What a busy April... and it's not over YET!!

Hot Metal Harley-Davidson sprung into the month of April with their Spring Opener on Saturday, April 14^th.  The looming clouds in the morning parted way for a day filled with events, food, and fellowship.  The Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program representatives were on hand to pass out new rider manuals, literature on their free courses, as well as the famous yellow diamond stickers for vehicles. 

Lisa Worsing, the Secretary for the Mon Valley Hog Chapter, and former Pennsylvania instructor demonstrated the slow ride technique and the maximum braking technique.  Operations Manager, Rocky Marks showed the stopping difference ABS brakes make on a 2012 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited.  The shorter stopping distance raised some eyebrows from onlookers during the demonstration and quite possibly may have converted some old-timers to try the new technology.

Parts Manager AJ Haddad gave a demonstration on LED lighting and Harley-Davidson’s BOOM! AUDIO system, while David LeDonne, the MotorClothes Manager talked function, fashion, and safety.

Hot Metal’s 2012 Demo Fleet was on-hand for riders to try out.  Each family of Harley-Davidson was strongly represented in the line-up and reservations weren’t required to take a turn on the Motor Company’s latest models.  Hot Metal believes strongly that any endorsed rider can demo any bike so long as the weather permits, even if it isn’t a demo day.

The guests leisurely enjoyed a catered meal topped off with dessert.  While the tunes of the DJ along with the rumbling of the motorcycles in and out of the parking lot created a long awaited ambiance which was music to many people’s ears.   Those sounds will soon be heard again when Hot Metal Harley-Davidson starts up Bike Nights with Quaker Steak and Lube on Route 51 every Wednesday night through September.

Rider Insurance was in attendance giving free rate quotes and handing out their 2012 swag.  The Mon-Valley HOG Chapter signed up a few new members to go riding with them this summer and held a 50/50 drawing. 

As guests came for regular first-come first-served maintenance, they received a warm welcome as they pulled into the service entrance. “I stopped out for my 1,000 mile service on my 2012 Street Glide to find a Party! Thanks,” said Gregory Bigger.

Hot Metal Harley-Davidson as a full line up of events in May including the Saddle Up and Ride Open house on May 12^th, a Bonfire with local band Sea of Heads on May 18^th, and Demo Rides and Hot Dogs on May 26^th.  All of Hot Metal’s upcoming events can be found at www.hotmetalharley.com or www.facebook.com/hotmetalharley.  

The all new 2012 Softail Slim from Harley-Davidson!

We've had this bike on the showroom floor for several weeks now and it is one beautiful bike!  Styling went out of their way to create a meaty old-school Bobber look.   Take a look at the video and you will see the work that went into this bad a** Softail

THE LADIES GARAGE PARTY IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!

It is finally here, the Hot Metal Harley-Davidson Ladies Garage Party!  We are making the final preparations for tomorrow night's festivities.

One of the biggest reasons we do a Garage Party is to have a girls night out without the guys, and let the ladies take the handlebars on their own.  It's no secret that motorcycling is predominantly a male sport.  However, women ridership is on the rise and Hot Metal Harley-Davidson wants to encourage women to ride in front of or beside their male counterparts.

The night promises to be filled with fun, entertainment, and information.  There will be several stations set-up throughout the dealership that will talk about all of the departments that make up our state-of the art dealership.

We'll talk about the functionality and styling of the MotorClothes, the ability to accessorize and get performance out of your motorcycle, financing options, the ability to service  your own motorcycle, and we'll go over the latest Harley-Davidson Motorcycles themselves.

If you are interested in going, or know of a lady who is, please have them contact Carrie at 412-464-9453 or carrie@hotmetalharley.com !  See you tomorrow night!

SEPTEMBER HAS BEEN A BIG CHARITY MONTH FOR HOT METAL HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Even though summer time is winding down, the charity rides at Hot Metal Harley-Davidson were still going strong well into September. The first two weekends played host to two charity rides that benefited the Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Obediah Cole Foundation for Prostate Cancer Research.

On September 3rd, Hot Metal Harley-Davidson, Y108 Radio and Live Nation teamed up to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities with our second ride out to The First Niagra Pavilion to see Toby Keith. Country music artists are generally big supporters of various charitable organizations, much like motorcyclists, so this ride was a perfect fit for everyone involved.
The $35 tickets were sold weeks in advance up to the day before, and included a catered lunch with a different Toby, the owner of Hot Metal Harley at the helm of the grill. Entertainment buy a local country music act, a full police escorted ride with Zeke from Y108 to Burgettstown, and VIP parking at the venue.

