Month: March 2017

Tigerlily and I went to the flat track races this past Saturday in Woodstock.  What a blast!  Indian pulled a hat trick in the twins final with Allstate teammates  Jared Mees, Brad Baker and Bryan Smith all on the podium, all riding Indian Scout FTR750s.

In the singles class, Shayna Texter won her heat race, but placed 3rd in the main event. Although Dalton Gaither won  the singles main event, the crowd loved the lady!  Tigerlily and I were glad to see her on the podium, as were all the race fans.

While we miss Triumphs, BSAs and Nortons in the mix, flat track racing is always exciting.  Kudos to the AMA, Harley-Davidsion and Indian for bringing back the excitement of the Grand National Championship!

It was good to see familiar GABMA faces  at the races.  

For those interested in modern flat track racing, see http://www.americanflattrack.com.  If you want to see Brit Bikes flat tracking, go to http://www.ahrma.org/schedules-results/dirt-track.  I note that AHRMA is having a flat track race nearby on May 13 at Aonia Pass MX Park; Washington, GA (ST and TT).

Also see http://www.vft.org/ for info on vintage flat track stuff.

And yes, I am a big fan.  Here is a picture of my tribute street tracker bike:

Its still a work in progress,  it weighs a little over 300 lbs. and runs like a turpintined cat!  Much thanks to James Hiter, Randy Huyett and Jerry and Kay Cheney of Cheney Engineering in Bloomfield, Iowa (http://www.flattrackaccessories.com/). Also thanks to my son Robert for sharing the driving on our 1500+ mile round trip to Bloomfield and back in September of 2014.   There are many other contributors, MAP engineering (aluminum cylinder block and pistons), Johnson cams, Gary Mathews (plating) and too many others to list here.

John Underwood

Pres.

No one ever thinks of ol’ Evel as an advocate for motorcycle safety, but he was on the day he said this.  On the other hand, he is also quoted as saying “Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it.”

The machines have changed with the times, but rider spirit is the same.  Well said Lawrence of Arabia!

The club voted to change the meeting place to Manuel’s Tavern beginning with the April 12, 2017 meeting.  The address is  602 North Highland Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30307, phone (404) 525-3447, website is http://www.manuelstavern.com/.

This is deja vu all over again as Yogi Berra would say.  Manuel’s was the club’s first meeting place back in the day and it has undergone a massive and long overdue renovation without losing its original charm, so it is the same as it ever was.

Hopefully, we will be able to attract some new blood into the group.

See you there in April!

John Underwood

Pres. GABMA

Quote for the day:

“The most important thing is to have a good relationship with the bike… you have to understand what she wants. I think of a motorcycle as a woman, and I know that sounds silly, but it’s true.”

Valentino Rossi

Fellow members:

As some of you may know, this club has a history with Manuel’s.  Our club’s first meeting place was Manuel’s Tavern back in 1985, when we were known as the Atlanta Chapter of TIOC/BIMA (Triumph International Owners’ Club/British International Motorcycle Association).  I joined the club in 1987, and we changed the name about 1990.

Manuel’s has been completely renovated while retaining its original character.  Check out their website at http://www.manuelstavern.com.

I took the liberty of contacting Margie Maloof at Manuel’s Tavern to see if they could accommodate our meeting:  Margie’s response:

“I’ve got you in the book for Wednesday, April 12 from 7:30-9.  It looks like the next couple of months will work out, and then I’ll have to check for July on.  I’ll be happy to check when I get home.  I’ve got you in the eagle’s nest for your meetings.  …. Incidentally, welcome back!!!!!”

Who could as for a better welcome?  As you may know, Manuel’s has ample parking, but no motorcycle specific parking area.  I’m going to try to work on that.

We will be taking a vote at our March 8 meeting to determine whether we will relocate our meeting back to Manuel’s.  I think its a good fit, its close to downtown, Little Five Points and Virginia Highlands.  I think this is where our new blood could come from.

Please try to attend the March 8 meeting at the Crossing in Norcross.

Regards,

John Underwood

Pres.

“The chess board is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the universe, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature. The player on the other side is hidden from us. We know that his play is always fair, just and patient. But we also know, to our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance.”

— Thomas Huxely