From the Director’s Saddle - Rich Keppner

The Next River Roads HOG® Chapter Meeting is

Wednesday, May 7 at TNT, Quincy

Social Hour at 6pm Meeting at 7pm

RRC Membership Dues can be mailed to:

Venora Deemer Membership Officer 2125 Harrison

Quincy, IL 62301 or paid in person at the next Meeting .

A Membership Enrollment & Release Form is available on our Website and at TNT.

Remember to include a photocopy of your National HOG® Card with the

Local Membership Enrollment and Re-lease Form.

Dues: $15 Single / $25 Couple

Copyright 2008© River Roads HOG® Chapter 0912

All Rights Reserved

May 2008

Volume 20, Issue 5

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Meeting Minutes 2 Calendar of Events 3

Group Rides Planned 4 What’s Happening at TNT 4 Rear View Mirror 5 The Safety Corner 6

The Money Report 6 Membership Update 7 Assistant Director 8

Celebrating 20 Years of Serving Tri-State Harley-Davidson Owners

River Roads Chapter Harley Owners Group®

Ladies of Harley Susan Cobb- LOH Officer

tntharley.com

Riding season has finally arrived, and the month of May presents at least three opportunities to kill some bugs on your wind-shield ( or your face for those you who ride with-out that protection). Sat-urday, May 3rd is the date for the Annual Shriner Poker Run. Sign in is at TNT from 9 AM to 1 PM. You have to be back in by 6 PM at the Dock in Quincy. May 3rd is also the date for the annual Dogwood Parade in Quincy. On Saturday, May 10th, we will kick off a new ride this year. About once a month we are going to see if there is any inter-est in a breakfast ride. If you are so inclined, meet at TNT by 7 AM. Those showing up for the ride will determine where the

group goes for breakfast. May 24-26 is for working people, is our next long weekend with Sunday May 25th is the Spring-field Mile. There will be a group ride, but a leaving time has not yet been set. Then enjoy Monday 26th for an extra day of great riding.

Then, of course, the Wednesday evening din-ner rides will also con-tinue during the month of May. Those showing up decide where to go for the ride and leave TNT at 6 PM. For other HOG, RRC, and

other club events, check out the activities calen-dar at the TNT website. Finally, thanks to Dee and Tom Hurley for let-ting us know about the Blessing of the Bikes Ride in Perry, MO. Four bikes left TNT with a fifth late comer eventually catching up with us in Hannibal. In Perry, we joined about thirty other bikes. And after the blessing, we rode to-gether via the back roads to Fiddlesticks. The sun was shining, the weather was balmy, the company was great and the food and service at Fiddlesticks was out-standing. It was a good day to be on a bike. Rich

FINALLY! The first “long ride” of the year. The ride to the drags was sparse (only 4 of us) but it was a nice ride. Unfortunately on the way home we had a reminder of how easily a beautiful day’s ride can turn tragic as we came upon an accident on Hwy 100 past Pierre Mar-quette Park. We spent about an hour on the side of the road while the victim(s) awaited helicopter transport.

While I’m not the Safety Di-rector, I would like to remind everyone to be responsible for your own safety and please be careful. Going through Alton we had an indi-vidual do a “slow and go” at a

light so she could zip in front of us to make a fast left turn, yes, cell phone in her left hand obstructing her ability to see ALL traffic. It’s early in the season and people aren’t used to us being out yet. Don’t ever assume they see or hear us. Just be sure to enjoy every ride and be as safe as you can possibly make yourself. Susan

