The Fallen 7

“The Fallen 7”—This phrase has been coined over the past few weeks in New Hampshire, throughout New England and beyond.

On Friday, June 21, 2019, in Randolph, N.H., a man speeding and out of control managed to jackknife the flatbed trailer he was hauling into 10 motorcycles. Seven people died on the road in this horrific crash. These people were members of the Jarhead MC on their way to a charity event at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The man responsible has been charged with seven counts of negligent homicide and remains behind bars.

Veterans, bikers and the community, in general, are having difficulty processing this tragedy and are desperate to help in any way. The most amazing response by a community that I have ever witnessed in my 40 years of riding occurred on Saturday, July 6.

A small group of riders, a few dozen or so, planned a ride to honor these fallen Marine veterans. The ride was going from the Broken Spoke in Laconia to the crash site in Randolph, 90 miles in total.

This ride went viral beyond belief in just over a week. The ride ended up with more than 3,000 bikes and the route was lined with thousands and thousands of people waving American flags. Every town we passed through, every overpass on the highway was filled to capacity. What a tribute. I don’t have words to describe the feelings of that day.

As I heard one man say, “this is what happens when good people die.”

Paul Barry | Pelham, N.H.

AMA Charter Life Member

 

Ethanol Inefficiencies

I read the August letter of the month (“Mileage Matters”) with some interest, as I always try to put non-ethanol fuel in my 2016 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited. Fortunately, in Upstate N.Y., it’s not terribly hard to find.

I remember having similar conversations with farmers who lived through World War II. At that time, gasoline was rationed, so many farm equipment manufacturers offered engines that ran on ethanol blends, or on pure ethanol. They would all tell you that you would burn 15 to 25 percent more ethanol than gas when doing the same work.

Bud Durland | Saranac, N.Y.

Emergency Response

When faced with a possible emergency, we need to have our reactions predetermined. You want to think quickly, but this takes time. Don’t waste it—something should start automatically.

Here’s what I think it is: roll off the throttle, roll on the front brake and check a mirror.

Not too much braking will happen before you get around to figuring out what to do, but if it does, that’s almost always what you need. You can trail brake into a turn later if you need to. Braking is by far the most powerful tool you have.

What bothers me most is when I hear about people laying their bike down. That’s a reaction a lot of people have. And it’s time we ended it. Please learn to use your front brake. As a motorcyclist, this is the single most important thing you can do.

Alan Stephenson | Sedona, Ariz.

Works Honda Sighting

As a 12-year AMA member, this was my fourth AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days and the best one yet! I always wanted to see the “Ribi Fork” works Honda in person, and I did just that! We had some rain this year, but that just made the event more memorable. Great times. Thanks, AMA!

Michael D. Harris | Caribou, Maine

Parking Point

I just read Dan Bowles reply to the “Ask the MSF” article on parking two bikes in one spot. Dan, unfortunately, fell victim to overly strict Tennessee police.

A few years back, a small town decided only one bike could occupy a spot. To make a point of how foolish this is, the local folk got a number of friends together, rode into town early one morning and took up every spot in town. Needless to say, the town fathers quickly corrected their error.

Gary Amon | Rochester, N.Y.

VFR Survivor

I was admiring the Honda VFR750 in the Honda tent at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. A Honda representative approached and confirmed that it was one of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Bubba Shobert’s bikes. I told the rep that I had ridden to the event on my 1986 VFR with 109,500 miles on it. He chuckled and remarked on the high mileage. Then he asked while pointing over my shoulder, “Why don’t you tell that to Mr. Shobert?”

I turned around and there was the champ! Bubba graciously shook my hand and we had a nice chat.

When we parted he said, “I should give you my number in case you ever want to sell your VFR. I’ve been looking for one.”

It made my day.

Then, on July 20, the 10-inch water main failed on the street in front of my house. The thing flowed for two hours, filling my garage and basement with a couple of feet of muddy water. The fates of my 1968 Honda CB160, 1972 Honda CB350, 1972 Triumph Tiger, 1986 Suzuki GSXR750 Limited, 1965 Corvette, and 2017 Grand Sport Corvette have yet to be determined. But the VFR and my 2003 RC51, with their V-engines and high intakes, survived. I will need to replace wheel bearings, chains, etc., but, even a 10-inch water main break can’t kill the VFR.

Tom Haykin | Pittsburgh, Pa.