August, 2000 Volume 1, Issue 7 Published by the CFR Editor: John Munson

Central Freedom Riders Motorcycle Club

Upcoming Events: August 18 – 20, Viet Nam Vets Rally, Glen Rose. August 27, Lunch ride to Grand Pappy’s Point Sept. 3, Lunch Ride to Cedar Creek Lake Sept. 8 – 10, Beavers Bend Weekend trip Sept 23, 24, Bikers and Balloons Festival Oct. 7, Branch VFD Fish Fry and Live Auction See the back page for details We welcome these members who have recently joined us: Kevin Fry Bryan Jones Meetings are on the first Thursday of each month, 7 PM, at Central Yamaha, 7000 Ave. K, Plano, Texas. AUXILIARY MEETINGS We have two types. First is the standing invitation to Hooter’s, SH 75 just North of Plano Pkwy. Join us for half price wings, and full price camaraderie! Secondly, the AETR, Any Excuse To Ride. These special pick up rides can happen at any time, so watch your email, or call us to find out what’s up.

CLUB HAPPENING by John Munson Just when you thought it was safe to get back on the scoot… We had a very busy meeting this month, with some great decisions made concerning the club. We have been getting big turns-out at the last few meetings, and this is a great thing. One sad note, though. A friend and brother, Paul Pakchar passed away recently. He rode a Royal Star, and loved to sail among other things. Paul was a network engineer with a Ph.D. That’s no small thing, people. He will be missed. His charity of choice is the public radio station KERA. We’ll take a donation at some point and contribute in his name. Some members are checking into getting a memorial patch made. We’ll let you know. Several of us meet regularly at Hooter’s, 75 just north of Plano Pkwy. We got to talking about all the great things the club has been doing lately, and how nice it would be to expand our activities. Some of the guys threw in together to buy a trailer to haul our goods to rallies, and after a rainy ROT Rally, a big tent seems like a good idea! Our budget has always been tight, and the funds take a major dip after any party we throw. Our dues have been very cheap for these first five years, so we decided to put a decision before the club. We wanted to raise the dues form the former $10.00 per year to $15.00 or even $20.00 per year. This did not seem unreasonable given the increasing benefits we want to provide. An effort was made by Rob and Kim to reach everyone to tell them our plans. This was a club decision, and if you wanted to be heard on this issue, you had your chance. The vote was unanimous at the meeting to raise the dues to $20.00 per year. This is still pretty reasonable, and will help us continue to grow and improve! Thanks to all who attended the meeting and participated in your club. To those who couldn’t make it to the meeting, we hope to see you on a ride in the near future. Riding’s the thing! The club also voted to honor our founding President, Roger Wagner, and Vice-President, Bob Dunfee, for their leadership and dedication in the early years of the CFR. It was decided to endow these two with Lifetime memberships. Congrats to two great guys! Thanks for helping to make the club what it is today. Speaking of Lifetime memberships, we also voted that anyone can buy one by paying ten times the current dues. Now that is $200.00. Quite a bargain, I think! We’ll let you know as soon as anyone takes advantage of this offer. We discussed the trailer as well. A day has been scheduled to clean it up, buff out the paint to bring back a proud shine and take care of a few rust spots. This will be at Hoover’s (aka the Clubhouse) on August 13. We’ll get started early, around 10 AM, and hit the pool when it gets too hot! We’ll also grill out some meat so no one will go away hungry. We scheduled lots of rides for September, and a campout in October. The Beavers Bend trip should be a good one. I didn’t make it last year, but I heard all the great comments about riding in that area. Others have told me about it, too, so I’m getting excited about it! Yeaaaaah! We also planned some rides and events in October, one being the Branch VFD annual Fish Fry and Live Auction, benefiting their equipment fund. We are also planning a campout at Lake Ray Roberts around that time, and more details will be forthcoming. As you can see, we are really gearing up this club. We are planning lots of rides, events, parties, etc, and we want you to join us. The more folks we have along the more fun had by all! This is your club, and it’s only as good as you make it. Next month’s meeting will be an important one. We need to hold elections of officers, so plan to be there if at all possible.

UPCOMING RIDE DETAILS September 3, lunch ride to Cedar Creek Lake. September 8 – 10 is the second annual trip to Beavers Bend in Arkansas. The pre-reserved cabins are spoken for, but there are other cabins in the area. Check out their web site http://www.beaversbend.com Or call at 800-435-5514. September 23, 24, The ISF Bikers and Balloons Festival is coming up on Sept 22 – 24. This event will be held at Collin County Community college campus on Spring Creek in Plano. We may be helping the CMA guys work this, so stay tuned to your email. GROUP RIDING This topic is near and dear to us. We ride in a group so often, but we may take for granted that everyone knows how. Let’s review the basics. Staggered line, lead bike in left track, second in right track, third in left, and so on. Leave enough room in between you and the bike in front of you to let him or her maneuver in the lane to avoid obstacles. On narrow roads with no shoulder, single file riding is fine. Leave a 2 second gap in front of you. Stay in line as best you can. Be predictable so you don’t surprise your friends by doing something foolish. You make the Road Captain nervous when you hot dog around! Hand signals let everyone know what’s up. When you see one in front of you repeat it until the person behind you repeats it. Be responsible for the rider behind you. Don’t let them get lost. Wait for them at the next corner if need be. We watch out for each other! The "CFR Colors Pins" are available for sale from Rob, our KotG*. They are very good looking, so get two or three! Patches, too! (*Keeper of the Goods.)

SAFETY CORNER The fight for the right to decide about whether or not you must wear a helmet goes on and on. There is some confusion about the law and the interpretation as well. After reading the Dept. of Public Safety’s web page on the subject, I at least have a better idea of what the requirements are. First, the rider must be 21 years of age or older. The second requirement is one of these two: the rider must have completed a motorcycle safety course, or is covered by a health insurance plan providing the person with at least $10,000.00 in medical benefits for injuries incurred as a result of an accident while operating or riding upon a motorcycle. The Helmet Exemption Sticker is optional, costs $5.00, is non-transferable to another bike, and expires after three years. The sticker indicates that the motorist meets the requirements for riding without a helmet, and law enforcement officers (LEO) will presume that they do. The law allows the LEO to stop any biker they see without a sticker and check for compliance. What about evidence for compliance? According to the DPS, any form of medical insurance card, VA card, Medicare or Medicaid card is prima facie proof that the coverage meets the requirements of the law. The department’s administrative rules do not require the card to display the amount of policy coverage. If you do get stopped, present these facts to the LEO in a calm manner, but if you get a ticket anyway, take it to court. The sticker is not mandatory, but if the LEO does not see it, he does have probable cause to stop you and check for a valid insurance card, or a Motorcycle Safety Course completion card. The TMRA 2, with Sputnik in the lead, is still fighting for our rights in Austin. A recent opinion by Texas Attorney General John Cornyn allows police to detain some motorcyclists seen not wearing helmets, according to the Dallas Morning News. This is not in accordance with the spirit of the law, according to Sputnik, and the fight goes on. My advice in all this? Pay the $5.00, get the sticker, or always carry your insurance card and be prepared to be stopped.

President: Kevin Arnold Vice President: John Munson Sec/Treas: Rob Kaleta, Sr.