Scarborough H.O.G. # 9 2 4 5 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 www.scarboroughchapter.ca Directors Report 880 Champlain Ave. ( 401 & Thickson Rd. ) Oshawa Ont. L1J 7A6 905-434-6550 or 1-800-668-5828 www.mackieharleydavidson.com Director: Asst. Director: Treasurer: Secretary: LOH: Membership: Public Relations: Activities: Asst. Activities Safety Officer: Photographer: Road Captain: Historian: Webmaster News Editor: MEETING ROOM: David Vella Darrell Day Barb Wasilewska Carolyn Matthews Mary Roberts Sarah Collins Darrel Day Joe Fournier Howard Beale John Archer Howard Beale Bill Groen Marshall Crotin Cody Vella Phill Tsolakis Thank you to the Stone Cottage for the FREE use of the meeting room twice monthly and also for the quality service. you provide. Greetings everyone, I would like to thank everyone for coming out to our Scarborough Chapter Christmas party. Thank you to everyone who helped organize our Chapter Christmas Party, without everyone's hard work; none of this would have come to be. Also thanks to Highland Creek Legion for having us. The whole Chapter would like to extend their thanks to the Mackie H-D family for their generosity and support for the Chapter Bug Run, BBQ s, Donations, Door Prizes and Mystery Prizes throughout the whole year. Congratulations to Cody Vella and Rob Benson, they were the lucky winner of the mystery prize this year. Guy Lamontagne won the 50/50 for $ 250.00 and a friend of Phill s won the TV. Thank you to Chris and Beth, of the Olde Stone Cottage Inn for allowing us to host our Chapter meetings there. Thank you to the Chapter members who generously donated door prizes. I would like to thank some of our past Executive Officers to recognize their support to the Chapter, Sarah Collins for all her years of service and Carolyn Matthews for all their hard work and dedication to the Chapter. Welcome to all the new Executives; Lisa Arnott (Membership Officer), Stephen Winderbank (Photographer); looking forward to working with all of you. All and all I think our Christmas party was a great success with good food, good music and great people. Next event for the chapter is the Motorcycle Supershow, January 6th-8th at the International Centre. Ride and have fun! David Vella
Greetings everyone, Due to unforeseen circumstances the job of secretary has become available. Those of you who are looking to have some more involvement in the chapter should talk to myself (David) or Darrell 416-898-5591 darrell.day@cupe4400.org This is something that we re going to discuss at the next general meeting for all interested. Ride safe and have fun! David Vella Director Scarborough HOG Chapter Email: dpvella@rogers.com Cell: 416-561-5452 76th Annual Daytona Bike Week March 10th - 19th, 2017 Howard and Kathy will be trailering their bikes down to Florida and are asking if anyone else might be interested in joining them for what s always a great time in Daytona. Please contact Howard for more details. howardjbeale@gmail.com 416-985-8200 SUPERSHOW 2017 North American International Motorcycle Supeshow Date: Friday January 6th to Sunday the 8th /2017 Venue: The International Centre, Toronto, Canada
Poker Is Back I have found a new place and a new time to launch our monthly poker game. We have moved to Queen Victoria Pub on 2240 Midland Ave, north of Progress just below the 401. The games have been moved to Tuesday, a week after our monthly meeting. The game will be tournament style game and cost $10. Please do not show any money, be discreet. Money will be taken out for the food and the pot may be as high as $100. The owner of the Pub does not want any colours shown. I told him we are not a real bike club but we have to comply with his wishes, that may change over time. The first game is on January 10, 2017. start 7:30. Stan W Grasser Thanks to outgoing & incoming Executive Officers Out: Sarah Collins who s done such a tremendous and organized job with Membership over the last 9 or so years. Hopefully she continues to command our Bug Run event. In: Lisa Arnott. Just when she thought she left, we reeled her back in. All the way from Kitchener. Out: Darrell Day who as Public Relations Officer has represented Scarborough HOG with class. In: George Ferreira. Seems to have that put me in coach type of get go, which should do us good. Out: Howard Beale as Photographer. A little too much pressure being applied on him as Assistant Activities Officer by Hollywood. In: Steve (Cheapie) Winderbank. Since he found his camera, can t stop snapping shots. Chapter Meeting Dates at the Stone Cottage 7:30 pm Executive meetings: General meetings: December 27th January 3rd January 31st February 7th February 28th March 7th
WHAT S NEW AT MACKIE H-D
Winter Storage November 1st 2016 to April 1st 2017 Gold Package ($395.00 +HST):Quick wash. Removal and test of battery. Battery kept on smart charger for winter months. In the spring, battery is reinstalled, retested and bike is road tested & quick washed. Platinum Package ($495.00 +HST):Oil change with your choice of 20w50 oil or syn3. Quick wash. Removal and test of battery. Battery kept on smart charger for winter months. In the spring, battery is reinstalled, retested and bike is road tested & quick washed. Free pick up in Durham Region. Regular charges apply outside of Durham Region. If your bike is close to, or overdue for maintenance service, we recommend to do this with the storage. Refer a Friend! Refer a friend or family member and receive a $100.00 store credit if they purchase their bike at Mackie H-D! Showroom Hours Monday to Friday: 9am - 6pm Saturday: 9am - 5pm Sunday: 11am - 4pm Sunday: Closed Effective December 1st our Service department will be open Monday to Friday 8AM - 5PM and Closed on weekends. Service Hours Monday to Friday: 8am - 6pm Saturday: 8am - 1pm
