Cyclerides.com
Weekly Update
10/13/10
Greetings Riders,
Well, for the first time in many
months, we can look at the extended
weather forecast and not see triple digits for high
temperatures. This means we are now at the beginning of prime Arizona riding
here in the Phoenix area. We took advantage of the great weather on Sunday
just tooling around the outskirts of town to enjoy some wind in our face
that didn't burn. Now is the time plan some of those Day Rides with your
riding pals and enjoy some breakfast or lunch at some of your favorite stops.
As I was preparing for the newsletter
this week I noticed the Choir Boys ride was this weekend and it reminded me that
this month is also the 11th Anniversary month of Cyclerides.com. It
was 11 years ago this weekend that Mrs. C. and I kicked off Cyclerides.com at
the Choir Boys ride. There are a few thousand new subscribers to the newsletter
since the last time I told the history of Cyclerides.com, in fact, I have never
done it to this extent, so I thought I would do that today.
I started riding and became infatuated with
riding on 2 wheels back in 1966 when I was 10 years old. There was
a high school boy in our small town of Lansing, Kansas that had a blue mini bike
with a 3hp motor for sale for $35 that I thought was the coolest thing I
had ever seen. I wanted it so bad, but the only problem was, that I
was $35 short in being able to buy it. I asked my folks to buy it for me, but
they decided to set my entrepreneurial path in motion at an early age by
telling me that I would have to work to earn the money to buy the mini bike.
Imagine that, kids don't hear that phrase much these days. I said I'm 10 years
old, how am I going to earn $35?
My Dad mentioned that we had a lawnmower in the
garage and suggested I might try mowing lawns to earn the money. So
I set out with my lawnmower in tow, pulling it up and down the streets of
Lansing, Kansas going door to door trying to get some jobs. Sure enough, there
were three people that were willing to pay me $2.50 per week to mow their lawns.
But at $7.50 per week, if I saved every penny, it would take 5 weeks to save
enough to buy the mini bike, which seemed like an eternity at that age.
Being extremely anxious to get this bike, every week I would lay those dollars
and quarters out on my bed to determine how much more time it was going to take
me to reach my goal while praying for rain to make the grass grow faster.
Combining my lawn mowing booty along with a few
other odd jobs along the way, I was able to pull the $35 together
in about a month and went directly to the guy to exchange this sack full of
coins and bills for the long sought after and dreamed about mini
bike. This was my first entry into 2 wheeled travel that got into my
blood and has never left. From the mini bike I progressed to an
old 50 cc dirt bike, to a 100cc Yamaha and then to a Honda 350 Scrambler as
I was entering college. That bike was sold right before Mrs. C. and I got
married and moved to Arizona almost 30 years ago.
As with a lot of young couples, things
like motorcycles were not a priority, and when we started a family, it got
pushed even farther back. But it is hard to keep a passion
like riding, that had been born so early in life completely subdued,
so we messed around with some scooters along the way to at least get
some wind in our face. That sufficed for a few years, mostly because we
were focused on raising a child and working. But then somewhere around 1997 my
neighbor across the street got a brand new Harley-Davidson Fat Boy and brought
it home. As you might imagine, that totally ignited the flame that had been
smoldering for all these years and turned it into a small bon-fire. Now I had to
listen to him pull out every weekend morning to go for a ride, leaving me
to figure out how many lawns it was going to take me in today's world to buy a
Harley.
So I saved my lawn mowing money again for a
couple of years and this time bought a beautiful 1997 HD Sportster
1200 Sport from a guy in Scottsdale in July of 1999. We bought
this bike to test the waters and see if we would be able to juggle all of
our family duties and still enjoy some riding. The first trip that Mrs. C. and I
took in Arizona on the bike was to Jerome via Wickenburg and we were once again
hooked. There was no turning back now. Now I had a bike and great desire to ride
again, where was I supposed go? We looked around trying to find things to do,
but in 1999 there were just flyers being distributed to dealerships and no day
ride ideas. I remember like it was yesterday riding out to the Hideaway one
Friday night in early October, which had just been opened for 1 year at that
point, and asked Mark Bradshaw if there were any internet sites that could give
me some ideas of where to ride. He said "not that I know of". My reply was,
"there will be on Monday", and that was the moment that Cyclerides.com was born,
11 years ago.
