The Palm Beach Knights Newsletter

The Knights Table

Monthly Newsletter October 2013

Greetings from your President Will

Will the Real Bikers Please Stand Up

by Will

The event in NYC really caught me by surprise. (And really pissed me off) I guess I was truly starting to believe that the general public were seeing us for what we really are, just normal citizens with a love for motorcycles. I was wrong. I know that from time to time, an event or two involving outlaws who happen to ride motorcycles is publicized in the press and on TV. They love alliteration like "Bikers Brawl with Base Ball Bats" or "Bikers Battle in Casinos (Hell Angels)," the TV promos ring out during the commercial breaks. "More at 11.”, but I really thought those days were over….for the most part. Again I was wrong!! (Hard to believe)

I've been riding for years, not as many as a lot of the other Palm Beach Knights, but I do get around. Most of those years have been spent right here recounting and sometimes writing about the things that are going on in my personal motorcycling world in South Florida. I thought the public had stop seeing us as "Bikers," sort of the same way Seinfeld used to say "Newman"... those tough looking bearded riders attired all in black and bent on destroying the next town and kidnapping all their young women... I think it's time for a reality check. Who are the real bikers?

The mob of motorcyclist involved in the incident in NYC is nothing like us. Yet we still are all infected by the negative aura from them. First, for all those that are unaware, here is how it was reported:

“PICTURED: Wealthy couple attacked by wild pack of motorcyclists after harrowing 4-mile chase on the West Side Highway following fender bender turned hit-and-run — driver fled after running over biker.

Alexian Lien's Range Rover was surrounded by several bikers on the West Side Highway on Sunday. One biker apparently cut the driver off and slammed on the brakes just before the SUV bumped his rear tire. But when Lien — who was driving his wife, Rosalyn, and their 2-year-old child — stopped several bikers began to damage his SUV. Lien fled, striking one biker. But the group caught up to him and pummeled him before cops arrived.”

The commissioner said police had been monitoring the ride — loosely organized by a group that calls itself Hollywood Stuntz. He said about 1,000 riders caused chaos in Times Square last year when they showed up out of nowhere and disrupted traffic.

Police arrested 15 bikers and confiscated 55 motorcycles during incidents Sunday unrelated to the Lien attack, Kelly said. He said 68 summonses were issued.

Give me a freakin break!

Now I know that I wasn't there and there may have been circumstances that I don’t know about. I think in this case everyone can take some blame, both bikers and the car driver. Those biker should not have been riding out of formation and doing stunts on the road. The driver should have pulled over for a couple of minutes and let them just pass. Whatever happened, it was a bad event, and my heart goes out to the biker that was badly injured. My problem is the bad press that happens after.

The bikers we are all hearing about make up less than 1/10 of one percent of all motorcyclists. They are a tiny minority. Most sport bikers are decent carful riders. We used to hear about the so-called one-percenters that the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) once defined as the “outlaw element” in motorcycling. Now, its young studs trying impress everyone on sport bikes doing stunts. (Sorry I mean stuntz….oy)

That is until confrontation like this one. Are we really taking shots to our long fought for positive image by 20 something year olds???

Motorcycling is a passion, but not a crime of passion.

I've read on Motorcycles Forum messages welcoming new members with: "And welcome to the pleasant addiction."

I think that speaks volumes. ( I may start doing just that)

The terms "biker" and "motorcyclist" gets thrown around a lot. The media almost always uses the word "biker." People on the street seeing bikes go by and not familiar with the world of motorcycling, are sometimes heard to say, "There goes another biker gang like the Hell's Angels."(I promise this is true) Perhaps, in some small way, we don't mind being equated with the Hell's Angels. I know we all have a rebellious spirit. We may like the freedom of riding and the camaraderie of other riders. But most of us either ride alone or with small clubs of like-minded individuals like The Knights. We have no innate desire to separate ourselves into a lifestyle that may ultimately bring us face-to-face with disrespect from the general public or the law.

I know that motorcycling is one of the essential focuses in our lives, but it does not take us over. We join clubs to provide support and fellowship. We are both male and female, young and old, single, married, grandfathers and grandmothers, teachers, lawyers, police officers, firefighters, entertainers, bricklayers, retired persons, mechanics, plumbers and yes even Librarians -- you get the picture. We are everyday people who love to own and ride motorcycles.

Some of us call ourselves bikers. Others call themselves motorcyclists. The designation doesn't matter. Bikers are among the finest people you will ever meet. Why can’t people try to separate us from criminals and “Hot dogers “who ride motorcycles?

Take a look at the next motorcyclist you see taking off "his" helmet. You may just find that beneath that helmet is a 65-year-old grandmother of four out on a poker run to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Doesn't sound like the biker you heard about on the evening news does it.

Yes, diverse we are, but when asked, "Will the real biker please stand up," we all proudly rise collectively, glance around at each other, and smile. I’m just sayin…

If you want to see a OUR ANNIVERSARY VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXpuaCP7f_g&feature=youtu.be

DON'T FORGET TO RSVP FOR OUR BIG HOLIDAY PARTY DECEMBER 7TH

CORE Members, if you are interested in being part of the leadership team, see Will .

We need Tailgunners, and Road Capt.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE ORGANIZER 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!!

Happy Birthday to:

Alan Neibauer			10/22/1945
Steve (slick) Rosenblum			10//26
Kris Kollar			10/26/1967
Eric (medrep) Torrella			10/27/1969
Neal Alvanos			10/27/1946

We have been having some really awesome rides:

Home coming game escort

My school invited us to escort the player onto the field for the Homecoming Game. It was really kind of cool! I'd love for the Knights to do more of these kind of things.

10th Annual Run to the Heartland

Turn out to be a perfect day. A little longer of a ride, but the weather couldn't have been nicer. The festival was a little disappointing as the turnout was a lot less than previous years.

After a couple of walks around the circle, you're pretty much done. Slick did tell us about a nicer road that we took on the way there...Thanks!!

Keith Baldwin Said

"Great ride and amazing people."

Officer's meeting

We got together to talk about the upcoming Holiday Party

and Talk eat talk. RSVP NOW!!! it is going to be FUN FUN FUN.

Captain Hirams-Sebastian

3 people got their pins for paying their dues and Keith got his Decal which designates him as an official core member.

A nice long ride along the water all the way to Sebastian. We had a nice stop at a park where we watched some volleyball player and got to see the ocean.

All in all a nice ride up the coast and as always...great company and food.

Rick Pirozzoli Said

"Good ride , good food , good friends......good night . We missed Lisa"

Big Bertha’s Fish Joint/GRASSY WATERS

The best weather of the year...so far.

The day started off cool, with a nice chill in the air. We had a great ride up to Okeechobee and then along the lake.

Everyone rode perfect. The restaurant while in a great location and good food was lacking when it came to service. We waited way too long....sorry about that guys!.