A Snapshot of the Nineties

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April 1995

Regular columns included:

• Director's Message - Rocco congratulated the newsletter's reader; if you had a copy of the newsletter, you had renewed your membership and paid your dues.
  
  He also welcomed suggestions for the new riding season.
  

• Minutes of Previous Meeting - Three members had braved the cold and had ridden to the meeting.
  
  Russ S and members Dan F, Rick F, Gary M, Carole D, Bruce B, and Rocco had gotten together to form a Snow Sculpture team and had participated in the Winterlude Snow Sculpture Contest with their "Snow Boy" entry.
  
  Nancy M was presented with an award for the most funds raised for the Winterlude Relay on Ice event. Team members had included Tina, Leo, Rick, Gary, Carole, Judy W, and Rocco.
  
  Hurst Motosport created some space in their store for a chapter corner. Jack H was the winner of the 1994 Mileage contest with 27,099km.
  
  A Chapter Photo Calendar project was initiated by Tina. The proceeds of the sales would go to charity.
  

• Re-Prints - Two reprints were found in this issue; the first announced the opening of a new rider training site (Motorcycle Training Consultants of Canada) at Algonquin College on April 18th, and the second from the March, 1995 SOAR meeting that discussed club and personal liabilities.
  

• LOH - There was a LOH outing to a "Spring Cosmetic Fair" at the Bayshore Shopping Centre organized by Tina. The evening of female "decadence and fun" included a kissing contest (?), a treasure chest, fortune telling, and a session to discover the depth of their personalities and secret "sexual styles."
  

• "Biker Cartoons" - Russ makes fun of members delinquent with their dues.

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May/June 1995

Regular columns included:

• Minutes of the previous Meeting - Leo warned about a police crackdown on illegal helmets ($105 fine), and illegal pipes (also $105 fine) in the Market. Some members had expressed their concern about the number of times they had been pulled over for road side checks, and rocker identification. Consideration was given for a new gathering place to avoid this harassment.
  
  The chapter treasurer reported that the chapter balance stood at $392.75.
  
  Leo read the chapter's letter to HOG in Oklahoma City , which expressed our sympathy for their loss.
  

• "Biker Cartoons" - Russ S drew his opinion on safety vs. freedom.
  

• Re-Prints - found in this issue were the minutes of the May meeting of SOAR which revolved around liability, and a short bit from a Retreads newsletter informing those who plan to buy anything with a license in the US (i.e. Trailer, bike, etc.) about flat rate border fees that came into effect on April 1, 1995.

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July 1995

Regular columns included:

• Minutes of the previous Meeting - The Hawkesbury Toy Run had been well attended (600 bikes). The 60 bikes that left Ottawa had swelled to 117 by the time Hawkesbury was reached.
  
  Russ extended our invitation to Wayne Stanfield, a competitor in the Great North American Race.
  
  Problems with the police had continued to persist; riders had been stopped for no apparent reason. There had been also talk of the city closing the Market area streets to traffic.
  

• "Biker Cartoon" by Russ S who had cartooned a tribute to Andrew and Lynn by illustrating the proper attire for the upcoming (biker) wedding. Tina had also submitted a cartoon, and it depicted two chapter members running a US toll booth.
  

• Re-Prints - Tech Tips (on engine warm-up) from Richmond Hill chapter; some humour from the Duram chapter; and from the Globe and Mail, a report on Harley's recently won US trademark on the sound of its V-twin engines.

Russ F wrote an article entitled "The Sweet Noise of Mufflers," and included a reprinted article from the RCMP Gazette (Vol.5, No.6, 1995) on Altered Mufflers. His message: use common sense when applying the throttle hand and show respect for others.

The big story this issue was the announcement of Andrew and Lynn's wedding. The engaged couple invited the entire chapter to celebrate with them, first with separate motorcycle escorts for the bride and groom to the church, and then in one parade from the church to the wedding reception where all were welcome for the party.

Other stories were from Tina, who wrote about all the members who had pitched in on the reconstruction of her new (old) Sportster, and from Grant, who related the effort that was required in putting together the chapter's first Observation Run.

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October 1995

Regular columns included:

• Important Moments from the last Meeting - Rocco thanked Leo for running meetings in his absence. He also thanked various members for their work in hosting or running recent events.
  
  Three new HOG programs were announced:
  
  a) Member of the Year - Honours the member who "goes the extra mile."
  
  b) Chapter of the Year - Honours the chapter meeting the highest number of criteria for chapter and individual member involvement with HOG activities.
  
  c) Discover HOG Canada - This program parallels Discover America .
  

• From Our Director - Rocco hoped for lots of participation in the upcoming election, and looked back at all the events the chapter put on over the past year.
  
  He also noted that the chapter had continued to grow, and that there were now almost 150 members.
  

• Top Ten List - Joe B submitted his first list, "The Top Ten Reasons for a Late Riding Season."
  

• Re-Prints - Re-printed articles were numerous and included tech tips from John White of Davies HD who wrote about adjusting hand levers for comfort, and restoring faded black engines with WD40.
  
