Thunder Roads WV DEC09 Issue

8/14/2019 Thunder Roads WV DEC09 Issue

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/thunder-roads-wv-dec09-issue 1/40





Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Thunder Roads West Virginia



The Christmas Season is fast approaching and I am so not ready

for it. Thank goodness we have been working hard on this

issue’s special Biker’s Holiday Gift Guide which has given me

some great gift ideas. Even a few for Gary. Now, I know that

gift giving is not the reason for the season but it has always been

a tradition in my family to make the effort to nd just the right

something for the ones you love. Whether it is a long awaited

chrome piece for my sweetheart’s ride or a nice night out for

the two of us, it is the fact that biker friendly gifts are what

we both like. How can you go wrong? All of the advertisers in

Thunder Roads West Virginia are biker friendly which open

many avenues in gift giving for the shopping challenged. Take

advantage of the information in this issue to nd the perfect gift

this season.

In owing with the holiday season I would like to say a great

big “Thank You!” to all of the riders that have been showing

up in support of the many fundraising events happening in

these last weeks of the riding season. Don’t forget that even

though the rides will be cut due to inclement weather, for the

time being, please keep your eyes open for the numerous events

happening to benet organizations like Toys-for-Tots and Coats

for Kids. Every holiday season these organizations do their

utmost to make sure that the underprivileged children of our

state are taken care of and at least have something under the tree

from someone who cares. What a great way to make such a big

difference in someone’s life. There are food drives that need

donations, hot meals that need to be delivered and an elderly

person that could just use an ear to share their memories with.

It is the season to be giving to those in need, patient with those

who maybe don’t deserve it, and loving to those that love us.

I do need to apologize to some of our Biker Friendly Directory

advertisers for having a “Fat Finger” issue while putting

together their listings last month. Though I did come to nd

out about the problem when the recipient of misdirected calls

contacted us to let us know about it, which means that you,

the reader, are utilizing the many cool places we highlight in

Thunder Roads West Virginia. Do me a favor, if you decide to

try out a new place because of one of our ads, let them knowwhere you heard about them. I love knowing that we are giving

you all the information you need to make riding this great state

an even more enjoyable experience. That’s what it is all about.

Have a great holiday season and try to enjoy the renewal of

nature which helps to provide the wonderful scenery we will all

be enjoying in the next riding season. If we can all live through

it that is.

Ride safe and keep the shiny side up!

Donna

Dragon Tales



Copyright 2009. Published by Thunder Roads West Virginia, LLC under licensefrom Thunder Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this magazines contentmay be reproduced without the written permission of the Publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility and is not to be held liable for errors beyond the costof the space occupied by the error, slander of any group or individual, failure toproduce any issue as scheduled due to reasons beyond our control, any andall suits for libel, plagiarism, copyright infringement, and unauthorized use of aperson’s name or photograph. Opinions and claims made by advertisers andauthors are their own, and do not necessarily represent the policy of Thunder Roads West Virginia, Thunder Roads Magazine, or Thunder Publishing. ThePublisher does not promote the abuse of alcohol or other drugs.

Letter From The Editor…...................……..4

Letters.........................................................6

Playing Marbles.....................……………...7

Crisin’ for Christian....................………...9

Dressing for the Crash - P art 1...................10

The Right Helmet…...................………….12Bike of the Month…...................…………13

Bikers’ Holiday Gift Gide...................…14

Hidden Highways-Rte.15.........................16

Elkins Leaf Peepers….................………..17

Center Calendar.……......................……...18

Crashing Sons of Anarchy …...............…20

Skin Art…….....................………………….22

Wheels with Heart…..................………….23

Cold Storage…..................…...…………...24

TNT………….....................…………………25

That Other Biketoberfest…...............…...26

PARTY!!!…………….....................………..28

A Hand to Sam….................………..........30

K.I.S.S……………......................................32

The High Road…...................……………..35

The Jokers Wild…..................…………….36

THuNDER ROADS WEST VIRGINIAP.O. Box 606 / Charles Town, WV 25414

www.thunderroadswv.com

OWNER / EDITORS

Gar Westphalen, Edtor-n-Chef

[email protected] / 304-616-0102

Donna K. Westphalen, CFO / [email protected]

LAYOuT & DESIGN

Barbara Laszewsk Garner / Thnder Pblshng

AD LAYOuT

Meredth Hancock / Hancock Graphcs

CONTRIBuTORS

“Baadman” / Branson Dnn / Jm “Jammer” Marcm

Jerr & Joann Pastne / Wane & Se Sheets / “Spke” / Moe Vetter

ADVERTISING SALES / DISTRIBuTION

NATiONAL ACCOuNTS

Donna K. Westphalen - 304-261-1609 / [email protected]

NORTHWEST WVGreg Vernon 304-616-0249 / [email protected]

HARDy, GRANT, MiNERAL, HAMPSHiRE, PENDLETON

Moe Vetter - 304-668-9563 / [email protected]

MORGAN, BERKELEy, JEFFERSON

Dave Lksa - 304-268-1315 / [email protected]

MERCER, MONROE, SuMMER, MCDOWELL

Crts Hmphres - 276-620-8965 / [email protected]

Lare Grggs - 540-353-5695 / [email protected]

JEFFERSON

Howard “Pops” Evans - 540-327-6588 / [email protected]

ON THE COVER

Santa Claus out tooling around on this beautifully restored

1949 Flathead Servi-Car owned by Freddie Gantt of

Hedgesville. Come to think of it, Santa bears a striking

resemblance to Freddie.

NATIONAL FOuNDERSTon McCo Shearon & Bran Shearon

PO Box 174 / Chapmansboro, TN 37035Ofce 615-792-0040 / Fax: 615-792-7580

emal: [email protected]

DECEMBER 2009 ThunDER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia www.tderrdwv.cm



“Do you write everything in the magazine?” That’s a question I get all the time. The answer is, well, much

of it. That’s what I do. I ride the state, looking for bikes, roads,

and group rides. I go to events to meet you, to ride with you, and

then to share the day with those of you who weren’t there by

telling the story in the magazine. And I investigate subjects that

matter to bikers, and report what I have learned.

Now, obviously, Donna writes her own column. By the way, it’s

named “Dragon Tales” because the dragon has always been her

fantasy identity. She also handles most of the upcoming events

listings. “Jammer” Marcum writes “The High Road” every month,

because we all could use a little “Churchin’ Up”. And we have

a few other regular columns and writers in the works that will be

debuting in the months ahead.

But my favorite writer for Thunder Roads West Virginia is you.

Starting with the very rst issue, contributions from readers

have made this your magazine. The more we publish, the more

you are bringing your stories to the party. Forget ad revenues,

page counts, distribution gures and all those other measures

of “success”. To me, this magazine is successful when you feel

like you are a part of it. You are my brothers and sisters, and I

want you to share your stories of the road with the rest of this

family.

In this issue alone, we have a story on a Veterans Ride by Branson

Dunn. Moe Vetter traveled down to Florida’s Biketoberfest, and

is sharing his trip with all of us. Speaking of trips, our account

rep Greg Vernon writes about riding onto the set of the “Sons

of Anarchy” TV show. L. Wayne Sheets waxes poetic (almost)

as he reects on a fall foliage run he made with some good

folks from the Elkins area. “Spike” contributed pictures of the

Warlock’s Hog Roast which, I am sorry to say, I missed because

I was on the other side of the state riding in a downpour. And

there are several other contributions, all of which are noted in

bylines.

There are more. I have a prose piece on the shelf from reader

E. C. Hume that will help all of us make it through the cold, dark,

rideless winter months. And West Virginian Bob Hyre is writing

a fascinating story about his 10,000 mile odyssey to Alaska and

back. That’s just a sampling of what readers of Thunder Roads

West Virginia are sharing with you.

So how about returning the favor? We all have to make it

through winter with little or no seat time. By sharing stories of

the road, we can be a sort of support group for each other while

the snow ies. Fire up the computer, call up those pictures from

your coolest ride last summer, dust off your powers of recall, and

bring us along on your ride down memory lane…or whatever

that favorite road was called.

Maybe your story isn’t about a ride. It could be about your bike.

It could be about your favorite West Virginia destination. It could

be your own Hidden Highway. Whatever bike-related story you

want to share with the rest of us, we want to read it.

Send your story submissions to me. I may edit your story a

little bit. I may not be able to run every story and every picture

you send to me. But I promise you that I will look at every one.

Between Thunder Roads West Virginia and our companion

website at www.thnderroadswv.com we have a lot of

opportunity for you to join in the chatter.

In the meantime, if you’re like me, I know you’re busy chasing

down that elusive perfect gift for the biker on your list. Before you

throw your hands up in surrender, be sure to thumb through the

Biker’s Holiday Gift Guide in this issue. We’ve got a collection

of unusual suggestions from some of our advertisers, and every

one of them is better than another sweater or necktie. Trust me

on that.

