Pinky's Motorcycle Passion
January 2011
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Posted on Sunday, January 30, 2011 7:30 PM
I watched my odometer roll over Friday on my way out of the driveway. I just happened to look down, and what I saw was this.  I was fortunate enough to look down when the odometer reached 50,000. And, on the ride to work I had an opportunity to reflect on the places I traveled to get those miles. She rode with me through thunderstorms and tornado warnings to Myrtle Beach, SC for Bike Week in 2006. In 2007 we rode to Sturgis, SD for the biggest motorcycle rally in the world. We felt the heat of 108 degree temperatures in Arizona and New Mexico, and we had a transmission problem in Kansas that was the first time she was in a shop for anything other than an oil change or scheduled maintenance. We journeyed to Club HOG OKC in Oklahoma City, and went to Hot Springs rallies on several ocassions. We rode to Kentucky, and made a 23 state loop up North, across the northern United States, to Maine for lobster, Philly for cheessteak and Chicago for Pizza. We rode the Tail of the Dragon and the Devil's Tail at Snake River Canyon in Idaho. We've been on several HOG chapter rides and rides with friends all over the Ark-La-Tex. We went to the ROT rally in Austin and back and forth on Interstate 20 to see my brother in Ft. Worth, countless times. Ahhh, such memories! Here's to the next 50,000 miles! |
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Posted on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 5:44 AM
 Twisted metal grinding mercilessly; rubber tires melting on concrete
screeching almost unbearably as the motorcycle collides into the vehicle
making a left turn in front of the rider, and a man rolls across the
highway crunching bones and damaging internal organs until his lifeless
body comes to a sudden stop. Fast forward; the ambulance is on site,
police officers are taking statements, and the still, lifeless body of a
victim of a failure to yield accident, is being carried off on a
stretcher, not to the hospital, but instead to a morque. Fast forward
again; family and friends are gathered at a funeral paying their last
respects to a man who was a father, a husband a brother, a friend. And,
fast forward one more time; he's still not with us, hearts are still
breaking; all has been lost in that one careless instant. This is the
sad reality of a scene played over and over across Louisiana and the
United States. And, sadly, it could have been avoided if only the
driver of the vehicle took the time to look, and see the motorcycle
rider traveling through the intersection; if only he were paying
attention, not texting or fiddling with the radio at such a criticle
moment. If only he could roll back time. If only we could roll back
time. The above paragraph creates a scene most of us, as riders, are all
too familiar with, but may feel there is nothing we can do. We
certainly can't undo the scene, but there are actions we can take. We
can educate the community through awareness campaigns such as the Motorcycle Awareness Campaign (MAC),
and we can contact our representatives in Baton Rouge to ensure laws
are enacted that will protect riders rights to safely ride the roads of
Louisiana. We had a great victory in the Capital City in August 2010 when the Amy Pickholtz Act became law.
It ammended the right of way violations act originally passed in 2006
and increased fines and added community service and jail time to those
who are convicted or plead guilty to failure to yield. The link to R.S.
32:123 can be found at http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?folder=106. I received a request for action from Luanne Wilton, A.B.A.T.E. of Louisiana, Inc., and have reposted the call to action below.
is requesting all those who support motorcycle rights and responsible
motorcycle legislation within Louisiana to write their legislators to
help educate their local officials about this legislation and to insist
they enforce the law. The careless and reckless operation of a vehicle
due to inattentive driving that results in the injury or death of an
individual is not an accident. Bikers and riders should not have to
take responsibility for our injuries and deaths and the shattered lives
of our families because we ride. This legislation ensures that careless
and reckless vehicle operators become responsible for their own
actions, that a penalty is paid and that some justice is served. It is
legislation written by people who ride. Riders who have suffered the
loss of friends and loved ones. It is legislation written for bikers.
