Weekend Rides - Past Rides - New Members

SATURDAY

PATRIOT GUARD RIDE

DEPARTURE: NORWICH TOWN MALL PARKING LOT 6:30AM

AOB: NO LATER THAN 6:45 AM

Muster Point: Waterbury, CT 8:30 AM

It has been reported the protesters will be there in all their vulgar, despicable glory.

Please ride to protect the military family from their obscene presence.

SUNDAY

REASON TO RIDE supporting our area vets in need.

DEPARTURE: DUNKIN DONUTS PARKING LOT OFF RT 32 IN MONTVILLE CT.

NO LATER THAN 10:00 AM.

COME EARLY TO SOCIALIZE AND HAVE A GOOD

CUP OF JO.

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PAST RIDES

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SATURDAY OF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, 33 NLMC RIDERS RODE IN FORMATION TO MARYLAND. FROM ALL REPORTS, WE LOOKED GOOD.

SUNDAY, OUR GROUP RODE TO WASHINGTON, DC TO JOIN THE PARADE OF 750,000 BIKERS, HONORING OUR VETS.

MONDAY, THEY RETURNED TO CONNECTICUT.

MANY OF OUR MEMBERS, WHO DIDN'T RIDE ROLLING THUNDER, RODE IN A PLACE OF HONOR, JUST BEHIND THE LEMOS, OF THE DONALD PITTSLEY MEMORIAL RUN (FORMALLY KNOWN AS PAPPY'S RUN)

MANY MEMBERS ALSO RODE IN THE NEW LONDON PARADE

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LAST WEEKEND OUR CLUB RODE IN SUPPORT OF A MAPS MEMBER CLUB'S SPONSORSHIP OF LISA'S RUN. THOSE WHO RODE SAID IT WAS WELL RUN AND A GOOD RIDE.


TO SEE PICTURES OF THESE EVENTS AND READ ABOUT OUR CLUB,
GO TO OUR WEB SITE

newlondonmotorcycleclub.com

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WE WELCOME NEW MEMBERS:
DAN DUNN & GABRIEL CHAFFEE TO THE FOLD.

RIDE SAFE, RIDE FREE

RON

Memorial Day Weekend Events!

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!

THIS WEEKENDS WEATHER IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE BEST IN YEARS. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!

GET OUT AND RIDE!

THE NLMC LONG RIDERS will be departing at 8:00 from The Shack Restaurant in Niantic, CT for a weekend ride to ROLLING THUNDER! All riders who wish to have a great breakfast should be there by 7:00 as this place really packs in a big breakfast crowd. Ride Safe Long Riders!

For those who like parades, NLMC members will be leaving Dunkin Donuts in Montville, CT at 8:30 Saturday Morning to take part in the Lebanon Memorial Day Parade. Patriot Guard Riders and any other club interested in joining us are welcome. Non affiliated riders are also welcome.

NLMC Parade Riders will also assemble at the American Legion Hall in New London, CT at 7:30, Monday Morning. Again, PGR Riders, other clubs and unaffiliated riders are welcome to join us.

The Donald Pittsley Memorial Run, previously known as Pappy's Run, will leave the Sprague Rod and Gun Club at 11:15, Sunday morning. Donald is a past president of the NLMC. We encourage all club riders not involved in Rolling Thunder to support this run. For those who would like a great breakfast, the chow line starts at 8:00.

Get out and enjoy this beautiful weekend!

As Always, Ride Safe and Ride Free

Ron

Going Deaf In The Wind 4th Installment

The Guzzi Years

As soon as I walked into the shop to pick up spark plugs for my Suzuki , two identical black Guzzi's caught my eye. I asked Burt about them and he said two buddies traded them in for GL1000's. They were the first one's in the shop and they had to have them.

I hope they were more happy with their impulse buy than I was with my CB750.

I pick out my goose, sat on it and said, "Sold!"

Now all I had to do is get my wife on board. No easy task.

When she asked what kind of plugs I bought, I told her Moto Guzzi, and a motorcycle came attached to them.

After a incredulous look, she stammered, "Who the hell makes Moto Guzzi motorcycles?"

"They make their own bikes! They're Italian!", I blurted back.

She threw her hands up in the air and said, "Now we'll have to buy a pickup truck to haul it home when it dies on the road!"

She had friends who owned Italian bikes and heard all the horror stories. She wasn't a happy camper.

A trip down to Burt Ives in Columbia brought her face to face with one of the best bikes I've ever owned. It was beautiful to my eyes: chrome and black pin stripped tank with black pin striped fenders. All she saw was the transverse V-Twin and said, "Don't the Italians know how to mount a motor in a frame?"

Old Burt saw I was in trouble.

With a sparkle in his eye, he ambled over to us and did what he did best. He flirted with her. She warmed up a bit and I knew I was home free.

After a bit of persuasion, I got her to take a test ride with me. Within five miles she wanted this bike. It had a great seat, solid ride and sounded like a 40's flat head Ford when taking it through the gears. It's distinctive sound was enhanced because it had "police" mufflers on it, less restrictive than the standard ones. I liked the rocker shifter, and the light vibration of the bike. It was the right bike for me!

My Guzzi took us on adventures and introduced us to long distance riding. I averaged 24,000 miles a year on her. I have many memories from those days.

One quickly comes to mind:

When I bought the bike, I knew I'd be putting a fairing and hard bags on it. I chose a Wixom, bat wing fairing for the look and Bates "Big Fats" hard bags for storage capacity. If you want to lay down miles, you have to be able to stow stuff. The fairing brings us to my first Guzzi tale.

I was heading home from work at dusk. Just as I passed Munson's Candy Kitchen, Home of Mega Fat Grams, I heard a loud PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS coming from my bike.