Zeke rolled in at 1PM to get the party started and took pictures and uploaded them to the Y108 website right from the party in the parking lot. Once we got our food on, we enjoyed music from the Kieger Band and drew the back stage pass winner.

The Allegheny County Sheriff's Department escort vehicles lead us on a flawless non-stop ride to The First Niagra Pavilion. Motorcycles two by two stretched for over a mile riding through back-country windy roads and small towns along the way. People came out to wave, we beeped our horns and the escorts kept the sirens on the whole way to the front gates for us.
Once we arrived at First Niagra, we had our very own lane into the venue while the other vehicles in line had to wait. They didn't seem to mind 125 motorcycles rumbling into the tailgating areas, and the people partying cheered us on as we pulled into our own corral where the bikes would be safely stored through the entire performance.

The following Saturday, September the 10th was the Man-Up and Ride Poker Run that Hot Metal Harley-Davidson put together for the Obediah Cole Foundation for Prostate Cancer Research. The charity was founded by former Steeler Robin Cole who made it to our HOG meeting the previous Wednesday to encourage riders to come on the ride and get screened for Prostate Cancer.
Robin and I also talked about the event on Hot Metal Harley-Davidson’s weekly radio show, Road Hogs with Rocky Marks on 102.5 WDVE and on Pittsburgh Today Live on KDKA-TV to raise awareness for both the foundation and the ride.

The poker run kicked off at 10AM with Robin and took riders all the way out to Hidden Valley via 51 to 136 to 31 with several stops along the way to pick up their cards. The ride coincided with Hot Metal’s Wide Open house and customers had a chance to get their blood screened on-site thanks to the foundation.

There was a Chinese Auction that included signed Steeler and Pirate memorabilia, including an autographed Harley-Davidson pub table and stools. A $250 gift card to Hot Metal Harley-Davidson was awarded to the best hand and a $100 gift card was given to the worst hand. At 4PM, Robin Cole was again on-hand for the drawings, he signed autographs, and thanked everyone for coming out to support the charity.

Charity is important to Hot Metal Harley-Davidson and we understand that raising money for a cause is just as important as raising awareness. When it comes to prostate cancer, we learned 1 in 6 men are at risk of being diagnosed. Over 230,000 men over the age of 40 are affected every year. This is right in line with the average age of Harley-Davidson riders, and why it makes sense for us to get behind these great causes.

ONCE YOU LEARN HOW TO RIDE A BIKE, YOU NEVER FORGET-Does the same hold true for motorcycles?

My Son Braiden, 8 years old.

As some of you may know, I’ve been on track to lose weight.  As of this blog I’m almost down 70 lbs in just under two very long years.  I’m doing it through proper (or as close to proper as I can get) diet and exercise. 

For exercise, my favorite thing to do was to sit on my exercise bike and watch old C.O.P.S. re-runs. That was good through the winter, spring, and beginning of summer, but I decided that I needed to change things up a little bit.  I was getting bored, and had assumed that my body had gotten used to my hour long routine night after night.

Recently I pulled my bicycle out of the basement, added lights and started riding at night.  My primary goal for this initially was to add to my exercise routine however I've uncovered a secondary goal that is even more important than losing weight:  Getting “back to the basics”.

The saying is “once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget, right?”  WRONG.  And if you don’t practice the basics, you could be dead wrong.  Seriously.

Go back to the very first time the training wheels came off and remember everything your parents told you. It was scary… Really scary, especially for a 5 year old. 

I’ll never forget my parents talking about the dangers of riding on the street: car doors flying open, cars not seeing you, trying to run you over, pulling out in front of you, gravel on the road, cuts, bruises, and brushes to get the cinders out of your road rash, and this was all discussed BEFORE getting your very first bicycle lesson.  Yet, you still got on.

Fast forward to today.  When you head out on your motorcycle, do you think about any of those lessons we learned through the years?  We’ve all had them.  It may have been your dad, mom, brother, or sister that helped you. For me I will never forget pedaling down the street talking to my dad as he held the back seat only to find his voice got more distant the faster I went.

He let go, but it was at that moment I realized that I knew how to handle two wheels.  I was unstoppable on two wheels.  It was my ticket to freedom.  Anywhere I wanted to go in the neighborhood, as long as I made it home before the streetlights came on.

Sure, I got many bumps, bruises, and scrapes... but with each wound I learned something new.  As motorcyclists, we’re taught to avoid pieces of wood in the middle of the road.  As an 8 year old, I remember piling those pieces of wood up higher so I could jump them.