I went home that night and started searching for
names and settled on Cyclerides.com for the web site. I began
collecting the flyers around town for events, taking bike photos to display and
coming up with Day Rides of my own to share to share on the site. We were
now ready to unveil the site to the riding community which brings me back to my
comment above. In October of 1999 Mrs. C. and I went to the start of the Choir
Boys ride and started handing out flyers letting everyone know that there was
now a web site that would give them event and riding information around the
Valley. But back in 1999, the internet was not used nearly as much as it is
today, and half the riders didn't even have a computer. But the other half
that did, gladly took the flyer and eventually logged on. From there it was
attending many events on the weekends and spreading the word. Cyclerides was now
off and running.
I thought it would be fun to be able to
communicate with riders every week to let them know what was going on,
so in January of 2000 I started this newsletter with about 75 email
addresses. Now that I was definitely going to be riding as much as I could, it
was time to upgrade the bike. In February of 2000 I purchased a 2 year old
1998 Titan Roadrunner that I
rode for the next 5 years. The newsletter idea really caught on and grew
rather quickly. People have come and gone over the years, but the letter is
now emailed to over 8600 riders throughout the world. There are many in other
states and in the military that get the newsletter including Iraq and
Afghanistan that have told me that this is their link to home. I am humbled by
that. My first bike night was at Macayo's on Bell Rd. which has led to many
bike night locations over the past 11 years culminating with the Cyclerides.com/Westgate
Bike Night that many of you enjoy each month.
High points along the way personally have been
the Toys to
Kids Ride that I do every year bussing in 150 kids so that you
can give them their gifts, The Cyclerides.com
Hearts
To Heroes Ride that we did from 2005 to
2008 that included a live satellite interview with 50 soldiers in Baghdad and a
ride around PIR on the motorcycles in 2007, The Chopper Memorial Ride that we
did in 2007 with TV3 and Scott Pasmore that took 2000 bikes from the TV3 station
to Westgate that raised $42,000 in 2 hours. (See Video). And the many
thousands of miles that Mrs. C. and I have ridden and reported to you on over
the years (See Photos). The bikes have
progressed over the years as well. We got Mrs. C. a new Vrod in 2002 which she traded in
for a 2008 model. I got a new
2005 Road Glide that I have been
riding that now has 67,000 miles on it.
So that is the history of how
Cyclerides.com was born. It has been an incredible ride and
provided the opportunity to meet hundreds of absolutely wonderful people along
the way that have turned into friendships over the years. It still thrills me
when I run into some of the original people that were there at the start that
have helped us along the way. It has been a lot of work and
many late nights to get the newsletter out on time, but the rewards that I
get from all of you in the form of kind words and smiles when I see you
have made it all worth while.
My number one goal with Cyclerides.com over the
years has always been to put a positive light on the lifestyle of
motorcycle riding while giving you an enjoyable place to go to live vicariously
through our travels, bringing those moments back to you through words and
photography. I'm not sure how much longer I will be doing
this. Life has a way of changing things, giving you different challenges
and eventually it will be time to move on. But I want you to know that I
love and appreciate each and every one of you that are reading this right
now, and thank you for your help, support and kind words over the years. It has
been one heck of a special 11 year ride, I hope you have enjoyed it as
much as I have. God willing, for
the foreseeable future, if you keep reading, I'll keep riding and
writing.
Ride safe, ride often and enjoy every
minute. There is nothing else like it.
See you at Westgate this Thursday
night.
Barry
If you would like to sign up for the
Cyclerides.com Weekly Update Click Here.
This Week
Thursday, October
14th
The
Cyclerides.com/Westgate Bike Night will present the second night of the
Fall season on October 14th. If you didn't make it to the first one last
month, don't miss this one. The Fall season is going to be a little
different. We are just going to do 3 Thursday nights for the
Fall. So mark you calendars for September 16th, October 14th
and November 11th which will be a Veteran themed event. Event time is
5-10pm. I will end the season with the Cyclerides.com Toy Event at Westgate on
Saturday, December 4th.
This year we will have Live
Music every month. This month we have Urban Roots bringing
back classic R&B, Motown and Blues. This is an excellent 8 piece
band that includes a horn section. There will be more Vendors, Restaurant
Specials, Videos on the giant LED, performances from the 6 million dollar
dancing water fountains and of course plenty of motorcycle parking on Coyote
Blvd. and beyond. Urban Roots will play from 6-9 pm.
Plan to join us on
Thursday, October 14th from 5-10pm at Westgate City Center located next to the
Cardinals Stadium and Jobing.com Arena at Loop 101 and W. Glendale Ave.
