March Design 2009

Welcome to the Top Cats - Illinois! We are devoted to promoting the sport of safe motorcycling. Our members are social by nature, and we host many types of activities, but our emphasis is on riding. We average more than 25 rides a season... most last a few hours, others are for a day. Several last a weekend and even longer. We are business owners, leaders, and executives... but most importantly motorcycle riders and enthusiasts who enjoy the thrill of safe riding.

Group Riding And Safety Seminar A major focus of the Top Cats is to provide a safe riding environment for our members and guests. To promote this environment, we conduct a Group Riding and Safety Seminar, or G.R.A.S.S., for our members and guests. Attendance at a G.R.A.S.S. session is required for all new members. Non-members are welcome. G.R.A.S.S. does not teach you how to ride...it simply teaches our members and guests how the Top Cats ride safely.

Ride For Dreams Every year the Top Cats - Illinois hold a major fundraising event for our favorite charity - NISRA: the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association. All riders are invited to join us on July 24th for our Ride for Dreams…a fun-filled day that features a leisurely 100 mile ride through the countryside. The event begins and ends at Woodstock Harley-Davidson, in Woodstock, IL. Registration includes continental breakfast, lunch after the ride, music, and an opportunity to purchase raffle tickets. Be sure to put this on your calendar! To date, the Top Cats - Illinois have contributed more than $226,000 to NISRA from the proceeds of this event. Click on the link below to register.

Membership Top Cats - Illinois is a not-for-profit association. The Regular Members are motorcycle enthusiasts who own a business or are employed in an executive position with authority over a division, department or other entity within a business, governmental, charitable, or educational organization, or who are motorcycle enthusiasts that are sponsored as Associate members by Regular Members. Interested in joining? Come to one of our general meetings and introduce yourself!

President's Message

Traveler Welcome to the website world of the Top Cats-Illinois! As you browse our pages, you will gain an understanding of who we are, what we are about, and where we are going. What you won't gain is a solid grasp of who we are as people, who we are as riders, and who we are as members of this outstanding organization, Top Cats - Illinois. Let me explain.....

Originally, Top Cats – Illinois was formed by a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who were business men and women. Their purpose was to enjoy business networking and the sport of motorcycling. Over the past decade and a half, Top Cats has evolved into a first – class group of motorcycle enthusiasts who enjoy conservative and safe riding, socializing, networking, and community involvement.

Today, any visitor to a Top Cat meeting, or a Top Cat event, will quickly realize that our group is one that easily welcomes newcomers, embraces safe riding, and provides opportunities for great riding adventures in a safe environment.

As people, our members are business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs (Top Cats) who are riders, co-riders, or non-riders. All, however, are motorcycle enthusiasts. And...they all have three important ideals in common; business networking, safe motorcycling, and community involvement.

Kaution Korner

Rearview_Mirror

Blind Spots

By Don 'Numbersman' Schaffer

Today’s safety tip is a short one, but is intended to help you avoid one of the more common causes of rider injury. Blind spots.

A motorcycle is already a small target to be spotted by motorists without our causing ourselves to be even less visible. Where are you invisible? Recently an attorney acquaintance of mine was nearly killed in a totally avoidable accident. He spent months in the hospital and walks with a cane years later because of a momentary failure to observe proper spacing. He was heading south in the left lane of a four lane road through his home town of Northbrook. Yes, he was only a couple of miles from home. He was following a truck at a reasonable stopping distance as he went through an intersection. What he did not realize was that stopping distance was not the problem. He was in the right track, and was totally invisible to the northbound car that turned left as soon as he passed the truck, running right into the following bike.