I guess what I’m getting at is that in order to ride a motorcycle, you need to learn how to ride a bicycle.  In order to ride a bicycle, you need to be prepared for the boxes of bandages from the past and learn from each cut, scrape, or bruise.

Often I get on my motorcycle as if I’m in a trance because it has gotten to be so routine.  I unlock the bike, put on my gloves, helmet, glasses, and back out of the garage.  Put it into first gear and go.  It’s that simple.  Or at least I thought it was that simple until I pulled the bicycle out of the garage for the first time in years.

Talk about a flash flood of memories coming back in an instant.  I had to stop before I pulled out of my garage.  I looked both ways and then looked both ways again.  I got to the same stop sign I ride to with my motorcycle and found myself waiting even longer to pull out onto the main road.

Once I’m on the main road, I’m constantly looking in my mirror, looking at my path in front of me and watching out for car doors.  I find myself anticipating other vehicles movements and preparing myself for all the “what ifs” my parents told me about over 30 years ago.

Never forget the basics.  Take a basic class then take an advanced class.  They are free in Pennsylvania.  Or if you don’t want to wait for a weekend to open up, pull the bicycle out of the garage, and you’ll get that same rush of knowledge we all got decades ago and you will remember it as if it was yesterday. 

I guess the saying should go like this:  Once  you learn how to ride a bike, and as long as you remember the basics, you never will forget how to ride.

Jesse James--American Outlaw (Part 2)

Now that I have finished the book, I am happy to report that the book was an overall good read.  As I mentioned in a previous blog, the book started out with Jesse taking his kids to school all while trying to shield them from the paparazzi.  Which is pretty much where the book ended.

The book came full circle.  The most interesting reading though, was at the beginning of the book where Jesse talked about his childhood growing up on Long Beach and the struggles of growing up with an absentee father and a revolving door of step-moms.  This is by no means an excuse for his sins later in life, but it certainly contributed to the cause.

Jesse throughout the second half of the book praised Sandra the whole way through.  From the moment they met, through their marriage, through their break-up, he had nothing bad to say.  He took full credit for all of his mistakes which ultimately landed him in rehab.  I should note that he voluntarily went to rehab.

I'm not sure if rehab is the new "Hollywood" thing to do, but it sounded like Jesse made progress during his treatment and made the best of his time there.  Personally, I think most celebrities use rehab as a crutch, but I truly believe that Jesse made peace with himself while on the inside.

I do feel bad for Sandra, and his children.  No child should be thrust into the spotlight like Jesse's kids, however, he is doing his best to protect them right now.  I haven't heard what is next for the infamous motorcycle builder turned television start, but I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of Jesse.

Jesse James--American Outlaw (a book that I've been reading)

Love him or hate him, Jesse James is a prominent figure in the motorcycle industry as we know it. I want to make it clear that in no way am I "advocating" or "approving of" his actions, including his recent infidelity.  That being said, Lets' get into the book because I haven't been able to put it down since I purchased it a few days ago, and I'm more than half way through.  The book caught my interest because in 2010 I had an opportunity to sit down with Jesse and talk with him for my radio show.

I'm going to jump the gun a little bit.... a book report without finishing the book?  Sure, why not.  The epilogue of the book is him shielding his children from the press in the wake of splitting up with Sandra.  The press in California is relentless.  They stop at nothing to get pictures, including pictures of his innocent kids, which is a shame.  They had nothing to do with it.

Once his kids are dropped off at school, Jesse heads into Long Beach to try and lose the paparazzi.  Long Beach is a place he knows well.  It's where he grew up.  Long Beach, California has been made infamous by rappers like Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre, Warren G, and many more.

Jesse's life on Long Beach was far from easy.  His parents split at a young age.  His dad had a revolving door of step-moms who really didn't care for him.  He wasn't exactly the model son or model student.  He made his way though school by stealing and joyriding in cars to get around.  His dad made him work the swap meet on the weekend, and that is where Jesse got his knack for salesmanship.

Jesse's release was on the football field.  He was a large kid, making varsity in 10th grade.  And we're not talking 'just' making the team, we're talking starter for offense, defense, and special teams.  Football was good for him.  It got rid of a lot of his pent up energy.

Besides football his other love was for Harley-Davidson Motorcycles--and customizing them.  He even customized automobiles.  In fact during one of his disagreements with his dad, he moved in with his girlfriend and her parents while in high-school.  Of course he was given the rules of the house and for the most part he obeyed it. 

