SoCal Antique Motorcycle Club of America Spring Newsletter, 2018 
Officers Reports

President: Tim Graber
  • President's Letter
  • '18 Borrego Springs Winter Road Run
  • Been There, Done That
VP: Tom Lovejoy
Secretary: Steve Sorenson
Treasurer: Tom Hart
  • 2017 Financial Report
Website/SocialMedia Manager: Adriana Godoy Leiss
  • 2018 Calendar of Events
Newsletter Editor: Carolyn Musgrove
  • Adriana pinch-hitting for Carolyn on this edition.
Editor's Note

Your Correct Mailing
Addresses Needed

We have a "snail mail" list of 250 addresses we use for sending ride announcements. We recently, had about 50 returned as bad addresses. IF you did not receive a yellow mailer announcing Borrego, PLEASE send us your mailing address and we will fix the record. If you want to be on this list, Send us your address and we will make sure you are there!



Time to Renew Membership Dues
2018 dues are due. Fill out our form (form here) and send in your $20 to Tom Hart. It is $20 a year for local membership and $40 for the National. You can pay them direct by credit card by clicking here .
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President's Letter           
March 22, 2018

Greeting to all who read this. Janis and I hope this finds you well and energized. WE also hope that you put some SoCal Chapter time on your calendars and do some riding with like-minded friends.
The National is pushing a new program that has some merit. They like to think that a major chapter like ours can be sectioned off in to ambassador areas rather than new chapter areas. The idea is that a small group riding together often in a local area is better than a large group getting together in a distant area every now and again. Humphh, that may have merit. The SoCal chapter will always be around, and we agree that local clusters of riders is a benefit to all.

So, if you plan to ride every Saturday or so and need to know who is within a 20-mile radius of you, just reach out to us and we will assist with posting your information on email or twitdumb or Unfacemebook or your choice. Just go out and ride and enjoy the air! And meet up with like-minded friends if you want.

In my case, when I am in town, I will be riding up or down PCH every Saturday afternoon in search of the elusive best ride in a 2-hour interval, ever! And as of June 6th, I will be riding my Honda 175 wherever I happen to be on this years’ tour of the USA in the RV.
WE have had many good time since the last newsletter and many of you folks made it out to play. Death Valley was a good ride as was Borrego. We had 20 attendees at Death Valley and 82 registered riders at Borrego, with 100 dinners served just after the Borrego Bedrock Rockettes did their dance! If you missed it you missed one of the best performances yet. I don’t know how they do that… I ride motorcycles and I break motorcycles…

Grace McKean is doing well and determined to always progress. She is quite the example of moving forward. She may not be able to ride yet but she will bring her bikes out to show to everyone! Keep those emails and calls coming in, she really appreciates them.

The calendar has been updated for this newsletter so give it a look and post it where you can dream of your next adventure. If you have something to add, send it along to us and we will get it posted.

We hope to see you soon. Keep those tires warm and the oil warmer, time to ride! 

BTW, we have a lot of T-Shirts available from the past rides. The Borrego shirt this year is extra exceptional! Send me a $20 and your size and I will send you shirts, free postage! “Can’t beat that!”
Keep the tires warm and the oil hot, see ya around the next bend.
Tim

Pictured below, the Bed-Rockettes danced at the Borrego Springs "Car Wash." Click the photo to see their rockin' performance.
2018 Borrego Springs Winter Road Run

Thanks all who came out to our 2018 Borrego Springs Winter Road Run. 
We had a total of 85 registered riders. Many brought down 2 machines so the parking lot was full. The drone picture is a decent representation of the excellent machines on display in our rolling museum! 
Riders from South Carolina, Ohio, AZ Oregon, Washington Utah Montana, Nevada represented 14 different chapters. Johnny Eagles put the order for decent weather in and mother nature complied with great riding Wednesday through Friday and a touch of wind and a bit cold on Saturday. The trouble truck only brought back 2 riders from 3 days of riding. 
The banquet dinner was served to 100 people and a good time was had by all. 
Above is a cool ariel shot of our headquarters at the Borrego Springs Resort. Thanks to Dave Johnson for sharing his photo. And, the below shots were taken by Kelli Delzer, Tom Lovejoy and Tim Graber.
2017 Financial Report
by Tom Hart, Treasurer

