VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 DECEMBER 2009 MAGAZINE R MINNESOTA DITION S REMIERE E FREE MINNESOTA’ P TAKE ONE Runs Rallys nat’l & local events AMERICA’S FASTEST GROWING BIKER PUBLICATION CONTENTS December 2009 Events Thundercam.................................................................4 Dec 5- Christmas Open House @ Rochester Harley-Davidson in Rochester, MN from 9am A Day With Erik Buell...................................................5 - 3pm. Lonestar Exclusive Interview.........................................6 Dec 5- Abate of MN’s Glacier Ridge Chapter Joker.............................................................................8 St. Nick Celebration @ Rooney’s in Sedan, MN from 1pm - 4pm. Thunder Roads Magazine of Minnesota Greetings Riders, Lady Bikers.................................................................10 P.O. Box 769 I would like to tell you about myself. I’ve been Bikers Defined............................................................12 Dec 25- MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Albert Lea, MN 56007 riding for 41 years and I suffer from crippling bouts (877) 230-4520 KISS.........................................................................13 of depression. The depression struggles usually [email protected] Get Licensed..............................................................16 begin early in the mornings. About the time when Staff stepping out the door going to work and seeing the TNT.............................................................................17 Flashback...................................................................18 Owner/Editor sunshine, smelling the fresh air, and just knowing. Yes, knowing I am missing a beautiful riding day. Tech Tips.....................................................................20 Willie Matthews To avoid the healthcare system and the high (877) 230-4520 Motorcycle Clubs and Organizations...........................21 costs of prescription medication, I purchased this [email protected] NCOM News Bytes.....................................................22 magazine to cure my ailment. It allows me to do Skin Art.......................................................................26 Willie’s Assistant what I love the most. Be around bikes, bikers, and Too Tired To Ride?.......................................................28 Joe Matthews ride whenever I want. (641) 483-3022 My goals with Thunder Roads Magazine of [email protected] Minnesota are: Marketing Director Keep bikers informed on rides, events, clubs, organizations, and places bikers can go where they Lori Miller are appreciated! (405) 853-0206 [email protected] Being an outlet for vendors, dealers, and all advertisers to bring the bikers to you! Layout and Design Cover events, keep bikers informed on law Warren Ells, Art Director changes, and just go out an enjoy life. Thunder Publishing Together we can all be better informed. If you [email protected] have anything going on, please email me so we National Founders can report it. Feel free to write the editor so we can get your ideas to improve our coverage. Toni McCoy Shearon & Brian Shearon I am looking forward to working with all of you. 1421 Chapmansboro Road Chapmansboro, TN 37035 I would like to wish you all the best during this Office: (615) 792-0040 Fax: (615) 792-7580 holiday season! [email protected] Sincerely, Willie Matthews ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF ITS CONTENT MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT State Editor/Owner WRITTEN PERMISSION. PUBLISHER ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY AND IS NOT TO BE HELD LIABLE FOR ERRORS BEYOND THE COST OF THE SPACE OCCUPIED BY THE Thunder Roads Magazine of Minnesota ERROR, SLANDER OF ANY GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL, FAILURE TO PRODUCE ANY IS- SUE AS SCHEDULED DUE TO REASONS BEYOND OUR CONTROL, ANY AND ALL SUITS FOR LIABLE, PLAGIARISM, COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT AND UNAUTHORIZED USE OF A PERSON’S NAME OR PHOTOGRAPH. OPINIONS AND CLAIMS MADE BY ADVERTIS- ERS AND AUTHORS ARE THEIR OWN, AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE POLICY OF THUNDER ROADS MAGAZINE OR THUNDER PUBLISHING. PUBLISHER DOES NOT PROMOTE THE ABUSE OF ALCOHOL OR OTHER DRUGS. Thunder Roads Magazine 2 Thunder Roads Magazine 3 A Day with Erik Buell by Dennis Martin the most just because it has bags When we found out that Cycle Connection Harley-Davidson in Joplin, MO and it is more practical for me. was having Erik Buell visit their dealership, I knew I wanted to be there. I Any other motorcycle? would like to thank Nancy and Scott Hutson, for allowing me some time to Well since we didn’t come out interview Erik during their all day “Escape” event. Erik was there to meet with a dirt bike, my favorite all with new Buell owners and share the company’s vision. Another name of time street