ROAR (:0V

May, 2000

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Top Cat's Monthly Newsletter

PRESIDENT'S CORNER The Heat is on! At least I hope it is by the time you receive this issue. What I'm referring to is the erratic weather we've been having during the past month. I've been on several rides very recently where a couple of ill prepared riders suffered the consequences of the elements, numbing hands and feet, shivering, etc. Dress appropriately for the ride conditions at the start of the ride. Be prepared for wide swings in tempera-tures whenever you ride. Whether riding alone or in a group ride situation. Your own safety as well as those around you can be compromised if you haven't planned properly. Our final Group Riding Safety Course for this year is scheduled for Saturday, May 20. Mark your calendar NOW, and plan to be there. The time and location are listed in this issue. I strongly urge all Top Cats who haven't been through one of these sessions to attend. Wayne Kirkpatrick, Terry Kumro and Ric Case put in a lot of time and effort to present a very professional and informative seminar. For upcoming ride and event information consult your cruise calendar, our website: www.topcats.org , or the Top Cats Hotline - 847-622-3501. Some of the May rides are: May 7 - Top Cats Ride to NISRA Spring Games May 7 - Illinois G-2 and Bonzai Poker Run May14 - Top Cats White Pines Ride May 14 - Palatine Hog Breakfast Ride May 21 - Top Cats Ride to Little Angels Also in June Jordy and Sheila Glazov are planning another Door County Ride. The ride is scheduled for Friday June 9, 10, 11, & (12) [if anyone wants to stay over Sunday night]. The Eagle Harbor Inn's phone number is 1-800-324-5427. When you call, say you are with the Jordan & Sheila Glazov Top Cats week-end ride. Support Your Top Cats Charity Ride - New develop-ments are occurring and the Charity Ride Committee is very excited. Ric Case, Ray and Diane Caprio, Bernie Weiss and Sandy Vernon are looking for more volunteers to assist with this year's ride. THEY NEED YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!!!!! Another reminder, Wayne Kirkpatrick, welcomes any articles for Roar that you may have. Just call (847)854-4137 or e-mail him at wkirkpa177@aol.com . I look forward to seeing all of you at our May 2 meeting.

Let The Rides Begin Total Tuning, Part 3 - Tires By Traveler

Part 1 of Total Tuning discussed tuning your brakes. Part 2 discussed suspension. This final part of the series will discuss getting your horsepower safely to the ground. Tires are the most complex components on a motor-cycle due to a lack of industry standards in terminol-ogy, ratings, construction, etc. Let's start with some definitions: Aspect Ratio: The ratio between the section height and section width of a tire expressed as a percentage of section width. If the section height is half the sec-tion width, the aspect ratio is 50%. The lower the aspect ratio the lower the profile of the tire. Balance: Equal distribution of the weight of the tire and the wheel around the circumference of the wheel. Ideal balance is equal weight at all points. An out of balance tire will cause wobble. Bias Ply: Tire construction with plies that run diag-onally from one side of the tire to the other. Each ply is set on a bias in one direction and succeeding plies are set in alternating directions crossing each other. Casing: The tire body. Contact Patch: Tire footprint. The area of tread that is in actual contact with the ground. Inflation Pressure: Pressure of air inside a tire which applies a tensile stress to the tire permitting it to carry specified loads. Radial Ply: Tire construction with plies running radially side to side under the tread. Rim: That portion of a wheel upon which the tire is seated. Series: A designation of a tire's aspect ratio stated as a series number. A tire with a 60% aspect ratio would be a series 60 tire. Speed Rating: A letter designating the tire's high speed durability: "S" = 112 mph,"H" = 130 mph, "V" = 149 mph,"Z" = Above 149 mph. Armed with that info you would know that a Dunlop 190/60ZR17 is a metric series 60 tire with a width of 8"(190), a height of 60% Of 8" or 4.8", a speed rating above 149 mph, radial ply for a 17" rim.

