Saddle Up!

Welcome 2008

2008-03-29T13:25:00Z

So many new things to talk about.

2008 looks like another great riding season for our chapter. In addition to our regular ride calendar, we've planned a few FARC events. FYI: Unless specified, FARC events are open to all of our friends, regardless of club affiliation. It's always about friendship.

The Annual Blessing of the Bikes will be held on April 19th . Once again, SIP, our Tailgunner, steps up to the front of the pack to lead us that day.

The 2nd Annual FARC National Meet & Greet aka the Rally in the Valley will be held in Lewisburg, WV on May 2-4th. Our Brothers and Sisters will converge in Lewisburg for a weekend fun. Lewisburg may never be the same.

On June 28th, we will hold our 3rd Annual NYC Vampire Run. Once again the Crew takes to the streets of NYC at night for a leisurely ride with a lot of sights along the route.

CCR 5, our 5th Concrete Canyon Run event will be held Columbus Day weekend. This year we're changing and tweaking the event to make it even better than previous years. We're also happy to announce that our brother, Bob Polding and his band will be playing at the Saturday night party (oops did I just give that away?).

Have a GREAT ride season, be safe, and ride as often as you can.

Gunjinn

Goodbye to 2007

2007-12-24T04:04:00Z

Many have posted their holiday wishes in the last few remaining days
of 2007. One such post really hit home and I wanted to share it with
everyone. Written by Ian.

To all our brothers, sisters, and their families celebrating the Chanukah,
Kwanza and Christmas Season,

This year has brought us together to celebrate many occassions. We
have made new friends, brought new lives into this world, helped those
in need and said good bye to loved ones. For some, It may not have been
an easy year but it has been one shared with compassion and love
by "our special family".

Together, we cheer during the happy moments and feel the pain of
those saddened by tragedy-we hope you will find peace this time of
year. My family and I wish everyone a peaceful, happy, healthy and
prosperous holiday season and a new year filld with wonder and joy.

Happy Holidays,

Ian, Marilyn, Rachel and Scott

Crayola Crayon Ride

2007-08-08T00:22:00Z

Todays Guest Blogger is Frank R.

When I woke up Saturday morning the first thing I did was check the
weather. When I opened my front door the first thing I noticed was the
water on my front steps. I thought to myself, damn I was really
looking forward to riding today.

Unlike some other people who will remain nameless, I actually stepped
outside and realized the roads were dry and the sun was out. After a
quick bite to eat I was off to Dunks.

I arrived at about 8:30 and to my surprise no one was there.
After about a 5 minute wait Dave our "vestless" leader arrived along
with Party Boy. A short time later Dwayne and Sharon arrived. After
having some coffee and a bite to eat, we were on our way.

Our "vestless" leader lead the way west on route 78 through the Garden
State. It was a very enjoyable ride at a nice pace. We stopped at a
rest stop not to far from the Delaware water gap. After hearing some
very interesting stories about Dave's little run in with a bat and
Donald embarrassing some young girls he met in San Diego, we were back
on the road on our way to the Crayola Crayon Factory.

When we arrived we saw a demo on how crayons are made, very interesting
stuff. A quick walk around through the factory before we found the play area
where Donald could be found looking for the perfect crayons to draw a
priceless picture.

I'm sure the pictures will be posted soon.

We then walked around some more and ended up in the National Canal Museum
where we all got to play with boats. After playing with the boats we
ended up in a Train Museum. Very cool place where I got yelled at for
hogging the big train from the little kids.

From there we went to the Crayola store where the worlds biggest crayon
is on display. We then proceeded to find someplace to eat. We found a
restaurant nearby where we all enjoyed a very nice lunch. After lunch we
grabbed the bikes and away we went. After getting separated briefly we
managed to find our way and headed south on Route 611 down the
Delaware River.

This has to be one of the nicer roads I have been on in a long time.
Beautiful views of the river, winding roads and great foliage makes this
route a must ride. From there we crossed over the river into New Jersey and
made our way to Staten Island. Overall it was a great day. The weather
was beautiful the roads were clear and the companionship was
priceless. Oh and the crayons didn't melt in my saddle bag, always a
good thing!

-Frank-

The NYC Vampire Run - July 28th

2007-07-30T00:31:00Z

It was 9:30 at night. I was standing alongside my bike
in the heart of New York's "Meat Packing District"
waiting to embark on a spirited ride through the
streets of Manhattan. We were scheduled to KSU at
11:00 PM.

For one who is usually in bed by 9:30 each evening,
this was probably one of the dumbest things I've ever
done.

While waiting, I entertained myself by watching the
young couple in the sleeping bag on the loading dock
take turns barfing into a nearby dumpster (Gotta love
New York!)

Shortly after 10:00 our leader Dave K. (El Jeffe)
arrived. Within the next 40 minutes, 15 FARC members
and 25-30 other riders arrived and all got signed in.
After a quick safety meeting, we were ready to go!

