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Friday, April 30, 2010

Oatman, AZ



One of the days we were in Laughlin we decided to go for a ride, my dad, Dave Silvia (AKA Mull because he used to have a mullet!), Joe Ricci, Our newest "employee" Murph and I. We left Laughlin to head for the small cowboy town of Oatman which is along Route 66.

The sky looked a little shaky but we left anyway. Sure enough we get caught in a hail storm. Just small hail but enough to hurt. There was no sense in stopping because where are you going to go if you pull over in the desert?

I was riding the Indian, which is such a cool bike to ride, but it has no front fender so you can imagine how wet and dirty I was. It only lasted about 10 minutes but enough to get us soaked Fortunately by the time we got to Oatman we were dry.

This little town was so cool. It was another way of life. The population was about 100 people and probably as many donkeys! We walked around the town for a while then had some lunch and tons of laughs thanks to Murph before we headed back to Laughlin.


The ride back was good except being cold! Who would have though Massachusetts was warmer than the desert!



Random Shop Photos


In the build room Dirti has an FXR going and the 250 Baggah!



A shifter Big Ron made on the Exile Sidecar bike



No need for a caption!

Monday, April 26, 2010

The Chronicle's of Laughlin

Article in today's paper

CHeck out the interesting story below that was in today Boston Globe... I think there are more younger riders... what do you think?

Boston Globe article

Monday, April 19, 2010

ROAD WARRIOR: Watch out for squids, cagers at River Run

It turns out that bumping into a rival motorcycle club member clutching a bloodied crescent wrench inside a Laughlin casino isn't necessarily the most treacherous part of the annual Laughlin River Run.

If you're a motorcyclist, it's actually the trip to the riverside town that can prove deadly.

Admittedly, I am uneducated when it comes to motorcycles and safety.

I'm what my Bay Area biking friend Marty calls a "cager," which at first seemed a bit offensive until I learned it simply means my transportation of choice is a car.

Over the next few days, an estimated 100,000 bikers are expected to roll through the Las Vegas Valley on their way to the River Run festivities.

What this means, according to Allstate Insurance anyway, is that we cagers need to be aware of those on two wheels.

Now before we proceed, allow me to share with fellow cagers a question posed to Marty when he explained that motorists are careless when it comes to motorcycles.

Essentially, Marty was asked about the uncaring behavior of the biker jackasses who swerve in and out of traffic on the freeway when everyone is moving at a steady 70 mph. Jackass is not the proper term, he said; those guilty of this irritating practice are "squids."

Squids are typically in their early 20s and they don't bother to undergo formal training before hopping on a sport bike (known as crotch-rockets in the world of motorcycle enthusiasts) and tearing down the freeway.

The other class of less responsible bikers are, in Marty's words, "baby boomer yuppies" who hit a midlife crisis and purchase a Harley-Davidson far too big and powerful for their skill level. They might take their ride down to the neighborhood bar and show it off, then overconsume and wipe out.

The sluggish economy coupled with soaring fuel prices prompted the population of these two classes of bikers to explode over the past couple years. Aside from yuppies and squids -- and by the way, motorcyclists are bitter that they tarnish the community's reputation -- most bikers take pride in respecting others on the road and take safety seriously.

(As my friend Dean said after witnessing a bare-footed weed-whacking session, safety doesn't have a quitting time).

According to the online Hurt Report, three-fourths of motorcycle accidents involve a passenger vehicle. And in the majority of those accidents, the vehicle violated the motorcyclist's right-of-way; drivers didn't see the biker until it was too late.

Intersections are the most common location for motorcycle-vehicle crashes. In 2008, 75 percent of the 961 motorcycle-involved accidents in Clark County were at intersections or in close proximity to major crossings, according to Allstate's figures.

This is where Dave Perewitz, a Massachusetts-based chopper builder, comes in.

Perewitz is an ambassador of the new program dubbed ONE: Once is Never Enough. The campaign encourages motorists and motorcyclists alike to look left, right and left again when at an intersection. You remember the drill; we all learned it in kindergarten.

"People are so excited about getting to the event and looking at the cool bikes, they're not paying enough attention to what they're doing or where they're going," Perewitz said. "Take that extra few seconds at an intersection to look twice, because once isn't enough. That could prevent a crash. It could save someone's life. It could save your life."

Perewitz is teaming up with Allstate to place yellow signs reminding motorists to be aware of motorcyclists. You might see the signs at two intersections deemed to be the most frequent site of motorcycle collisions: Tropicana Avenue and Koval Lane and Rancho Drive and Washington Avenue.

Perewitz believes the elevated awareness will prevent accidents.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Donnie Smith Show



The Donnie Smith Motorcycle Show, a staple in the Upper Midwest, is held in St. Paul every March and gives winter-weary bikers the chance to see what’s new, what’s now vintage, and what hasn’t changed. It’s also a chance to reconnect with old friends and make a few new ones.

