Sunday, March 30, 2014

March 2014 Newsletter







The Palm Beach Knights Newsletter















The Knights Table

Monthly Newsletter Febuary 2014



Greetings from your President   Will




THE BIKER WAVE! 

On a ride recently we had the occasion to observe another rider who gave us his version of the Biker Wave. He proceeded to wave at us as if he was swatting flies above his head SOMEWHAT FRANTIC. I got the distinct impression that he was listening to a Judy Garland song. Just sayin… When I stopped laughing, I started to think again about the age old discussion. To wave or not to wave that is not the question. Said topic has been dealt with elsewhere, ad nauseam,
ad ˈnôzēəm/
adverb
referring to something that has been done or repeated so often that it has become annoying or tiresome.
"the inherent risks of nuclear power have been debated ad nauseam"


 but that has never stopped me from writing before. Suffice it to say that the choice is entirely yours: Wave first, wave back or don't wave at all. However, if you do decide to wave, then I believe there should be a Waving Code that all Real Bikers need to be committed to memory and implemented correctly. Especially Knights!!!

Why especially Knights? After doing some research, it seems that the historic origins of the wave are attributed to armored knights on horseback. How cool is that? When approached by another knight bearing the same coat of arms, both knights would raise their helmets' visors to reveal their identities to each other. When knights were not in armor, the lifting of the visor was transformed into a salute, employing a similar motion of the arm and hand. I swear I didn't
 make that up!!


In the early days of motorcycling, two-wheeled warriors of the open road began greeting each other in passing with a knight-like salute. Nowadays, according to experts on waving protocol, (Ok, that I made up, there are no experts) the waves exchanged by bikers are determined by the kinds of bikes they are riding.  
There are a couple of hand gestures shared by sportbike riders that are worth citing. Sportbikes, be they naked or faired, are designed to be pushed to petrifying limits by skilled riders of the non-squidly persuasion. Due to their awesome power and handling, they deserve special recognition with a specific salute. Don't expect a sportbike pilot to remove hand from grip when their bike is leaned over in a turn. While showering sparks onto pavement, the best riders may actually manage a subtle lifting of the left index finger. Consequently, waving at sportbikes by wiggling your index finger is considered the proper salute. (As long as you're not listening to show tunes!!) 


Other motorcycles are worthy of the V-Twin "Peace, Brother" symbol is formed with the index and middle fingers, and delivered with a slow extension of the left arm, downward at a 45-degree angle. Someone also told me once that this was symbol for two wheels down.


Now when it comes to waving etiquette, there remain several murky areas still being hotly debated. (OK, actually no one really cares) For the sake of argument, should passengers wave to other passengers, sharing pillion empathy? If you are of the waving persuasion, should you greet everyone coming the other way?  For example if there is a large group of oncoming riders, do you give the entire group one continuous, generic wave?





There is one more thing that needs to be said here. While it is perfectly acceptable for bikers to return in kind the waves of pedestrians, be they inquisitive children or envious adults, Real Bikers never wave back at grown-ups on bicycles, mopeds or motor-scooters. If you'll feel guilt-ridden for not being oh-so polite, then perhaps a simple nod of the head in recognition of their existence would ease your conscience. Just hope that your riding buddies don't notice!



On  a personal note, I will not be writing articles every month from now on. I think people have enough to do without reading my ramblings. I'll still write occasionally, and our newsletter will continue!! Thank you for all the kind words of encouragement.





KNIGHTS please make sure to welcome our new sponsor




They are located at
 801 Village Blvd Suite 309
561-697-2855
Make sure to tell them that you are with The Palm Beach Knights MRC
we need to support our sponsors!!

Anyone who goes to this excellent restaurant will get 50 miles towards our Mileage Program, and tell them your from the PBK's and they will give you a very nice discount on your meal. Try and get a picture with the Manager!!






Hey Knights,
Want to look really cool? We have T-shirts,



We have-small patches 
and now a very limited 
supply(only a few left) of
 large back Patches available.

Purchasing any item from the Knights helps support our club and makes you look even better!!




ONLY LIMITED ROOMS LEFT AT SPECIAL PRICE


It's not too early to book for our trip to 


Leesburg  April 25th



MUST RESERVE BEFORE APRIL 4TH.
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS  
1810 SOUTH HWY 27
CLERMONT, FL 
Call  say you are with the Palm Beach Knights.1-352-243-7878 
KING $85 + TAX 
DOUBLE $93 + TAX
30 MINUTES FROM LEESBURG



PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE ORGANIZER AND OFFICERS WORK HARD TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A FUN SAFE RIDE. WHILE WE WELCOME SUGGESTIONS, WE WON'T CHANGE RIDES THE WEEK OF THAT RIDE.
 I'M SURE THAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ANY IDEAS FOR A FUTURE EVENT.


While we try to mix up our rides as much as possible, it's highly unlikely that I'm going to please everyone all the time. I hope everyone has been enjoying the rides that  have been on our schedule so far. I am always looking for feedback and new ideas. Your participation is what makes this club great.




MEMBERS GETTING OLDER!! 

Larry Sean/Martha            
   3/3/1944     
                                                                         
David Rhodes                                    3/6/1966

Ken Adair                                         
  3/24

Lauren Petschek                      
        3-30-










We have been having some really awesome rides TIMES:


We had 9 different events/rides this month. Thank you to all the Knights who make this the best club anywhere!!


