Volume III Issue I

On The Road

New Equipment

Last year saw a few new motorcycles and gadgets added to our humble little group. I intended to report on them at the time but I got distracted by one thing or another and just plumb forgot.
Mike Hopper equipped his trike with a Satellite Radio. I think it was a birthday present or something from Brenda. I'm sure Mike is enjoying his 100 channel gee-whiz gadget. I know I do mine. I think that the Satellite Radio is the future and one day they will do for the AM and FM what the horse did for the automobile. Speaking of horses, did you catch the movie "Seabiscuit"? If you didn't you missed a good one. Something rare these days.
Terry and Mary Carol Scott had their GL1800 triked out and I'm sure that's just like getting a new bike. Terry had it outfitted with the easy steer front (raked) end and evidently he got a pretty good deal 'cause he went and bought a new matching Escapade trailer to with the change he had left over. The whole rig is a sort of gray silver and it is a real beaut. I know they're proud of it.
Fran Salverson got a new trike and the word is she is coming along just fine as she takes her first baby steps as a rider instead of a passenger. And Dick Salverson, after clearing his conscience by putting Fran on that gorgeous Triked out Intruder, bought himself a new Harley Wide Glide. (Did I get it right Dick?) Both bikes are knockouts and draw attention wherever they go.
Floyd Nunnelee has a new ST1300 Honda, one of the best of the new crop of '03 machines if you can believe the magazines. I think they're having a few "new bike" problems with the 1300 but knowing Honda, they'll have 'em de-bugged in no time.
Bob Branch's old GL1200 finally croaked So Bob was forced to make a change. And boy did he make one. Bob moved up to a GL1500 Valkrie Interstate. I haven't seen it yet so I don't know what color it is but I'm sure he's thrilled with it. Getting off a 1200 Wing and onto a Valkrie is akin to getting out of a Wright Flyer and strapping on an F-16. Way to go Bob. I like the way you think.
Did you notice that my name ain't anywhere in this piece of drivel? That's because I didn't get a single new gadget this past year and I certainly didn't get ' new motorcycle. I've toyed with the idea of a new 1800 but I just can't see paying ten thousand bucks for thirty more horsepower and a CD player. Mainly because I ain't got it and I got a look at that new Ford F-150 the other day too and that might have something to do with it. Oh well, maybe next year…Happy New Year and I'll see ya'll at the meeting….

Trail's End

We trust that one and all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to a prosperous 2004. Can you believe 2004 is here? Time really flies when you're having fun. In fact, This coming April, the 18th to be exact, the Memphis Tour Riders will complete its second full year as a Tennessee non-profit Corporation and an AMA Chartered entity. Hard to believe isn't it.

Although we didn't have a monthly meeting in December, we did have a lot of MTR holiday events and a synopsis of those activities follows.

Wednesday December 10th: Dan Randall, AKA Santa Claus, arrived sans sleigh at the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home Campus, Summer and Stage Road at 4:00 PM and delivered thirty five gift bags containing Chick-Fil-A Kid's Meal certificates. The certificate featured the Memphis Tour Riders logo and signified that we along with the Chick-Fil-A on Winchester have teamed collectively to wish the Baptist Children's Home a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The gift bags also contained MTR patches/rockers, cow key chains, storybooks, candy canes and other novelties. The Memphis Grizzlies donated tee shirts, a basketball, photos of Grizzly players Paul Gasol, Shane Battier and Jason Williams along with some small basketballs used to collect autographs. Yours truly, AKA the Elf, along with the Chick-Fil-A Mascot with the placard, "Eat Mor Chikin" and Rocky the Redbird, The Memphis Redbirds Mascot, assisted Santa. The Teen Choir from Bolton High School was also on hand and sang Christmas carols to the delight of all. Refreshments were provided and needless to say, the kids had a wonderful time with Santa and the mascots.