JR, Sip, Mike G., Liz, Dale and myself would all
assume blocking detail. We headed north on the West
Side Highway. A few miles into it I pulled up behind
JR to relieve him from blocking a side street, and he
waved me on. "My clutch is cooked, just keep going".
He was putting his kickstand down.....not a good sign.

We had already lost Sharon to electrical problems.

I can't talk about the route itself, because I was
paying more attention to other traffic, and just doing
my best to keep the group together. NYC traffic is
unrelenting. Wherever we went though.....it was
thrilling!

Our first stop was at a McDonald's, just for a short
break. Some of the bikes (mine included) were getting
really hot, and another breakdown was not a welcome
thing. Some ate, some just hung out on the
sidewalk....watching NYC after dark.

On to Katz's Deli. This would be our "Official"
stop/food break. I'd never been there before, but it's
a typical NYC Jewish Deli, the food was exquisite, the
staff was pleasant and accomodating.

I'm sitting with Dave, having probably the
best Corned Beef sandwich I've ever had in my life and
I began to wonder.....is this lunch, dinner, or
perhaps breakfast? It's 2 O'Clock in the morning!!

The restaurant itself is buzzing with people and the
street outside is just as crowded! This was weird.

(When we first arrived at Katz's, who do I see
there.....JR!) He got the "clutch stricken" bike home,
and simply went to his stable and brought another one
out. (People from New Jersey are all rich. If you
don't own multiple vehicles you are asked to move out
of state).

The balance of the ride took us uptown to Central
Park, then west to Broadway, then south through Times
Square. Quite a sight at 3 AM.

West on the infamous 42nd Street towards the West Side
Highway. This is where I bailed out. It was 3:20 AM,
time to go!

Tonight actually was one of the smartest things I've
ever done. This ride was great!

Thank you Dave for your vision. Thanks to all FARCers
for helping out, and thanks to all that joined us.

Tony G.
Treasurer - Blogmeister
Forged Alliance R.C.
NYCCF-FNYCC

Wings Castle, Millbrook, New York

2007-07-16T04:16:00Z

This is not today's ride report. Just my thoughts on
Wing's Castle.

For those who missed this visit, do it on your own,
when you can. Rosemary's Texas Tacos is like a
"carnival side show" compared to this! This was
the "Big Top".

The Castle/Home itself is obviously very unique.
Inside and out it's bizarre.....and weird, but not
half as interesting as Peter Wing himself.

To me, his presence overshadows his project!

He says he gave up alcohol 31 years ago. I believe
him. He didn't volunteer any other abstinence, which
made sense to me, because I don't think there was any!
He's into something else. Has been for probably about
31 years!

The man is amazing to listen to, and even more amazing
if you can get him in a little one-on-one. He's
odd....no doubt, but he's also intelligent,
perceptive, forward thinking yet lost in the past all
at the same time.

His description of the castle and how it came to be is
as intimate as you could imagine. I had to keep
reminding myself "He didn't just build it.....he lives
here!"

I kept wondering how they survive (income wise) if
they spend all their time on this! If you listen to
him carefully, you'll realize Peter Wing is not your
typical 60's leftover who came back from Vietnam and
embraced peace, drugs, rock & roll! At least not
entirely.

Peter Wing is a capitalist. The 8 bucks you pay him to
see his house is chump change. He's into a lot of
other "money making" programs.

This visit was cool! Every now and again you hear that
question "If you could pick one person in the world to
sit down to lunch with who would that be?"

I'd put him on my list!

On to the Ride Report.

It rained some. I'll leave the rest to "El Jeffe".

Tony G.
Treasurer / Scribe
Forged Alliance R.C.
NYCCF-FNYCC

The Eggs Nest

2007-06-24T17:03:00Z

On the original date of this ride, we were greeted with a NYS style monsoon and June 23rd's ride was a "do over". I'm glad we didn't let this one pass by. Kudos to Geri who suggested this ride and provided me with a map of the route she used to get there. But.....

I passed on her route and instead, used my trusty GPS to get us there, using a bicycle route. What that meant was NO highways!! Only 2 lane roads. The outcome was amazing. Mapquest put the total miles as 111 using highway and the thruway. My GPS gave us a 137 mile route using roads that a bicycle could access.

Obviously it took us longer to get there, but the scenary was more that worth it. Among the many sights, and roads, we ecountered on the ride: we managed to run along side of the PIP for awhile (much to Donald's surprise), we ran through Harriman State Park (gotta love that place), passed a beautiful waterfall, rode through Port Jervis, to Wurtsboro, Ellenville, Kerhonkson {sp}, passed by a few state prisions, rode along side of a reservoir, and I spared the life of a pudgy woodlands creature as it darted across the bow of my Goldwing by breaking my 1st rule of riding... "never swerve to avoid hitting something thats lower than your axle".