The dates coincide with what I’d call the Hamsters’ early season get-together.
Dave invited me to St. Paul and I jumped at the chance. He recommended staying at the St. Paul Hotel, a beautiful old structure near the St. Paul RiverCentre where the show was being held.

My cabbie was from Ethiopia (I always ask) and was the leader of his Lutheran Church. We talked about my and Streets’ sons serving in the Army and that they were all deployed last year, but now back, safe. He let out a few “Halleluiah’s” and raised both hands. Given that he was driving at the time, I was going to ask him to hold onto the wheel, but we were driving straight and he was well intentioned, so I thanked him.

Check-in was a snap and I met up with Dave and we went across the park in front of the hotel to a very nice building…I think it was previously a private club…to the Hamsters’ Dinner. Great people, great food, a few laughs and a birthday cake for Donnie.

The next morning, I went for a walk in downtown St. Paul. I hadn’t been there for a while and forgot how many buildings are connected by skyways so you don’t have to go outside during the winter. Really makes commerce easy when the snow flies and the temperatures are below zero.

The show was packed. The upstairs area was lined with vendors and the huge show area was split into the regular show and the swap meet. I spent a bit of time at the swap meet, but really didn’t know what I was looking for. I saw a lot of take-off parts and couldn’t think of anything else I needed.

As usual, Dave was swamped as soon as he arrived. The local FOX affiliate interviewed Donnie and him. I spent time looking for styles I liked that would be incorporated into my ‘50s chopper Dave’s building. I gave up on copper pieces…they just look too “new”, and liked brass much more. I’ll go with a 7” headlight, reminiscent of the headlight on my and Steets’ father’s ‘37 BSA, which Dave is restoring. A “king and queen” seat is out, too…lacking the appropriate amount of posterior support (does this seat make my butt look big???).

There were tons of great bikes there…including many as part of a completion for high schoolers. Donnie was there to hand out the prizes.

I met Bob “Rocket Bob” Gullickson (www.rocketbob.net) , a paraplegic, who will be trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records on September 5, 2010 at the Brainerd International Raceway by having the fastest wheel chair. I think it has some sort of jet/rocket engine on it. Fuel is $100/gal so he was selling memorabilia and raising funds. I got a t-shirt and helped with the fuel.

I saw two bikes, one are rad prostreet and the other a Road Glide with..I think....a 31” front wheel. They looked cool, but I wondered about the handling characteristics. I think the sensation with a 31” front is like riding a gyroscope, although I’ll confess to having never actually ridden a gyroscope.

Later Saturday, we went to Don Nolan’s Acme Tattoo (www.acmetattoo.com) and hung out with, Nolan, T, Beth, Gabe and Margo. It’s a really cool shop and they are great people. Kory Dave and Ted got some work done. I got a chance to look at the bikes Dave built for Nolan over the years as well as a ton of motorcycle and tattoo memorabilia I think I know what I want my first piece to be, so, at the risk of being viewed as a dilettante, I’ll probably stop on my way out to Sturgis in August to have it done.

It was Nolan’s birthday, too, so we all went out to celebrate and I was treated to a great dinner.

Another great day with really great people.

Sunday was a quiet day as we had a leisurely breakfast and made our way over to the show. I had an early flight out (heading to Chicago for a meeting), so I bought a cool commemorative shirt, (a steal at $7!), said goodbye and headed back to the hotel for my bag.

My cabbie was again from Ethiopia, and got me to the airport in plenty of time.

So, a great way to spend a weekend and a welcome break from the winter doldrums.

Thug

Thursday, April 15, 2010

MS Walk


Jill, Kristen, Jody, Susan, Lisa, Along with our 4-legged friends, Mercedes, Giselle, Zipp, Cheech, Marvin, & Louie
It was something having so many pups but definitely fun! Everyone had a dog, Leah who took the picture walked Marvin, & Kristen and Lisa took Lou and Cheech for me!



By: Donna Tocci

Hello everyone:

TeamMs.org Walkers had a great day at Walk MS in Easton last Saturday. It was a little cloudy and breezy, but great temps for walking! It was great to see the age-range of people participating - from the littlest of kids (in some fancy 'rigs') to groups of teenagers with specially made team shirts to a group of older gentlemen walking with their friend who was blinded by MS. Seeing this great mix of people coming out for this common goal was inspiring to see.

Thanks to your support and donations we raised $3,550 to help the National MS Society fight this disease! Thank you all!

Again, thank you ALL for your generosity! It's much appreciated!

~TeamMS.org Walkers

Friday, April 9, 2010

Mongoose's

I thought I would share this video with you. I met these furry little creatures on a recent trip.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

One woman's 10,000 mile journey



They will be stoping at Perewitz sometime this summer!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Help Wanted!

We are looking for an experienced mechanic to work on v-twins. Please fax resume to 508-697-0275