Happy Holidays!Gary

4 ThunDER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia DECEMBER 2009



West Virginia One year subscription to Thunder Roads is only $35 a year.

The nation’s largest FREE biker publication

can be delivered right to your door.

Name___________________________________

Address_________________________________

City____________________________________

State_________________ Zip_______________

Make Check payable to:

Thunder Roads West Virginia

Mail check and this form to:

Thunder Roads West Virginia

P.O. Box 606

Charles Town, WV 25414

THUNDER ROADS WEST VIRGINIA

RECEIVES GOVERNOR’S AWARD

Thunder Roads West Virginia is

honored to share news that we have

received a Certicate of Recognition

from Governor Joe Manchin III for our coverage of the “Ride for the Red”

motorcycle event in Blueeld. The story

appears in our October, 2009 issue. The

Governor’s certicate recognizes TRWV

“for outstanding community service and

volunteerism with the Central West Virginia Chapter of the American Red

Cross – Blueeld Ofce.”

The event raised more than $29,000 for the Red Cross chapter. All of the

money is spent in support of families in the region, including those of American

service men and women serving overseas.

The award was presented to Thunder Roads West Virginia at a banquethosted by the Red Cross to honor sponsors of the annual Ride for the Red.

Since TRWV was not a sponsor of the event – we were merely doing our job of

reporting on the good things that bikers do – this was a completely unexpected

recognition. We are humbled, and in turn dedicate this award to all Americans

who have put their lives on the line for our freedom. Thank you.

DECEMBER 2009 Thun DER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia www.tderrdwv.cm



Hello Gar,

M name s Colonel Smth and m wfe s Chrss. i am wrtng to o n refereof the wheele that was done n Martnsbrg on the Bketoberfest poker-rn. i wthe one that dd that wheele, and a nce one at that! Bt, how man chanceso get to do a wheele on Man St. wth a Polce escort. (knda hard to pass Bt also n sang ths i wold lke to apologze to anone that was on the rn, t

n some werd wa wold have been offended. M wfe and i look forward to magazne ever month, and concdentall we appeared n the Oct sse wth a npc of mself and Chrss wnnng the weene-bte at Evel Speeds open-hose.closng, i wold lke to sa- o all have an awesome thng gong and keep p good work!

Semper Fi!

Colonel

Clel smt,

i cerely dbt tt ye w ffeded by te weele. i frw i d tt f t myelf. Tk fr te kd wrd b

te mze. it’ d t fepprected. a fr te weebte pctre, t’ wrt r…wtt cmmet.

Tk y fr yr ervce t ctry.

gry

Letters To

The Editor




Playing Marbles

Chldren don’t pla poker. The pla marbles. So t’s ttng that a benet rde for CASA n

Rple, WV was done wth marbles, and not cards. We’ll get to the marbles n a mnte.

Bt rst a lttle abot CASA, whch stands for Cort Apponted Specal Advocates. it s a

natonwde network of volnteers who, nder appontment b a jdge, attach themselves to

the case of an absed or neglected chld caght p n the legal or welfare sstems. CASA

volnteers make certan the chld never falls throgh the cracks and eventall ends p n a

safe, permanent home. CASA has helped more than two-mllon chldren natonwde n the

three decades snce t was establshed. in Rple, the CASA chapter works wthn the Ffth

Jdcal Dstrct.

Now the marbles. The rn conssts of the sal 5 checkponts. At each stop the rder plls

a marble ot of a bag and the color s recorded. After the rn s completed, the marbles are

drawn and a pont vale s assgned to each marble color. unlke a poker rn, bkers have no

dea how good ther draw s ntl after the rn, when the pont vales are desgnated.

it was on a cool, overcast fall da that rders set ot from the Parchment Valle ConferenceCenter, for a 78 mle rde to draw ther ve glass orbs. Headng rst throgh Rple, the rde

trned north on Hghwa 21. 20 mles from the startng pont the rde made a rght trn on

Trke Fork Road, an tt-btt road lled wth twst fn and a cople of trck spots. Trke

Fork s n the mddle of a facelft and rders spent several mles dodgng sectons of pavement

that had been mlled ot n preparaton for repar. Once the were throgh dodgng craters, the

rders came pon a secton of new blacktop and cold gve the rght wrst a lttle extra twst.

The rde contned throgh Elzabeth and Mneral Wells, hookng p wth Rote 21 agan abot

ten mles soth of Parkersbrg, before headng back down nto Rple. Rders nshed the

da wth a spaghett dnner and free admsson to the Jackson Cont Black Bears Sem-Pro

football All-Star game. More than $5,200 was rased drng the das events. All n all, not a

bad wa to enjo a fall da whle helpng CASA care for the kds of the Ffth Jdcal Dstrct.






cruisin for Christian

Chrstan Wlson s a 13 ear old bowho lves on a montan jst otsdeMooreeld. Hs handsome smle andbrght ees bele the fact that he’s hadsome togh tmes. Speccall, he’sabot to ndergo a forth operaton for a spnal dsorder. When Steve Bosle,owner of the Broken Spoke Bar andGrll n Needmore, fond ot abot the knew he had to do somethng tohelp.

Natrall, beng a bker, Steve knewthat he cold cont on the bkngcommnt to ptch n. So, despte thefact that t was November, a benet rnwas formed. Now, gven the tme of ear, t cold have been snowng. BtMother Natre decded to spport thecase as well, and provded a pctreperfect da wth temps rght arondthe 70 degree mark for a rde thatwold cover n the neghborhood of ahndred mles.

it was abot noon when the kckstandssnapped back and two dozen bkes

rolled eastbond on Old Hghwa 55wth Chrstan and hs brothers rdngsweep n the van drven b hs mom

At Wardensvlle, the grop headednorth on 259 to Cacapon Rver RoadThs narrow road mostl follows thesnakng contors of the rver p toCapon Brdge. it’s a lot of fn on abke, bt wold be even more so f thpavement weren’t speckled wth soman crdel done patches.

From here the rde headed west on

Hghwa 50 throgh Romne to 220Soth. Ths stretch of Hghwa 220has some ver nterestng crvesto t and generall coaxes rdersto msbehave. it’s a ne stretch of asphalt.

Once 220 delvered the bkers toMooreeld, the had two optons formakng ther wa back to the rde’s eat the Broken Spoke. The cold taOld 55, whose crves are grn-ndcnow that the dsastros tar and chptreatment from earler ths smmer has nall settled down. Or the co

jmp on the new Hghwa 55, alsocalled “Corrdor H” for the short trpto one of the exts near the BrokenSpoke. The new hghwa s franklborng at anthng nder rdcloslllegal speeds. ‘Nff sad abot thatopton.

Ths perfect late fall da was cappedoff wth food, a ggantc bonre, and fnd-rasng acton. Even as ChrsWlson enjoed hs spot b the bonthe bker’s thoghts went ot to hm he faces hs medcal challenges.






lke ths happen to rders ever da. Obvosl,

snce i’m wrtng ths seres of artcles, i srvved the

crash. Bt parts of me srvved better than others,

and i beleve t was becase of the safet eqpment

choces i had made for varos bod parts. in ths

seres of stores, we’re examnng safet eqpment

pece b pece – startng at the top of the lst.

The Helmet

Let me rst state that i abhor helmet laws. The

“nann state” mndset makes m skn crawl. it s not

the government’s bsness to dctate how i shold

eqp mself to enjo m chosen actvtes. There

s a mch better solton to the sse. Bt i don’t

want to dgress down that path at the moment. We’ll

dscss t another tme.

That sad, i do thnk that wearng anthng less than

a fll face bran pot s not a good dea. Bt that’s m

choce, and doesn’t have to be or choce. Here’s

wh i wear t:

in the accdent we’re examnng, i was wearng a fll

face helmet, and i had the sheld closed. As i was

sldng down the street, the engne gard was drectl

n front of m face. All i remember seeng was sparks

ng off the brght chrome engne gard as t was

beng grond awa. M onl thoght was, “Sh*t! M

engne gard!” i wasn’t thnkng abot the fact that

m head was also sldng along the pavement. And

the reason i wasn’t thnkng abot t s becase m

helmet was takng the ht, not m skll.

BARB – iNSERT “My HELMET” PiC HERE

The sde of the helmet and sheld was grond awa.

There’s no dobt that wthot wearng a helmet i

wold at least have had a seros case of road rash

arond m left ee, cheek and temple. M ee and

m ear cold also have been n seros troble. in a

worst case scenaro, t s qte possble that i wold

have lost a good chnk of the left sde of m face.

Then there’s the sse of bran damage from the

mpact wth the pavement. it happened so qckl

that i can’t actall sa there was or wasn’t mch of

a ht n ths case. Bt man experts beleve that t s

the thmp of the rders head makng rst contact wth

the pavement that leads to njred gra matter.