We arrived just in time for lunch. The building that houses the Eggs Nest began spirtually in the 1800's as a Parsonage for the Reformed Dutch Church of Clove (now The High Falls Community Church). It transformed into a private residence and then a small country pub. Richard G. Murphy purchased the building in '73 and established The Egg's Nest.

Don discovered that Bruceville (which is nearby) is the home of the invention of CEMENT!! Needless to say he was overwhelmed

A spirited ride home on the slab competed a perfect day and we all made it home without any significant traffic. A perfect day... and Angelo managed to replace all of his purloined soggy napkins with clean, fresh, new ones.

Ride Safe,

Gunjinn

Orange County Choppers

2007-06-18T02:23:00Z

Today was JR's ride to Orange County Choppers. Since I
led parts of the ride (and as of mid-day there was no
electricity in Harrison), I've taken the liberty of
writing the ride report.

Present were JR, Dave, Donald, Dwayne, Steve Sr.&
Steve JR. (Father and son from Queens: friend's of
Frank G.), and myself. Dave had his daughter with
him and JR had a guest as well (a friend from his
neighborhood, and for the life of me, I cannot
remember her name!)

Gunjinn's Note: That's Anne Marie

Breakfast at the Red Oak, then we met Dwayne at the
PIP gas station. We took a little known road that runs
north and south between the PIP and the river. It's
Palisade's Interstate Park property, and is mostly
used by folks on bicycles. It's a very wooded windy
route alnong the river that ends in Alpine.

There we picked up 9W, and JR took us north past Bear
Mountain, West Point and on to Newburgh. West on 17K
to the OCC shop, which of course was closed, but all
of the signs have been removed. If you didn't
recognize it from TV, it's just any other industrial
building. Tourist traffic probably got to them.

Further west a few miles to the OCC store and
showroom. A lot of the bikes we've seen them build on
the show are here on display. Some very interesting
and impressive stuff.

We were back on the bikes and ready to head to lunch
when Steve Sr. had a problem starting his bike. JR
tried a number of different things to get him going,
to no avail. What at first seemed like a dead battery
is probably a more serious electrical problem. Brand
new motorcycle with less than 100 miles on it this
morning. Steve & Steve both spent over an hour on
their cell phones talking to the dealer in Queens.
What they really should have done is arranged for a
transport back to Queens and deal with the Dealer on
Monday. FARC had done all that it could. These guys
realized that, thanked us for trying, and told us to
continue on with our journey, which we did.

The hour we killed in the OCC parking lot was not
without several visits to the pizza place right next
door. I had a lunch destination in mind, but really
didn't think it would be needed after that. I was
wrong. I guess even if a lunch stop isn't needed...it
is necessary!

On to Gully's. A floating barge converted to a
restaraunt, parked in the Hudson just South of the
Beacon Bridge. Great scenery...right Don?...and the
river's nice to look at too. The usual Crew Stuff,
spitballs, steal keys, try to beat the check. Decent
food. We should do it again.

Out of Newburgh, south on 9W. One more fuel stop.
While there, Dave's daughter apparently tripped (JR
thinks otherwise) on a curb and went down. She ripped
her jeans just below the knee and had a pretty good
cut on her leg.

We all know that Dave travels with a bag of tricks,
and when he opened the trunk on the Wing, for a moment
there I expected Marcus Welby, MD. to jump out. I
wouldn't have been surprised. But no, it was a full
blown first aid kit, and dutiful Dad did what Dad's
do! This made me smile inside, cause as much as I miss
my kids, especially my girls (they're all grown and
scattered around the country) Dave's actions made me
feel good.

With the surgery complete, the tanks topped off, we
headed home. South to the Bear Mountain circle. JR,
Dave and Don headed for the PIP. Dwayne and I stayed
on 9W. Short stop at my house for a beer and a little
chit chat with Evelynne, then he was on his way. Just
a few miles to home.

Hope the rest of you got home safe as well. It was not
without incident, but it was a good day. Thanks JR.
See you all next week.
Tony

Tony G.
Treasurer / Scribe
Forged Alliance R.C.
NYCCF-FNYCC

Geneva, the Aftermath

2007-05-21T02:16:00Z

I wrote a few entries about our trip to Genva, and if you read them you already know that my bike did sustain a little damage on the way home. The process of getting it back on the road was relatively easy, but frustrating.

The actual damage included a broken bracket in the rear that holds the tail light, the license plate light, the license plate itself and a pair of aftermarket running lights that I installed. With the exception of the bracket, these items were all ok. However, all the wires feeding these various things were pretty well torn up after bouncing around on my rear tire for 1/4 mile. The left side floorboard bracket was bent as well as the shifter, and my left side speaker housing was severely bent out of shape.

That evening I removed all the components from the bracket and repaired/replaced the damaged wiring. I removed the speaker from it's housing (the speaker itself appeared fine) then took the housing off the bike. I removed the floorboard assembly and shifter, and bent them back into shape.

By now I'd done all I could do, and would be at the mercy of 2 vendors. The speaker people (for the housing), and Suzuki (for the rear bracket).

