Volume VII Issue X

The moon has set on another riding season. we have completed our ride schedule for the year. I thought it was a great ride schedule even though I personally only was able to make a few rides this year. The club had fun from all the pictures on our website. Now we most turn our attention to the colder months and a limited amount of time to ride until any freezing moisture comes our way. The Farmers Almanac is calling for a colder winter than normal so take advantage of any nice days we get from here on out. Keep riding. I think we are making a difference in the amount of oil being used for fuel in this country as more and more of us ride our two-wheeled friends, Be safe and ride as much as you can.

Keep the Shiny Side Up and
Ride It Like You Stole It
Dan

Trails End Minutes by Stan Viets

October 2008

The following members attended our September 11th meeting. Russell Higgins, Floyd Nunnelee, Danny and Lori Parker, Terry and Mary Carole Scott, Paul Romesburg, Charlie Gibson, Hildia Max, Paul and Dian Talkington, Rick Totty and Stan Viets. We had one visitor, Brooks Gibson, congratulations to Brooks on his upcoming marriage. Remember visitors and guests are always welcome.

We had a moment of silent prayer as a memorial for all the innocent victims of 9-11-2001, 7 years ago.
We will have five October Birthdays: Bobby Sharp on the 1st, Billy Max on the 9th, Stan Viets on the 14th, Hubert Gross on the 22nd and Rick Totty on the 23rd
There will be one October Anniversary: Danny and Lori Parker on the 23rd. As always our best wishes to all.
Our bank balance is approx. $1000.00

The Members’ page is again been updated on a regular basis, thanks to Eddie feeling better, please let us know if you find any errors. If you have forgotten the user name and pass word, please contact Eddie or me.
Note: Eddie is scheduled to have surgery on October 15th. Please continue to keep our ailing members and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

We discussed the following activities and I added a brief update of the event.

Saturday September 13th. The MTR VII Annual Burnt Burger Cookout-Arkabutla Lake, MS. We had a good turnout, 23 in all and excellent food, our thanks to Billy and Hildia and David and Brenda for another good one. We two 50/25/25 drawings to help offset the cost of the cookout, David won the first one and Charlie the second.

Saturday September 20th. MTR Trail of Tears-Waterloo, AL. Was cancelled a few miles from our Florence, AL destination, due to heavy rain. All 16 of us made a 180 and headed back for lunch at the Catfish Hotel on the way home. Pictures and de-briefing of both events are on the web page.

Saturday October 4th. We look forward to our MTR classic Overnighter Blazing Saddles VII ride to Mountain Home, AR at the Gaston’s Resort.

Additionally a non MTR event to consider.
VETERAN’S THUNDER VIII
October 16-18, 2008
Fitzgerald’s Casino & Hotel, Tunica, MS
$20 per person
Tickets now available at Bumpus H-D of Memphis

We appreciate the dedication and effort Billy puts into planning and organizing our rides and his Heads Up emails, with departure details, preceding each ride.

We do appreciate and thank all our sponsors for continuing their ads; we value their contribution and support. As always please visit our sponsors when you have need for their services or products.

If anyone has guests they would like to invite to give a presentation at our meetings please do so. We will always welcome informative input.

Danny gave us interesting report of his ministry training school he is attending, called Damascus Road, at their church. The Life Church of Memphis. He and his classmates will travel, in the spring of 2009, to Swaziland, Africa, a nation in need of the hope and the healing power of Jesus and provide humanitarian and spiritual aid to the children. MTR is proud to have one of us be involved with such a wonderful cause. Danny our prayers are with you and your classmates for your success and safe return, good luck.

Important reminders
At our October 9th meeting we need to discuss our plans for the TBCH Boy’s Ranch and if we want to do this again or perhaps do something else. Whatever we decide let’s consider Saturday December 13th, 11 to 2 PM as the date and time.

Also at the October 9th meeting MTR members will again nominate officers for election at our November 13th meeting and to take office in January 2009. Think about who you want to lead MTR in 2009.

Thanks folks for coming out and to all that brought door prizes, win one bring one.
Our next meeting will be October 9, 2008, here at Fox Ridge Pizza. Eat at 6:00 PM, Meet at 7:00 PM, gone by 8:00 PM. Hope you can make it.
Adjourned at 7:40 PM
Stan

Quotation of the month: “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success”…………………..……

Henry Ford

Door Prizes
Win One Bring One
Donated by	Prize	Winner
Floyd Terry and MC Paul R. Stan Danny and Lori Billy and Hildia	Spray Cleaner Photo Album Bug Tar Cleaner Crackers Photo Box/Cards Magnifier Tweezers	Danny Charlie Floyd Danny Stan Danny
50/50 Jackpot		Floyd

OK so it isn't the next GSX-R model (although who wouldn't love a featherweight GSX-R400 to show up here in the States?) but it is a design study by those wild and crazy R&D guys at Suzuki to gauge public reaction to the idea of a sport scooter. From what we've been told there aren't any internal mechanical changes to the standard Burgman 400. We can see it looks like a short windshield has been fitted, a new seat to allow more movement, and a new more Gixxer-centric exhaust canister (for more ground clearance dontcha know!). Oh and of course the new paint job to tie all the visual elements together to make this one sporty looking scooter.

Motorcycle Safety

The below website is a link to a data base of nation wide motorcycle safety statistics from 2006:

http://gns.gannettonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=MOTORCYCLE

Some on Tennessee are below:

134,123 Registered Motorcycles in the state

140 Deaths

Helmets were used in 84.3% of those deaths

The state ranks 11th in the number of deaths per 10,000 motorcyclists

Report: Honda Developing Hybrid Motorcycle

10.02.08 by Jamie Lendino

Honda Motor Co., the popular automaker and world's leading motorcycle manufacturer, is developing a gas-electric motorcycle that would use a hybrid drive train similar to the one in the forthcoming Honda Insight and could be available within two years, Autopia reports.

Honda said that it has figured out how to shoehorn an entire hybrid drive train within the small confines of a motorcycle frame, and that it's far enough along that the company could sell production versions as early as 2010 (for the 2011 model year). The report said that Honda will offer the hybrid motorcycles in displacements from 50 cc to 1000 cc - which is a huge range - and that the gas-electric drive train will improve mileage by a stunning 50 percent. Meanwhile, the company plans to share components with Honda's hybrid cars in order to reduce production costs.

Honda had already said it was building an all-electric motorcycle (along with competitor Yamaha). Honda claimed that the all-electric version would have a range of about 60 miles; obviously a hybrid would go much further, since it would run on gasoline.

Originally published on Gearlog.