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It gives me great pleasure to be your Congress Representative for the term of 2008-2009. With your help, I really want to be able to make a positive impact for all the District 36 Road Riders back at the next AMA Congress. I hope that each of you will seek me out to discuss any issues you may have with the district, AMA, or motorcycling in general and we can find ways to improve our sport together.
A short background about myself goes something like this :
I was born, raised, and still live in San Francisco.
I married my High School Sweetheart, Sheree, at the ripe old age of 21. We are currently celebrating our 33rd year together.
We have 2 children, Eric, who is the current Tours and Runs Director of the San Francisco Motorcycle Club and the parts guy at BMW of San Francisco, and Elena, who lives in Arizona with her husband Mark Geyer, and is quite busy raising our 2 grandchilden, Evan (4) and Molly (2), as well as running a part time business on Ebay for baby bibs and such.
My first ride on a motorcycle was at 11 years old. I made a regular habit of "borrowing" my older brother's (Joey) 1966 Suzuki. I was always very careful to only take it while he was at work. I always parked in the same place before he got home. I never imagined that the little numbers under the speedometer meant anything important. He sure was pissed off when he finally realize how many times I "borrowed" the bike. My arm still hurts from where he punched me !
It would be another 8 years before I rode again. But this time I was legal. Licence, insurance, and a pink slip. The bike, a 1971 Yamaha RT1 360 Enduro took me everywhere. Or at least to all the places a 19 year old would care to go. Bike number 2 was a 1972 Honda CB500/4. Many a night making out at the drive-in with Sheree on this one.
Alas, 1979 and it was time to get a real motorcycle, every young man's dream, a Harley. Not just any Harley, but a brand spankin' new 1979 Harley - Davidson FLH 1200 in Jet Black. Oh, how I loved that bike. Well, at least for the 10 months I had it. Sure enough, it became a statistic in the SFPD thief files. Fortunately, I was in good hands with Allstate, and with a $500 deductable, I was back on a Harley. This one was a slight upgrade from the first as it was the full dressed FLH-80. I still have her, and she's affectionally known as "Blue". My stable also includes a 2001 Buell Blast P3/500, a 1998 Kawasaki KLR650, a 1996 Sportster 1200S, a 1996 Ultra Classic, a 1993 Kawasaki KLX650C Dual Sport, and a 1955 Harley 45" Flathead.
1980 was my first year with the San Francisco Motorcycle Club and an awakening to the many vices of the Biker Life Style. A typical weekend started at the Thursday night meeting followed by riding and drinking and riding and drinking until Monday morning when something called a job got in the way of all the fun. If you've ever been to the SFMC Clubhouse, you know it's walls are cover with a multitude of AMA swag. This told me that at one time the club "was big" on the AMA. But one thing I couldn't understand was how a club with such a rich AMA history could on a regular basis generally bad-mouth the AMA and District 36. Being an AMA member for several years, I questioned their opinions. The short story was they were a bunch of "Old Farts" that wanted to dictate policy, force you to wear a helmet, and wouldn't have anything to do with a young Harley rider. For the most part, this was true. But, Mama raised a stubborn child and I hung around and rode the Poker Runs and attended the campouts and such. It wasn't before too long, I was accepted and being asked to be a District Referee. And by 1986 I was sitting in the big chair as president of the District. Some of the Members of the SFMC even found out that AMA events "ain't that bad" and started going on the runs.
So over the years, I've held the Offices of President, Vice President, and Referee. I've chaired the Hey Dey, Gypsy Tour, Turkey Run, Special Olymipics Run, and Fun Run Committees. I've been Top District Rider 3 years in a row twice(1996-1998, 2006-2008) and I've been awarded with the the "Joe Morgan Award" for services above and beyond.
43 years after swinging my leg over that Suzuki, I still have the fever and manage to ride everyday. I do see a different rider out there, although I not sure if he's really that different from what I was 30 years ago. I think my message is to reach out to the young rider and let him see the history of our sport. Let him know how important it is to us, and then let him enjoy what it can bring to him.
Just Ride Man, Just Ride.
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