THE SPEAKER PEOPLE

I can't say enough good things about these folks. I found them on-line while researching my speaker purchase and decided to buy a set of speakers they had to offer. I purchased them in January, 2007. One item I needed was backordered at the time, so we spent a fair amount of time e-mailing back and forth so I could get updates on availability, etc.. To make a long story short, my sales person, Barb, had me feeling as though we were personal friends and had known one another for years. She went out of her way and did everything right to get my order completed quickly and accurately. This was true "customer service". Remember how it used to be? Remember when you could complete a simple retail transaction without having to understand a variety of foreign languages? That's what this experience was like!

I e-mailed "Barb" the next day, told her who I was and what I needed. I had a response in 15 minutes. She remembered me, offered their help, and for $ 40.00 I had a new speaker in 2 days! Not just the housing, but a whole new unit. All I had to do was bolt it on and plug it in.

The company that packages the speaker kits can be found at www.uniqcyclesounds.com. They are in Colorado. The retailer that I actually bought them from is Digital Web Group, in Arizona, and my personal assistant there is barb@digitalwebgroup.com. This is truly a first class organization!

SUZUKI

I had 1 transaction 4 months ago with Digital Web Group. You just read how they treated me and how I feel about them. On the other hand, there's my Suzuki dealer. I bought my bike from them brand new in March, 2005. I have purchased a number of Suzuki accessories from them, and had all my routine services performed by them.

On Monday morning after my "incident" I called the parts department. I inquired about the bracket I needed and was told it had to be ordered. I told them what had happened and asked if my extended warranty would cover the part. His first question to me was "Did you back up into anything?". I politely told him "no", and his response was "The service department will have to see it". OK!

The next day I took the broken bracket to the dealer and went first to the salesman who sold me the bike. (He's an OK guy) Then I went down to service and met with the service manager. His very first question was the same. "Did you back into anything?" I politely told him "No, actually I was going forward at 65 MPH when it broke, and I have a witness to prove it." He said he needed to see the whole bike. I told him that unless he wanted to come to my home in Closter, that wouldn't be possible, for the obvious reasons. He asked if I could trailer it in.

This was now getting to the point of ridiculous and I was visibly getting ticked off. This was a $ 50.00 part, at retail. (I'm sure it costs them less than $ 20.00) He told me he would call Suzuki in the morning to see what they say. I told him to just get the part ordered. If I have to pay for it I will, and pick the proper fight after the fact!

What pissed me off more than anything else was the "did you back into anything" question, from 2 different departments. Obviously they're trained well.....that the customer is not always right!

As I left the dealership that night I walked back past my salesman (who was speaking with the owner), and my demeanor was obviously different than when I arrived there. In the morning the Service manager called me, as he said he would and said the following:

"I spoke with Suzuki this morning and unfortunately, they won't cover the broken bracket. But because you're such a good customer, bought your bike here, and have had all your service done here, we're going to get you the new bracket on us, no charge."

Gee, thanks guys! First class all the way.....assholes!

If I didn't have the contrast of dealing with the other company, I probably would have continued to assume that customer service is dead, but it is not, it is just sound asleep in too many areas.

Tony G.
Treasurer/Scribe
Forged Alliance RC
New York City Chapter 1

The Trip Home - The Feva in Geneva Part III

2007-05-18T01:22:00Z

Donald and I planned to be on the road by about 9:00. There was no pressure or schedule to keep, so that was real flexible. The only condition we had was that we had to leave before JR and Dave, because this time they would be taking the same route as us with the trailers, and we wanted them behind us.

I was up early Sunday. I opened the curtains in the room and was blinded by the sunlight! This was good. Our room faced the lake, and the sunshine reflecting off the water just bathed the entire building with warmth. I opened a window and stuck my arm out to "get a weather report", and I swear it felt like it was already 65-70 degrees outside, and it was only 7:00 AM! I went downstairs for a cup of coffee, stepped outside for a moment, and realized it was really only about 40 degrees. The Gerbings would be necessary.

I went up and down several times, bringing our gear down to load into JR's truck. Dave K. was in the lot securing the Wing on the trailer. Magoo and Lint were already on the bikes and on their way out. Mrs. Magoo and company were caging out, and our Canadian friends were on their way as well. JR surfaced, and was going through the process of securing his bike, loading the bags for Tea, Evelynne and himself. Dave and Carole were finishing up. Donald came out, packed his bike, and we were ready to go!

South on Route 14. We stopped in Watkins Glen for fuel. Our next stop was in Elmira at a DD for a breakfast sandwich and tea. 60 miles later we stopped in Johnson City (just west of Binghamton) at another DD, just for a break.

The next leg would be the longest, uninterrupted. Through Binghampton, South on 81 through Scranton, Southeast on 380 to 80 East, on our way home.

Once we hit route 80, I pulled off in the first rest stop.....to rest. We both had some drinks, made some phone calls, and just relaxed for a few minutes. I called Evelynne (who was with JR & Tea in the truck) and learned they were only 10-20 miles behind us.