Page 1 CONTINUED ON PAC,E....4

Ride Safe, Your Prez,

George Lax

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TOP CATS - Illinois is a group of motorcycle enthusiasts with similar interests. Members must consist of responsible leaders, Presidents, Chairman, Owners, Proprietors, Kings, Queens, Partners, Principals, CEOs and other "TOP CATS" of large, medium and small organizations, institutions, companies and/or countries.

THE BIKERS WHO MEAN BUSINESS

President George "Gray Ghost" Lax 847/438-5236 (glax@hotmail.com)

Vice President Wayne "Traveler" Kirkpatrick 847/854-4137 (wki rkpa177@aol.com)

Treasurer Jim "Tiger" Irvine 847/381-3253 (obrienirvine@prodigy.com)

Secretary Ken "Hawke e" Glassman 847/394-0326 (ihawkeye50 aol.com)

Founder Carl "Virgo" Bender 847/732-2767 (carlbender@aol.com )

Past President Ric Case 847/363-1542 (richardicase@alac.ameritec.com)

Director Sandra Vernon 847/634-6402 vern693@aol.com

Director Bard Boand 847/381-1393

Director Terry "Lizard" Kumro 847/639-4009 (aliciakumr@aol.com)

Editor Barry "Bear" Hulden 815/356-0023 bhulden@mc.net

Remember, TOP CATS meet the TOP TUESDAY of EACH month! web site: www.toncats.or2 HOTLINE: (847) 622-3501

NEXT MEETING: May 2, 2000 Committee Top Cats

Activities Jim "Taz" Krepel (info@gotravelinc.com) 815/459-9345 Charity Ric Case (ricicasegalac.ameritec.com ) 847/634-6402

Ray & Diane Caprio (rcapsr@aol.com ) 630/837-0849 Membership Joe Robanus (PureBrass@a, acorn) 847/803-0002 Programs Jim "Iceman" Henif 847/381-5357 Products Alicia Kumro 847/639-4009 Public Relations John "Coach" Eliasik 847/884-9313

John Kahles 847/566-7756 Roar Publisher Barry Hulden (BHulden@mc.net) 815/356-0023 Safety Wayne "Traveler"Iarkpattic (wkirkpa177@aolcom) 847/854-4137

Terry "Lizard" Kumro (aliciakumr@aol.com) 847/639-4009 Ric Case (ricicase@alac.ameritec.com) 847/363-1542

Sgt at Arms Vince O'Leary (vincent104@aol.com ) 847/438-4998 Security Terry "Teacup" Pollick 847/459-3906 Volunteer Virgo (carlbender@aol.com) 847/732-2767 Webmaster Rick Bremer (cbremer(cusd220.1ake.k12.11.us) 847/382-6143 HOTLINE Rob "Mow Man" Mann (mowmanl3@aoLcom) 847-537-8989

Page 2

Oil Spots By Traveler

Women!! The annual AMA Women & Motorcycling Conference will be held at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, July 13-16. Request a brochure: (614) 856-1900 or e-mail: W&M2000@ama-cycle.org. Wow. I just happened to have that weekend open! NHRA Races. The Walters' Screamin' Eagle Pro-Stock (Harley) Team will be at the Joliet track June 22-24. Great weekend day ride and exciting racing. Lori Francis is scheduled to race the Screamin' Eagle Road Glide. Rider Training. Harley - Davidson is spon-soring rider training through various deal-ers on the new Buell Blast. Plans are to offer a 25 hour course at somewhere between $200 - $300. It will be called the Rider's Edge New Riders Course taught by MSF and Rider's Edge instructors. Feel Lucky Today Punk? A study conduct-ed by Old Dominion University in Virginia reports that 55.8 percent of drivers polled report running red lights. Be particularly cautious when you try to cheat a yellow light while in a group! Speed Kills? The insurance industry screamed in 1996 when the mandatory national 55 mph speed limits were lifted, predicting absolute highway slaughter. Since 1996, the national vehicle fatality rate has actually declined. My guess is that, lower speed limits are easier to vio-late resulting in more speeding tickets and higher insurance premiums. Hmmm. Reliability? The annual Paris - Dakar -Cairo Rally is one of the toughest motor vehicle rallys in the world today. Congratulations to BMW motorcycles for finishing 1,2,3, and 4. Would you call this a stunning Triumph? Bad Taste Award. It's bad enough that Excelsior - Henderson has filed Chapter 11 for whatever reason but, Yamaha seems to believe it's OK to kick 'em when they're down. A recent Yamaha advertisement for their 2000 V Star (CLONE!) reads: "Declare your independence. Not Chapter 11." Too bad we signed up for that nuclear disar-mament thing.