Even thogh i had (almost) alwas worn a fll face

helmet before ths crash, lookng at the damage on

m helmet was all i needed to convnce me that i

was makng the rght choce – for me. Bt man

of o don’t agree for a long lst of reasons. Some

are vald, and some are dbos. The onlne safet

gear srve Thnder Roads West Vrgna has been

condctng s gvng s nsght nto what knds of

helmets o wear, and wh. The srve wll be

ongong throghot the seres of safet gear artcles,

bt as of now more than 80% of respondents prefer

to wear a half helmet or none at all. Regardless of ther personal preference for helmet tpe, more than

90% sad the prmarl chose ther helmet based

on comfort. Crash protecton came n a ver dstant

second. if o haven’t partcpated n the srve et,

log on to www.thnderroadswv.com and clck the

Safet Srve lnk.

BARB – iNSERT “CuTAWAy” PiC HERE

Essentall, the helmet protects a bker’s head b

dspersng the energ of an mpact. The hard oter

shell takes the rst ht n an collson. it s desgned

to compress on mpact, whch has the net effect of

dspersng energ over the entre shell. Some do ths

b crackng open whle other desgns delamnate.Ether wa, the shell absorbs a great deal of the

energ. Bt not all.

The oter shell of the helmet ma have come to a

stop at ths pont, bt nsde the helmet, o’re head

s stll movng. That’s where the nner lner comes

nto pla. Ths s sall made of dense polstrene

foam and ts man job s to cshon or head as

t tres to keep movng. it absorbs the energ b

crshng nto tself, collapsng the tn ar bbbles

trapped nsde the materal. The whole pont s for

the laers of the helmet to work together, absorbng

as mch of the mpact energ as possble before tmakes ts wa to or bran.

The soft paddng nsde has more to do wth comfort,

bt the chn strap s an ntegral part of the safet

aspects of a helmet. if t sn’t secrel fastened the

helmet s lkel to pop off before t has mch chance

to coddle or bran. Makng sre or helmet s the

rght sze s also crtcal. A helmet that s too bg or

too small can get ncomfortable n a hrr, and wll

not properl protect o n a crash. Read or sdebar

stor to learn abot gettng a properl tted helmet.

BARB – iNSERT “FuLL” HELMET PiC HERE

From here, the choces can get dzzng. Man

bkers choose fll-face helmets becase of the add

protecton the offer. Most professonal rders and

vrtall all racers opt for fll coverage. in or srv

the bggest knock aganst fll coverage helmets s

the sense of connement. Bt the second hghest

nmber of respondents sad the don’t beleve fll

coverage helmets are safe. 80% who prefer to go

wthot a helmet sad the don’t thnk fll coverage

helmets are safe. When the gave a reason for th

belef, t was sall a sense of restrcted vson.

Others chose a three-qarter helmet. Ths choce generall made becase the bker feels conned a

hs/her vson s restrcted b a fll coverage helme

Of those who have responded to the srve so far,

ths s the least poplar stle of helmet. The onl

reason gven for choosng ths stle over a fll face

helmet was a sense of better vson.

Bt the most freqentl chosen helmet s the short

Nearl half of or srve respondents to date choo

ths stle of helmet. Accordng to the srve, man

of o feel these lds are the most comfortable,

whle stll provdng the amont of protecton neede

wthot lmtng vson.

noVEMBER 2009 ThunDER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia www.tderrdwv.cm



Organzatons lke the Motorccle Safet Fondaton

don’t lke half helmets becase the feel the

protecton provded b them s nadeqate. However,

t’s nterestng to note that ths s also the helmet of

choce for most law enforcement agences. Even

less protecton s provded b bran pots that don’t

bear the DOT stcker, and are techncall llegal n

West Vrgna.

Crrentl 20 states, ncldng West Vrgna, mandate

helmet sage for all rders. 26 states reqre them

for specc age grops, and onl Colorado, illnos,New Hampshre, and iowa have no helmet laws. in

West Vrgna, Governor Joe Manchn iii sas he has

been workng to repeal the state’s helmet law, bt

s meetng wth resstance n the state legslatre.

Governor Manchn told a grop of rders ths fall

if or heads all had the same sze and shape, gettng

a properl ttng helmet wold be a breeze. Btsnce we don’t have the one-sze-ts-all opton,helmet shoppng can get even more dfclt thanndng the rght bke. Reslts so far from theThnder Roads West Vrgna Safet Srve atwww.thnderroadswv.com sggest that whle crashprotecton s mportant to o, the overwhelmngreason o choose an partclar helmet s comfort.For both comfort and crash protecton, the mostmportant aspect of bng a helmet s makng sreo get the szng rght.

That’s more dfclt than t mght seem. For starters,not all helmets are shaped the same even f the szes consstent. A Shoe, for nstance, generall ts a

more elongated head than does an Ara. Even wthnthe same brand, varos models ma t dfferentlas most manfactrers prodce three dfferent faceshapes, not to menton that man are desgned tot a specc ethnc head strctre. To get a goodttng helmet that provdes comfort and protecton,o have to tr t on. Even then, o ma have to trdozens of helmets at several dealers before o ndone that trl ts comfortabl.

From a short to a fll-face, all helmets shold passthe followng smple tment tests. Keep n mnd thata helmet shold t sngl and secrel on or head. There shold be no partclar area casngdscomfort, other than mabe or cheeks when tcomes to three-qarter or fll-face helmet. it hasto do wth how the t arond the lower half of or head. The cheek pads shold press rml aganstor cheeks, sendng or thoghts back to the olddas when grandma coldn’t resst the temptatonto sqeeze or face. On man hgher-end models,o can even order dfferent thcknesses of cheekpads to frther cstomze the t. Cheek pads aremade of materal that wll conform to or partclar face shape over tme. Jst another reason not to letother people wear or helmet.

Wth that nformaton n mnd o shold not beable to t or thmb between the helmet and or forehead. Next, wth the helmet strapped on, trthe roll-off test, to be sre the t s proper. Pt the

helmet on and cnch the chn strap down tghtl.

Tltng or head forward, grab the rear lp of thehelmet and pll forward. it mght hrt a lttle bt, btsck t p and gve t a pll to see f the helmet rollsforward. if the t s correct, or skn shold movewth the helmet. And lastl, shake or head left andrght, p and down. Come on, i don’t want to hear an hangover headache stores now, shake t harder.if that helmet sloshes arond on or head, dropdown a sze and tr t agan.

All helmets mst have a secre chnstrap to keep thethng on or head. it won’t do or bran an goodf the helmet pops off on mpact. Most se a dobleD-rng setp that secrel pnches the strap betweenthe rngs, et releases easl when the D-rngs are

plled n the opposte drecton. if the strap on apartclar helmet doesn’t seem secre to o, moveon.

if the helmet o are consderng has a facesheld,be sre that o lke t. Ths ma not seem lkea comfort sse, bt t s. if the sheld doesn’t tsngl aganst the helmet, the wnd whstlng throghthe cracks mght send o to the loon bn n ahrr. And f t sn’t optcall clear, the wav lnes tgenerates across or eld of vew wll compete wththe wnd nose for or sant.

Beond the sses crtcal to gettng a good ttnghelmet, there are man featres that can affect thecomfort of an gven bran pot. A snap for the end

of the strap, easl changed faceshelds, ventlaton,ant-foggng breath gards, removable and washablepaddng, and overall weght are among the other factors to consder.

that he wold lke to see a temporar repeal of the

law jst to demonstrate to the legslatre how mch

bkng torsm t wold generate.

Bt wold a repeal reslt n hgher rates of seros

njr? The Natonal Hghwa Trafc Safet

Admnstraton sas there s no dobt that t wold.

Head njr s the leadng case of fataltes n

motorccle crashes, and NHTSA sas ts stdes

show that helmets redce the rsk of fataltes b 29

percent.

Pblc opnon also leans strongl aganst repeal

of helmet laws. One NHTSA srve of the sse

showed more than 4 ot of 5 adlts favor mandator

helmet laws, and more than 60 percent of the bkers

srveed agreed.

Lke t or not, the motorccle helmet s an mportan

part of stang alve on the hghwa. The best we

bkers can do s learn the facts abot helmets, and

then make the choce that’s rght for each of s.

In next month’s installment of Dressing for the Cra

we’ll examine jackets and pants. These items may

seem more like comfort and style choices, but they

play a major role in keeping the biker safe. Once

again, I’ll draw upon personal experience in looking

at the crash I detailed at the beginning of this story

and one I had eight years later. Two crashes, two

different styles of jacket, and two very different

outcomes

12 ThunDER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia noVEMBER 2009



When Wesle Blevns was a kd he transferred to a newschool. Alwas a togh thng. The transfer was even toghefor hm becase he was a longhar who excelled n art. Bacthen, that ddn’t exactl t n wth the testosterone-drvenfootball-slngng, macho-teenage bo crowd. Wesle ddn

reall care abot that. Bt what dd rrtate hm was that evertme hs art wold be on dspla the “in” thgs wold deface b drawng rde and sometmes obscene graft on hs work.