We pulled out, had one more fuel stop planned, and were headed East. We were maybe 2 miles into it when I felt a "wiggle". You know that feeling that something might be wrong, but you don't know what it is? I slowed down, and the "wiggle" went away. For a moment I thought my rear tire was going down, but I still felt the road as secure as I had, so I knew it was not a tire. Donald rode up beside me and tried to talk to me but with the wind noise I couldn't hear him! Realizing that, he quickly pointed me to pull over and stop! There was some kind of problem with my bike, and he had seen it!

As it turned out, the bracket on the back of my bike that holds the tail light, the license plate light and the license plate itself had broken. It's bolted to the underside of the rear fender, and simply sheared off. Now this entire assembly was hanging only by a wire harness, and bouncing off the rear wheel. (That was the wiggle I felt). All kinds of wires were broken and chewed up, and even if I removed the entire unit, it wouldn't be safe to continue without any rear lighting at all. (No brake light, no signals or running lights). With over 100 miles to go, that seemed foolish. I was dead in the water.

I mentioned in part one that I would address the value of "chase trucks". I called Evelynne, who was riding with JR and Tea and told her what had happened. She told JR, and he thought she was kidding around. (He had taken a fair amount of teasing about "trailering" up to Geneva, so I can understand his skepticism) But no, this was real, and in less than 10 minutes the Cavalry arrived!

JR pulled up in front of me and Dave stopped 50 yards behind me, offering protection from the constant traffic. We were on the narrow shoulder of an Interstate Highway, and other drivers pretty much didn't give a damn! They just continued to race by at 60+ MPH. Anyway, while JR is repositioning his bike in the trailer to make room for mine, a wind gust from a passing vehicle pushes my bike just far enough forward to make it topple over. (My fault.....I didn't leave it in gear.) Now I had a lot more damage than I started with!

Now I felt really stupid. My ego was crushed, I was tired, and JR and Dave were bustin' their asses to help me!

JR got me, my wife and my bike home.....safe and sound. Those that know him well have heard him say....."back me up!". It's usually said when we're kiddin' around, but I now realize that he lives by this credo and he's serious! He proved it to me, and yes.....I'll back him up!

The ride home was a good experience, turned bad, then turned good again!

Thanks "Brothers".

Tony G
Treasurer / Scribe / Blogger
NYC Chapter 1
Forged Alliance RC

Weekend In Geneva - The Feva in Geneva Part II

2007-05-15T02:03:00Z

I wrote earlier about the ride up, and how much fun it was, but the weekend itself was every bit as enjoyable. By early Friday evening everyone was there. We spent the evening in the hotel lounge just getting to know one another a bit and talking about bikes and life and everything in general. It was fun.

Before the night was out, JR announced plans for a breakfast ride. KSU at 9:00 AM.

We took a nice country ride in the morning to an Amish restaurant about 30 miles away that provided a great breakfast buffet. We all spent time talking and joking before , during and after our meal. It's always fun to meet with new family members.

We took a similar route back to the hotel, then had a 2 hour hiatus before our next adventure.

The plan was to ride down the Eastern shore of Seneca Lake to Watkins Glen, go to the race track, have lunch in Watkins Glen, then ride back home up the Western shore of the lake. This would be a 100+ mile ride, and almost by design, the wives, girlfriends, (the women) decided they would rather spend the day shopping in downtown Geneva, which was cool with us. Geneva's a great little town with a lot of turn of the century architecture and "quaint" shops. Unfortunately, the area is a bit depressed, economically, so it wasn't as much fun for them as it would have been in Hoboken.....for instance!

Off we went. Nice route down the Eastern shore (thanks Mike). We made our way to the race track, and all we really wanted to do was take some pictures. The track was closed to visitors. The track is "leased out" for many weekends to various "car clubs". The Corvette club, the BMW club, etc.. They have the track for the day and do their thing. I was familiar with this set up and told JR that "we're not getting in", yet he was determined to get us in and took us from gate to gate in a futile attempt to attain the unattainable! We ended up at the "Main Gate", and needless to say, we did not get in!

We had a decent lunch at "Mr. Chicken" in Watkins Glen, had a couple of local SCRC folks come meet with us, Donald got behind the counter, you know.....usual NYC Crew stuff.

We rode back up the East shore a bit to take photos at a very nice waterfall, then back down and around to the Northern route up the West shore. (Donald & I had just done this yesterday, so it was not anything new.)

Back at the hotel we all re-grouped, found our "significant others", hung out for a while, were joined by Nick and Esma (a nice surprise). We walked , en masse to a place to eat a block or 2 away. Earlybirds got the really "cool" seats on the deck. Us latecomers had to eat inside. I thought it was funny that the "cool" people were just that! They froze their buns off sitting outside.

A great evening nonetheless. We all walked back to the Ramada, some hung out, some went to bed, but all of us agreed it was a great weekend!

