April 2003 Newsletter

6NNFt color="#FFFFFF">Founded March, 2002 - Current Membership: 105
No monthly meetings are held. See the "About" link at:

Hi Everyone

The March 16 Ride 4 Kids dualsport event had its hangups, but was still a fun day. Some pics to share HERE. The group going from our club shrank rapidly, probably due to the horrible rain the day before. Anyhow, Jeff Hackett, Jim Jusko and I made it out, courtesy of Jeff's trailer. The road going into Glen Helen just off the 215 was mudded over, so the organizers setup right at the railroad crossing just off the freeway. Amazingly, it was still pulled off in quite an organized manner, thanks to Larry Langley and Jim Woods of the OC Dualies, who managed to get a Suburban in through the back way (through the Sheriff's gun range) to pickup the roll charts and maps from the staff trapped there.

The so-called "easy" route was rather challenging this year, given the swamp-like mud and massive waterholes in the trail. It got so bad that my bike had decided it had enough and flung me off. I argued and fired it up for more, only to get bucked off even worse just 1 minute later. Luckily I was launched beyond an abyss-o-mud and not into it. No injuries, other than ego-bruises.

The original route was 90+miles, but, I guess due to weather, some Forest Rangers decided to intercept the trail at about 48 miles and tell everyone the ride was over and to head back to Glen Helen for lunch. A few minutes later we were on the highway and triggered mother nature's sense-o-humor, setting off the rain and hail assault for our trip back to Glen Helen.

I heard that total fundraising for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation was around $87k. Not bad, for a 275 muddy bikers.

APRIL - CHANGE OF PLANS! (No ride to Julian)

April 6 - Group Ride to Yamaha Superbike Challenge

Who: Everyone on a roadbike (& passengers, of course) that's interested in watching the race.

What: Ride to California Speedway for an afternoon of roadracing

Where: Meet up at CoffeeTown - 1511 Rimpau Ave., Corona. 909-280-0500. Map .

When: Sunday, April 6, 11:00am.
We leave by 11:30!
The final race doesn't start until 3 or 3:30 pm, so we'll be there 4 or 5 hours or so, which is about as much as some people want to sit on aluminum benches anyway. The gates actually open at 8am if you want to get there earlier and spend the whole day there. Full schedule info .

Other: Admission is $30. Bring some earplugs if you're noise-sensitive.
Yes, there's plenty of deliciously unhealthy track food available for lunch.
Aprilia is also putting on demo rides at the event. I've been waiting to try an RSV Mille R or a Falco.
See the poll at the homepage

Track Day?
Yes, the idea of a group of us doing a day at a track (roadbikes) has been mentioned several times, including in the last newsletter. After looking into a couple options, here's what I've found:

California Speedway (through Fastrack Riders)
Gate Fee: $10
Pre-registration for AMA track: $275
Pre-registration for infield track: $235
Fastrack Riders Association Membership Fee: $50
New Riders Safety Orientation School: $100
TOTAL cost of first day at the track: $395 - $435 Ouch...
(you can almost hear the sound of cash being sucked into a Hoover.)

Willow Springs Friday Track Days (http://www.race-wsmc.com/serv08.htm)
Gate Fee: $?
Pre-registration for "street riders group": $130
Onsite-registration for "street riders group": $150
Street Riders Track Intro School: $50
Street Group WSMC membership: $50
TOTAL cost of first day at the track: $230 - $250
(a more reasonable option, but still one hell of an expensive play day, at least for first-timers.)

Track Dayz - multiple locations (http://www.trackdaz.com)
Gate Fee: $10
Pre-registration for Streets of Willow (at Willow Springs): $115
Pre-registration for Willow Springs: $130
Pre-registration for Buttonwillow: $140 (very far drive)
(add $5 to any of above to make payments online)
Registration at any of the track sites: $170
Track Intro School: $0
Membership: $0
TOTAL cost of first day at the track: $125 - $180
(the most reasonable option found, unless I'm missing something.)

We'll get something planned through Track Dayz, provided there's interest.
They've mentioned group pricing, but didn't clarify how many are needed to obtain a discount.

May Offroad Weekend Camp - El Mirage

Who: All offroaders, including family & friends

What: Weekend Offroad Camp at El Mirage (dry lakebed)
This is about 50 square miles of open desert that is fenced so you cant get lost.
There are no camp reservations required or available.
Please bring all your own food and cooking/camping equipment.

Where: Directions: 395 north, into Adelanto, turn left on Crippen Rd, it dead ends turn right. This road curves left and turns into El Mirage Rd. Several miles down you will see the sign on the right that says El Mirage. Take that main road up about 2 miles and you will seeus with the club banner. Look for a black Expedition (Marisa Ryan's) pulling a Dunes 21ft Toy Trailer.

When: Friday - Sunday, May 2-4. (Some people will be there on Friday)

Other: Open fires are permitted. They will check camps for glass and nails. All bikes must have spark arresters. Trash is carry out and there are some bathrooms there. No running water. Very strict helmet laws and no double riding on quads. They ticket. Anything and everything is welcome here. Rockets, planes, anything motorized. No firearms or fireworks permitted. No Adventure pass required and no RV hookups available. More info than you ever wanted is available HERE.
See the poll at the homepage.
If you have questions, contact Marisa Ryan at (909) 371-7313 or mryanbears@yahoo.com

Interested In Racing?
- From Marisa Ryan
My husband and I are thinking about getting a AMA District 37 charter going for Corona and even possible having riders that want to compete to earn their desert points for racing. They have lots of enduro racing also. We were thinking about putting a team together. Let me know if you know anyone interested in racing.
Marisa can be reached at mryanbears@yahoo.com

California Legislation Concerning Motorcyclists
Click HERE to read the latest off the AMA's site.