"CRAP!"

I rolled off the throttle, eased to the road shoulder and got ready for the familiar wobble to take hold. "What?" The bike didn't wobble. I got off and was relieved to find I didn't have a flat.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

I took off my lid, checked her over and shook my head. I couldn't figure out what happened to my bike. I decided I shouldn't have so many brews at work (I worked at a small auto parts store and my boss liked to knock down a few frosty cold ones before facing his wife). I joined him and discussed the hot topic of the day (IE the red head with big yams that walked past our store).

Well, I put on the skid lid and headed home.

10 miles down the road, in Columbia... PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"WHAT THE HELL?"

I pulled over, got off the bike and checked it out. With the motor off... PSSSSSSSSSSSS. "Man, I got to stop drinking! Period!"

I got on her, lit her up and blasted home.

I pulled into the walkway to my trailer, shut her off and ............. PSSSSSSSSSS!

My wife was at the door and said, "What's that?"

My response, "Thank God you heard it!"

A perplexed look came over her chubby face, then she understood. Both of us were going nuts in our marriage at this time and for all I knew, she was hearing stuff too!

After careful examination, I stuck my hand into the right side of my fairing. She shouted, STOP." Taking a small branch, she probed where my hand was heading.

CHOMP!

After a serious yank, she dislodged a bat from my bat wing fairing. I felt a moment of sincere love for my lady, shook my head, went into the trailer and pulled out a frosty cold one.

This was a truly great day in my life! I found out I didn't have to give up drinking beer after all!

To Be Continued

Ride Safe and Free

Ron

Going Deaf in The Wind 3rd installment

After an exhaustive search looking for a replacement bike for my Sportster, I finally decided on one of the first, sand cast case, CB750's to hit the area showrooms. I bought mine at Burt Ives Honda in Columbia, CT. Burt had sold me my ill fated Sportster, so he gave me a good deal on my new ride. Getting one at below invoice was unheard of as they were in great demand.

Mine was red and real eye candy for its time. I remember the rush of riding it home. It was fast, smooth, good handling for the day and had great electronics. The brakes actually worked and you could really see what was behind you in the rear view mirrors. I figured this was a good feature as this bike seemed to attract a lot of police cruisers.

It was fast! It ate up Sportsters, Triumph TT Specials and BSA Lightnings with ease. It was an incredible bike. But, it had one drawback.

To me, it just didn't feel like motorcycle.

It was just too smooth, too quiet, too wide and too top heavy. By this time, I rode for the fun of it and wasn't interested in impressing anybody.

I sold it for a loss, four months after I bought it. I don't regret that to this day. I was a kid, but I knew I'd eventually get into trouble with that bike.

I waited several months before looking for my next ride and I never would guess what I'd end up on.

Of all bikes, a Suzuki 500cc Titan!

Up until I rode this Suzy, I hated two strokes. They sounded like popcorn machines when off power and smoked when under load. Yet, they were undeniably fast and the Titan was a well made bike. It handled well at all speeds, was predictable and forgiving. I rode a lot of poker runs, made new friends and started to rack up a lot of miles. It was dependable, until a friend recommended I have his buddy, a mechanic at a local bike shop, go through my motor and enhance it's performance. I learned a valuable lesson. Enhanced performance often goes hand and hand with decreased reliability. I never got the bike sorted out after this guy got a hold of it. It kept eating spark plugs. After replacing them several times, around every 500 miles (once a week for me), I was getting frustrated. One day after work, I told my wife I was heading to Burt Ives to buy some more spark plugs. When I came home she asked me what kind of plugs picked up. I told her Moto Guzzi.

A Lively Conversation Ensued

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On a sad note, sister Pat lost her dad and they'll be an Honor Guard Mission this Friday in his honor. Club Members, come to Thursdays meeting, check your e-mail or our web site for an update.

Ride Safe, Ride Free

Ron

2008 First Responders Run

Bikers gathered at the Brown Derby Pub under a beautiful, sunny a sky, looking forward to a good ride. We didn't disappoint them!

What followed was a great run, over beautiful country roads and a ferry boat ride across the Connecticut River. The ride ended up at The New London Motorcycle Club clubhouse where the riders were treated to good food, entertainment and a free raffel.

We would like to thank all riders who attended, especially riders from other MAPS clubs who showed their support for our event.

For pictures of this event, go to newlondonmotorcycleclub.com and click on What's Hot. Click on Club Sponsored Events, then click on 2008 First Responders Run.

Enjoy!

Ron

UPDATE ON POKER RUN

Poker Run

Sunday May 18th

Sponsored by The New London Motorcycle Club

Update

Sign up for the run takes place at the Brown Derby

Route 32 in Montville Connecticut

You can depart immediately after registering, or wait to ride with friends

The last departure will be 11:30AM

Our sweep riders will then depart, follow the route to our club house and let everyone know they are folding up the check points.

This ride includes: Free Pass to ride on

The Hadlyme Ferry Boat

Great Food

Free tickets to club raffle

AS OF NOW: Sunday's forecast looks good.

Rain shower are possible late afternoon.

This is a good weekend to ride close to home.

Come Join Us and Have A Great Time

Ron

Big Weekend Event

The New London Motorcycle Club is sponsoring a

Poker Run the Weekend!

Sign in Time: 10:00 - 11:00

Depart: 11:30

Location: Brown Derby, RT32, Montville, CT

Free Ferry Boat Ride Across the Connecticut River*

Good stops along the way

Last Stop: NLMC Club House, Moxley Road. Montville, CT

New Black Top Parking Lot at club house for easy parking!

Rain or shine, come and have a great time!

* Bridge Crossing if you prefer

Ron