A Word from Our President

Mike Bradbury

 

To All Top Cats,

I hope that the members have been satisfying their motorcycle riding appetites since the August ROAR was issued and throughout all of August.  The weather has been very co-operative and the club had it’s fair share of rides to participate on from the Illinois State Police Heritage Rally lead by Carl Marcyan;   Don Shaffer’s lunch ride both at the end of July;  the long, long, long distance Sturgis Ride lead by Bard Boand; Stewart Johnson’s Mendota Sweet Corn Festival Ride;  The President’s Ride (mystery revealed as we went to The Machine Shed in Rockford for lunch!) and Larry Scalzitti’s Franks and Fries event which was held at Frank’s For The Memories in Mundelein.  There was plenty for the club to do that covered all areas of interest for the participants.

Of course, if you’re tires aren’t worn down to nubs yet there are still plenty of chances left to lead and do rides and our schedule is dwindling faster than the recent Dow Jones market.  The only ride scheduled in September is the Burgers, Brats and Bonfires ride lead by Jeff Tietz.  This means there are plenty of open weekends to put together and lead a ride in September and throughout the rest of the year, weather permitting.  See your friendly road captain for assistance or if you already are a road captain help the club and lead a ride!

It is that time of year again.  Elections will be coming in December for your officers and directors of Top Cats but we need to start this process now.  This is for those of you who have some time to spare and a commitment to assisting with supporting the club at the next level.  If you have new ideas or dislike some of the current ones and think you can do better, now is the time to let your voice be heard.  The election committee is being lead by Past President, Carl Marcyan and he will be working with other past presidents on this year’s election process.  Let Carl know if you are interested.

And finally, last Saturday evening my wife and I were riding my flaming street glide home in Ingleside and came upon the fresh debris of a motorcycle/car collision at the corner of Highway 59 and Wilson road.  The 29 year old driver was killed and his 9 year old daughter is in critical condition at Advocate General Hospital in Libertyville.  The automobile driver made a left turn and apparently, cut them off.  Please, please, please keep in mind that a very high percentage (75-80%) of motorcycle accidents happens in intersections.  While you cannot guarantee anything in life, extra care, diligence and attention on your motorcycle when coming up to and going through intersections may help you avoid situations like this.

Drive safely!

Mike Bradbury