Saturday December 13th: The Memphis Tour Riders Christmas Party at the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home Boys Ranch, the Double B, was a big success despite the weather. It rained all afternoon. Thanks to Tim Hendrickson for a yeoman grilling job on his River City Gamblers

Continued On Page 3

Happy Birthday

Tim Hendrickson-January 4th

David Rush-January 6th

Hildia Max-January 9^th

Charley Gibson-January 17^th

Ann Branch-January 20^th

Our Next Monthly Meeting Is

Thursday, January 8, 2004

And will be held at

SHONEY'S

3081 Covington Pike

(click here for map)

Eat at Six - Meet at Seven

More Cycle Deaths Without Helmets

By DEE-ANN DURBIN

WASHINGTON (AP) - Motorcycle deaths increased by more than 50 percent in Kentucky and 100 percent in Louisiana after those states repealed their mandatory helmet laws, according to a government study released Tuesday.
In the two years before Louisiana's 1999 repeal, an average of 26 motorcyclists died in crashes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. In the two years after repeal, the average was 55 motorcyclists killed.
In Kentucky, there were 24 motorcyclists on average killed in the two years before the 1998 repeal and an average of 38 motorcyclists in the two years after the repeal.
Those numbers amount to an increase of 58 percent in Kentucky and 111 percent in Louisiana.
Supporters of helmet laws say the government should punish states that don't require helmets, since the public often ends up paying medical costs for those injured in motorcycle accidents. Opponents of the laws say the government should spend more to train riders instead of pushing for helmets.
The numbers of motorcyclists wearing helmets dropped dramatically in Kentucky and Louisiana after repeal of the helmet laws. In Kentucky, helmet usage dropped from 96 percent in 1997 to 65 percent in 1999. In Louisiana, helmet usage dropped from 100 percent in 1998 to 52 percent in 2000.
NHTSA said some of the increase in motorcycle deaths could be attributed to the fact of more motorcyclists on the road. U.S. motorcycle registrations increased by 12 percent between 1996 and 2000, and the amount of miles motorcyclists traveled increased by 5.6 percent.
Still, NHTSA found that the increases in deaths in Louisiana and Kentucky outpaced the national average. In the two years following repeal, Kentucky saw an increase of 37.5 percent in the number of motorcyclists killed per 10,000 registered vehicles, while Louisiana saw an increase of 75 percent. The national average rose by 18 percent per 10,000 registered motorcycles between 1997 and 2001.
Twenty states and the District of Columbia require motorcyclists to wear helmets, NHTSA said. Twenty-seven states have helmet laws that apply to some motorcyclists, such as teenagers. Colorado, Illinois and Iowa have no helmet laws.

On the Net:
NHTSA: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov

KEEP IN TOUCH

Jake, the rancher, went one day
to fix a distant fence.
The wind was cold and gusty
and the clouds rolled gray and dense.

When he finally reached his pickup,
he felt a heavy heart.
From the sound of that ignition,
he knew it wouldn't start.

So Jake did what most of us
would do if we had been there.
He humbly bowed his balding head
and sent aloft a prayer.

As he turned the key for the last time,
he softly cursed his luck.
They found him three days later,
frozen stiff in that old truck.

Now Jake had been around in life
and done his share of roaming.
But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked.
It looked just like Wyoming!

Of all the saints in Heaven,
his favorite was St. Peter.
(Now, this line ain't needed
but it helps with rhyme and meter)

So they set and talked a minute or two,
or maybe it was three.
Nobody was keeping' score --
in Heaven time is free.

"I've always heard," Jake said to Pete,
"that God will answer prayer,
But one time I asked for help,
well, he just plain wasn't there."

"Does God answer prayers of some,
and ignore the prayers of others?
That don't seem exactly square --
I know all men are brothers."

"Or does he randomly reply,
without good rhyme or reason?
Maybe, it's the time of day,
the weather or the season."

"Now I ain't trying to act smart,
it's just the way I feel.
And I was wondering', could you tell me --
what the heck's the deal?!"

Peter listened very patiently
and when Jake was done,
There were smiles of recognition,
and he said, "So, you're the one!!"

"That day your truck, it wouldn't start,
and you sent your prayer a flying,
You gave us all a real bad time,
with hundreds of us trying."

"A thousand angels rushed,
to check the status of your file,
But you know, Jake, we hadn't heard
from you in quite a long while."

"And though all prayers are answered,
and God ain't got no quota,
He didn't recognize your voice,
and started a truck in Minnesota."

Trails End…………………Continued From Page One
Memphis in May Cooker. He even erected a tent to keep everything dry. Tim must have been a Boy Scout. Always prepared.