Toys for Tots. Sad but, Jerry King, the founder and former president of the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation was found guilty of stealing $1.8 million from the organization. Sentencing is scheduled for June. Guess we'll just have to raise more money this year for Toys for Tots. First Aid. Good idea to carry a basic first aid kit, including latex gloves, in yout sad-dle bag. Who knows, I might need it. Better yet, maybe we all ought to buy one and give it to another rider to carry for us just in case. Watch for an Accident Scene Management module in the next Top Cats' Safety Course too. Condolences. Harley has finally reclaimed the lead in U.S. motorcycle sales with Honda now in second place. Looks like America is finally re-awakening.

Biker Culture I was recently accused of being politically incor-rect. Me...the innocent ol' Ohio dirt farmer. So...to put things right... Women are not Babes or Chicks...they are Breasted Americans. Men are not Lechers...they are Vocally Appreciative. A girl is not Easy...she is simply Horizontally Accessible. He is not someone's Ex...he is just a Previously Enjoyed Companion. She does not get you Excited...she just induces Temporary Blood Displacement. He is not Horny...he is simply Reproductively Focused. She isn't a Tease...she engages in Artificial Stimulation. He does not get Drunk...he is just Chemically Inconvenienced. She is not a two-bit Slut...she is merely a Low Cost Provider. He is not Kinky...he is only a Creative Caretaker. She does not have Major League Hooters...She is Pectorally Superior. He is not a Whiner...he is only Verbally Repetitive. She does not have implants...she is just Medically Enhanced.

Page 3

CONTINUED FROM PAC.E....1

For most of us, tire selection is made for us by the manufacturer. You can't go wrong with stock tires on a street bike. Tire selection is based on weight of bike and recommended load, intended use such as touring, road conditions, etc. Tires are selected based on their match to the bike and riding condi-tions. Typically, stock tires will be radial ply, touring tires of medium composition intended for 10,000 to 15,000 miles of normal riding. Regardless of the brand and style of tire, remember the following: Break, in new tires by riding easy the first 100 miles avoiding hard cornering or hard acceleration. Tires have an inflation rating on the sidewall. Follow it and check air pressure when the tire is cold. Waiting three hours after riding to check pressure cold. Tire inflation is critical to handling and tire wear. Too much air pressure (over inflation) will result in premature wear and minimize the tire's traction. Too little air (under inflation) will cause irregular wear, tire fatigue, poor handling and, sidewall failure. A loss of 4 psi is equal to losing 65 lbs load carrying capacity. For sustained high speed riding or riding with max-imum load, inflate the tire to the maximum recom-mended pressure. For moderate speed and medium loads, inflate tires to the minimum pressure. Don't mix radial ply with bias ply. If your bike came with bias ply tires, replace them with bias ply tires. Use tires that are a match in terms of age, type, brand and speed rating. A new front tire with a worn rear tire can cause instability. When estimating the weight of your bike, consider accessories you have added, the weight of your heaviest passenger, trailer load if you pull one, and your "winter" weight. That is the combined weight of you , your passenger, fully loaded with heavy winter clothes and a full tank of fuel. Do not put inner tubes in radial ply tires. Use tubes in bias ply tires designed for tubes. Be sure you have rims designed for tubeless tires before you go to tubeless radials. Most tires have a yellow or white dot on the sidewall indicating the lightest side of the tire. Make sure this dot is aligned with the tire valve. Tires also have a directional arrow on the sidewall. This arrow points to the correct direction of rotation of the tire. Check air pressure frequently (weekly) to determine leaking. If you're losing air pressure, re inflate the tire to the maximum rating and rub a mixture of water and dish washing soap around the tire bead and valve to identify leaks.