Now, Wesle and the frends he was able to make spent a loof ther free tme, as most gear-headed bos do, crsng thetown n ther cars. From the crsng, he got an dea. No longewold he sgn hs artwork wth hs real name. He adopted thename CRuZ. That’s rght, all captal letters, except for the“”. That wa hs detractors woldn’t know t was hs artworkand wold leave t alone. The plan seems too smple to haveworked effectvel, bt t dd. That probabl sas a lot abohs tormentors. Anwa, the name stck and so dd hs desre

for art. He now makes a lvng n Brdgeport, WV dong cstomarbrshng, pantng “anthng on anthng.”

The “anthng” shown here s hs own bke. it’s a 2002 yamahaV-Star 1100 Classc. He started wth a Hose of Kolor baseof Oron Slver, and created the ntrcate skll desgn barbrshng over t wth Black Cand. The old school ameare Hot Pnk Pearl. To rond ot the cstomzng, CRuZpcked Cobra Ppes, a Corbn Stlleto seat, RC ComponenMar wheels, a nft headlght b Arlen Ness, and a few otheshn bts.

No one makes fn of hs art anmore.

B I K E O F T H E M O N T H

CRUiZ Cool




Wesley Blevins of CRuiZ Cstom Airbrsh can paint “Anything o

Anything”. So if that Biker of yors wold love to have a pictre of h

motorcycle on the toilet seat, CRuiZ can do that. Oh, he can do a gre

job with a cstom airbrsh job on the bike, too. Check ot his work at t

new stdio in Bridgeport, WV.

If a new helmet is on yor Biker’s list, Hawkins Exxon in Fairmont is t

place to go. Along with a whole new selection of noggin wrappers, th

have some very cool Poppa Hog shirts. Hawkins does bike repairs ainspections, so yo can get that long-expired sticker covered with a ne

one. 10% off bike winterizing, too.

Some bikers like to do it in the dirt, and Morgantown Honda, Yamah

Szki, KTM knows exactly what the off-roader on yor list wants. G

30% off all in-stock 2009 Fox Racing, TLD, Fly, Shift & Thor gear. 40

off Fox goggles, and hge disconts on in-stock ’08 & ’09 bikes. Withoors of gear, there’s something for every biker.

Inside the envelope yo slip nder the tree for yor babe are tickets

the New Year’s Eve party at Nan and Pop’s Place in Martinsbrg. W

FREE food, hats, noisemakers, champagne toast and FREE Sober Ta

what cold be better? Two things: Msic by Black Onyx and a crazy lo

price tag of jst $25 per cople.

That biker gy of yors is whining abot being stck in the hose f

the winter. Okay, he can’t go for a ride. Bt yo can still make him fe

good abot his bike by taking it to Power Hose Cycles in Martinsbr

Get 20% off all parts & service in December and Janary. When spri

comes, yor biker will be thanking yo.



Yo know she wants chrome, bt this piece, or that one? Which jacket

will he like? I know this is the helmet, bt what size? Fingerless gloves,

or gantlets? Solve yor dilemma the easy way by bringing yor biker

along and get 10% off all parts and accessories dring the month of

December at Smitty’s in Bckhannon.

The way Jim at The Twisted Spoke in Clarksbrg sees it, “It’s jst a

motorcycle ntil we twist it.” Whether the biker yo’re bying for rides

domestic or imported, yo’ll nd the right gift here. From a cstom bildto parts from Drag Specialties, V-Twin, Daytona Twin Tec, and others,

these gys can give yor holiday season a new twist.

Yor honey will have to wait ntil the day after Christmas for this gift.

Bt catching The Davisson Brothers Band at Winston’s Bar & Grill in

Fairmont on December 26th will be worth it. until then, catch Vs. The

Earth on December 12 before they begin a national tor. Winston’s bringsin the best live msic from all over this part of the contry.

Finally, here’s or personal favorite. A high qality 100% cotton black

hat that sports two-toned silver and gray old school ames on the top of

the bill. By a fascinating coincidence the hat jst happens to sport or

favorite logo – The Thunder Roads West Virginia wings. Imagine that!

Available at www.thnderroadswv.com

CRuZ Cstom Arbrsh158 Thompson Drve

Brdgeport, WV 26330(304) 842-0720

www.crzcstomarbrsh.com

Hawkns Exxon190 East Grafton RoadFarmont, WV 26554

(304) 366-5261

The Twsted Spoke97 Mlford Street

Clarksbrg, WV 26301(304) 326-4644

www.TheTwstedSpoke.com

Wnston’s Bar & Grll2204A Pleasant Valle Road

Farmont, WV 26554(304) 363-5046

www.wnstonsbarandgrll.com

Morgantown Honda, yamaha, Szk, KTM526 Mlegrond Road

Morgantown, WV 26505(304) 296-9055

www.morgantownhonda.com

Nan & Pop’s Place3845 Wnchester Ave

Martnsbrg, WV 25405(304) 267-2007

www.NanandPopsPlace.com

Power Hose Ccles2748 Wnchester AveneMartnsbrg, WV 25405

(540) [email protected]

Smtt’s Szk, Kawasak, yamahaRt. 33 E. Corrdor H

Bckhannon, WV 26201(304) 472-4824

www.spersmtts.com



it’s ranng. The FJR has hard bags that wll keep m gear dr. i’m wearng a fllrdng st, so i’m good to go as well. Bt i can’t sa the same for the roadwa.Ths sn’t a fll-ot drenchng sort of ran. it’s jst enogh to mx wth the ol fromthe pesk cages that have come before me, leavng a slm lm on the tarmac. ihad envsoned a sprted romp on a new road, bt i have to settle for tp-toeng mwa along a 30 mle stretch of road that cold be so mch fn.

Abot 30 mles soth of Elkns on the legendar bke road Hghwa 219, StateHghwa 15 begns a westward romp to Webster Sprngs and beond. it doesn’tlook lke mch from here, and that makes me gggle. Roads lke ths often makefor the best rdes. Webster Sprngs s 30 mles awa and 15 follows the crest of ardge from here to there. That means t wll be fll of meanderng lefts and rghts ast snakes along the rdge top. There wll be great vews of rgged forest-coveredmontans to the left and rght. And snce i’m at a farl low alttde at ths end,

and Webster Sprngs s n a valle of ts own, that means that i wll be facng downsome great stretches of twstes as i make m wa to the top of the rdge and thenback down.

Bt remember, t’s ranng. The testosterone-laced charge over ths rbbon of aroad wll have to wat for another da – perhaps tomorrow. Toda i make mself content wth a modest pace that gves me tme to absorb as mch of the vew aspossble. The low-hangng clod cover sn’t gvng me mch of a break there,ether.

Shortl after trnng onto the east end of 15, i begn m clmb to the top of therdge. For mles, the front wheel of m bke s decdedl hgher n alttde than therear. Once i crest the rdge, the road levels ot, and begns wndng along the top.Passng a telephone mcrowave tower and several other ndented antennae, iam remnded that ths s a prett hgh spot.

Hidden Highways

State Route 15

When the rdge wdens ot, the forest thckens and closes over the top of troadwa. under ths lsh canop m nternal warnng sstem kcks n as i bescannng for deer on the roadwa ahead. Comng p over a lttle rse, senogh, i spot wldlfe n m path. it’s a good thng the wet road has me tooalong at a jog. Easng nto the brake, i cont not jst one or two, bt ve wtrkes santerng across the road. And i mean santerng. The are gongslow that, even thogh i’m brakng to a stop, the last brd feels i’m gettng cloenogh to hm that he decdes to take wng. i can hear hm appng even aplant m left foot.

Abot 25 mles nto the rde on Hghwa 15, the bke and i go nose-down as descend left-rght-left nto the valle. Oh, ths wll be grn-ndcng tomorrow whthe road s dr and i head back along ths same rote.

it s.The next mornng s as brght and snn as a da can get. yesterda’s rannot onl forgotten, bt the mostre t dmped on Hghwa 15 s gone as wClmbng eastbond ot of the valle, the bker smle on m face s ndelble. havng a hoot of a tme. After clmbng a few mles, there s a pll-off from who can look down nto the enormos J.C. Hamer Sawmll n the valle below. the next half hor i traverse ths gorgeos rdge, enjong vew after vew of tfablos central West Vrgna montans that srrond me. As for trafc, forgei won’t even see another bke.

Sfce t to sa that i have a fantastc tme headng back along State Hghwa The clear, dr road shows a dfferent face than t had on the ran afternoon befoTrth be told, i lke them both.




Elkins Leaf Peepers

The thn red lne strggled to reach 47ºF. The sn was trng hard to breakthrogh the dense fog that formed drng an nseasonabl cool, one mght sa,cold nght. Rchard Kettle told Jerr Pastne, who, along wth hs wfe Joann hadorganzed the rde, “yo know, 55º s normall the oor for me to rde. Bt, on thehopes that t wll trn ot to be a prett da, i decded to brave the cold mornng.”