MTR members attending the Party: Dick and Fran Salveson, Terry and Mary Carole Scott, Brenda Hamilton, Mike Hopper, Dan Randall, Myron and Beverly Coney, Margaret Rogers, David Elston, Brenda Crawford, Tim Hendrickson, Charlie and Darnell Gibson, Jean Viets and Yours Truly. Our one visitor, Richard Oglesby, worked at the Ranch when he was young and lived nearby. He filled us in on some of the interesting history of the original owners of the place. We had an abundance of excellent food and desserts courtesy of our MTR members and area businesses.

There are thirteen boys living at the Ranch along with Houseparent's and their children. Additional Ranch personal included the Ranch Vice President, Ray Moss and his wife Sharon. All totaled, there were twenty nine "Ranch Hands" in attendance. Thanks to Dan Randall, our exceptional Public Relations Specialist, we passed out gift bags containing the MTR and the Chick-fil-A gift certificates, MTR patches/rockers, decks of cards, (thanks Brenda) along with Rocky the Redbird Bobble Heads, candy canes, Memphis Grizzlies 5 x 7 photo's and a basketball for the playground. We also had a table full of door prizes. Each of the boys was given five tickets for the drawing. There were Grizzley tee shirts, small basketballs, Rock 103 tee shirts, small foam footballs, caps, CD holders, a small radio and numerous other items. We also presented the boys with an Air Hockey game and soccer tables.

Thanks to all our MTR members for contributing their time, effort and money to help these deserving children both at the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home Campus and at the Double B Boys Ranch. And your help and interest throughout the year is also appreciated. We wouldn't be doing as well without all the support we receive from our willing members. Our MTR membership Christmas Party was very much appreciated as noted by the sixteen individual Christmas cards received from the Children. The House and Cottage parent's all expressed their thanks and gratitude as well. Pictures of both events will be on our web site www.mtrmc.com soon.

Ongoing Business:

Reminder: Dues are due at our April 2004 Anniversary meeting. MTR appreciates your membership and values your contribution. We didn't take up any money during the party to offset our Children Christmas gifts expenditure but will pass the hat at the January meeting. We appreciate all those folks that have already donated to the cause. And we still could do with additional sponsors/advertisers. Remember, they get twelve ads in the newsletter plus a listing on the web page; it's a good deal for $30.00 a year. And please, support our advertisers. Their contributions help offset the cost.
We will continue to post rides/events in the newsletter, Web Page, and at the meetings. If anyone has any suggestion for rides or events please let B.J. know. As all of you know, along with his GPS and his uncanny ability to always know where he is at any given moment, B.J. is probably the best danged Ride Commander that ever straddled a motorcycle. ….What?
End of year trivia: MTR had thirty-one scheduled meetings, rides and activities during 2003 These events were attended by a combined total of 568 members, visitors and guests. And we rode over four thousand miles as a group. Quite a year and thanks to all for their enthusiasm.
See y'all at the January 8, 2004 meeting at Shoney's on Covington Pike. Eat at 6:00 PM, Meet at 7:00 PM and adjourn by 8:00 PM Please attend if you can and help us start the New Year. Friends and visitors are always welcome.

Ride in safe hands and ride more in '00 Four.

Stan and Jean

New Motorcycle Emission Standards Set

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday set the first new emission standards for highway motorcycles in 25 years, and the first standards for small scooters and mopeds.

EPA said it would reduce pollution from motorcycles, which produce more harmful exhaust per mile than cars or large SUV's, by about 54,000 tons of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides per year. Hydrocarbons react with nitrogen oxides and sunlight to form ground-level ozone, a key component of smog.

The agency said the regulations, which were proposed last year, also would save about 12 million gallons a year of gas escaping from vehicles' fuel hoses and fuel tanks.

``These new rules significantly advance pollution standards for motorcycles,'' EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt said.

Starting in 2006, manufacturers of highway motorcycles, small scooters and mopeds will be required to reduce emissions of those two chemicals by 60 percent by using improved technologies such as secondary air injection, electronic fuel injection systems and catalytic converters.

Starting 2008, manufacturers also will be required to better control fuel loss through fuel hoses and tanks.

The new emission controls are estimated to add about $75 to the $10,000 average cost of a motorcycle by 2010.

On the Net:

EPA: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/roadbike.htm

The Associated Press

Memphis Tour Riders Organized Mileage 2003 Final:……4,292

Volume III Issue I	*Where We Go One, We Go All*	January 2004
*HAPPY NEW YEAR*