Click Here for Details.
Sponsored by:
Your local Harley-Davidson dealership and
proud sponsor of the Cyclerides.com/Westgate Bike Night. We are located just
South of 83rd Ave. and Bell Rd. Stop to see the latest 2011 HD motorcycles.
623-247-5542
Petersen Johnson Accident Lawyers.
Petersen Johnson is a local Arizona law
firm, whose attorneys have over 60 years of combined legal experience in
Accident/Injury law and DUI/Criminal Defense law. We have substantial
experience in representing riders injured in motorcycle accidents. Ron
Petersen and Brad Johnson are involved in every injury case. We discount
our fees; never our service. Please call us locally at 602-650-1200 24
hours a day, 7 days a week.
Stop by Steve Wingenfeld's Allstate
tent on Bike Night and check out Allstate's NEW Lower rates on All Harley's and
all cruiser bikes. Now you can save over 40% with multi-line discounts. You can
stop in at our Westgate office on Coyote's Blvd(suite 1056) or call us at
623.581.0374. Check out our Motorcycle website at http://www.allstategarage.com/, Just input zip code 85305 to get to my web
page.
RideSmart Motorcycle Training
- Celebrating ten years of being the
highest quality, lowest priced rider training school in the Phoenix Metro
area! Motorcycle Safety Foundation based curricula and highly qualified,
personable Rider Coaches. Courses for beginners and experienced
motorcyclists. MVD testing is an integral part of the curricula.
Fun, low threat training environment. Ninety-seven percent student success
rate. Not the biggest school, simply the best!
If you would like to be a
vendor or a sponsor on any of these next 2 nights, please contact
Barry at info@cyclerides.com
Saturday, October 16th & 17th
ROCKTOBERFEST
at Chester's Harley-Davidson. Ride in and join the huge party at Chester's
Harley-Davidson that takes place in their 5-acre Miller Beer Garden, sponsored by Miller, Patron Tequila, Jagermeister & Jack
Daniels. Free Admission to party. Gates open at 11am till
10pm. Proceeds from alcohol sales benefit Choir Boys Law Enforcement
Motorcycle Club, a 501 (c) 3 charity organization helping families of officers
killed or injured in the line of duty. Enjoy festivities and events throughout
the day including:
- Hot Rod & Low Rider Custom Show
& Shine Car Show on display all day.
- Bike Vendors & fantastic
food
- Harley-Davidson 18-wheeler Demo Truck
with 18 new Harley’s to test ride free. Starting at 9am – 4pm Saturday
& Sunday 10am – 4pm. Take a 10 mile demo ride on a bike of your
choice. From a trike to Screamin’ eagle street glide. Come early and
ride often. Demo rides will occur every hour on the hour, all
free.
- Meet & Greet Police Women of
Maricopa County a reality hit TV show on TLC. The ladies will be on site
all day starting at 3pm. They will be available to sign autographs at the
Choir Boy’s vendor booth.
- Free Bikini Bike Wash 11am – 3pm
by the sexy girls at Dirty Dogg Saloon.
Live Bands:
11:00am -PSYCHOBILLY RODEO. A local
favorite.
3:00pm - CORVEZ
INC.
6:00pm - CRY WOLF
8:00pm - DOKKEN
- Miss Rocktoberfest 2010
Bikini Finals 8PM. Semi finals have been underway at AZ Country USA Bar on
Country Club Drive in Mesa (1 blk south from Chester’s HD) every Wednesday
night. 2 girls each week advance to the finals. The winner awarded on
Saturday will win cash and a trip for 2 to Cabo San Lucas.
IT’S FREE TO ATTEND EVENT, BUT WE’RE OFFERING A V.I.P.
AREA. $60/ticket includes all day VIP access to VIP tent, 4 drinks,
private bar & premium concert viewing & seating. Anyone interested
in purchasing tickets can go online to our website www.chestershd.com and click on the right hand
side of VIP TICKETS HERE icon OR call us 480-894-0404. Tickets available
at dealership and day of event. Limited amount of tickets available.
- Free overnight bike security available. We’ll
have taxi’s available on site if customers don’t feel comfortable to ride home
and we’ll keep their bike secured overnight for them.
Sunday, October
17th
10AM – 4PM Free
Harley-Davidson Demo Rides. Test Ride a new Harley free. 10-mile
demo route with a lot of it on the HWY to really get that Harley feeling on the
open road.