As the convo of two-wheelers rolled onto uS Rote 33 headed east fromElkns, the sn began to break throgh the overcast and llmnate the canop

of ndgenos ora n brght ellow, orange and red. A sprnklng of evergreenshelped brng ot the color of the maple, oak, cherr, beech and other hardwoodspeces. if the folage n the Tgart Rver Valle had not peaked, t was bt a fewdas awa. A more brllant and colorfl begnnng for the rde cold not havebeen hoped for.

The sn was, b the tme the two-wheeled leaf peepers reached the smmt of theAlleghen Montan at nearl 3,300 feet above sea level, shnng brghtl brngngatmn’s coat of man colors to a beatfl brllance.

The rders descended the eastern slopes of the Alleghen to where the hghwafollows Seneca Creek nto the Soth Branch Valle at Seneca Rocks nder acanop of brght ellow, red and orange. it wold probabl be safe to sa that thetandem rders kept ther cameras bs grabbng snapshots of the color as t wentb.

Somewhere between 400 mllon and 600 mllon ears ago, Mother Natrestacked a ple of Tscarora Sandstone nearl 900 feet hgh along the NorthFork of the Soth Branch Rver at the ntersecton of uS Rote 33 and WestVrgna Rote 28. Ths otcroppng of sper-hard rock wth ts skrts panted na patchwork of colors presents a spectaclar vsta to the rders, as the pop otof the Seneca Creek Canon and approach the ntersecton. Between stealngglances of the vsta before them and watchng for trafc, the rders trn sothtoward the Gatewa Restarant at Rverton for lnch.

After lnch t ddn’t take long before everone was remonted and read for thechallenge of the serpentne road that wold take them to the smmt of SprceKnob, the hghest pont n West Vrgna at 4,861 feet above sea level.

Some had experenced the vew from the state’s hghest overlook before et thatdd not dmnsh ther apprecaton for the grand vsta that la before them aganths afternoon. Those for whom t was a rst smpl stood n qet reverence.

Before them la the montans of the Potomac Hghlands wave on wave asfar as the ee cold see. Comments were made n sbded tones as thoghall the exctement and antcpaton of reachng the smmt were qeted b themagncence of place.

Ther solemnt wasbroken when Mcke Tacarrved on the overlookwth hs hands n frenzedmoton trng to controlthe wonderngs of abrght green snake abot18 nches long that was,n ts attempt to regan ts freedom, explorng possble hdng places n Mcke’s

jacket as well as escape rotes. Mcke, after entertanng everone wth hsnewfond sltherng frend, retrned t to ts home pon leavng the observatondeck.

Sooner than everone wanted, t was tme to begn the trp back to the SothBranch Valle, across the Alleghen on WV Rote 28 and on to Bartow, wherethe rders took a short break for fel and a snack. From there the took uSRote 250 throgh Frank and Drbn and ascended the eastern face of the CheMontan, t too swathed n ever color magnable. The sn had now nvaded sothwestern sk and the rde across the ats of Cheat and along Shaver’s Forwas nder a mlt-colored canop backlt b sn radatng from a clodless sk.

B the tme the arrved n Dale t was tme for a dessert break at C&J’sRestarant, whch s known for havng some of the best pes, cobblers and appldmplngs avalable anwhere. Whle havng hs or her favorte dessert, JerrPastne, who, along wth hs wfe Joann, had planned and organzed the rde,awarded newcomers to the grop a “24-karat gold-plated” fork or spoon handleCallng themselves a grop that “Eats to Rde and Rdes to Eat” one wold haveto agree that ths s an approprate dentt smbol.

Pastne sad, pon hs arrval home, “There were man thngs that made ths anenjoable and memorable rde. Whle i don’t thnk the folage was as beatfl last ear, t was beatfl nonetheless. We are a grop of people who love to rand rde safel, and of whom no one pts hmself above another.”

“Above everthng else, thogh,” he sad, “everone made the trp of over 155mles safel. West Vrgna roads present specal challenges for the bker – shatrns and steep grades to menton a cople – bt that’s what makes rdng n theMontan State so enjoable. i thnk everone s alread lookng forward to nexear.”

Editors Note:

Wayne submitted a longer story about this ride, full of prose as eye-catching as thefall foliage. It’s an enjoyable read, which you can absorb in it’s entirety on our websat www.thunderroadswv.com.

By L. Wayne Sheets






T O y S

F O R

T O T S

n i n w o o d

C h r i s t m a s

N e w Y

e a r s E v e



An Unauthorized Visit byThunder Roads West VirginiaEditor’s Note:

“I have to do something….I gotta get out of here…

California sucks. Blah, blah, blah…” It was a late

night phone call from an old biker friend.

He had been a neighbor of mine here in West

Virginia. He kept his bike in my garage back then.

We rode together. We were nearly religious about a

weekly ritual we called “Friday Night Beer Bash and

Bike Wash.” Neither of us drinks and rides, so wewould set Friday nights aside for washing the bikes

and drinking, oh, so many beers. Come Saturday

morning, the bikes and bikers would be all shined

up and ready for a weekend of threading the needle

on as many West Virginia mountain passes as we

could nd. Life was good.

But things change, and he was lured away to the big

city. First to New York, where he was nearly killed

in a horric crash by a taxi-cage that was backing

down a Jersey on-ramp. He recovered and moved

to California. After seven years in La-La Land, with

this past fall’s Tujunga Canyon Wildre burning out of

control only three blocks from his house, Greg Ver-

non was done with the left coast. When I told him that Donna and I were launching Thunder Roads West

Virginia, he couldn’t get back here fast enough.

Greg is now an account representative, working

statewide with many of our advertisers.

by Greg Vernon

In Tjnga, Calforna i lved a few blocks from

where the lm some otsde scenes and the Cgar shop

of “Sons of Anarchy” . As i wold rde b whle the were

lmng or actall settng p for a shoot, the prmar actors

wold be on the sdewalk wth all those bkes parked on

the street.

When i saw the were settng p for a da of shootng, i

called Gar to tell hm and he sad to crash the set and get pctres of the bkes.

No worres, i tell m Bro. i hopped on m bke wth a st fll of Thunder Roads

West Virginia magaznes Gar had sent to me, along wth a camera, and rode to

the set. (Note to self, rst da as a bker jornalst brng pad and pen).

While in California, Greg lived only a few blocks

away from a city street used as one of the sets for

the “Sons of Anarchy” television show that runs

on cable’s FX network. The show is about a motor

cycle club of the same name in a ctional northern

California town. The club maintains an uneasy truc

with local law enforcement by keeping drug trafck

ers at bay even as it operates well outside the law,

running illegal guns and feuding ruthlessly with rivabikers and white separatists.

Even as Greg was packing up his things to move

back to West Virginia, he took on his rst assign-

ment for Thunder Roads West Virginia: Crash th

set of “Sons of Anarchy” .






S

K

IN

A

RT




Story & photos by Branson Dunn

i wold not sall consder rdng a motorccle an otdoor adventre, bt t doesoften trn ot that wa, gven the wa i rde. it also trned ot to be an otdoor adventre wth the 19th annal Operaton God Bless Amerca motorccle rde on

Jne 7. Beng a relatvel new bker, ths was m rst sch rde, whch mpressvelplled n $62,000 for the Veterans, from some 2500 regstered partcpants. Bt twas so mch more than a motorccle rde. it was somethng i wasn’t prepared for.

i wasn’t prepared for what happened along the wa:

---all the people who went ot of ther wa to acknowledge the bkers—wavng fromther ards, sdewalks, n the streets, on almost all the overpasses, stopped andot of ther vehcles along the road and even on the nterstate, or standng solatedn a eld;

---the beatfl rde tself n the warm sn and the fn of beng part of t wth frends;

---the Veterans themselves—greetng the grop at the hosptal, wavng ags, andmost of all for me, seeng the lonel solder n mltar dress ot on a porch, bhmself, hardl able to stand, bt stand he dd, formall saltng the rders for all he,and we, were worth. i acknowledged hm as long as i cold, beng toched b hs

act more than i can wrte. i hoped others saw hm on hs easl overlooked watch.Another Veteran expressed hs awareness b shnng hs wheelchar nder a shadetree, to match the sparkle of the other two wheelers;

---for the wa i felt moved b the Veteran’s and commnt’s apprecaton of ths smple act. it walmost lke we were beng honored nstead.

it’s called a “chart rde,” bt the term doesn’t do event jstce, n word or deed. One can gve cht wthot carng. An estmated 1800 bkers caenogh to partcpate, drawn together b the desto honor or Veterans wth an extended strng

wheels down the road. Ths was not a chart rdewas a heart rde for Veterans. Thanks to all the foand polce presence along the wa for ther grengs, bt most of all thanks to the Veterans for thservce to or contr.