Inspect tires frequently for damage and irregular wear patterns. A tire should wear evenly across the portion that is commonly in contact with the road surface. Speed ratings only apply to tires in good condition and properly inflated. Do not expect to get 160 mph performance out of a "Z" rated tire that is damaged or not properly inflated. Excessively worn tires are more subject to penetra-tion and are hazardous in wet riding conditions. Tires with less than 1/16 of an inch of tread must be replaced. Do not plan on replacing tires after a ride to Sturgis. Do it before! Most tire manufacturers recommend changing the rear tire after a bike has been subjected to high -speed dynamometer testing. Know where your wheel weights are on each wheel to determine if they have fallen off during riding. Weights will either be the square stick - on type applied to the rim, nipple weights hung on a spoke, or lead - wire wrapped around a spoke.

Wheel alignment is critical to handling and tire wear. Incorrect alignment will cause a tire to scuff and wear prematurely. Each time a chain / belt is adjusted, check the wheel alignment. Check spokes frequently. Loose or damaged spokes will also cause handling problems in addition to tire wear. Replace bent or cracked rims now. They can break at speed with disastrous results. Tires age from heat. Do not store tires near a heat source during winter nor in an area subject to con-stant direct sunlight Clean off oil, gas, or petroleum agents from tires immediately. They will deteriorate the tire. Never use agents such as Armor All on tires. The spray can leach to tire traction surfaces and decrease traction. If you choose to put wider tires on your bike, be pre-pared to deal with different handling and...never go more than one size larger. Do higher speed rated tires make your bike go faster? Absolutely not. Most street bikes have tires with a minimum speed rating of "H" 130 mph. That's more than enough to safely get you a felony -level speeding ticket. Bottom line to tires: Select the correct tires, keep them properly inflated, know how to read wear pat-terns on your tires, check frequently for wear and proper inflation, and change tires BEFORE you need to.

Page 4

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Pick up Ride By Hawkeye

The Top Cats had their first pick up ride on Sunday March 26. We met at Egg Harbor in Barrington at 10:00 AM. on a beautiful, sunny

morning. It was "Family Day" with Ric and Jackie Case, and Terry and Alicia Kumro riding two-up. Fritz and Tina Schiffmayer, Craig and Linda Martens, Taz & Windy Krepel, & Bill and Sandy

Vernon each rode their own. Wayne Traveler, OJ Simpson, John Lunde, Gordon Tapley, Bard Boand, Hawkeye Glassman, and even Brandon Ryder showed up on time and with a full tank of gas. (I personally don't know Brandon well enough to give him grief about his reputation, but it was obvious that everyone else does.)

Gordon Tapley got Ice Man Heniff out of bed to join us, and the delay was put to good use. Carl Hart rode up to show off his new paint job, but the bike was belching smoke and spewing oil all over his fresh paint. Whoever put his bike back together used his thumb and forefinger as a torque wrench to tighten the cylinder head bolts (ED Note: read, rocker arm cover), and the oil was leaking out of there. Not to worry. Terry Kumro, who carries more tools with him than the S nap-On man, and Taz, who carries evrything else, pulled the seat off, loosened the gas tank, and got in there to tighten all the bolts, except for the one that fell out completely. It saved Carl's riding day, and only a small manageable leak remained.

