National Motorcycle Museum

Anamosa, Iowa was an idea of Marc Schilling's for a weekend motorcycle ride because of the National Motorcycle Museum. I must admit, I have never heard of Anamosa, Iowa but after this weekend will never forget where it is and what a great time we all had. Not only is Anamosa famous for their museum, but 1 1/2 miles north houses the headquarters of J & P Cycles a business that sells not only Harley-Davidson aftermarket parts, but Metric Cruiser's as well. Each year J & P Cycles holds an annual open house and it get so happens, it was this week! Wow, a museum and J & P Cycles, not to mention Michelle Smith of American Thunder on the cable network Speed Channel was scheduled to be in attendance! Last year J & P Cycles had 10,000 motorcycles make the pilgrimage to the open house, with Michelle being there, who knows maybe a 1/2 million!

The four of us met at STH 26 and I-94 on Saturday morning at 5:00 AM. I wanted to leave early so as to NOT miss Michelle! The ride to J & P Cycles was okay, it was cloudy the entire time and we ran into a few rain drops as we entered Iowa. We took I-94 to STH 151 to J & P Cycles. The total mileage was around 180. We arrived at J & P Cycles around 8:45 AM, about 15 minutes prior to the official start of the open house. We weren't the first or the last bike to arrive. Rumor has it that 14,000 motorcycles were in attendance.

Marc and I made a immediately went looking for Michelle. After about 5 minutes we saw her and the line was short, only about 5 people! I got in line at least twice. Michelle was very personable. She signed autographs for those that wanted them and many photos were taken. I heard her say to Marc, as I waited patiently to take their picture, "Wait just a minute while I arrange the twins." After this I saw Michelle rearrange those famous assets of hers. Next, I had to wait for Marc to look up at the camera, since his attention was diverted downwards.

Chuck who rides a 2006 Victory 1600cc motorcycle built by Cory Ness had his photo taken with the builder. There were other custom bike builders at the open house. Every hour there was a stunt bike show and lunch was under the big top. Lunch was provided free of charge! Later we watched as someone had their bike in the traveling Dyno Trailer. I had never seen a bike on a dyno, so this was an experience too.

Since we had arrived very early, we decided to visit the national Motorcycle Museum on Saturday instead of waiting until Sunday. After we left J & P Cycle we headed south for about 2 miles and came to the small city of Anamosa, which looked more on the part of a town during Sturgis Bike Week then in the middle of Iowa! What J & P Cycles does for the small city of Anamosa and the money that is generated during this weekend must be a blessing for those business owners.

The National Motorcycle Museum is something that is a MUST do! For only $6 we toured two floors of vintage motorcycles from Harley-Davidson, Indian, Honda, BMW, Henderson, Vincent H-R-D, Evel Knievel's Harley, Thor, Curtiss, Norton, Indian Larry's Custom Bike, Peter Fonda's Easy Rider Bike and so much more including diecast toys, vintage racing clothing, women's motorcycle clubs and scooters!

We stayed Saturday evening at Holiday Inn Express on Collins Road in Cedar Rapids. On Sunday we left around 10:15 AM and headed east on SYH 64 to Savannah, Illinois. SYH 64 was very scenic. We drove through many small towns on the way that reminded me of "Mayberry RFD with Andy Griffith and Don Knotts." We received many a wave in these towns. We decided that lunch at Gobbies in Galena was a must, as we had eaten there before. Galena is always packed full of people and bikers. This is still a town meant for women who love to shop at quaint little shops full of "one-of-a-kind" merchandise that husbands don't really care about or fully understand.

We talked about making this an annual event, except maybe an entire weekend next year. J & P Cycles Open House is an annual event and one that needs to be experienced. For more photos of our weekend go to and more photos, don't forget to enter the word "Chrome" (capital "C") when it asks for a password. Thanks to Lou, Chuck, Marc, Michelle and Cory for making this another memorable riding experience for me.

Go HOG Wild Read!

PIE (Parents In Education) Night at Watertown High School, Thursday evening, May 30th was a night soon not forgotten by many children and motorcyclists! A few months back I was contacted by Gail Kottwitz, WUSD Title 1 Coordinator, she knew my friends and I were "born to ride" but now she wanted to know if we were "born to read". Gail initiated a summer reading program titled, "Go Hog Wild Read". If you are a true cyclist, any reason to ride is a good reason and this benefiting children I thought was a great reason to come together and support our young motorcycling enthusiasts.