11AM – 3PM Free Bikini Bike
Wash
11AM – 3PM BBQ &
ice-cream available with 100% donations benefiting Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Network.
Saturday, October 16th
14th Annual
C.U.F.F.S. Run. This is always a good run. Choir Boys are a Law
Enforcement organization committed to assisting the survivors of fallen law
enforcement officers with immediate needs. This is a great cause to help
families of the Civil Servants the help us every day. Net proceeds go to the
families of officers killed or injured in the line of duty. Registration starts
from 10:00 am - Noon. Donation: Rider - $20.00, Passenger - $10.00. Includes
Poker Hand. Free Ride Pin to first 100 registered. After party at Chester's
Rocktoberfest with Live Bands or Vendors, Beer Garden, HD Demo truck on site. $5
for non riders. Sponsored by Chester's Harley-Davidson. FMI call 480-894-0404.
Register at Chester's Harley Davidson 10 am - Noon at 922 S Country Club
Dr., Mesa.
Saturday, October 16th
Buddy Stubbs
Anthem Hogs and Dogs monthly party. Join us at Buddy Stubbs Anthem H-D
Saturday, October 16th from 11-3. This is the perfect place to grab lunch
before or after your ride! We will have free sandwiches and cold
drinks. Enjoy them under our misted patio while listening to live music from
11-3. Buddy Stubbs Anthem is located at 41715 N. 41st Dr. in Anthem,
AZ.
Saturday, October 16th
Krystinas 65 Roses Poker Run
Ride for the Cure. Charity Motorcycle Poker Run for Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation in memory of Krystina Marie Everett. All proceeds from
this event benefits the cystic fibrosis foundation. Registration begins at
8:30AM ($25 per bike, $10 per passenger) At Buffalo Chip Saloon. Per Bike
Registration Fee includes Rally Fee, Event Tshirt, and One Buffalo Chip(Good for
One Free Meal at Rally) Paid Passenger includes Rally Fee and Buffalo Chip. Pick
up packets on Ride day at Buffalo Chip Saloon – 6811 E. Cave Creek Rd. Cave
Creek, AZ.
Saturday, October 16th
American Legion
Post 117 Legacy Benefit Run. Proceeds will benefit Legacy Scholarship Fund.
All bikes and cages welcome for participation. Registration 9am -
11am at Post 117 located at 16428 N. 32nd. St. in Phoenix, AZ. Last bike out at
11am. $25 per rider. $30 with passenger. Ride pins with registration. Food at
4pm. Live music 5pm - 9pm. Contact Vicky with questions.
602-754-8821.
Sunday, October 17th
Ride For Hope Fun
Run Motorcycle Rally. Registration Starts at 7:30am. Kick
stands up at 9am at the Cancer Center at Chandler Regional Medical Center
located at 1875 W. Frye Rd. in Chandler. The scenic route that will be ridden
finishes at San Tan Flats at 6185 W. Hunt Hwy. in Queen Creek for great food,
entertainment and raffles. Funds go to assist cancer patients with necessities
that, because of their medical condition, they cannot afford to pay for
themselves. Registration fees are $25 that includes meal and t-shirt. Passenger
$10 includes meal. Deadline to register Friday, October 8th. More information at
877-728-5414.
Sunday October 17th
2nd Annual
Bikers for Boobies Ride. Begins at Gavilan Peak in New River. Registration begins at 10am. Last bike out by 11:30am.
Raffle,
50/50, Auction, Live Music and more! $25 Single, $35 a couple. Includes
Breakfast Buffet. First 100 Registered Riders get bag and Shirt. Stops at
Connollys, Hideaway, The Vu, Dirty Dogg. Help us celebrate Breast Cancer
Awareness Month and Ride for Boobs.
Next Week
Saturday, October 23rd
MMA Eagle
District presents 2nd Annual Bike and Car Show. Event time is 4pm - 8pm at
Chuy's located at 5134 N. 95th Ave. in Glendale. Enter your bikes,
Muscle Cars, Hot Rods, Low Riders stock or modified all are welcome. Trophy's
awarded for both classes. Food provided through Chuy's. Happy hour available
through the night. $10 per bike. $15 per car. 50/50, DJ, Prize Raffles.
Questions contact Mike at 623-435-0727. All proceeds to MMA of Arizona.
Saturday, October 23rd
Scottsdale
Healthcare Poker Run 2010. Benefits the Gift Of Life Lodging program for the
Virginia G Piper Cancer Center. This was a huge success last year
with over 200 bikes. This year is going to be even bigger as our sponsors have
increased due to the word of mouth from last years run. Event starts at 7:00 am.