  The Richmond Hill chapter gave us two Harley trivia questions (and the answers).
  
  There was the official HOG Charter for Local Chapters.
  
  From the Sep '95 issue of Eastern Tread, information could be found on Bill 164 and no-fault auto insurance. Included was a form letter to Mr. Robert Sampson MPP, Ministry of Finance, demanding the repeal of the Bill.

Plans had been finalized for the upcoming chapter Christmas party. The new location for the party would be in North Gower at Manderly on the Green.

Two stories were submitted for this edition. Gant W wrote about "A Walk in the Country" which had been inspired by his recent attendance of Andrew and Lynn 's Burnstown weekend.

Frank S was also inspired by the very same weekend, but he wrote about a part that had fallen off his Ninja on the dirt road leading from Andrew and Lynn 's, and the subsequent race by Andrew and Grant to retrieve it as a prize. Both competitors and their bikes had ended up wallowing in the mud for that valuable "made in Japan " component.

Mike L wrote about Harley oil, and explained what the HD240 rating meant.

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November 1995

Two editors were now putting out the newsletter, with Christie H coming on board to assist Rick.

The monthly meeting location temporarily changed to Zuma's Road House (next to Chimo Inn). Next month's meeting location was still to be determined.

Regular columns included:

• From the Director - Rocco noted that interest was high for the upcoming elections, with many applying for executive positions. A new position was being considered for a PR officer to help polish the chapter image.
  

• Minutes from the last Meeting - The Treasurer reported $1,400.00 in the chapter's bank.
  
  Some members discussed the idea of putting together a float for next year's Santa Parade.
  
  For all CAA members, CAA were now equipped to tow motorcycles.
  
  The position of Regional Director was up for grabs as Ron Thertell had announced his retirement.
  

• Top Ten List - Joe B submitted his "Reasons for Being Refused a Harley Credit Card." But Joe wasn't the only one compiling lists. Another was included giving the top ten reasons for "Joe B to be the Next LOH Representative" (along with an accompanying cartoon for emphasis).
  

• Re-Prints - Re-printed articles came from The Charlatan newspaper, and from the Lennoxville Quebec HOG chapter. The former covered Carleton University 's new policy of charging charities for parking lot usage. For the past three years, the "Toys for Tots" parade had been run from Tunney's Pasture to Carleton, but because of the costs for using the lot, the parade would have to find a new home. From the latter came a war poem with a tragic message in time for Remembrance Day.

The chapter gained a presence on the World Wide Web thanks to Joe B.

Spanky, from Harley-Davidson of Peterborough , on the other hand, reported an emptying of the bank. Specifically, his shop had been robbed, and within 3 to 5 minutes, 49 jackets, 4 chaps, 2 vests, and 26 pairs of jeans vanished (valued at $25,620.00). A reward was offered.

Grant submitted the only article for this issue; he continued his "Walk in the Country" contribution from the previous month.

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December 1995

Regular columns included:

• Rocco's Message - A new masthead for the newsletter appears as part of a year long "chapter's 10th Anniversary" contest (the chapter was formed March, 1986). Each month until March '96, a different masthead design will be featured. The winning masthead will then be used for the balance of the year. This first masthead was my submission, and featured the hog head first used on the Flog Your Hawg poster.
  
  Mention was made of the invitation to the Museum of Civilization to view the "Art, Arms and Armor" exhibit from the state of Syria, and the great turnout of chapter members.
  
  Rocco also announced the results of the election and some of the new faces within the executive.
  
  The chapter now had 146 members.
  

• Minutes from the last Meeting - Entries for the newsletter Masthead contest were to be sent to Hurst Motosport.
  
  Free passes for the Museum of Civilization "Imperial Austria" exhibit were still available at Hurst .
  
  The chapter calendar (Tina's project) would be completed shortly, and would be made available to the membership by the end of December.
  
  The chapter agreed to support Market Pete in his fundraising for the Snowsuit Fund with a $138 donation.
  
  Rick F volunteered to start-up a movie club to help pass away the winter months.
  

• Editorial - Rick asked for help as his PC had been attacked by a virus.
  

• Top Ten List - By Joe B who listed his "Reasons to Load your Scoot with Chrome.
  

• "Biker Cartoon" by an unspecified artist making fun of Harley accessories for Christmas.
  

• Re-Prints - There were quite a few re-prints in this issue. (note: I have ignored the non-biker related ones.)
  
  A "Fire at Cameron's HD" was first reported in the Perth Chapter's newsletter.
  
  From Spanky: "Beware- Scam Artists at Work" warned about fraudulent "certified cheques," and outright theft.
  
  From Boston HOG's Bar and Shield: "Test your Knowledge" about the parking of bikes on hills, and about the choosing of helmets.
  
  From the Richmond Hill chapter: a "Trivia" question about HD's.
  
  Doug T (Hurst) provided some "Bike Trivia" questions of his own.
  
  From HOG Canada, an article entitled "Headin' South" which provided advice on making the journey to Daytona.
  
  From the internet, there was a poem entitled "The Biker's Night Before Christmas."

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