It is hoped that the families of riders such as
can benefit from this legislation. That those responsible for killing
motorcycle riders and other motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists will
no longer be able to plead their cases down to minor traffic
misdemeanors or in some instances to walk away without any penalty at
all. We encourage the motorcycling community to and send a copy of Amy Pickholtz’s letter to their representatives in Baton Rouge. When you
consider that in most instances the penalty for taking a life ranges from $0 to $130 the maximum penalties within The
Pickholtz Act are a major victory for motorcyclists, motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians alike.
Luanne Wilton, Executive Vice President A.B.A.T.E. of Louisiana, Inc.
985-869-2104"
I challenge you take a few minutes out of your day to visit the
website and send the letter to your representative in Baton Rouge. I
know I will.
Continue reading on Examiner.com:
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Posted on Sunday, January 23, 2011 2:09 PM
 It's been a long weekend, with a lot of excitement amidst hours of writing and resting. My daughter, Jeri, returned home from her 13 month tour in Korea, and on Thursday surprised her daughter, Allura, at school. On Friday, we went shopping, cooked and enjoyed time together. On Saturday, the World of Wheels was on the calendar so we could drool over cars and motorcycles, and stand in line for hours to let Allura meet Freddy from the ICarly television series. Then we enjoyed Friday evening with some Harley friends at Harley's Pub to officially welcome Jeri home. This weekend I received an email from Amy Irene White asking me to do a review of her book, Wicked Bitch. I promised to read it and complete the review. I didn't know how exciting the book would be, and from the time I downloaded it on Kindle PC and on my Droid, I spent every spare moment engrossed in its story. This morning I finished the book and the review and I hope you will take the time to not only read the review, but buy the book and enjoy it as I did.
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Monroe area PGR: Posted on Thursday, January 20, 2011 7:08 AM
Monroe Area PGR Mission for Michael Lowery, 51 USMC VeteranHaynesville, LA, 01/22/2011 ...It
is with great sadness that I announce the loss of a fellow veteran,
co-worker and friend. Michael Lowery, 51, was admitted to the hospital
late last week and passed away suddenly Sunday morning due to
complications of his illness. His family has requested PGR (Patriot Guard Riders) to stand in
honor of his 15 years of service in the USMC. Michael obtained
the rank of E-6 and was part of the Kuwait liberation, earning the
Kuwait Liberation Medal. He was a decorated veteran who proudly served
his country. Commendations included: * Meritorious Unit Commendation * Good Conduct Medal - 5th Award * National Defense Service Medal * Southwest Asia Service Medal - 2 stars * Kuwait Liberation Medal * Sea Service Deployment Ribbon - 4th Award * Navy Unit Commendation * Overseas Service Ribbon - 2nd Award * Certificate of Appreciation * Letter of appreciation - 2nd Award * Rifle Expert Badge - 4th Award * Pistol Expert Badge - 2nd Award Service
will be held on Saturday, January 22nd at Mt. Sinai Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church 1001 Mt. Sinai Rd. Haynesville, Louisiana 71038
Visitation is from 1-2pm with service beginning at 2:30. Mr. Lowery will
then be laid to rest in the cemetery next to the church. ***************UPDATED INFO BELOW *********************UPDATED* PRIMARY STAGING INFO - 01/22/2011:Location:Summerfield High School4200 Highway 9Summerfield, Louisiana 71079 http://tinyurl.com/Lowery-StagingStaging Time:1:00P.M.Special Instructions:We will stand a flag line at service and escort and flag line at final resting place. Escort to Final resting placeLocation:Mt. Sinai Christian Methodist Episcopal Church/Cemetery1001 Mt. Sinai RdHaynesville, La. 71038 http://tinyurl.com/Lowery-ServiceRCIC:Byron ‘Hutch’ Hutchison - pgrhutch@gmail.comFlags will be provided.Large bike flags will be needed.Weather: Mostly Sunny, high of 50.
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Posted on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 6:21 PM
World of Wheels this Weekend in Shreveport
 The Shreveport Convention Center is host this weekend to the largest car and motorcycle expo in the area, the Shreveport World of Wheels.