LADIES OF HARLEY

Sponsoring Dealer - Bryan Smith 217-224-1004 bsmith@tntharley.com Director - Assistant Director - Rich Keppner 217-224-4621 keppner@att.net Secretary - Randall W. Wells 573-221-0440 wellsrep@yahoo.com Treasurer - Bill Esicar 573-221-0440 wesicar@hotmail.com Membership Officer - Venora Deemer 217-221-4224 pkvenora@aol.com Activities Officer - Todd Allen 217-224-2861 wtoddallen@yahoo.com LOH Officer - Susan Cobb 217-440-4963 h_dwicked1@yahoo.com Safety Officer - John Deemer 217-221-4224 jdeemer@harris.com Road Captain - Jim Wolf 217-316-2597 jwolf1760@hotmail.com Photographer - LuAnn Kleemeyer 217-222-9223 bluesgal1127@yahoo.com Historian - Mike Fleetwood 217-936-2398 mfleet@adams.net Webmaster - Brad Dooley 217-224-1131 bradd@rrchog.com Newsletter Editor - Lila Clampitt 217-224-4181 hclam@adams.net

RIVER ROADS

2008 OFFICERS

May Meeting Minutes

Randall W. Wells - Secretary

Page 2 River Roads Chapter Harley Owners Group®

April 2, 2008 The meeting was called to order at 6:45 pm at Fiddlesticks

• New Members & Guests were recognized: Christine McFadyen. • 46 members/guests in attendance. • Director Jim Boore called for a motion to approve the March minutes. Motion made and seconded. Motion car-ried. • Treasurer Bill Esicar pro-vided the Treasurer’s Report. Motion made to approve the Report. Motion Seconded and Carried. • Assistant Director Rich Keppner provided details on the upcoming events: April 11, 4th Annual Moonshine Lunch Run; April 13th, Chili Cook-Off Benefit for Camp Callahan; April 18th, deadline for registration to the Illinois State Rally; April 19th and 20th All Harley Drag Race Associa-tion; April 20th, Blessing of the Bikes in Perry, MO; May 3rd TNT Shriners’ Poker Run; and May 10, Saturday, will be the start of Breakfast Rides, leav-ing TNT at 7:00 a.m. • Director Boore reminded members next Wednesday the Dinner Rides will resume.

• Membership Officer Ve-nora Deemer announced membership stands at 225. Venora also suggested, for legal reasons and insurance purposes, the Chapter imple-ment non-member releases for TNT/H.O.G. closed ride events. The 2008 H.O.G. Handbook is available on CD. • LOH Officer Susan Cobb spoke on the success of the 2nd Annual Ladies Luau held March 28th. Susan also pro-vided details on a poker run to benefit Meals Plus June 21st

for the Senior Citizens Center. • Director Boore an-nounced the next meeting is May 7th at TNT. • Harlan Clampitt indicated any member that desires to have any event placed on the calendar, contact Lila Clam-pitt. • Safety Officer John Deemer advised he has VCR tapes and booklets regarding group riding. • Road Captain Jim Wolf repeated all of the events occurring in April, May and June and wil be sending E-Mail

notifications. • Historian Mike Fleetwood provided the winning answer to the March trivia question. This month’s winner was Leonard Gross. Mike also announced there will be a poker run/bike show May 17-18 in memory of “Snake” Bill Hunsaker. • OLD BUSINESS: • Recap of St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Ladies Luau. • NEW BUSINESS: • Dale Malia recovering well from triple by-pass surgery. • Steve and Kenna Conover w e r e i n v o l v e d i n a car/motorcycle accident. Kenna suffering a broke fibula in her right leg. Director Boore read Steve’s E-mail to the Chapter. • Director Boore read an article on Missouri leading country in fatalities on motor-cycles. • April 13th – Chili Cook-Off – Contact Brenda Williams regarding teams. • May 3 – Ansar Skeeter Patrol’s Annual Shriner Poker Run. • June 5th thru the 7th – Illinois State H.O.G. Rally in Effingham. • Abate is selling tickets for a 4-Wheeler give away. • 50/50 won by Christine McFadyen of $50.00. • Door Prizes won by Rich Keppner and Ray Eitel. • Meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Randy Wells

Page 3 Volume 20, Issue 5

Watch for additional local events on the TNT and River Roads HOG websites. More National events at MotorcycleEvents.com.