I'll bet that mechanic will need surgery to have Carl's boot removed from his behind. B y the way, Carl's new paint job is WAY COOL. What color is it? Hard to say, since it changes every time you move your head, or a cloud passes by, but for the most part it is about 12 shades of deep purple to navy blue. You really have to see it for yourself.

With everybody milling about, Taz finally took charge, and said "Whoever wants to follow me can get in line, we're heading west." So with that, 20 bikes roared out of Barrington heading west on Lake Cook Road. Taz, (whose motto is, "I never met a road I didn't know") led us north and south crossing Route 72 and Route 68 several times. We'd probably ridden 25 miles on some nice back

roads before we were even 5 miles away from Barrington. The weather was delightful, (although at times it was a bit breezy) not too chilly and not too warm, and the sun was mostl y

shining. The group stayed together and rode like a precision team. Those Group Riding Safety

Courses really paid off. We rode through East Dundee, and at about noon found ourselves in Genoa, where we parked em and headed into a really nice bar for lunch. Good food, good prices, good service.

After lunch, the group split up with Gordon Tapley leading a group up towards Wauconda, and Taz meandering back with his group to his neck of the woods. By the time I got home, I'd added 100 miles to the odometer, and had a helmet full of smiles. Way to go, Taz. Another fine ride you led us on !

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Page 5

THE TAZ LINE BY TAZ AND T.T.

WELL, THE APRIL 16TH PICK UP RIDE HAD SIX

HARDY TOP CATS SHOW UP ON A RATHER COOL SUNDAY MORNING (8:00AM). WE HAVE SOME REAL DIE HARD MEMBERS, WITH TRAVELER, FRITZ, NEW MEMBER MARK, AND ME, BUT TERRY

KUMRO, WHO HAD BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL WITH A 105 FEVER JUST A FEW DAYS EARLIER, SHOWED REAL TOP CAT SPIRIT BY SHOWING UP.

RIC CASE RODE OVER AND WANTED US TO JOIN OUR PRESIDENT"GREY GHOST FOR HIS BREAKFAST RIDE WITH SUBURBAN H.O.G. WE DECIDED TO GO SEE THEM OFF AND THEN GO FOR BREAKFAST.

ARRIVING AT SUBURBAN WE PULLED IN TO SEE A PRETTY GOOD TURN OUT, MOSTLY TOP CATS, BUT AFTER SURVEYING THE CROWD I DID SPOT A LOT

OF "FRESH LEATHER.

FINISHING UP THE MONTH OF APRIL, RICK AND

KEN HAVE THE DOOR -TO- DOOR RIDE WELL IN HAND; IT SHOULD BE A GREAT START FOR THE RID-

ING SEASON.

THAT BRINGS ME TO NEXT MONTH'S RIDES. WE START WITH STEVE BUCKLEY LEADING US ON THE NISRA SPRING GAMES RIDE IN NAPERVILLE

MAY 7. WE WILL MEET AT THE ROCK & ROLL GRILL, IN LAKE ZURICH AND LEAVE AT 9:00AM. PLEASE CHECK THE HOTLINE OR THE WEB PAGE

FOR LAST MINUTE DETAILS OR CHANGES.

THEN WE HAVE OUR SECOND ROAD CAPTAINS AND TOP CATS GROUP RIDING COURSE MAY 20, 2000, AT THE HOLIDAY INN IN CRYSTAL LAKE.

THERE WILL BE REFRESHMENTS AT 8:30AM WITH THE SEMINAR STARTING AT 9:00AM. T.T. AND I WILL BE TAKING THE ILLINOIS MSF EXPERIENCED

RIDER COURSE IN ELGIN AS WE DO EVERY 2 OR 3 YEARS SO, UNFORTUNATELY, WELL MISS IT BUT WE KNOW TRAVELER AND THE BOYS WILL HAVE AN

EXCELLENT PROGRAM.

