Where We Go One, We Go All

December 2002

Trails End.......

ROLL CALL: Terry and Mary Carole Scott, Danny and Lori Parker, Dan Randall, B. J. and Hildia Max, Mike Hopper, Brenda Hamilton, Bill and Ibby Franklin, Jimmy and Margaret Rogers, Dick and Fran Salveson, Don and Marion Oller, Tim Hendrickson, Charlie Gibson, David Elston, Brenda Crawford, Shelby Criddle, Floyd Nunnelee, Rusty Higgins and yours truly. Thanks to all for coming. There were no questions about last months minutes published in Happy Trails and everyone reported they received his or her copy.

At our October Meeting the following MTR officers were re nominated for next year and tonight the entire slate was elected by a unanimous show of hands. Congratulations. 

Officers for 2003
President: Stan Viets
Vice President: Terry Scott
Treasurer: Danny Parker
Secretary: Darnell Gibson
Road Commander: B.J. Max

Dan Randall and the committee passed out a flyer and report on the Saturday December 14th Tennessee Baptist children's Home Charity event and our Christmas Party plans. A complete detailed Charity Committee Report is posted on our MTR web site and any last minute revisions will be e-mailed. www.mtrmc.com

UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 

We have renewed our AMA Charter but to date they haven't acknowledged it but have already deposited the renewal check.

Tentatively MTR is planning on a relatively short Polar Bear happening on January 1, 2003. BJ is working it and will announce the details later by e-mail. 

It was the consensus of our members that we find a new meeting place. We will be looking at several locations for next year, having outgrown Jimmy C's however I made reservation here as a backup in event we do not find a suitable site prior to our January meeting. I will e-mail details on locations under consideration, when available, for all to consider. Our meeting night will continue to be the 2nd Thursday of each month. 

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Spark Plugs

BJ Max

Last month my '97 Ford pickup's odometer rolled over on 67,000. I had pretty much neglected the F-150 all those miles except for oil and filter changes so I decided that I might ought to put in some new spark plugs, a new PCV valve and maybe a new fuel filter. I pulled my trusty old friend into the carport, raised the hood and got down to business. After pulling the first plug I was pleasantly surprised to find that my pickup was equipped with Platinum plugs and even more surprising was the fact that they showed very little wear and I really didn't need to change them at all. But, having already started the job I decided to go ahead and finish it. Certainly couldn't hurt. 
As a lot of you know, Gold Wing spark plugs ain't the easiest plugs in the world to change out and the durability of those fancy plugs got me to thinking. If I could find a Platinum plug to fit my 1500 that was within the temperature parameters specified by Honda, why I might never have to change those hard to get at spark plugs again. The GL's flat six engine is easy on spark plugs anyway and a platinum plug would probably last the life of the bike, or at least a hundred thousand miles. 
The more I thought about this the more excited I got so I fired off an E-mail to Stu Oltman, tech editor at Wing World magazine, and asked if he knew of a Platinum plug within the specified heat range needed for the GL1500. He replied that indeed he did and went one better by giving me not only the Platinum plug number but also a number for an Iridium spark plug and both had the identical heat range numbers as the OEM plug. In case you're interested, Iridium is a light colored precious metal that's among the densest materials on Earth, a perfect candidate for a spark plug electrode.. And they ain't lying when they say precious metal. Eight bucks a pop. That's fifty bucks for a set but keep in mind their durability. Shoot, as tough as these things are you can probably will 'em to your grandchildren. 
I've listed the numbers below for the GL1500 only but if you log on to the NGK website, you can look up the Iridium or Platinum plug number for your particular motorcycle too. Let's see, I have a million mile air cleaner and now long lasting plugs. Now if I could find some solid rubber tires…… 
Stock GL1500 Spark Plug NGK DPR7EA-9
Platinum Spark Plug DPR7EVX-9
Iridium Spark Plug DPR7EIX-9