Expect to see over 200 vendors, cars, motorcycles and even four
wheelers on display; there is something for everyone. There will be new
cars and old, restored and modified, motorcycles and the 2011 lineup of
vehicles. But, as the Shreveport Motorcycle Travel Examiner, my interest is in
the area of motorcycles. In comparison to cars, there aren't ever as
many cycles as I would like to see represented, but the selection is
always interesting and fun to see. The show hours are Friday, January 21 from 5 - 10 p.m., Saturday,
January 22 from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 pm. Cost is
$12 for adults, $5 for children age 6-11, and kids 5 and under are
free. Advanced tickets are available at O'Reilly's. Celebrity
appearances include I Carly's, Nathan Kress "Freddy", TNA wrestling superstar, Mick Foley, "Mankind", WWE Hall of Fame Superstar Ted DiBiase "Million Dollar Man" and WWE Legend Michael Jones, aka "Virgil", Dora the Explorer, and this year's Miss World of Wheels, Katherine. The Matthew Davidson Band, 12 year old guitarist from Shreveport will play Friday evening from 9-10 p.m. For a complete schedule of events click here.
Continue reading on Examiner.com:
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Posted on Monday, January 17, 2011 12:17 PM
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Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2011 5:09 PM
Twenty eight year old Zainah C. Creamer, died January 12 in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her unit with an IED (improvised explosive device). She was assigned to the 212th Military Police Detachment, Headquarters Battalion, Ft. Belvoir, VA. Creamer, a local soldier, was a resident of Texarkana. The Patriot Guard Riders have been notified of the KIA (killed in action), and sent out a message notifying their members. More information will be posted when it becomes available.
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Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2011 1:28 PM
 It's true. Dennis Kirk is giving you a chance to win $250. All you
have to do is sign up for a FaceBook account, Like their page, and post a
picture of your Dennis Kirk parts, accessories or apparel on the
FaceBook page.
Here's the details form their ad "To enter for the chance to win a $250 Dennis Kirk Gift Card simply snap a
photo of your Dennis Kirk product installed, added or worn. Make it
creative, funny or interesting. Maybe you have used your part for
something other than it was intended? Maybe it completes or is part of a
custom build? Whatever use you had for your purchase, post your photo
to our FaceBook Fan Page wall to be entered into the competition.
Whether you
choose to post a photo or not, you can still participate. The winner
will be selected by YOU. All FaceBook fans have the opportunity to vote
for as many entries as your like. “Like” the submitted photos to vote
for the best shot, the photo with the most “Likes” by Jan. 17 will be
the winner. Simple.
Rules
We don’t want to get all formal but here’s couple of quick rules:
• One photo submission per person (post more than one an you will be disqualified)
• Vote for as many photos as you like
• Items must be purchased from Dennis Kirk
• Keep the photos clean (inappropriate submissions will be removed)
• Photos must be posted by January 17, 2011 to be considered for the prize
Need a Kick Start?
Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
• You might have purchased a luggage rack, shoot a photo of it loaded up on a trip
• Maybe you have a new exhaust, shoot a photo of something reflected in the chrome
• How about a windshield covered in splattered bugs from a long road trip?
Good luck, tell your friends to vote for you, and happy clicking!"
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Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2011 11:36 AM
  It could be worse. The top picture is the current picture of weather conditions in Shreveport. We're not riding!
The second picture is the weather in Meridian, MS in May, 2006 when we were traveling to Myrtle Beach for Bike Week. We were riding! |
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Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2011 10:31 AM
 Good News. Now you can get RSS feeds and email subscriptions to this blog. Just scroll down the left side and choose your method of receiving updates. Never miss a post or update to the blog again. And when you're reading the posts, do me a favor, please, and click the share button, either via Facebook, Twitter, or email so all your friends can visit the site, too. My goal is to make this a premier place for Shreveport motorcycle riders to get up to date information on news and events. Please leave comments including items you would like to see on the website or leads for stories. Your feedback is important to me. And, if you have an advertising need, please contact me at pinky@pinkysmotorcyclepassion.com |
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