JIM "ICEMAN" HENNIF WILL BE LEADING OUR GROUP ON THE WHITE PINES RIDE ON MAY 14,2000.

THEN COMES THE LITTLE ANGELS' RIDE LEAD BY TRAVELER MAY 21, 2000. MEET AT THE HUNT

CLUB ON THE NORTH SIDE OF ALGONQUIN RD. IN

ALGONQUIN JUST WEST OF ROUTE 31. IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN ON THIS RIDE, IT IS SOMETHING

YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO. NOT ONLY DOES IT HELP OUT A GREAT CAUSE, BUT IT'S QUITE A SIGHT

TO SEE SO MANY BIKES IN ONE PLACE.

THIS PART IS JUST FOR THE LADIES. IN JUNE (JUNE 10,11 TO BE EXACT), THERE WILL BE A RIDE JUST

FOR YOU. T.T. HAS A REAL NICE TRIP PLANNED

OUT WITHOUT ALL THE TESTOSTERONE THAT IS APPARENT IN OUR REGULAR RIDES. HAVING TALKED WITH A NUMBER OF WOMEN OVER THE

YEARS, AS WELL AS TEACHING SOME TO RIDE. I'VE BEEN TOLD THEY LIKE BEING BY THEMSELVES SOME -

TIMES, SO THE MORE EXPERIENCED LADIES CAN HELP THEM. I'VE SEEN WOMEN THAT RIDE WELL,

BUT THE WORSE PROBLEM THEY HAVE WAS THEIR OLD MAN PUSHING THEM TOO HARD, CRITICIZING TOO MUCH, OR EVEN TRYING TO PROTECT THEM, AND IN TURN PUTTING THEMSELVES AND THEIR LADIES IN JEOPARDY. I REALIZED THIS MYSELF,

WHEN T.T. WAS STARTING OUT, WE WOULD COME TO AN INTERSECTION, AND I WOULD TRY TO DECIDE WHEN WE SHOULD PULL OUT. THIS

ALMOST LED TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. FROM THEN ON I WOULD GO WHEN I WAS READY, AND LET T.T. DECIDE FOR HERSELF WHEN SHE SHOULD PULL

OUT. IF SHE DIDN'T PULL OUT WITH ME, SHE WOULD CATCH UP RATHER QUICKLY.

WE HAVE SOME GREAT FEMALE RIDERS; T.T., SANDY, LINDA, DAR, AND CATHY TO NAME A FEW AND, THESE GALS COULD BE A GREAT HELP TO

SOME OF OUR NOT SO EXPERIENCED RIDERS. SO IN

JUNE GALS, TRY TO MAKE THE LADIES RIDE, IT'S A

GREAT RIDE AND A SUPER OPPORTUNITY.

Page 6

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Drawing to be held Sunday, May 7, 2000 at Banzai's

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Activities 2 Top Cat's Meeting, 7:00 PM

6 Illinois A.B.A.T.E. State Rally, Springfield, IL

7 Top Cats' Ride to NISRA Spring Games, 9:00 am, Rock & Roll Grill, Lake Zurich, Road Captain: Steve Buckley

7 Banzai Motorsports and G-2 Poker Run, Libertyville, IL. Details: (847) 362-7110

14 Top Cats' White Pines Ride, Time, Location, Road Captain: Jim Heniff

14 Breakfast Ride, Palatine H.O.G. Suburban H-D. Time: TBD, Road Captain: George Lax

- May 2000 20 Top Cats' Safety Course. 8:30 am

11:30 am, Holiday Inn, Crystal Lake. Vicinity RT 31 and Three Oaks Rd.

21 Top Cats' Ride to Little Angles Run in Elgin, 8:00 am, Hunt Club, Algonquin, IL, Road Captain: Traveler

23 Top Cats' Charity Ride Meeting, 7:30 pm, O'Traina's, Wauconda, IL

21-29 Rolling Thunder, CA to DC Vietnam Vet's Memorial Contact: Jim "Taz" Krepel,

Activities Committee, (815)459.9345, for ideas, comments, or details on rides.