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2002 - A Great Year

Nine months ago, on Valentine's Day, the Memphis Tour Riders voted overwhelmingly to strike out on our own and end a ten year affiliation with the Gold Wing Touring Association. There was some doubt as to whether the outfit would surivive without the GWTA but those doubts were later put to rest. If anything, we became stronger and began picking up new members immediately. We elected new officers, applied for and received a charter with the AMA, renamed our newsletter, changed our motto, revamped our website and extended a welcome to all motorcyclists whose interests were riding and having some good clean fun. Our reputation grew as an outfit that rode, rain or shine. And, after a tumultuous beginning, 2002 turned out to be one of the best years ever for The Memphis Tour Riders.
We kicked off our new organization in February by caravaning to St. Louis and the Cycle World Motorcycle Show. Fourteen people made the trip. Don and Marion Oller (MTR members) and the AGWA group out of Jackson joined us in St. Louis. The show was a bit of a disappointment but the company was first class. 
In March the new Tour Riders had its first virtual motorcycle ride and met at Cozeymel's Mexican Restaurant for dinner. Again, another good turnout with about 14 members present and between us we consumed enough cholesterol that night to kill a megalosaurs. 
Finally, on a cold morning in April, we took off on our first real ride since gaining our independence. We shivered all the way to Columbia, Tennessee for the 155th annual Mule Days celebration. The day started cold and raw but by noon the weather had improved and our ride home was in near perfect conditions. Then later that month, on a gray and blustery morning, four bikes showed up at Jimmy C's in the rain for a trip to Paris and the World's Biggest Fish Fry. We discussed whether we should go or not with the weather so nasty but in the end we decided we had too because we were scheduled to meet Jimmy and Margaret Rogers and friends in Longtown. "Awww, they probably won't even be there" we argued but eventually decided that if they were and we didn't show we would never hear the end of it. Well, they were there, wet but rearing to go. We rode to Paris in the pouring rain, ate a fine catfish dinner and had a great time despite the weather. David Elston commented that sometimes the rain makes the trip more memorable. I agree. 
June was a busy month. We made our annual trek to Mousetail Park and the Jackson AGWA Chapter's annual "Po-Boy" picnic. Don and Marion Oller, as usual, put on a fine feed and we pigged out on burgers and hot dogs. They had roughly a hundred bikes show up but that's normal for this event. Later in the month we hosted our own cookout at Chickasaw State Park. Officially known as the Burnt Burger 200, it was a major success (48 in attendance) In fact, it was so popular that "Son of Burnt Burger" is already being planned. We also attended the "Bikers for Barbara" Benefit in Horn Lake, Mississippi. We had the honor of escorting the Jackson Police Department's Blue Knights chapter from Shoney's to the Civic Center in DeSoto County. Joe Kilpatrick said they raised a bunch of money and I'm sure our little dab was appreciated. 
After the Phillips Grocery ride to Holly Springs for the World's Best Hamburgers in July and a wet ride to River Heights for catfish later on in the month, things slowed down a bit. The heat and humidity takes some of the fun out of riding and everyone moves at a slower pace during the dog days of summer. But, in September business picked back up with a ride to the ninth annual Trail of Tears Pow-Wow in Waterloo Alabama and brother we had a crowd. We left Memphis with fourteen bikes and as we cruised through Oakland a half-hour later Jimmy and Margaret Rogers fell in behind us with nineteen more giving us a total of 33 bikes and we didn't split up either. We rode staggered all the way to Waterloo and, in the words of Tony Soprano, it was a beautiful thing. 

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Blazing Saddles 2002………continued
We pretty much wrapped the riding up for 2002 with our 2nd annual Blazing Saddles Fall Foliage Tour. This has become a popular ride and everyone seems to have fun on this trip. Maybe its because we all sense that the riding season is winding down and old man winter ain't far behind. Whatever the reason everyone really seems to enjoy it. Next year, we will once again make the trip to McMinnville but this time we will travel a little different route that will take us over some winding backroads via Monteagle Mountain. Should make the trip more scenic and exciting. The date is already set. Meet at Shoney's October 18th, 2003 5:30AM, Depart Six sharp…Don't forget…

A few things that have stuck with me this year but not necessarily in the order listed: 

1. Having my picture taken with the Hooters Girls at the Bikers for Barbara event in DeSoto County. Whew! Man it was hot that day. 
2. Spending quality time in Stillwater, OK with Robert, Clyde, Charley and David repairing David's bike. 
3. Riding three hot laps around Bristol Motor Speedway during the Honda Hoot. 
4. Windsocks on road signs in New Mexico.
5. Sheep dogs, without supervision, tending sheep in Utah. 
6. The Grand Canyon. 
7. Monument Valley. 
8. Outrunning a Kansas thunderstorm. 
9. Not outrunning a New Mexico Thunderstorm. 
10. Riding the bike across the suspension bridge at Royal Gorge.

Thanks Memphis Tour Riders. It's been a good year.
Happy Motoring
Bj and Hildia

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HAPPY TRAILS

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Happy Trails  is Published Monthly by Possum's Anonymous, Memphis, Tennessee 901-377-9140