Some of our prizes include a new motorcycle, cash, a big screen TV etc. 8:00am
registration at Go AZ Motorcycles located at 15750 N. Northsight Blvd. in
Scottsdale. Pre-registration; $30/$20. Day of $35/$20. First 100 to pre-register
get t-shirt. Ends at San Tan Flat. Last bike in 3:30pm. Live music from
Stephanie Eason Band. More information: Joanne Gain at
480-882-4541.
Saturday, October
23rd
Unveiling of the
Arizona Centennial Copper Chopper and Bret Michaels concert. Join 100.7 KSLX
for our 1st Annual Bike Night at the Fair with Hacienda Harley Davidson Saturday
Oct 23rd at 4pm. Just $13 gets you admission for two into the
Arizona State Fair plus bike parking inside the fair gates (in-venue parking
limited to first come, first served but overflow will be designated bike parking
area) and general admission seating for the Bret Michaels show that night. There
is so much to do FREE with your Fair admission, including seeing the
Arizona Centennial Copper Chopper Unveiling Ceremony at 5pm,
attend the Bret Michaels show at 7pm (doors are at 6pm for general admission
seating), see Demolition Derby in the grandstand at 7pm, and more! Tickets can
be purchased until 10/22 at Hacienda Harley Davidson located at 15600 N. Hayden
Road Scottsdale, AZ 85260. The event is at the Arizona State Fair, 1826 W.
McDowell Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85007. Arizona Centennial Copper Chopper and
traveling exhibit, created by world-renowned bike builder and Phoenix resident,
Paul Yaffe will be unveiled Oct. 23. The Chopper proudly promotes the 100th
anniversary of Arizona’s statehood, motorcycle safety, and is a piece of Arizona
history generating a sense of pride amongst Arizonans and visitors for our
independent spirit, ingenuity, love of the open road, and cultural/natural
diversity.
Sunday, October 24th
Rip's BAD Ride.
The American Diabetes Association presents Arizona Rip’s B.A.D. Ride VI – Bikers Against Diabetes, Sunday October 24, 2010. Start Sites are
Arrowhead HD, Chandler HD and Tucson HD. Check in 8-9am, Rides start at 9am.
Fairgrounds Gates Open at 10AM. Bike Show, Bike Games, Vendors, Live Concert by
Mogollon. Minimum donation $30 rider/$20 passenger before 10/20- includes BBQ
Lunch and ride pin. ALL Bikes are welcome. Make a difference in the lives of
23.6 million Americans who have diabetes. For more info: hgoldsmith@diabetes.org,
1.888-.342.2383.
Upcoming Events
November 4th - 7th
10th
Annual Rocky Point Rally. Yes, it is on and
Mogollon is going to be the featured musical entertainment on
Saturday night at Las Palomas on Sandy Beach. This should be a great
concert. It is hard to believe, but this is the 10th anniversary of the
Rally. I know that some are hesitant to go to Mexico right now with all of the
bad press down there, but Rocky Point has seemed to avoid most of the issues
that you hear about in the press. Do your own research about issues in Rocky
Point, don't let the broad brush of the press decide for you. Then see
if you want to go or not. One thing we do know, this is always a good time.
Here is the Agenda. If you are looking
to make a reservation for lodging, Click Here. If you want a good snapshot
of the Rocky Point Rally, check out this
video from a couple of years ago.
Extras
Mid Week Updates will be made
on the Cyclerides.com Facebook.
Take a look at all
the new photos posted on the
wall. If you are not on Facebook, you can
still view the page, but you will not be able to post. There will
be a link there for you to sign up for Facebook if you are inclined. Click the
LIKE
button!
The new issue of the Biker Information
Guide is now out. Look for them and
pick one up at your local motorcycle dealership.
Give a guy a cat, a video camera and
some spare time and see what happens. Click Here to View.
This is a great
commercial done by an ad company promoting the advantages of TV advertising. Click Here to
View.
Video of the Week: This video is
like looking at a car wreck. You don't really want to, but you
can't not look. This guy is certifiable crazy for sure. Click Here to View. Click on the Video of the Week graphic on the
page.
If you would like to sign up for the Cyclerides.com Weekly Update
Click
Here.
All
information in this newsletter is
Copyright © 2010 BDC Products,
LLC.
Information may be used only with permission.
All rights
reserved.