Check the Top Cats' HotLine for all event details: (847) 622-3501

Page 7

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MINUTES OF THE APRIL 2000 MEETING

The 2nd and last Group Riding Safety Course of this year will be held on Saturday, May 20. Exact time and location will be determined. Check the Top Cats Hot Line for information. Our guest speaker was Michael Malloy of the Shriners Motor Corp. Michael explained what the Shriners organization does, and how the Motor Corp operates. We thank him for his presentation. Ric Case gave us an update on the plans for our NISRA Charity Ride in the fall. There is a separate announcement about that in this ROAR. Bard Boand updated Little Sturgiss. Make your room reservations now for the ride to Davenport Iowa on June 16 & 17. Call Radisson Hotel Reservations (at the now familiar number) at 1-800-333-3333. Tell them you are a Top Cat and get the special room rate of $86 per night. BIG STURGIS, in South Dakota. If you haven't already made your reservations at the Alex Johnson Hotel, you'll be staying someplace else this year. All of the Top Cat rooms are spoken for. Contact Bard if you wish to make the ride up there with the group.

MINUTES OF THE APRIL 2000 BOARD MEETING

The Top Cats are pleased to welcome Mark Hooper, of Island Lake as an Associate Member, and Cheryl Quick, of Barrington Hills, as a Full Member. Try to seek these folks out at the next meeting, introduce yourselves, and make them feel at home in our club.

The Board approved giving the Charity Committee the authority to raffle a Harley Davidson motorcycle for the benefit of NISRA at our Charity Ride, approved the sale of raffle tick-ets at $10.00 each, and set the number of tick-ets to be sold. Jim Irvine submitted a tentative budget for the Board to look over, and to make the final budget approval at the next meeting. The final approved version will then be published in the Roar for all our members to see.

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WIN A HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE AND BENEFIT NISRA AT THE SAME TIME !! That's right, folks, the main focus of our fundraising efforts for this years' Charity Ride to benefit NISRA, will be a raffle to give away a Harley !!! Tickets will cost $10 each, and we will limit the number of tickets to no more than 3,000. That means, a $10 ticket will give you a 1 in 3000 chance to ride home on a Brand New, 2001 model-year, All-American, Made-in-the-USA, New-Engine, Harley Davidson 1200 Sportster !!! The Charity Committee intends to be able to present a check to NISRA for $25,000 this year, most of which will come from the pro-ceeds of this raffle. "How can we do that?", you may be asking. The answer is simple... WITH A LOT OF HELP AND SUPPORT FROM ALL OF OUR TOP CAT MEMBERS. Keep in mind that the purpose of the Top Cats is twofold: One is to bring together successful men and women to who enjoy riding motorcycles, and who wish to meet and develop strong social and business relationships with like minded people. Second, is to DO GOOD WORKS IN THE COMMUNITY. Doing good works reflects well on all of our members, as well as all motorcyclists. But more importantly, it will help to bring a bit more joy into the lives of

handicapped children and adults who are not nearly as fortunate as we are. So it is VITAL that ALL Top Cat members wrap their arms around this exciting raffle fund-raiser, and make a strong commitment to make this a success. Just look at the face of a child with Downs Syndrome, and burn it into your memory. Then when you ask your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to buy our raffle tickets you will remember why your efforts are so impor-tant.

Kaution Kornermimmim With almost 60% of surveyed drivers reporting running red lights, intersections are clearly the most hazardous section of a highway for motor-cyclists. Solution: Scan the intersection far ahead for potential hazards as you approach. Look for vehicles that COULD cause an accident. Think "If they can cause an accident, they will cause an accident." Look for escape routes and plan your maneuver for the potential hazards you notice and prepare yourself to take action immediately. One old biker trick: Proceed through a four lane intersection abreast of another vehicle. Chances are traffic will see and yield to, that other vehicle before they see or yield to you.