I've completed the annual financial and tax reports for the chapter. We are currently basking on the positive side of $13,500.00 in the bank. Having said that, I now bust your cumulative bubbles with a more realistic figure. I would guess we are probably closer to the 7 or 8 thousand mark. Still a very warm and comfortable place to be. I'll know more when I get all the income, expense and bank statements to sort out for Borrego '18 business. I understand the Borrego ride was successful even considering some strong winds every now and then. I also understand that Tim and Janice did their usual great jobs assisted by the Jim and Wilma Ferguson, cooks Tom Lovejoy and Steven Sorenson, Rich Coffin and many of the usual suspects I fail to mention.
 I wasn't able to be involved on any level this year due to family illness and deaths in 2017. As you can imagine, besides putting me in a real crappy mood from time to time I also got backed up on personal business for many months. But as our own Dr. Phil would appropriately advise "Life goes on," so get over it and I have.
The following is an abbreviated portion of the financial report for your reading enjoyment. I have deleted sections that have zero input to shorten the report. You will kindly note that there is no section for "Honorarium" for the treasurer for all his hard work. The "Gratuity" section refers to monies paid to the Borrego ground and housekeeping staff, honest. Neither is there a section related to the purchase of my new 2018 LTZ Silverado Crew Cab with all the bells and whistles. I call this a transparency report to negate false (but correct) rumors of theft by trick or devise. You may also want to make note of the section on paid member dues. This report is for 2017. We currently (for 2018) have about 16 out of roughly 50 active to semi active members who are paid up. Of that 16 ten are nonpaying LIFE members many of which are now deceased. I keep them on the roster in remembrance. The dues aren't much at 20 bucks a year, but I think it helps people stay connected to the club since it is something that needs to be sent in. As you can see by the numbers, dues don't account for much in the big picture of what we spend. In the good old days of pen and pencil the dues really meant something. Now it's more of something to say I belong to a group that others don't. And besides that Silverado isn't going to pay for itself. Damn, my inside voice keeps slipping out.
On another personal note I currently have my '58 Corvette in for carburetor work, my 2004 Moto Guzzi with sidecar in for alternator repair and my '69 VW trike in for rewiring and possible restoration. Again these having nothing whatsoever to do with my previous ranting about paying your dues, or the sharp decline you can expect in the club funds after I "work on" the bank statement. It's just a coincidence. 
SoCal AMCA Calendar
The calendar has been updated through December 2018. You can see it on our website SocalAMCA.org or get a printable calendar HERE.

Calendar Highlights

The 2018 SoCal AMCA Joshua Tree Run  is Friday April 6 - Sunday, April 8. We ride through scenic Joshua Tree National Park, to Mecca through Box Canyon, Chiriaco Summit and Keys View.

Keep an eye on your calendar for Death Valley “D-V” XXXII Max Bubeck Memorial Road Run , September 30-October 2. We will be back in the old Furnace Creek now called the Oasis at Death Valley. Because renovations will still be happening in late September, the cabins we're usually in may not be available at that time. Here are rates for the ranch group rate rooms.
Standard: $150
Deluxe: $170
                                                                                    
Been There, Done That...2017 Edition
by Tim Graber
A report on what happened/may have happened at our 2017 events.

June 4, SoCal AMCA Monthly Sunday Brunch. Ruby’s Diner, Orange.
  Tom is getting a nice following here: Lovejoy, Eagles, Vaughn, Steve Tanzanier, Richard
June 16-17, Fort Sutter National Meet, Dixon, CA
Janis & I made this event during out tour of the USA 2017. We parked the RV for $30 a night with full hookup and we said hello to a lot of old friends! Thankfully the AC in the RV kept the tempo a cool 75 with outside at 100 plus! This is a great event every year in spite of the heat! 
June 24-25 Born-free Motorcycle Show, Oak Canyon Park, CA
Born free is an incredibly crowed event and at that a must attend! There is a small AMCA swap area. Steve Sorenson usully has a good time out there and the National Board is there also.  