Calendar of Events Lila Clampitt - Newsletter Editor

RIDER’S RESOURCE HOT-LINE

217-231-8572 To confirm the latest River Roads HOG® & TNT Event Status

This Hot-Line provided to River Roads Chapter compliments of Paul and Steve Havermale at

Answer Quincy & Alarm Systems, Inc. Located in the WCU Building / Quincy / 217-222-2280

MAY 2008 May 3 Shriners Poker Run sign in at TNT May 3 Dogwood Parade downtown Quincy Wed, May 7 RRC HOG® Chapter Meeting (6p/7p) at TNT Action Sports May 8-10 Alabama State HOG® Rally Mobile, AL May 9-18 Bike Week Myrtle Beach, SC May 11 MOTHER’S DAY Wed, May 14 RRC HOG® Dinner Wride (6p) from TNT Action Sports Tue, May 20 RRC HOG® ExecBoard Meeting (6:30p) Jim & Susan’s home Wed, May 21 RRC HOG® Dinner Wride (6p) from TNT Action Sports May 23-25 Nebraska State HOG® Rally Lincoln, NE May 26 MEMORIAL DAY TNT Closed Wed, May 28 RRC HOG® Dinner Wride (6p) from TNT Action Sports May 29-31 Kansas State HOG® Rally Wichita & Park City, KS JUNE 2008 Wed, Jun 4 RRC HOG® Chapter Meeting (6p/7p) location tba Jun 5-7 Tennessee State HOG® Rally (Deals Gap/Tail of the Dragon) Maryville, TN Jun 5-7 Illinois State HOG® Rally Effingham, IL Wed, Jun 11 RRC HOG® Dinner Wride (6p) from TNT Action Sports Jun 12-14 Utah State HOG® Rally Richfield, UT Jun 12-14 Colorado State HOG® Rally Greeley Jun 12-14 Kentucky State HOG® Rally Pikesville, KY Jun 13-15 Wisconsin State HOG® Rally Baraboo, WI Jun 13-14 South Dakota State HOG® Rally Pierre, SD Jun 14-22 Bike Week Laconia, NH Jun 15 FATHER’S DAY Tue, Jun 17 RRC HOG® ExecBoard Meeting (6:30p) location tba Wed, Jun 18 RRC HOG® Dinner Wride (6p) from TNT Action Sports Jun 19-21 Arkansas State HOG® Rally Fort Smith, AR Jun 20-21 Iowa State HOG® Rally Bettendorf, IA Sat, Jun 21 FIRST DAY OF SUMMER Wed, Jun 25 RRC HOG® Dinner Wride (6p) from TNT Action Sports Jun 25-28 North Carolina State HOG® Rally Salisbury, NC Jun 26-28 Montana State HOG® Rally Great Falls, MT Jun 26-28 Ohio State HOG® Rally Cayahogo Valley, OK Jun 27-28 Minnesota State HOG® Rally Duluth, MN

It has been proven that prolonged exposure to H a r l e y D a v i d s o n M o t o r c y c l e s can result in dramatic changes to your lifestyle and personality!

We need your input!!

Page 4 River Roads Chapter Harley Owners Group®

Spring is here!!!

Jim Wolf - Road Captain If you haven’t noticed yet, the birds are singing, grass is growing, flowers are blooming, etc., which can mean one thing, riding sea-son is upon us. That you should have your favorite steed serviced and ready to hit the road is a sure thing. You do not want to miss the many riding opportunities in the upcoming weeks. Weekly Wednesday Dinner Wrides, Saturday Breakfast Rides, multiple Poker Runs, Iowa Overnight, Sunday Lunch runs, Dogwood Pa-rade, etc, means plenty to do. Keep an eye on the cal-endar and your email.

There are numerous events planned, attend the ones you want to, and be a responsible soccer Mom or Dad when you

need to. I want to say thank you to our new “assistant Road Captains” Shawn Elkins and John Kladstrup. Both have graciously volun-teered to spend some of their personnel time to help with the Road Cap-tain duties.