bike was my Velo- the event could have been simply “Buell Days”. The day was filled with cette. It was a goofy bike and a Demo rides on all the Buell Models, a helmet seminar, two stunt shows in the pain in the butt to keep running, parking lot by “ILL CONDUCT”, and a fashion show featuring Buell and Icon but it was a wonderfull bike to products. ride. During the exclusive VIP “Meet and Greet”, I could tell right away that Erik Do you have any riding tips for is just a regular guy like any of us. He is the most humble, non-egotistical our readers? person you would ever meet. Erik shared his design vision of “Double Duty Ride often and do the “track Parts” which is a result of Buell motorcycles having 50% fewer parts than days” to let it out of your system. other bikes. The Buell Corporation in East Troy, Wisconsin, employs about Ride often so that you always 200 passionate people that hand build each bike. When Erik told the “meet have 20% spare change. Don’t and greet” group that half of the bikes they build are exported overseas, he ride over your head. received a huge applause. At the end of Erik’s meet with us, Scott Hutson had a surprise for Erik. Scott hired a local artist, A.J. Wood, to create a paint- Erik Buell and the Business ing of Erik remembering his racing days. Erik actually had a tear in his eye. When did you realize you Before Erik founded the Buell Motorcycle Company he raced nationwide changed the motorcycle within the AMA and was also a chassis engineer for the Harley-Davidson industry? Corporation. His past only fueled his passion for motorcycles and he set out Well, I’m still working on it. I don’t know that I have. Maybe when the street to create his own AMA Formula One motorcycle. After that his passion led fighter thing took off that we really launched with the gold S-1. We won him to build his first sport bike. In 1994, Harley-Davidson invested into the an award for best standard with Cycle World. There was no street fighter Buell Motorcycle Company and the rest is history, or is it? category and they didn’t know what it was. Erik is still a hands on guy and is constantly still looking to design and build What sets the Buell Corporation above the competition? unique bikes. The 2009 Buell 1125CR is one of his most innovative bikes to I don’t know that we are above, we are just different. We are unique in such date. The power plant is an 1125cc liquid-cooled V-Twin with 146 hp @ 9800 that the Buell is truly the only American sport bike. We do things differently rpm and 82 ft. lbs. of torque @ 8000 rpm. The Ram Air scoops on each side in what I consider a very American way. Lots of invention and new ways of are designed to pressurize the air box and increase performance at speeds looking at things. Pioneering ways to do things which is what I think is the over 80 mph. To efficiently get the horsepower to the rear wheel, Buell uses American spirit and it shows in our engineering. Our biggest accomplishment a system known as “Immediate Throttle Response Belt Drive”. There is is having a little team of people building a bike that is at a very affordable constant tension on the belt to eliminate any slack in the system while shifting price over what mass produced bikes are. Everyone does an amazing job. up or down. To find out more features go to www.buell.com Are there any projects that you are working on that you can share with us? (a very quick) NO (then silence) Erik Buell the Person How did you come up with the idea that people would really dig your Married? machines so much and why did you think they would? Tish. Well you’re never really sure what will happen. We did some radical style Children? design work. When the S-1 first came out they were considered insane… Six, youngest 16 and oldest 25. crazy… weird. Why is the seat so tiny? Why is this fender back here? Are they getting into the business? People just couldn’t take their eyes off it. We knew it was going to be a “love- Don’t know yet. The oldest daughter is going to college for Micro-Biology but hate” thing but that’s OK. We would rather do that than do what everyone hates working in the lab. She loves solving problems with DNA splicing but else was doing. (In reference to the 1125 CR) I wanted an in your face hot she can’t stand being in a white room. When she is at the (Buell) plant she rod look, but on a street bike. Everything has a fairing so we styled ours says she is thinking about becoming a design engineer… maybe. around a scorpion with the claws, small head and a pointy tail. It is functional How did your parents feel about you getting into the motorcycle business? art. It is a combination of a scorpion and a Harrier Jet with the scoops. They weren’t into motorcycles but they were never opposed to me doing it. What award do you cherish the most? My mom and dad never came to a race, they let me do it but they were never Well as of now, the painting that the dealership had created for me.