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It is with great pride that I announce our CMC family is growing once again! This time we are welcoming our newest chapter into the fold! With relentless effort from Bill Boyd Irma and Marilyn Denyer please welcome CMC 093 Nackawic NB to the CMC!! Congrat ×

Looking Out The Window

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What A Good Morning


grizzz

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A strange thing happened this morning, one that has not happened in over 25 years – I forgot to set my alarm clock last night and I slept in this morning. Normally I am up at 05:30, grab my first cup of joe, do some Club business and some work stuff, take a shower, get dressed and off to the office I go. Not today however.

I looked at the clock, my heart started to pound, the adrenaline kicked in, jumped into the shower, threw on my clothes, grabbed a cuppa and downed it, filled it back up, jumped on the bike and flew up the driveway. I turned on the tunes and headed down the lane and then…. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.

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The cool morning air caressed my face as the clock hit 80 – nothing worried me anymore. I looked at the time – ya I was late, but would rushing make me any earlier? After all, where I work – late is late. Five minutes or an hour – it doesn’t matter. So what to do? I think of this as falling from a skyscraper. Hey, there is nothing you can do. All the screaming in the world will not save you. You may as well turn on your back and enjoy the ride!

I have noticed that as I get older, the sense of freedom when I get on my bike gets greater. When I turn the engine over and hear her growl, I stop and think about the first shaky experiences I had learning to ride and how far I have come. I think about the days of riding with my first Club and how it compares to the CMC. I think about the fact that I never knew what chaps were let alone electrics. About how we rode with one thing in mind – where the next fuel stop would be.

Then all of a sudden I am brought back to life when I hear this loud obnoxious noise behind me. It is some jerry wad wanker who thinks he is right out of Sons of Anarchy (ya, don’t get me started on that one!). Reving and reving and just making a royal fool out of himself. As he gets closer – I notice he is on a Shadow with Vance and Hines (knock-offs) slash cuts, 12" apes, slit fender and forward controls. I have nothing against Shadows – they are great bikes, but come on, really!!! Now the good part – he is wearing a SOA vest!!! Oh Lordy!! A royal wanna be. I guess he thinks if he puts on a wanna be vest, he is actually part of something?? Oh ya, the "wanna be" club.

So the question now becomes – do I hand him my card and ask him if he would like to belong to a REAL club? That answer came faster than the thought – NOPE! Yes membership is in the decline, but – there are some people that are just not a good fit and this is one of them. As he hit the throttle and sped by me and did a quick lane split, I knew that I had made the right decision. For my luck, he would wear the Madison and ride like that.

When I jump on my ride, I put on my Madison 80% of the time. Not that it is protective gear, but because I am proud of it. It symbolizes Canada, freedom, choice, strength and fellowship. It tells all that see that I am a member of the best motorcycle group in Canada. I ride with pride.

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Stafford

Posted

Good call Mike. Discretionary decisions such as the one you made, when applied with wisdom gained through life's experiences, goes a long way to keep our club's image and raison d'être, healthy. Keep on enjoying those unplanned late mornings :)

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Baby Jack

Posted

Yes, there are a few riding clubs in our area, and they have their membership for a reason.  Different clubs have their own "culture" which attract the people that belong there (not sure if I am expressing that right - hopefully you understand what I mean).  I wish them all safe riding in their adventures. 

 

Some of them like to bar hop - for me personally, I prefer the zero tolerance for alcohol in the CMC.  Although I love to have a few cold ones, I don't even like doing so when I have to drive my car.  The risks (legal, personal and safety) are not worth it. 

 

Some of them seem to have more ego-driven riders than others.  I prefer the safety rules, use of Road Captains and such of the CMC.  As a new rider, it was more comfortable to know what to expect when in a group ride, than the "everyone for himself" sort of attitude. 

 

And then there are the 20-somethings on crotch rockets.  I wish them all safe riding on their journeys - but cut their speed in half and they might live to be 30.  (Again, not all riders on crotch rockets ride like morons - just a general observation after being on the 401 for 6 hours yesterday)

 

The only thing I wish is that all riders would understand that we are judged as a GROUP.  The general public doesn't not generally understand the differences between the clubs, and may have pre-conceived notions about those riding motorcycles.  One idiot makes us all look bad. 

 

All the more reason for us to participate in the community fundraisers and wear the Madisons proudly.

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