For most of m lfe, corporate worshp has bemportant to me. The sal pnch of glt startedon me on that Snda rde, mssng chrch, evf t was to lnk p wth a carng commnt of ers. And then i realzed--i hadn’t mssed chrchall. The last thng i wasn’t prepared for—i woldsall consder havng chrch on m Harle, bwas, and i dd.

Wheels with Heart When a Motorcycle Ride is more than Riding

DECEMBER 2009 ThunDER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia 2www.tderrdwv.cm



engne, and ma not fll get blown ot. i leave t to o to decde the valdtthat argment for orself.

Let’s sa o don’t have a garage and that once the bke goes nto storage t smovng ntl sprng. Ths calls for a more methodcal and detaled verson of wterzng. Here we start wth ol, bt not n the crankcase. yank the spark pland pt a cople shot glasses fll of ol n each clnder. Bt don’t se the sglass to por t n. use a trke baster – and not the one from the ktchen. or own. Trn the engne over b hand so the ol coats the clnders, rngs valves. Replace the spark plgs, dran the crankcase and rell wth fresh ol. yhave done everthng o can to keep the dreaded water molecles from attachthemselves nsde the engne.

Thwarted here, those lttle bggers wll move on to the fel tank where the cnot onl attach to the bare metal walls of the tank, bt also blend nto the fel arender t powerless (see or stores abot how water and ethanol blended fare consprng to rn or lfe n or October and November ‘09 sses of ThndRoads West Vrgna). Fll the tank and add a fel stablzer accordng to the drtons on the bottle. Bt don’t thnk o’re nshed wth the fel sstem jst Twst ot the dran screw on the carb oat bowls and dran them ot. if or bk

fel njected t doesn’t have oat bowls, so o get to skp ths step.On to the batter. it’s a pece of hardware that we all lke to forget abot rghtntl the da that t fals s. if o forget abot t whle wnterzng the bke, tfalre da wll be the rst da next sprng when o tr to ressctate or rConnect the batter to a smart charger. These thngs reglate the condton of batter wth amazng precson. in the Thnder Roads West Vrgna stable we kall of or bkes plgged nto smart chargers all ear rond. if a bke s n the garat’s plgged n. We have batteres that are nearng a decade old and stll holdncharge as good as the da we boght them. The chargers generall cost less tha sngle batter, and f o se t relgosl o won’t have to b another battfor man, man ears.

if or bke s lqd cooled, o have one addtonal chore at ths pont. Be sthe ant-freeze n or sstem s sfcent to handle the cold temps or bke endre. yo don’t want that stff freezng nsde the engne, becase t wll nd

gl wa to bst ot as t expands nto ce crstals.

Clean the bke. An bg gts or brd goo left n place over the wnter wll dll pant and pt the metal and chrome parts. Wax t, polsh t, wpe some rbber ptectant on the approprate parts, and whsper sweet nothngs to t. Park t wth tres off the concrete, restng on a slab of wood or sspended on the center staPll a tarp or cover over the bke and start contng the das ntl sprng.

SO, DID IT START?

What, the neglected rat condo? yo’re klln’ me. Actall, t’s no laghng mat After das of trng to get the thng rnnng, m old co-worker nall gave p ahad t towed to the shop. Of corse, t beng sprng and all, the shop was fbkes that had been mstreated over the wnter. He had to wat n lne and t wantl JuLy that he nall got on the road. As for the credt card bll he amassedthe process…t wll be man more Jl’s before that’s gone.

He had too mch jnk n hs garage, so the motorccle had to get stored otsdefor the wnter. So ths smart g i sed to work wth (he was an electrcal engneer b trade) parked hs bke alongsde the fence of hs horse paddock, and threw atarp over t. At ths pont n the stor, f o’re senstve to the needs of a bke, o

alread hear the shrekng sonds of the orchestra’s strng secton as t scores ahorror lm. Screee…Screee…Screee…

We know nothng abot the bke’s well-beng throgh the wnter months, becasehe never looked n on t. Bt when sprng came, and i was ot rdng ever da, thsbke was stll sttng nder ts tarp srronded b a eld of md. it wold be the endof Ma before he even attempted to nwrap the poor thng. When he dd, the famlof rats that had made a wnter nest on the engne qckl scrred off to search for a new home. That was hs rst ndcaton that all was not well…

TO WINTERIZE…OR NOT

That depends on how o se or bke. if o have an averson to cold weather rdng then o have to do somethng to care for or scoot whle o hbernate.Left ntended, the fel n the tank and carb bowls wll trn nast. The batter wlllkel dscharge. The tres wll deterorate. Corroson…RuST…wll nd prchase.

When o wake p n sprng, or bke mght not.if o rde ever chance o get, there’s no reason to fll wnterze or bke.However, there are stll some thngs o shold do to prepare t for the frost sea-son. Most manfactrers recommend lghter weght engne ol n cold weather.Check the manal or ask or mechanc abot the speccs for or bke. Keepthe gas tank fll. Mostre condenses on the nsde walls of the tank above thefel lne. Mostre eqals rst eqals a poorl rnnng bke eqals a rned daand a lghter wallet when o pa for the rebld. Oh, and pt some fel stablzer n there. Even thogh o expect to go rdng next Satrda, that snowstorm theweather g mssed mght change or plans. Keep or tres properl nated andbe certan the are n good condton. The connecton between the cold-hardenedrbber of or tres and the frgd road srface s a lot more tenos than on a hotsmmer da. And keep the bke well cleaned. Even f the roads are clear n thedead of wnter, the ma stll be harborng resde of salt and chemcal treatmentsfrom prevos snowfalls.

DEFINE WINTERIZE

A faml of rats notwthstandng, the greatest enem or bke faces drng thewnter s mostre. it wants to gather everwhere. it wants to get nsde or bke.And t wll. How o deal wth ths amphbos assalt on or bab s a matter of degree. The most hands-on method s to keep the gas tank fll of stablzed fel,roll t ot of the garage ever cople of weeks and re t p to a good operatngtemperatre. Ths wll help chase ot an condensaton that has blt p n the bke.Be sre to wpe her down before o go back to or rockng char b the replace.it’s also a good dea to change ol b the calendar, too. Even thogh o aren’tpttng an mles on that ol, the mostre stll collects n t and damages ts ablt toprotect or engne from – here t s agan – corroson.

i shold pont ot that not everone lkes ths method of wnterzaton. Some argethat the bref rn tmes set weeks apart actall do harm to the bke. The reasonng

s that the mostre that has accmlated n the ol gets shoved arond nsde the

Cold StorageWinterizing your bike by Gary Westphalen




TNT



TatOTher

Biketoberfest Last month we told the stor of the West Vrgna BkeToberFest. Well, beleve t or not, there s

another slghtl more famos rall that goes b the same name. The do ths one down n DatonaBeach, Florda. Janet Kerse of the Chamber of Commerce n Datona Beach tells Thnder Roads West Vrgna the were ver pleased wth the trnot ths ear. She notes that becasethe event has been expanded across the whole cont, “One thng we notced more than ever was also how mch movement there was ths ear. Folks reall got ot and rode all over thearea.” She noted that despte a togh econom, bkers stll showed p n large nmbers.

Thunder Roads West Virginia’s Moe Vetter took t pon hmself to be one of those bkers,and headed down to Bketoberfest to soak p the event. He ddn’t brng s back a t-shrt, bthe dd brng these pctres.






P

Ar

TY

!!!

AntiocRock Hill Club House

Okay. Late fall weather in

West Virginia left a lot to

be desired this year. Can

you say rain, rain, and more

rain? The Toys for Tots run

in Martinsburg got rained

out. The Down-N-Dirty m/c run in Charles Town got

rained out. The Rock Hill

Warlocks in Antioch, well,

they never planned a run

for that weekend. But it was

their 5th anniversary.

So, what to do?




CalsTownLongshots

MatinsbugDirty Dawg

noVEMBER 2009 ThunDER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia 2www.tderrdwv.cm



Sam s a 9 ear old bo who was

dagnosed wth Lekema arond

the age of 5 ears old. Sam was n

remsson n 2008.

in December of 2008, Sam was at the

State Champonshp football plaoffs n

Wheelng, WV. The Grafton Bearcat’s

s Sam’s home team where he s

known for beng Sam “The Waterman”

Bord. Sam was ot on the eld wth the Bearcat’s dong what he loves best,

and that was beng the waterman.

As o can see from the pctre of Sam that was a pctre perfect da for hm

becase Sam’s home team had won the State Champonshp Game. in the

weeks after Sam’s perfect da hs cancer started retrnng. Sam has been

battlng wth hs cancer ever snce.

M hsband Shane sad that we need to help Sam and hs faml and that

s when we thoght of havng the Gve A Hand to Sam Poker Rn. Or

frends, Todd & Ange Romesbrg were also a bg help. Once we started

wth everthng t jst took off. The local commnt n Grafton was sch

a spportng grop of people, and t even gets better wth the srrondngcontes that stepped p to help. i have never seen a commnt come

together lke we have for sch a good case.