Recycling Locations For Used Motor Oil
It took a hunt, but I figured this info had to be posted somewhere in the world:
http://california.earth911.org/usa/master.asp?s=ls&cat=1&serviceid=1

Kawasaki's Austrian ad campaign(WARNING: offensive)
No folks, this is really not a joke. This is their ad campaign.
Here's a fullpage magazine ad:
http://www.mwgraphicdesign.com/humor/Kawi-Ad.jpg
If you think I'm kidding, see their slogan for yourself, posted on the left at their Austrian site:
http://www.kawasaki.at/
You gotta wonder what in the hell they were thinking, or even how Kawasaki execs would approve it.
Is that supposed to somehow sell bikes? Mind-boggling.

Roadbike MPG/AVI files
I just stumbled across this loaded directory of roadbike video files, for those interested in killing time with downloads:
ftp://ftp.motorcycle.com/pub/videos/

Job Opportunities (Motorcycle Industry Only)

Position: Operations Manager
Description: Busy, fast-paced intl. Tradeshow/publishing company seeks experience Operations Manager. Will coordinate all facility and operational activities for assigned shows/conferences. Will assist in supporting the shows from inception to completion, including initial site research and proposals, attending assigned shows/conferences and coordinating on-site operations. Position involves researching, gathering info and implementation of rates, transportation, catering, discounts, preparing site proposals, making recommendations, arranging for site inspection, assembling service information regarding service contractors, negotiating contracts with hotels, communicating w/ hotel convention services, arranging travel, coordinating exhibitor needs w/ sales staff, handling signage, etc. Must have extensive prior event/tradeshow planning experience. Travel required and if you're an 8 to 5 person, DON'T apply. Visit us at http://www.advantar.com. EOE.
Location: Santa Ana
Contact: Send resume with salary requirements to jobs@advanstar.com.
Referred by: Morgan Williams

Position: Copywriter
Description: Marketing group for large trade show and publication company needs copywriter to communicate clearly and effectively to target audience, develop ideas from research through final copy and work with design staff for visuals that enhance message. Must have excellent computer skills for PC and Mac. Visit us at http://www.advanstar.com. EOE.
Location: Santa Ana
Contact: Send resume to HR Director at jobs@advanstar.com.
Referred by: Morgan Williams

Other helpful links on motorcycle industry job opportunities...
Chaparral: http://www.chaparral-racing.com ("Employment on left side)
Cycle News: http://www.cyclenews.com/classified/classified_help.asp
Kawasaki: http://www.kawasaki.com/Hr/joblistings.html
KTM: http://www.ktmusa.com/set_index.asp (under "KTM COMPANY")
Moto-directory.com: http://www.moto-directory.com/affiliate/affiliate_classads.htm (scroll down to find)
Suzuki: http://www.suzukicycles.com/misc/contact.htm#employ
Yamaha: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/company/jobopps.asp

If you're highly open-minded about relocating...
Aprilia: http://www.apriliajobs.com/default.htm
Ducati: http://www.ducati.com/company/employment.jhtml
Husqvarna: http://www.usa.husqvarna.com/node238.asp

Who:	Everyone on a roadbike (& passengers, of course) that's interested in watching the race.
What:	Ride to California Speedway for an afternoon of roadracing
Where:	Meet up at CoffeeTown - 1511 Rimpau Ave., Corona. 909-280-0500. Map .
When:	Sunday, April 6, 11:00am. We leave by 11:30! The final race doesn't start until 3 or 3:30 pm, so we'll be there 4 or 5 hours or so, which is about as much as some people want to sit on aluminum benches anyway. The gates actually open at 8am if you want to get there earlier and spend the whole day there. Full schedule info .
Other:	Admission is $30. Bring some earplugs if you're noise-sensitive. Yes, there's plenty of deliciously unhealthy track food available for lunch. Aprilia is also putting on demo rides at the event. I've been waiting to try an RSV Mille R or a Falco. See the poll at the homepage

Who:	All offroaders, including family & friends
What:	Weekend Offroad Camp at El Mirage (dry lakebed) This is about 50 square miles of open desert that is fenced so you cant get lost. There are no camp reservations required or available. Please bring all your own food and cooking/camping equipment.
Where:	Directions: 395 north, into Adelanto, turn left on Crippen Rd, it dead ends turn right. This road curves left and turns into El Mirage Rd. Several miles down you will see the sign on the right that says El Mirage. Take that main road up about 2 miles and you will seeus with the club banner. Look for a black Expedition (Marisa Ryan's) pulling a Dunes 21ft Toy Trailer.
When:	Friday - Sunday, May 2-4. (Some people will be there on Friday)
Other:	Open fires are permitted. They will check camps for glass and nails. All bikes must have spark arresters. Trash is carry out and there are some bathrooms there. No running water. Very strict helmet laws and no double riding on quads. They ticket. Anything and everything is welcome here. Rockets, planes, anything motorized. No firearms or fireworks permitted. No Adventure pass required and no RV hookups available. More info than you ever wanted is available HERE. See the poll at the homepage. If you have questions, contact Marisa Ryan at (909) 371-7313 or mryanbears@yahoo.com