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Editor’s
Notes
Spring is nearly
here as I write this. Some of us have already brought our bikes out
of storage and run some test rides up and down Highway 93. A few
even struggled against the wind and cold and showed up at the March
13th Breakfast. We had another full house at the Stevi
Café with several guests joining us. It shows that the Montana
Retreads is a great group to not only ride with, but also to share
our life and motorcycle experiences.
First
Scheduled Ride
Our first ride of
the season is scheduled for April 10th at 9:00 a.m. We’ll
meet at the Hayloft and depending on the weather and road
conditions, ride either to the Lochsa Lodge or the Sula store (could
be more interesting to see the rock slide).
Tech Tips
This tip was
shared by Monte at the January breakfast: For those of us with shaft
drives, it’s important when performing
service that requires removal of the rear wheel…the splines need to
be thoroughly cleaned and regreased before remounting wheel. The
recommended lube is Lithium based Molydisulphide (Moly) grease. If
you don’t do your own service, make sure your mechanic understands
that you want it done this way. Otherwise, you’ll be replacing the
rear shaft housing sooner than later.
Hope Ride
At the March
breakfast, we got a little more information about the ride. Although
it is not an official ride in our Retreads calendar, it is one that
many members have done and we’re encouraged to participate
nevertheless. It would be great to have a significant showing of the
Montana Retreads group.
JT Meenach shared
some of his insights with us about the ride. He’s done the ride for
several years as have others in the club. The event is scheduled for
July 24 and 25 this year. The Hope Ride has been organized by the
Montana Highway Patrol Officers to benefit critically and sometimes
terminally ill children. The Hope Project is about |
Hope Ride
(cont.)
raising money to
provide these children with their wish, in many cases their last
wish. Because the Hope Ride is managed by volunteers, nearly 95% of
the money raised goes towards granting these children their wish.
Often the wish is a trip to Disneyworld. The average wish costs
about $5,700 and often includes funds to cover not only the trip but
for family and a health care professional. This project is
specifically for Montana children...so it’s all about our kids here
in Montana.
There is an entry
fee of $30 person. The fee covers a souvenir hat, pin, and other
goodies plus the barbecue Saturday evening. We are encouraged to
raise money but are not required to in order to participate.
The event for us
will start in Missoula and follow a circuitous route to West
Yellowstone. We’ll be doing approximately 410 miles in one day. This
mileage is part of the fun and can be challenging as we rarely use
the interstate. The ride is designed to approximate the mileage that
other riders from across the state have to make to reach the
destination.
For more
information, go to
http://www.montanahope.org.
We’ll have more
information as we get closer to the event.
Experienced
Rider Course
We have 7 riders
signed up to take the Experienced Rider Course on May 9th
in Missoula. Each enrolled rider has received confirmation and
directions to the course. If anyone is still interested in
participating, call Dave McCormack for registration forms. Someone
will be there with a camera and pictures of participants will appear
here in the May edition. Keep smiling.
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Comments on the
newsletter should be sent to Dave McCormack at
dhmcc@aol.com or call him at
375-9379.
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