Within a few days after sending an e-mail out to our HOG friends, I had a commitment of ten motorcycles. Not all of these bikes were Harley-Davidson's, one was a Boss Hoss trike powered by a 350 cubic inch Corvette engine! Our job was to ride to the high school as a group, grab a piece of pie (Bikers will always eat when it's free), then read to groups of children. As we walked into the high school, each wearing their biker best leather, tattoos, earrings and boots, we were welcomed with mixed reviews. Once we started reading the children looked past our "biker image" and treated us like long lost friends. That's exactly what we were, friends.

Each of us were given a group of children and a book to read. We were asked by Gail to express to the children the importance of reading in their lives. After reading to the children, it was time to have pictures taken of them by and on our bikes. We spent a long time making sure every child who wanted a picture on a motorcycle got the opportunity. One my friends even tied a bandanna on a child's head so they really looked like a "biker." I really don't know who had more fun, the children or us bikers! As we left the high school, our engines were all started at the same time. Since we were parked so close to the auditorium wall, the sound reverberated and was louder then normal. I want to thank Gail for inviting us and all of our friends who participated; Brian, Ralph, Karen, Dan, Beth, Brian, Sherrie, Todd, Dan and my wife Cathy. An additional Harley rider joined us and helped with the children and photos!

1st BRC Lead

My 1st Beginner Rider Course Lead at Capital City Harley-Davidson Dealership in Madison, WI. My first step prior to the actual classroom teaching was to contact all eight of my students. As soon as I received the class roster, I began my phone calls. I was able to talk to only one student, however left messages for the other seven. The message was simple, introduce myself, ask them to call me with questions or concerns and encourage them to be prepared by answering all of the 126 questions contained in their Rider's Edge Handbook. Capital City Harley-Davidson mails out all the necessary materials long before the first class so that students can familiarize themselves with what is expected. A call from the Rider Coach prior to the first classroom session helps not only the student but the instructor as well. Being my very first lead in the classroom as well as on the range, I was nervous. I was reassured by the Program Manager Randy, to relax and that I would be fine.

When I walked into the classroom the first night, I began to feel comfortable immediately. All eight of the students had completed answering the 126 questions and we began our journey together in what will become their next hobby, the sport of motorcycling! Between watching videos and answering questions, I learned as much about my students as they learned about me. This group of students became my second family. Friday night started off with a Dealership Tour and the employee's at CCHD were great! The enthusiasm that was shown by these employees helped to emphasize, Harley-Davidson is more that just selling motorcycles, it builds memories and creates extended families that go beyond the borders!

All day Saturday and Sunday was spent on the range. Saturday riders were introduced to the Level I Exercises, consisting of nine riding lessons. These lessons taught the very basics and each one built from the previous exercise. Sunday consisted of Level II Exercises (six new exercises, a review and skills test) and helped riders fine tune what they had learned from Level I Exercises. Sunday afternoon riders were tested on four basic skills every rider needs to practice; turns, slow maneuvers, quick stops and swerves. I am happy to say all seven passed! Yes, seven of the original eight. Our eighth student showed up on Sunday over two hours late and the rest of the class had already started and were on the third exercise. Riders must be on time and be prepared. Our eighth rider was sent home, not being able to complete the course. After the skills testing, we went into the dealership and students wrote the knowledge test. As I had expected, everyone passed! I forgot to mention of the seven riders on the range, three received "perfect scores", Jeff, Jason and Jim! Way to go!

A celebration completed our 25 hours together. We all had cheesecake and shared thoughts of how the weekend went. I want to thank all of "my" students for being prepared and encouraging each other throughout both the classroom assignments and the range activities. As I mentioned the very first night, we will become a family and help each other through the BRC.

I want to also thank Bill, another Rider Coach from Capital City, who was there for me and the students. Randy, our Program Manager, you made my first class run smoothly too by assuring me that I was ready. Finally, thanks to the dealership for having a Rider's Edge Program that offers others the skills to ride safely and learn what a wonderful hobby the world of motorcycling really is!

"Hi Phil, sorry it took so long but here's a picture of my bike. Picked it up Aug 4. I have a Little over 600 miles on it, and have two of my goals. took it to work and put it on the inter-state. Next week I will be taking it up to Rice lake for the 1000 mile service. I am remembering what I learned and it works. I really enjoy riding again, a lot more than what I remember. I will let you go with one last thought, what I learned in the course has made me more aware and has made me better behind the wheel too."

Thanks again, Paul.

This was a comment from one of my students from Wisconsin Harley-Davidson in Oconomowoc, WI. It's alway a pleasure to hear from past students who have not only learned a few things from the class, but practiced what was taught! Stay safe Paul!