The poker Rn started at Bg Dadd’s n Grafton WV, wth a sgn p of more

than 150 bkers from all over the state. We coldn’t have had a better trn

ot on a perfect, snn da. After leavng Bg Dadd’s we had a crost

stop at The Strand Pool Room n downtown Grafton, then took off on 119

to yor Tavern n Kngwood WV, then along the Cheat Rver to Rvervew

n Rowelsbrg, WV. From there we took Rote 26 to LL McGhee’s n

Fellowsvlle, then back to or last stop at Tgart Lake Golf Corse where we

had a lot of food and fn as we sat back and enjoed the George Shngelton

Band.

We wold lke to thank everone that helped, and all the bkers that came

together and pt ther tme and effort nto ths Poker Rn. The da was a

hge sccess, wth all donatons and sponsors we rased over $9000 for Sam

Bord and hs faml.

Hope to see everone next ear at or second annal Gve a Hand to Sam

Benet.

Thanks go ot to everone,

Shane & Melssa Stemple

Todd & Angela Romesbrg



http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/thunder-roads-wv-dec09-issue 33/40DECEMBER 2009 ThunDER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia 3www.tderrdwv.cm



TO ALL OUR BRAVE, PROUD TROOPS... YOU’RE IN OUR THOUGHTS & PRAYERS DAILY. God Speed You Home.

MeLT IN YOUr MOUTh...

rOASTeD hOLIDAY BeeF TeNDerLOIN

One 2-Pond of Beef Tenderlon Roll (Sam’s Clb or Costco has sperbBeef Tenderlon)

Preheat Oven to 500 Degrees

Let Meat St On Conter for A Fll 20 Mntes Pat Tenderlon Dr WthClean Ktchen TowelRb Meat Down Thoroghl Wth Real Btter Rb Salt & Cracked Pepper Over Meat ThoroghlRoast for 25 Mntes On A Shallow-Sded Sheet Paninsert Meat Thermometer into Exact Center of MeatThermometer Shold Read 125 Degrees for A PerfectMedm-Rare and 130 Degrees for A Perfect Medm;To Cook it An Longer is A Crme Aganst Tenderlon & yo’d Be Better Off Roastng An Old Shoe.Remove Flet From Oven To A Separate Plate and Cover Entrel WthFol And Let Meat Rest At Least 10 Mntes,

Add An Envelope of “French’s Peppercorn Grav Mx” to Pan DrppngsFor A Rch, Smooth Grav.Ths s the easest and absolte foolproof wa i’ve ever fond to cook atenderlon and t lterall comes ot perfect ever sngle tme.

e-Z CheeZY hOLIDAY POTATO BAKe

1 can (10-3/4 onces) Condensed Cream of Mshroom Sop, ndlted1 Cp (8 oz. tb) Sor Cream1/2 Cp Whole Mlk1 cp (4 onces) Shredded Mexcan Blend Cheese1/2 cp Btter, Melted & Dvded1 package (30 onces) Frozen Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes; Thawed1 Cp italan Bread Crmbs1/4 Cp Grated Parmesan cheese

in a large bowl, combne the sop, sor cream, mlk, cheddar cheese and1/4 cp btter. Str n the hash browns. Transfer to a greased 13-n. x 9-n.bakng dsh.in a small bowl, combne the bread crmbs, Parmesan cheese andremanng btter; sprnkle over top. Bake, ncovered, at 325° for 45-50mntes or ntl heated throgh. Perfect w/ the Beef Tenderlon and a bgbowl of Broccol Florets. Look for them n an grocer freezer. Be sreand get Florets ONLy! as those are the tops of the broccol and the verbest part of the vegetable. Mcrowave and dot w/ real btter pats. Salt &Pepper. Sperb.

MrS. CLAUS’ reAL DeAL NANNer’ PUDDIN’

2-1/2 Cps Sgar 6 Tbls. All-Prpose Flor Dash of Salt2 (12 oz.) Cans of Evaporated Mlk

4 Egg yolks1/2 Stck of Real Btter; Cbed1 tsp. Real Vanlla Extract1 Box Nlla Vanlla Wafers *Pls extra for garnsh & for crmblng5 Rpe Bananas; Slced 1/2” Thck1 Can of Real Whpped Cream

in a 3-qart heav sacepan on low heat, add sgar, or & salt. Por nthe evaporated mlk and keep strrng constantl. After abot 15 mntes,the sace wll thcken slowl. Lghtl beat the egg olks n a medm szebowl. Now, temper the eggs, whch means that o slowl ladle someof the thckened sace nto the eggs.....slowl, and whsk gentl. Nowadd or eggs nto or sace (snce o’ve tempered them the won’ttrn nto scrambled eggs n or sace). Contne to gentl whsk or

sace, apprx. 3 mntes. Remove the sacepan from the heat and str nbtter and Vanlla Extract. Place pddng n a bowl and cover w/ plastcwrap. Let cool n frdge for 2-1/2 hors. Now, nto a large glass bowl or tre dsh, add a laer of Nlla Vanlla Wafers, a laer of slced bananas,then a laer of pddng sace and then a laer of Real whpped cream.Keep repeatng laers bt make sre o save enogh whp cream for the top laer. Garnsh w/ crmbled wafers over entre top and waversstck standng p all arond permeter of desert dsh. Now, ths s theREAL DEAL method of makng t and bab, Mrs. Clas don’t mess arondcase’ ths wll lterall make o a belever n Santa, the North Pole,Rdolph & hs bds......... & Mracles.

FROM OUR THUNDER ROADS FAMILY TO YOURS

Merry Christmas & A Blessed New Year



UpComing EvEntsDeCeMBer

December 5 – Inwood, WV

Toys for Tots Meet –n-Greet

At ifes ii Sports Bar from 3 PM tl closng. Brng a new to or $10 atthe door. Door przes, rafes, 50/50 & more. Help s help the chldren

have a better Chrstmas. Sponsored b Harle Constrcton, EvelSpeed, Master Dr, Jefferson Secrt Bank & ifes. For more nfo callMke M. 304-261-8397 or Mke P. 304-676-0942

There are numerous other Toys for Tots events throughout the state.

Watch for an event in your area.

DECEMBER 2009 ThunDER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia 3www.tderrdwv.cm



DFM Specal Tee Hose “The Bker Shack”Helmets – Shrts – Chaps - Jewelr2 Locatons: 162 Nanc Jack Road,

Gerrardstown, WV 25420& Barnwell Mn Shops 874 Chesre Road (Rt.

51) Bnker Hll, WV 25413

(304) 229-7609Emal: [email protected]

East Vew Varet ShopWe have everthng from A – Z, Old and New

715 Phlpp PkeEast Vew, WV 26301

(304) 622-6710

Evel SpeedCstom Machne & Motor Sck’l Shop

7323 Wnchester Avene

inwood, WV 25428(304) 229-0987

www.EvelSpeed.net

insane Leather Apparel37 Eastshp Road

Dndalk, MD 21222(410) 491-0020

Emal: [email protected]

The Smokng Head

835 E. Washngton StreetCharles Town, WV 25414(304) 724-3033


CUSTOM ART

Art b WeezeCstom art on bkes, leathers, helmets, ato,

canvas & mralsMartnsbrg, WV(304) 264-4604


www.ArtBWeeze.com

DEALERS & SERVICES

Evel SpeedCstom Machne & Motor Sck’l Shop

7323 Wnchester Aveneinwood, WV 25428

(304) 229-0987www.EvelSpeed.net

BARS & RESTAURANTS

3rd Base Sports Bar & Grll22 Vrgna Avene; uS Rt. 220

up from the stop lghtPetersbrg, WV 26847

(304) 257-2273Emal: [email protected]

Dakota TavernRote 19 North of Farmont

(304) 288-4893Frendl Atmosphere and Good Food

Est. 1964

iron Horse Bar & GrllHC 84 Box 33 (Ctoff Road)

Keser, WV 26726

(304) 788-7533

Longshots Bllards76 Wolfcraft Wa

Charles Town, WV 25414(304) 724-1975

www.longshotsbllards.com

Pete’s Pb & Grll304 Morgantown Avene

Farmont, WV 26554(304) 363-0698

Owner – Beverl Opas

Road Hogs Saloon415 Claton Street

Rvesvlle, WV 26588

Steve’s Broken Spoke Bar & Grll14977 SR 55

Needmore, WV 26801(304) 897-7706


Stra Dawg Saloon & GrllRote 9

Hedgesvlle, WV(304) 754-3361

BIKER ACCESSORIESAPPAREL • LEATHERS & GIFTS

Anthon’s SpecaltBker Apparel – Leather – H-D Boots & More

112 Davs AveneGlen Ln, VA 24093 (540) 726-3080

BIKER FRIENDLY DIRECTORY M&J Motor Compan

Lehman Trke Conversons1000 S. Qeen Street

Martnsbrg, WV 25401(304) 262-6200

www.mjtrkes.com

O.B.’s Motorsports1019 7th Street

Parkersbrg, WV 26101(304) 420-0910

Motorccles Shpped FREEwww.obsmotorsports.com

Romne Ccle Center 51 indstral Park – Off Rote 28

Romne, WV 25757(304) 822-3933


Skp’s Honda580 Soth Mneral Street

Keser, WV 26726(304) 788-1615

Smtt’s Szk, Kawasak, yamahaRt. 33 E. Corrdor H

Bckhannon, WV 26201(304) 472-4824


The Lttle Shop of HarlesServce & AccessoresHD Certed Mechanc

44 Ba Berr LaneBerkele Sprngs, WV 25411

(304) 258-3909

TRS FabrcatonCstom Pantng & Collson Repar

109 Ranbow Hll Road

Berkele Sprngs, WV 25411(304) 258-0816 or 240-674-2985


Tr-Cont Honda135 Soth Man StreetPetersbrg, WV 26847

(304) 257-4420www.tr-conthonda.com




WHO is CHristMas?