The ride home was "interesting".

Tony G.
Treasurer / Scribe
Forged Alliance RC
Chapter 1

Bikers Against Breast Cancer 2007

2007-05-13T05:17:00Z

The 6th Annual Bikers Against Breast Cancer Poker Run hosted by the Southern Cruisers of PA has long been one of our favorite charity events. Today we headed out to PA to support this most worthy charity event and our friends in the PA SCRC. 14 bikes made the ride from NYC to someplace in PA. I say someplace because I wasn't leading the ride, I was enjoying the Donald and SIP perspective of a ride from the rear of the pack.

It's always a pleasure attending this event. It's well organized, and well staffed. There was plenty of everything there, including old friends who we managed to spend some time with.

My hat's off to the PA SCRC for yet another excellent BABC.

On the way to PA, it occured to me that May 3rd was the NYC Crew's 4th anniversary!

Ride Safe, Ride Free!!!
Gunjinn

The Ride to Geneva - The Feva in Geneva Part I

2007-05-09T02:27:00Z

I was looking forward to this trip for months. I'm not a huge fan of "slabbing" it anywhere, but it really was the best route, and most friendly to the "chase" trucks who would be following us. They ended up taking a different route, so thank God we didn't need them. (The value of chase trucks will be covered in another post).

I left the house about 6:40 AM in order to be at JR's house by 7:30, where I was to meet Donald, and we could hopefully be on the road by 8:00.

I got ther at 7:30. JR was there to greet me and bring me inside to see my "ride buddy", who had spent the night there so we could get an early start. Donald wasn't up and ready to go just yet.....actually he was still half asleep on the couch.

I'm still not entirely sure how he did it, but he got ready real fast, and at 8:05 we pulled away on the bikes.

It was a beautiful sunny day. A little cool, but absolutely great riding weather. Donald knew ahead of time about my disdain for high speed highway riding. He was very comfortable to just let me lead, stop as often as I wanted, vary my speed as I saw fit.....and I did. Actually, once we got on the highway we probably cruised at 60-65 most of the time. My plan was to be in Geneva around 3-4 PM. It was all highway until we reached Elmira, NY. (we were 6 hours into it), then north on RT 14 (a great road) and less than 75 miles to go. I wanted to stop just one last time to stretch legs, have a smoke, rub the bugs off my face and just "chill" for a few minutes.

I pulled off at one of those unpaved "rest stops". It was just a small cut-out off the road with broken pavement and a garbage can. There was a single tractor-trailer parked there and we pulled up right behind it. Donald noticed there were a lot of "flies" surrounding the trailer, and wondered what the driver might be hauling. He stepped a bit closer to the trailer and learned quickly these were not simple houseflies. These were "bees"! Hundreds of them, swarming around the trailer. This guy was hauling bee hives, honeycombs, or some such thing, and I guess a bunch of his cargo wanted to take advantage of this "rest stop" as well. Donald ventured closer with camera in hand (to me this looked like a "wet paint" sign so I stayed back). When the photo-op was over, Donald "Scavullo" came back to where we had parked the bikes and brought with him an entourage of relatively active, angry bees!

Now we had to move quickly, but not before checking our helmets and the inside of our gloves for "hitchhikers". So much for a leisurely stop!

We continued north on 14 through Montour Falls and Watkins Glen. Great roads! When you leave Watkins Glen, the last 50 miles to Geneva takes you up the western shore of Seneca Lake, literally through the heart of New York State Wine Country. Beautiful sights, horrible smells! This is Spring and this is farm country. There's been a bit of "fertilizer" applied to the fields and it's scent is unique. Local folks don't even notice it. Us city folks have to stop and realize that this brief, unpleasant odor ultimately provides us with some of the best fruits, vegetables and wines that New York State has to offer.

We finally got to the hotel in Geneva at 3:05 PM. "Right on the money". We had to wait a couple of hours for our "chase crew" to arrive. Dave unfortunately had been delayed trying to get through the Holland Tunnel with a trailer in tow (but that's another story).

Don and I took advantage of the free time, got checked into the hotel, then enjoyed a few beers on the "Veranda" outside by the lake.

This was truly a "great" ride and a wonderful time. The balance of the weekend was just as sweet. I encourage any FARC members or any guests to block out the time for next year's rally. You will enjoy it!

Tony G.
Treasurer
NYC Chapter 1
Forged Alliance RC

The Month In Review

2007-05-01T00:54:00Z

It's hard to believe, but the first month of our Club Ride Calendar is now history.

We had 8 Chapter rides planned for April, and were able to get 5 of them in. Given the uncertain weather April always offers, that's not bad!

Yesterday we closed out the month with a ride through some Connecticut "back roads". Dave K, Mike, Lisa, Liz, Dwayne, Ben and myself. We had a few meeting spots, but once all together we blasted north on the PIP, crossed the Bear Mountain Bridge (where my EZPass didn't work), then north on 9D then east through Westchester and Putnam counties.