ILLINOIS STATE RALLIERS!!!!!

If you have been to a state HOG rally you know that hotel rooms can become few and far between the closer it gets to rally time. There are still rooms avail-able at the Ramada LTD in Effingham for the IL State HOG Rally, June 6-7.

Due to the rising cost of printing and postage for the RRC Newsletter, the Executive Board has made the decision to cut those costs. Currently it is cost-ing the Chapter approxi-m a t e l y $ 2 0 0 p e r month(bulk rate) to print & mail the Newsletter. As of right now we do not have enough mailed newslet-ters to get a bulk rate. The Board feels that there are better ways to spend this money. At the May

meeting our Membership Officer, Venora Deemer will have a listing of the membership along with your email addresses. You are being asked to check that list and indi-cate whether you are will-ing to forgo the mailed copy of the Newsletter and access it on the Chap-ter web-site. The on-line version of the Newsletter is in color and can be printed off the site. If you are unable to attend the

May meeting (May 7 at TNT) please let Venora know if you can be re-moved from the postal mailing list for the News-letter. A firm decision has yet to be made about how to handle those of you that choose not to receive the Newsletter electroni-cally. You will still receive Chapter information in a printed form, be it by post card or shortened version of the newletter that will be on the web.

Page 5 Volume 20, Issue 5

Rear View Mirror Mike Fleetwood— Historian

America’s Hometown wel-comes America’s Motor-cycle In September of 1995 Hannibal, Missouri hosted The Missouri HOG Rally. From hours of hard work from many dedicated members of River Roads HOG, the Hannibal Visi-tors and Convention Of-fice and TNT Action Sports the rally was a tre-mendous success and raised the bar for future rallies. River Roads Chap-ter President Linda Malia served as Rally Coordina-tor and Chapter Secretary served as Site Coordina-tor. Volunteerism was high the motorcycle’s popularity steadily grow-ing and the excitement of that size of an event to the Tri-States had us all beaming. The 1217 regis-tered rally goers made quite an impression on the locals of Hannibal and the surrounding area. The pride that came with the accomplishment in a well organized event that shown off our backyard was obvious. Hannibal was awarded the rally for 1996 and 1997. This was an evident indication of

the strength, leadership, dedication and coopera-tion that not only our HOG chapter possessed but our dealership, local com-munity and membership. Now we come to today. We are faced with chal-lenges that this chapter hasn’t faced for many years. It is time for new strength, new leadership and new cooperation to

kick in to carry us for-ward. It is time for new friends new times and new memories. I have been asked to take up more space writing but lately I have been at lost for words. I know that is something that you never expected as neither did I but sometimes less said is more I hope you all un-derstand. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and I appreciate you all.

Mike

A couple of interesting Web sites for you to check out!!!!! www.inneaplacetostay.com is a great place to for ride sugges-tions, places to stay on the road, and roadside assistance. Another is contact is Discount Travel Shop, for hassle free trip planning. Great hotel rates, and also specializing in Bike Tours and Travel Arrangement. Call 800-762-7586 or email rupal@discounttravelshop.net . They still have rooms available for Milwaukee 105th.

God Bless the USA

Trivia Question In 1996 the Safety and Education Officer was the owner of a restaurant that often hosted the HOG Meetings. What is the Restaurant’s name? Please send responses to mfleet@adams.net Or call 217-936-2398

Trivia Question

“Never try to race an old geezer, he may have one more gear than you!”