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"Live to Ride - Ride to Live" Pony Express Roundup 2000 By Sandy Vernon Little did I know when I started riding and learned the expression "Live to Ride and Ride to Live", what an impact those few words would create. In 1998, I learned of the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation and the Pony Express Tour to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. In July of 1998, with the medallion for the "Survivors" of breast cancer around my neck and Ride Journal in my saddlebags, I led the Pony Express leg from Milwaukee into Chicago where it was passed to the next rider to continue it's route thru over 40 states. It was a ride I will never forget. Looking around me, I saw my fellow Top Cats lending their support, I saw perfect strangers become instant friends as we rode together for such an important cause, something that can affect us all, finding a cure for breast cancer. This sum-mer, I will be riding in the Honor Guard for the Pony Express Roundup 2000 and I hope, once again, to look around and see the Top Cats riding along with me. We will be leaving to meet the Roundup in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 7th. The ride then progresses to St. Joseph, Mo., on to Hannibal, Mo., and then to the Closing Ceremonies in Peoria, IL., birthplace of Susan Komen. There will be activities and events going on in each city. A concert will be given by Kathy Mattea, two time Academy of Country Music and Grammy Award winner, on the evening of July 10th, after the closing ceremonies and then we will be returning home on the morning of Tuesday, July 11th. We have group rates at hotels in each city. In order to ride this Roundup, you will need to register and send in your pledge money. 100% of the rider's pledged dol-lars to the Komen Foundation will be ear-marked solely and completely to breast cancer research. Your donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE. I have several Top Cats already signed on and collecting pledge money to ride at this time. Remember, we are riding for your wives, mothers, sisters and daughters. If you cannot make the Roundup, please consider helping a fel-low member ride by making a donation. Join us and ride from the beginning, ride to the Closing Ceremonies and Kathy Mattea concert in Peoria and come home with us or join us anywhere in between. Check out the Pony Express Roundup 2000 at the web site ponyexpress2000.org . For more details, call me at (847)634-6402 or e-mail at VERN693@aol.com .

Page 10

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Sorry but, I'm mad!! Just watched the news and saw another school shooting, an 11 year old mother, a 10 year old selling drugs for his dad, and another alcoholic politician. And society has this image of bikers being social irresponsibles? I gotta go for a late night ride and figure this all out... It's cold, dark, gotta watch out for deer, bugs fly-ing through the headlight beam, country road somewhere west of Marengo, no traffic, and the serenity that only comes from the wind in your face and a half-throttle, rumbling Evo between your legs Now let's see... I think it all started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained that she didn't want any prayer in our schools. And we said OK. Then someone said you had better not read the Bible in school. The Bible that says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said, OK. Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their lit-tle personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. And we said, an expert should know what he's talking about so we won't spank them anymore. Then someone said that teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said "We don't want any bad publicity, and we sure-ly don't want to be sued." And we accepted their reasoning. Then someone said, "Let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents." And we said, "That's a grand idea." Then some wise school board member said, "Since boys will be boys and they're going to 'do it' anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the `fun' they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school." And we said, "That's another great idea." And then some of our top elected officials said that it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And agreeing with them, we said "It doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good." And someone said "Let's print magazines with

pornographic pictures of women and call it wholesome down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body." And we said "We have no problem with that." And someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by making them available on the Internet. And we said "They're entitled to their free speech." And the entertainment industry said, "Let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. And let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes." And we said "It's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead." Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers or their classmates. If we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has to do with... "We reap what we sow." You know the reasoning that's hard to follow? I have to train, test, and demonstrate my profi-ciency as a rider to get a license to ride a motor-cycle. If I don't ride it the way society says I should, I lose my right to ride. I never had to do a thing to demonstrate my skills at parenting. Is anything wrong with that picture???

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Wauconda.