We decorate or Chrstmas trees and strng p lghts. We kck nto a hgher emotonal gear, release or nancalcltch and twst or phscal throttle, rshng to nd gfts for or frends and loved ones. Wsh lsts are created,

bt m wfe has lad down the law on me ths ear…No long lst of chrome tems or bke accessores and no blackt-shrts, so i gess i’ll have to settle for a new watch, mabe a chrome watch hone?

it’s cstomar to exchange gfts jst as the dd when Jess was born, bt the aftermath of Chrstmas sholdn’tleave o wth PTCS (Post-Tramatc Chrstmas Sndrome) whch leaves o stressed, broke and sad. it wasnever meant to be that wa. Have o ever heard the statement, “Jess s the reason for the season?” Ths sa tre statement. Chrstmas came b wa of Mar gvng brth to Chrst. Therefore, t shold be a tme of peace,goodwll and rejocng n knowng that we have a Savor.

As the scrptre reads n the second chapter of Lke, an Angel of the Lord came to the shepherds n the eldsnearb and sad, “i brng o good news of great jo that wll be for all the people. Ths da n the ct of Davd aSavor has been born to o; He s Chrst the Lord.” A host of Angels then appeared, prasng God and sang,“Glor to God n the hghest, and on earth peace to men on whom Hs favor rests.”

So, the qeston shold not be “What s Chrstmas?” The qeston shold be “Who s Chrstmas?” Ma

God’s peace and blessngs be pon o ths Chrstmas season. Merr Chrstmas!

By Jim “Jammer” Marcum

Jm “Jammer” Marcm resdes n Charleston and has been nvolved n motorccle mnstr for nearl 15 ears and serves as Clerg wthn Hghwas and Hedges Motorccle Mnstr.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Vetter Photo1675 Cold Sprng RoadMooreeld, WV 26836

(304) 530-6855www.vetterphoto.com

SPORTING GOODS

Dog’s Sport ShopNew and used Gns, Sportng Apparel and

Agner Prodcts220 North Man Street; 743B Hawse Plaza

Mooreeld, WV 26836

(304) 538-6496emal: [email protected]

VEHICLE SERVICES

Bob’s Tre Servce inc.812 East Moler AveneMartnsbrg, WV 25401

(304) 267-2797www.bobstreservce.net

Hot Rods Roll Back and TowngSpecalzng n Motorccle Towng

274 Bedngton Road

Martnsbrg, WV 25401(304) 267-5586 Vsa & MC Accepted


WEB DESIGN

Merdan Development55 Merdan Parkwa, Ste 101

Martnsbrg, WV 25401(304) 263-1000

www.merdanwebstes.com

C.E.’s Helping Hands (Old Fields, WV)s a non-prot organzaton enlstng thehelp of other good hearted people wantngto contrbte to the case of helpng othersn need. Recent donatons have goneto local famles wth seros health andnancal challenges. The organzaton holdsmonthl meetngs and several fndrasngrdes ever ear. Donatons are alwasapprecated. For more nformaton vst or webste at www.cehelpnghands.com.

Highways and Hedges MotorcycleMinistry (South Charleston, WV)

For more nformaton emal Jm “Jammer”Marcm at: [email protected]

Clubs & Organizations

noVEMBER 2009 ThunDER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia 3www.tderrdwv.cm



A group of children were trying very hard to become accustomed to

Kindergarten.

The biggest hurdle they faced was that the teacher insisted on NO

baby talk!

You need to use ‘Big People’ words,’ she was always reminding them.

She asked Jimmy what he had done over the weekend? ‘I went to

visit my Nana’. “No, you went to visit your GRANDMOTHER. Use ‘Big

People’ words!’

She then asked Jimmy what he had done. ‘I took a ride on a choo-

choo’. The teacher corrected,

‘No, you took a ride on a TRAIN. You must remember to use ‘Big

People’ words’. She then asked little Lil’ Joey what he had done?

‘I read a book’ he replied. That’s wonderful!’ the teacher said. ‘Whatbook did you read?’

Lil’ Joey thought real hard about it, Then puffed out his chest with

great pride, and said, ‘Winnie the SHIT”.

Bubba was sunbathing naked on Flagler Beach.

For the sake of legality, and to keep it from getting sunburned, he had

a straw hat over his privates. An old drunken woman walks past and

slurs, “If you were a gentleman you’d lift your hat.”

Bubba raised an eyebrow and replied, “If you weren’t so ugly, it would

lift itself.”

Indian Chief ‘Two Eagles was asked by a white government ofcial,

‘You have observed the white man for many decades. You’ve seen hiswars and technological advances, you’ve seen his progress and the

damage he’s done. The Chief nodded in agreement.

The ofcial continued, ‘Considering all these events, in your opinion,

where did the white man go wrong?’

The Chief stared at the government ofcial for over a minute and then

calmly replied.

‘When white man nd land, Indians running it; no taxes, no debt, plenty

buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Visit to

Medicine man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and shing; all

night having sex.’

Then the Chief leaned back and smiled, ‘Only white man dumb enough

to think he could improve system like that.’

Biker Bob walks into the bedroom carrying a sheep in his arms and

says “Honey, this is the cow I make love to when you have a headache.”

The wife, laying in the bed reading a book, looks up and says, “If you

weren’t such an idiot, you’d know that’s a sheep, not a cow.”

Biker Bob replies, “If you weren’t such a bitch, you’d realize I was

talking to the sheep.”

Ole’ “Dumpster” bought this new deodorant today. The instructions

said remove cap and push up bottom. He says he can barely walk, but

now, whenever he farts, the room smells awesome!

She was standing in the kitchen, preparing our usual soft-boiled eggs

and toast for breakfast wearing only the ‘ T ‘ shirt that she normally

slept in. As I walked in, almost awake, she turned to me and said

softly,” You’ve got to make love to me this very moment!”

My eyes lit up and I thought, “I am either still dreaming or this is going

to be my lucky day!”

Not wanting to lose the moment, I embraced her and then gave it my

all; right there on the kitchen table.

Afterwards she said, “Thanks,” and returned to the stove, her T-shirt

still around her neck.

Happy, but a little puzzled, I asked, “What was that all about?”

She explained, “Oh, the egg timer’s broken.”

Two old men decide they are close to their last days and decide to

have a last night on the town. After a few drinks, they end up at the

local brothel.

The Madam takes one look at the two old geezers and whispers to her

Manager, ‘go up to the rst two bedrooms and put an inated doll in

each bed. These two are so old and drunk, I’m not wasting two of my

girls on them. They won’t know the difference.’

The Manager does as he is told and the two old men go upstairs and

take care of their business. As they are walking home the rst man

says, ‘you know, I think my girl was dead!’ ‘Dead?’ says his friend,

‘why do you say that?’ ‘Well, she never moved or made a sound all the

time I was loving her.’

His friend says, ‘could be worse I think mine was a Witch.’

‘a Witch ??. . Why the hell would you say that?’

‘Well, I was making love to her, kissing her on the neck, and I gave her

a little bite, then she farted and ew out the window. Took my dang

teeth with her!’

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I

kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at

a nearby table.

My wife asked, ‘Do you know her?’

Yes,’ I sighed, ‘She’s my old girlfriend. I understand she took to

drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she

hasn’t been sober since.’

‘My God!’ says my wife, ‘who would think a person could go on

celebrating that long?’

Hung Chow calls into work and says, “Hey, I no come work today,

I really sick. Got headache, stomach ache and legs hurt, I no come

work.”

The boss says, “You know something, Hung Chow, I really need you

today. When I feel like this, I go to my wife and tell her to give me sex.

That makes everything better and I go to work. You try that.”

Two hours later Hung Chow calls again.

“I do what you say and I feel great. I be at work soon......And...…You

got nice house.”



http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/thunder-roads-wv-dec09-issue 39/40DECEMBER 2009 ThunDER RoaDs WEsT ViRginia 3www.tderrdwv.cm



Documents

Thunder Roads WV DEC09 Issue