Page 6 River Roads Chapter Harley Owners Group®

A Treasury Note Stock Watch Harley-Davidson, Inc

(HOG - NYSE)

Closed Apr. 25 @ $39.35

Closed Dec 31 at $46.71

1 year ago: $65.55 52-Week High: $65.76 52-Week Low: $34.10

52-week Average $49.93

April Treasurer Report Income: 50/50: $50.00

Membership: $15.00

Expenses: Printing: $100.00 Postage: $59.70

Ink & Postage: 60.99

The Money Report Bill Esicar - Treasurer

General Guidelines for

Motorcycle Safety

The Safety Corner John Deemer- Safety Officer Be Visible: Make sure your headlight works and is on all the time the motorcycle is running. Use reflective strips, de-cals and markers side and rear. Be aware of blind spots on automobiles and trucks. If a motorist does not see you then use your horn, (maybe loud pipes would help here). Dress for Safety. Wear a quality helmet (DOT) and eye protection (required in Illinois). Wear bright clothing, this is a bigger issue after dark. Wear sturdy clothing, leather is 20% more pro-tective than jeans and many times better than skin. Wear over the ankle boots and gloves. THINK about what you are doing. Use SEE: search, evaluate, execute. Give yourself space and time to react and or get out of the way. Don’t crowd other motor-ists. Face it, a car out weighs a motorcycle by a lot.

Watch for turning vehicles and or ones running red lights. Avoid weaving between lanes.

Pretend you’re invisible and ride extra defen-sively. At times I swear that I have a cloak of in-visibility on, seems like cars do not see me. Do not ride when your are tired and or under influ-ence of drugs (legal or illegal) or alcohol. Know the rules of the Road and follow them. Get formal training and

consider a refresher course. Practice. Develop your riding techniques before going into heavy traffic. Know how to handle your bike in conditions such as wet or sandy roads, high winds and uneven surfaces. Practice stop-ping a lot. Do not lock brakes, this does not help. Tests have shown you are not going to go over the handle bars. The biggest thing a rider can do is avoid a car, truck, hole, and deer by counter steering around what ever it is. It is a lot better to miss it than run into it, so train yourself to veer around obstacles whenever possible.

John

Due to Newsletter production schedules, financial information in this publication may not always be 100% current. Accurate data is always available from our River Roads Treasurer at the monthly Chapter Meetings.

Chapter Membership Update Venora Deemer - Membership Officer

River Roads membership is currently 228. Instead of the usual membership talk I'd like to share some about our trip to POT (Primary Officer Training). John and I attended POT the end of March. We learned a lot and got some ideas from members of other Chapters that might work with RRC. The main thing that made a major impression with me was the signing of Release Forms for chapter rides and activities. When we each signed up for RRC we signed a Member-ship/Release form. That means that each member has re-leased HOG and the sponsoring dealer from liability in the event of injury or damage to your property during an event. This form (and all releases) has been developed in conjunction with the HOG legal team and the insurance company repre-senting HOG. That is why we cannot make any changes to the form(s). In addition, when participating in an official HOG event, non-members (non-member spouse, girlfriend, boy-friend, etc) must also sign a release form. This includes mi-nors (under the age of 18). In the case of a minor a parent ONLY (unless another party has legal custody) may sign the release. For example: If John Doe is taking his grandson on a RRC ride, John Doe cannot sign the release for the grandson, only the grandson's parents can. The by-line for the Risk Man-agement session was: If in doubt, sign a release. This is not only for HOG & TNT's protection but also for your own protec-tion. We also received copies of the 2008 HOG Handbook. I have made copies on CD. If you would like a copy please let me know & I'll make sure you get one. Ride safe & HAVE FUN!!!

Page 7 Volume 20, Issue 5

If you are a Full or Associate Member of River Roads HOG® 0912 and Own or Manage a Business

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE

Ads are $10 per issue (inside) or $12.50 per issue (back cover) and are sold on a Calendar year term. These ads reach more than 250 member households each month.

Welcome New RRC Members Elyse Strange—Plymouth, IL

Take time to introduce yourself and

Make them feel welcome !!!!