I asked Dave to make an unplanned stop ASAP because I felt terribly chilled, and needed to drink something warm. He soon found us a DD. After some hot chocolate, putting on the Gerbings liner and "plugging in".....I was fine.

We made another stop at Marcus Dairy to have a snack, stretch legs, etc. then on to Lunch. Great diner. Had a good meal and played "sports trivia" while waiting for our food. On the trip back, Dave took us down some of the greatest roads in Eastern Connecticut. Low speed, high speed, lots of twistys. Just great stuff. We should go up there more often.

April is now put to bed and May is upon us.

The FARC National Rally is this coming weekend in Geneva, New York. For those planning on attending, JR has been very hospitable in offering his house for anyone who wants to sleep there Thursday night so we can get an early start in the morning.

See you on the road soon,

Tony G
Treasurer/Club Scribe
Forged Alliance RC
NYC-Chapter One

FARC Bike Blessing

2007-04-24T21:46:00Z

On April 21st , the New York City Chapter of the Forged Alliance RC held
it's annual Bike Blessing. The ceremony was held at St. Josephs Church
in Staten Island and was very well attended. There were probably 25 - 30
riders present. Most participants were FARC members, but we had a few
Staten Island HOG chapter members join us as well as a number of other
visitors and friends.

The Parish Priest was running late, and we learned that there was an
emergency he had to attend to. The Church however sent over a DH
(Designated Holy Man) who did a wonderful job.

He prayed for our safety during our ride season, blessed every rider and
their respective bikes and took the time to pose for as many pictures as
were requested. All that leather can be a little intimating but Father
was into it! Unsolicited, he jumped on JR's bike for another photo. For
a few minutes there, I think he felt like a rock star.

Every participant was given a special red ribbon and "Guardian Angel"
pin (also blessed) to commemorate the event.

After the Blessing, we took a 30 mile hop down to Keyport, NJ, had a
great lunch, then rode down along the coastline to Atlantic Highlands,
then Red Bank and on home.

The entire day was planned and organized by one of our chapter members
and really ran smooth as silk. Thank you SIP!!

Tony G.
Treasurer
Forged Alliance RC
NYC Chapter 1

What a Difference a Day Makes

2007-04-15T12:40:00Z

On Saturday, the 14th we attended a BBQ hosted by our friends, the Wanderers MC . It was their season kick-off event and they really pulled out the stops to make the day a memorabile one. Also attending the BBQ was The NYC Chapter of the Gunfighters MC. Prior to the ride, The Wanderers took us on a short but scenic ride through some of the nicer backroads that Jersey has to offer. Everyone enjoyed themselves.

A special thanks and tip of the ole skid lid to the President of the Wanderers MC for inviting us, Mike R., and Dave (the BBQ Specialist) for graciously opening his home to all of us.

     "The obligatory Back Patch Photo"

As we rode home, I couldn't help but think that once again, a Mike G. ride was cancelled due to rain.

                                                 YIKES!!!!

    Next week is our annual Bike Blessing to be held in Staten Island.

Ride Safe, Ride Free

Gunjinn

All Fools Day

2007-04-02T22:27:00Z

We were hoping to ride out to Montauk in Long Island, or as the Islanders call it, "THE END". Montauk is a small town that is on the eastern end of Long Island's South fork. It's as far east as you can go on Long Island. It's a little over a hundred miles from NYC. In fact you may see, in the NY area, bumper stickers touting the words "Montauk, The End".

Montauk happens to have five state parks all within a few miles of town. The most popular is Montauk Point State Park that features the oldest working lighthouse in NY. It was commissioned by President George Washington!

The weather gods had other plans for us.

Instead of the "Montauk Mambo" we did the "Westbury Waltz" and did what we do best.. EAT!! But before we rode, Don welcomed in the new ride season with the traditional placement of the '08 registration sitcker on his bike .

Everyone made it home with little weather interference.... and then it poured all throughout the evening.

Our brothers and sisters in Michigan and Ohio had better weather for their 1st multi-chapter ride.

Ride safe, Ride Free

Gunjinn

Things I wish someone would have told me

2007-03-29T17:24:00Z

Surfing the net, I found a list of "Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me" when I first started riding. Kinda funny and very sage wisdom indeed. I guess we all learn things along the way. I posted the list to the NYC Crew's email list and added quite a few more.

Take a look. If you have some of your own, I welcome your additions. Let's see if we can keep this going. We'll post the complete list on our website later.