  July 2, SoCal AMCA Monthly Sunday Brunch. Ruby’s Diner, Orange.
  This meeting is gathering membership. Tom is still looking for someone to buy his breakfast!

  Aug. 5, SoCal AMCA Santa Monica Mountain Run.
  Another great event put on by Craig Dillmann, “Valley Ambassador.” This is an excellent way to learn some of the routes in the Santa Monica Mountains. About 12 riders positioned for the ride during the loop and a safe and fun ride was had by all.
Aug. 6, Sept. 3, Oct. 1, Nov. 5, SoCal AMCA Monthly Sunday Brunch. Ruby’s Diner, Orange.
More well-attended meetings, but Tom is not taking roll so I am uncertain who shows up every month.

  Oct 9-11, Max Bubeck Memorial Road Run - Death Valley “D-V” Run XXXI. 31 th annual ride, Stovepipe Wells Village.
This was our first year in the valley at Stove Pipe Wells. Most accommodations were acceptable, some had no water. The restaurant closed because of no water. About 20 riders showed up and the weather was quite pleasant. The consensus was to make the move back to Furnace Creek if possible. Beatty is too far away and this place was indifferent to the needs of the guests. Lon Bubeck did an excellent job of getting the place set up and he has already gotten us reservations back at Furnace creek for next year so mark those calendars!
October 15, SoCal AMCA Annual Meeting
 The annual meeting was on the top floor of the parking structure of the Paterson Museum. Steve Sorenson brought coffee, donuts, and juices. The Tesla club tried to move in on our stuff but we blocked them! We had 25 members in attendance (Donuts & coffee?) and we had a good meeting with some objectives laid out. The same slate of officers was asked to remain in position. After the meeting the club paid for entrance to the museum for our members and we enjoyed the new motorcycle venue on presentation. Thanks to all that came in to make it a successful meeting.

Nov. 5, Southern California Norton Owners Club’s Annual Hansen Dam Ride.
This was an excellent ride as usual. We had about 10 SoCal members show up to ride and we met up with many of the old regulars! This is a ride that you should make plans to join!
Nov 17-19, Long Beach International Motorcycle Show.
 SoCal posted 15 bikes in the show in the new format. Outstanding presentation and we spoke with a lot of prospective members. The show has a new design for the antiques that we made most of so all was good!

  Dec. 3, SoCal AMCA Monthly Sunday Brunch. Ruby’s Diner, Orange and Ride to Gunther's Yard Meet
About 5 showed for brunch and then moved on to Gunther’s, which is always a lot of fun with all of the antique machinery, rail cars, Model T’s vintage military vehicles and motorcycles. Great day, good hot dogs and good camaraderie, as usual. This is one of Lovejoy’s favorite events.
Dec. 10, SoCal Annual Christmas Brunch at the Newport Beach Yacht Club
Holiday Brunch this year was held before the holidays and it was held on the patio at the Newport Beach Yacht Club. We had 10 folks show up on a beautiful day with an exceptional brunch buffet.
Dec 10, Dave Mann Chopperfest, Ventura.
Postponed to Feb. 2018 because of smoke and fire from the Thomas Fire.
Dec 30, Horseless Carriage Holiday Motor Excursion, Pasadena.
This is a rolling museum opportunity. All participating entrants must be in a 1932 or older vehicle to run the course. Bike up to 1948. Lovejoy brought his Model T depot hack all the way from Long Beach on city streets. Tim brought his model T Speedster on a trailer and did the ride. Ron Stevens rode Tim’s 1948 Indian. Kelly Rode in Tom’s truck while Craig ran the route twice because of a perceived breakdown. Tom Hart came and went and came again before the event because of a break down…Loads of Fun!