Journey to the middle of nowhere In early June of 2016, I found myself in the company of 50 members of the Scottsdale HOG on a two-night trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. This beautiful and rugged site, 2000 ft. higher than the South Rim, is visited by less than 10% of tourists going to the Grand Canyon. While only 10 miles as the crow flies from the better known South Rim, the North Rim actually requires a 235 mile excursion on twisty scenic roads to traverse from the South Rim. We set out in 100 F sunshine at 6:30 am to avoid the heat as much as possible. However, my 2 ½-yearold battery suddenly failed at the call to "mount up, and I was forced to get a tow 18 miles to the dealer for a replacement and then proceed alone in 105F heat 5 hrs later. By riding at a goodly clip and stopping only for gas and water twice, I covered the 420 mile route in 6 hrs., arriving only half an hour after the rest of the group! (Note to self: when in Arizona, replacing your battery every two years, regardless of the use of a tender, is advice that shouldn't be ignored as the intense heat during summer storage greatly shortens battery life.) Following two days of riding the Rim, with spectacular views and sunsets, on amazingly twisty roads right on the very edge of the abyss, my friends left the comfortable 75F temperature at 8600 ft. to return to Scottsdale and a record- breaking heat wave of 118 F! I chose to follow the path of discovery and set out on my own to ride a 2100 mile circle that would encompass the 10000 ft. pass of highway 14 near Brice Canyon N.P. in Utah, Highway 50 (a.k.a." The Loneliest Highway in America") in Nevada, the 10200 ft. Tioga Pass in Yosemite N.P., the beautiful beaches of Southern California, and The Mohave Desert of California and Arizona. All this in 5 days! As you know, everyone needs a place of quiet contemplation away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Superman had "The Fortress of Solitude, Batman had the 'Bat-Cave", and I found my inner sanctum on U.S. Highway 50 in Nevada. This road is justifiably called " The Loneliest Highway in America", as it stretches 854 miles from the border with Utah to Carson City, Nevada, punctuated by only four towns, or should I say oases. Only Ely, with its 19th century railway yard museum and steam train, has any real claim to the term " town.
While Ely has the only decent hotel on the route, the other three outposts have something of equal or greater importance... gasoline and water. You must stop at a minimum of three "towns" to avoid heat stroke, dehydration, and running out of fuel. If ever there was a definition of The Middle of Nowhere, U.S. 50 is it, although southern Utah 's Hwy 21 is a close second. I took photos of both while my bike was parked in the middle of the road with nary a living thing in site 40 miles to the horizon no matter which way one turned. In two days of riding, I passed only a half dozen cars, one of which was a state trooper who flashed his lights at me as I was moving at 95 mph, in a 75 mph zone. Fortunately, it was time for his 4 o'clock coffee break or shift change, and he didn't want to spoil it by chasing after me! I did see a large number of classic and antique cars in Austin, Nevada. They were taking part in the Great Automobile Race from California to New York and were taking a photo and fuel stop at the lone gas pump in town. More unusual was the ear-splitting roar of a U.S. Navy F-18 Hornet swooping over me at tree top level (if there had been any trees) on a simulated ground attack near Fallon Nev. This, needless to say, woke me from my solitary daydreams and scared the s*** out of me! Just how monotonous was the dead straight road across the otherwise trackless desert? Well, I clocked 67 miles from the exit of Hickison Summit absolutely unwavering, line drive straight to the next curve in the highway! All good things must come to an end, as did U.S. 50, and I finally reached Yosemite National Park on the third day. This park's scenic beauty had eluded me on three earlier occasions due to heavy snow blocking the routes over the Sierra Nevada Mtns. On this attempt, however, I was blessed with 70 F temperatures at 10,000 ft. and sunny blue skies for the entire 143 miles of serpentine, exciting road that left my face aching from a perpetual ear-to-ear grin. The Bridal Veil Falls and El Capitaine are as breathtaking as the pictures suggest. In the opinion of many travelers, this is the most beautiful of all the National Parks.
After a very long 12-hour day in the saddle, I reached Laguna Beach in Southern California. The restaurants, cafes and hotels, abundant on all sides, added to the tropical carnival atmosphere of the beach as many had outdoor musicians performing. I would definitely recommend a ride down the coast a couple of miles to Dana Point for a magnificent view of Catalina Island, the coastline north to Long Beach and south to San Diego, and the Santa Anna Mtns. The following day, I crossed the San Bernardino Mtns. on California Highway 74, which is challenging and scenic. It has many switchbacks and sharp curves as it makes its way to Beaumont and Interstate 10 via Lake Elsinore. The drastically reduced area of the lake and the high water mark 50 ft. above the present surface is mute testament to the terrible drought that has plagued Southern California for several years. I made my way homeward to Scottsdale in extreme heat of 110 to 113 F and was forced to shelter in the air-conditioned splendour of a Shell gas station in Blythe, California for an hour and a half until my impending heat exhaustion had subsided. Although drinking plenty of water in these conditions staves off dehydration, it does not stop heat exhaustion, which is an equally serious problem. Refreshed, I rode the 160 miles home in the dark in two hours, but even at ten at night, it was 110F! I had my bike serviced the next morning and put it in storage for 7 months. My encounter with summer heat in the Southwest was at an end. I now know why no one rides a motorcycle in Arizona in the summer months. A footnote to this adventure was the completion of 250,000 miles on Harley- Davidson motorcycles in 12 years. Story and photos by Marshall Crotin
Christmas Party
I would like to thank the following for their contribution to this issue of the Newsletter and do apologize if I missed anyone: Dave, Darrell, Marshall, Howard, Stan, Brooke and Freda Phill