Ride Safe, Ride Free

Gunjinn

"Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me"

Never park your bike downhill into a parking space.
Never park your bike on a hill without being in gear.
Never leave your bike running and unattended on a hill.
Never stop your bike with the front wheel turned.
Use your rear brake as the control brake at slow speeds.
Turn your head and look over your shoulder during U-turns.
Look where you want to go.
Don’t always believe the neutral light.
Always downshift to first gear before coming to stop.
Check your tire pressure regularly.
Keep your eyes level with the horizon when coming to a stop.
Practice your starts and stops on different inclines.
Practice stopping with only your left foot down.
Change your tires when the minimum tread depth is 1.5mm Front & 2.0mm Rear.
Be prepared for wet weather; invest in top quality raingear.
You will drop your bike no matter how new or old it may be.
Unless your leather is lined, the black dye will run when it is wet.
You can be cold at speed on a 70 degree day.
Dress in layers with adequate air space in between.
Two full seasons on an “un-Tendered battery” is reasonable Any more will tempt fate.
Take the time to winterize your bike properly for storage.
Buy the best helmet you can afford and one that fits. It's your brain. Use it or loose it!
There is only one thing worse than wet… ..its cold and wet.
Cornering is the reason we ride in the first place. Become a master of the turns.
Countersteering is the #1 way to turn your bike quickly!
Pretend you are invisible to other drivers.
Ride Your Own Ride:
Don't try to keep up with your friends who may be more experienced.
KNOW your Personal Limits.
Make SURE your kickstand is all the way down.
Make SURE your kickstand is all the way up.
Never leave your petcock on Reserve after fueling.
Your helmet Will fall off that seat!
Always leave yourself an "out" whenever you're riding!
Don't linger in anyone's blind spot.
You NEVER have the right of way on a motorcycle.
Always do a shoulder check when changing lanes.
Eye contact with the left-turner in front of you Don't Mean Squat.
When touring, Never Assume the next little town will have an Open Gas Station.
In Rainy or Hot weather, paint strips and road tar (road snakes) are SLICK.
After Heavy Rains, sand and gravel will be present... else vehicles will provide it.
Cross Railroad tracks at a right angle to their direct... or as much as possible for angled tracks.
It's better to have an idot cager in front of you than right behind you.
If you are on a narrow road with lots of driveways and/or intersections slow down.
Assume there is an obstacle just beyond sight in that blind corner.
When the road turns to gravel and you have no idea how long it is, turn around.
Avoid parking your bike tires on oil spots.
Carry a thin square of wood to place under your kickstand in caseyou need to park on dirt or soft asphalt on a hot day.
When you get hit by something messy and disgusting you will be glad you had some paper towels and hand sanitizer.
Have a roadside assistance plan.
Be wary of cagers who clean their windshields while moving and you are behind them!
DON'T ride behind a tobacco chewer...especiall at high speeds!
Use ear protection if you don't have a full windshield.
Check your bike for 5 minutes before you climb on every time everytime you ride... even at a break, it may save your ass on the road.
Know the basics of your bike like fluids, tire pressure,and were the battery and tools are in case you need to do some quick work on the side of road to get home.
Newspapers are a great wind breaker on a cold night when you need a little extra warmth.
Always keep an emergency card in your helmet in case something happens and you cant tell who to call, and what medical needs you may have.
Surgical rubber gloves are good for cold days, keep hands dry and also in case of a problem.
Drink water, Drink water, Drink water, Drink water

Getting a Jump on the Ride Calendar

2007-03-26T02:19:00Z

Great day!. There were only 5 of us, but the ride was
fun, easy going and unplanned. Dave K., Donald, Liz,
Dwayne & Tony.

Had a nice breakfast at a diner in Englewood before we
headed out. "Diner Tip", Never ask a man with multiple
layers of clothing to try and "squeeze" out of a booth
while he has a full steaming cup of tea in front of
him. I did that....and it wasn't pretty! Thank God he
was wearing chaps!

Dave led us north on 9W for a while. He called me
forward from my third position and said, "OK, now
"you've got it". A "progressive Fugawi". I took us
further north to the Bear Mountain Inn, where we were
thrown out of the parking lot after sitting for 10
minutes because we didn't pay the $ 6.00 per head.

I handed the ride over to Dwayne. Dwayne was trying to
plot a route when Dave said he needed fuel. Nobody
knew where to find gas close by except Dave, so we
handed the ride back to Dave....temporarily.

Dwayne took over our fuel stop, and took us down some
great roads! West Point, Highland Mills, through
Monroe and Greenwood Lake. A bit of Seven Lakes Drive
and on to a DD in Sloatsburg, NY.

We had some coffee, hot chocolate, a little sausage
and egg (Donald had something to eat that can only be
described as "bizarre")

South to New Jersey. A quick stop by my house to
"tease" Evelynne (guess who's coming to dinner?).

I stayed home while Dwayne led the rest of the group
south to their respective destinations.

It was a good ride. I had a ball. Thanks to all for
coming out.

Tony G.
Treasurer
Forged Alliance R.C.
NYC CREW

Winter's Over

2007-03-23T01:41:00Z

Do we need to say anything more?

Welcome to the NYC Crew's Blog. What we hope to do here is post our ride reports, our ride plans, links to our photos and links to other motorcycle photos or information that we find along the way.

Please bear with us as we get used to the Blog and the software which right now is not very friendly

Thanks!!