Archie's For Lunch Ride- Class 2/3



Slick led us down some awesome roads to the famous Archie's In spite of some traffic delays, we got there, got a table for about 17 of us and were treated to a large event going on.
There were lots of vendors there. Paul"Godfather" got a name patch made for him, and I got a new vest. Food was good!!
My only complaint was that they wouldn't split the bill.....I hate being the accountant, but I think I got it right.





Skip Commagere Said
This was my first ride with the Knights. Great group!!! Laughed all day and since I am a "newbee", I learned a lot from the experience of members. Way too much fun. Good lunch and fun event going on at Archie's.








Okeechobee Airport Breakfast and Lunch


The Landing Strip Cafe has always been a favorite with the Knights. Gunner got the chance to take us to this interesting spot.


It's great to sit there and watch the small plane and helicopters come and go, We welcomed a new member "Joe" to the knights on this ride.
Weather was perfect and Gunner did a great job with this ride. Fox Brown road was sweet!!!



Joe Ciancio Said" Great Ride!! Really good meeting new friends"





























Daytona


Well it's that time of year again. a few of our Knights braved the so called cold and made their way to Daytona Beach Bike Fest. Greenies led them there and back safe and sound despite a bit of heavy rain....great job!!
Now if we can only keep Echoes from eating all the junk food he can get his hands on, we'd have it made. Tom claims that the picture was photoshopped and that he really was eating a salad......yea right.






OFFICER"S MEETING



In spite of what you may have heard, we do actually get together to work on this club. The officers met to discussed  many important, and not so important issues.  I want to say how lucky I am to have the support and loyalty of these guys!! The fact that they are my best friends is a added plus!
 If you would like to know what went on just ask me.....the meeting took 3 1/2 hours and we may have been treated a little too well by our host and sponsor the Bull Taverna bar and restaurant. 
If you have not had the chance to eat there and meet the great people there...What ya waiten for????   














It may have gone passed one officer's bedtime!! Just sayin





































Slick said " Great meeting indeed. I love being a part of helping shape our future-"




Slim's Deep South Bar-B-Q



What makes the Knights ride for hour and go 120 miles each way ???? Great BBQ . As we rolled down the road in the most beautiful weather and prettiest landscape you ever saw, I couldn't help but noticed how happy I was. How lucky we are to have this club where we can get together and share the road and friendship with each other.
Really the BBQ was great, but the ride and the people just make me happy. What more can you ask for? We welcomed a new member Slobodan "Semi" (pronounced sem-eye)
 to the Knights.
It was a pleasure to meet him and his son Marco. I get the feeling he will be a core member soon, and we all look forward to that.




Ride and Shoot at Okeechobee Shooting Sports

Man, just when I really wanted to go shooting , my bike has a throttle problem. I may have cranked down on her a little hard the day before. Seems I broke the glue seal and messed up the throttle lock. Those of you who have heard me speak of my mechanic Jim can understand when I say it took him a whole 8 minutes to fix everything. No, he didn't take a dime.

One of the Steve's in his new officer's shirt!

A big Thank You to my Brother Slick for leading this ride for us. It was his 3rd event in 3 days!! Seems everyone had a good time, but the road there is just too carpy. Next time we will try the range in Stuart.

Skip Commagere said "Great ride to a fun destination. The shooting was great but the rocking chairs on the deck were perfect."


Cheesesteak Wednesday Ride

















Mid-week rides are becoming popular. Normally I can't go on any of these due to work, but I was on Spring break, so off I went. Slick took us down some great twisty roads on a beautiful day. 
We ended up at the "Whistle Stop" for some awesome sandwiches. 


Godfather Paul looked like he'd put out a hit on anyone coming near his food!!!!
Great day...even if they made me stop at the HD dealer. 

Slick Said "Yet another wonderful day with the Knights"









Frostproof Annual Bikefest


While the ride started out with over a dozen people coming, it ended up with just 4 of us. Oh well, things come up, but boy did they miss some pretty roads.  The weather could not have been better cool and comfortable all day.  As we rode down Arbuckle Creek road and 17 we were treated to a smell that few people except Floridians are lucky to experience Orange Blossoms!! They were everywhere. Even when we couldn't see any Orange trees, we still got that intoxicating aroma. Man I just love it!! After a slight miscalculation on my part(about 5 minutes), we got to Frostproof and were very disappointed to find it a bust. Skip did find us a nice place to have lunch and Echoes and I got some great Tin signs that were 2 for $5. Can't beat that.  



























Tom "ECHOES "Casella Said "Well another ride for the books Zev lead us out and we had a Great day for a relaxing ride it was good to ride with just the four of us it made my job very easy. a big thanks to Shades for a patch he parted with and gave to me I for one will miss him when he goes back up north I also enjoyed getting to know Skip better and hearing and seeing how he made a success of himself, oh yeah thanks for transporting my signs for me my new friend and last but not least thanks Zev for another enjoyable day and destination which we learned today we won't schedule in the near future




Short Notice Ride to Lauderdale by the Sea



After the original ride had to be canceled because of unforeseen circumstances, Greenies came to the rescue like a true Knight. He put up a short notice ride to Lauderdale by the sea. Weather ended up being perfect for riding. 










Member of the Month


This month that honor has to go to our own Road Capt. Slick. He has worked hard and pitched in all month long!! Always supportive and always pro-Knights. Thank you Brother for all you do!!!!

Look for these upcoming rides

Tech day May 10th


Hump Day Ride The Pelican Cafe and Beach


Elliot Museum


Wheels Across The Pond British Classic Car and Bike Show 



South Florida Ride for Kids-