The Harley-Davidson Museum™ invites you to live the legend. Whether you’ve been a rider for a week, a month, a year, or a life-

time, you are part of the Harley-Davidson family. As a H.O.G.® mem-ber, you know how important the spirit of connection is to our heri-tage – a heritage built upon the individual stories, passion, and ex-periences of each rider, dealer, and friend. After all, our stories, pas-sion and experiences form the very connections that make Harley-Davidson what it is. The Harley-Davison Museum, set to open in summer 2008 in Mil-waukee, Wisconsin, has a unique way for everyone to tell their sto-ries and share their experiences through Living the Legend™. Living the Legend will showcase the spirit of camaraderie that is so important to our heritage. Stainless steel rivets, symbolizing strong bonds, can be customized with your name and a personal statement. The rivets will be displayed for the world to see on either curved steel walls or special plazas on the park-like grounds of the Harley-Davidson Museum. “We’ve chosen the rivet as a symbol of strength and connection,” said Stacey Schiesl, Director of the Harley-Davidson Museum. “Rivets connect everything from I-beams to blue jeans, and represent the strong bonds forged within our Harley-Davidson family.” All members of the Harley-Davidson family can create a Living the Legend rivet. Individuals can choose to customize a three-inch or six-inch rivet. The three-inch individual rivets are $250 and will be dis-played on curved steel walls on the Museum grounds. The six-inch rivets – created by dealers, H.O.G. chapters, suppliers, friends, and others – are $2,500 and will be displayed within the special plazas on the Museum grounds. The rivets are made from tough, electro-polished stainless steel, and will be displayed outside, taking on whatever nature throws at them. These rivets are built to last another 105 years! The Living the Legend walls and plazas will display thousands of stories, experiences, and connections among Harley-Davidson motor-cycle riders, dealers and friends, and will be a favorite destination of Museum visitors for years to come. Rivets can be purchased online by visiting www.h-dmuseum.com/livingthelegend or via phone by calling 1-877-HD MUSEUM (1-877-436-8738). There is no limit to the number of peo-ple who can be part of Living the Legend; however, to ensure installa-tion in time for the 105TH Anniversary in August, 2008.

Verify your National HOG® Member-ship information or renew your

National HOG Membership online at members.hog.com.

Remember: to join River Roads HOG Chapter 0912, you must first be a

current National HOG Member.

5101 Oak Street Quincy, Illinois 62305

217-224-1004

Shop 24/7/365 at

tntharley.com

Get Ready

to enjoy the

IL State Rally

On the Web at rrchog.com

River Roads HOG Chapter 0912

is grateful to be sponsored by

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Quincy, IL 62301

Permit #146

Illinois State Rally info seminars, tech talks, contests, games, and excitement for all to enjoy. And .... Friday night you will be entertained with a Private Party in the brand new Rosebud Theater with air-conditioning and luxury seat-ing. The music and the enter-tainment are sure to rock you. Saturday- Once again, we're prepared to get you going early as the registration booth opens at 7:00 am. The poker run and observation rides continue today. Just make

Thursday A "Welcome" party is being hosted by Legacy Harley-Davidson located at 1315 Althoff Ave. in Effingham. (Check the link on the home page of this website for maps you can view and print.) You are all invited to share in good food, good refreshments, good entertainment, good deals, and, of course, great people!

Friday the registration booth opens at 8:00 am. You can begin your fun immediately as we have a poker run, an obser-vation ride, and a walking/riding observation ride ready to go and continuing through-out the rally. At 10:00 am, you'll want to meet at Legacy H-D as we offer a guided ride through the local countryside with views of some of the local scenic lakes. Get there early and enjoy a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and fresh donuts, cookies, and brownies at the Central Illinois - Effing-ham Chapter booth. Through-out the day there will be safety

certain you get your scores turned in by 4:00 pm this after-noon! But ... if you're brave enough, you'll want to meet at Legacy H-D at 9:00 am ready to risk being tracked down by the revenuers as we all mount up and make a cross-country Moonshine Run. With the loyal assistance of the locals, Cen-tral Illinois - Effingham Chap-ter, we'll all remain safe, so you have no excuse not to be there! A more complete liust can be found at Illinois State Rally site, Don’t miss the fun!