He came home from a legitimate job at a furniture store doing delivery work and found his girlfriend cheating on him.   This was a turning point for Jesse.  Just when he though he had his head screwed on straight, he got knocked back down again.  A friend of his, who was a bad influence stole a whole bunch of camera equipment and didn't have a place to store it, so Jesse agreed to warehouse it and his friend turned on him and Jesse took the wrap because he was underage, and it wouldn't go on his record.

Unfortunately, it cost him several FULL RIDE scholarships to schools all over the country including the University of Pittsburgh.  No one wanted to have a thief on their team, and rightfully so.

The book goes on to talk about some more of his legitimate jobs, welding, fabricating and being a body guard.  In fact, he toured around the world with Danzing as their personal security.   It was when he saw a picture of a 50 year old roadie, that he realized this isn't what he wanted to do for a living.

He went on to work for Performance Machine and Boydd Cottington, the KING of custom and refurbished cars.  In his spare time, he made fenders out of his garage and soon found himself making more money on the fenders than working for the Hot Rod Shop.

At that point he decided to move on and start West Coast Choppers... gaining the attention of the Discovery Channel... and the Jesse James as we knew him at the turn of the century was born..

That's where I am in the book, and I"ll stop here.  Again, I don't condone most of his actions, however, he is a pop culture icon in the motorcycling industry and I think it's a story that needs to be told.  When I finish the book, I will do a "Part 2" blog, but I think we all know where it's going to end.

We Can't Do Anything About the Rain.... So Let's Ride!

It seems as if most people in the Pittsburgh area are up in arms about all the rain we've been having, especially the motorcycling community.  I'm on board... I want to go riding just as bad as everyone else, but the weather "is what it is" (never liked that saying).  It's April, and after all "April Showers Bring May Flowers" (By the way, never cared much for that saying either.)  But instead of all the moaning about the rain, let's focus on what we CAN do.

We have two choices: ride in the rain or keep it parked until the May flowers start to grow. I'm thinking that the first choice may not be all that bad when you sit back and think about it.  The rain that we do get isn't usually an all-day rain.  It's more like an afternoon rain, which is sorta like Hawaii.  Maui gets one good rain in the afternoon whether it needs it or not.  That doesn't stop tourists from riding.

Given the fact that most of the rain is in the afternoon, we're not getting wet on the ride into work, but rather on the way home.  Okay, I can live with that. Nobody wants to sit in wet clothes all day plus it's not like you have see anyone with the exception of maybe your spouse and kids and chances are they've seen you in things less flattering than wet clothing.

You can, however avoid the wet clothing by investing in a good set of rain gear from Hot Metal. The reason I say to get it from the dealership and not a hunting/fishing store is that the pants in the rain suit are made for riding.  This means they are less likely to melt to the exhaust or engine and get ruined.  I've also noticed that the Harley-Davidson riding gear keeps you dry around the neck if it is zippered and closed properly. 

You can also do a full-face helmet.  This too will help around the neck line and it will help keep the rain pellets bouncing off your face at 55mph.  Trust me, it's a much better ride with a full-faced helmet in the rain.  You can also use the helmet in the cooler months.

I've written numerous articles about riding in the rain before and they mostly concentrated on safety.  Things you have to watch out for are debris on the road, potholes, steel (manhole covers, bridge joints, railroad tracks, etc.), and painted surfaces near stop signs and traffic lights.  If you look back into the archives, you can get the specifics on how to tackle each one of those obstacles. 

My advice:  Let's suck it up and ride!  (Now there is a slogan I like--I'm getting the derby covers made up as we speak!)

Back to Square One...

Last week I was really excited to see all of the rain in the forecast. More rain = cleaner streets. When I woke up Sunday, I wasn't exactly a happy camper seeing snow all over the sidewalks and streets.

We really had the perfect storm to cleanse the asphalt so we could get out and ride and that was ruined by one cold snowy morning.

There is rain in the forecast for later this week. Hopefully that will take care of Sunday's salt and gravel. I cannot wait to get out and ride. My heated gear is staged in our mud room and ready to go.

If you do decide to head out before the rain, be careful going in and out of parking lots. There is shell everywhere. Even in on-street parking spaces, as most street sweepers haven't been out yet.

The other thing to watch out for are Pittsburgh's notorious potholes. They seem to be everywhere. I know we were taught not to ride in the middle of a lane because of all the oil and grease from vehicles, but their tire tracks aren't much better given our climate and state of our aging roads.

That being said, if you do decide to jump on your bike and get a head start on the season, please take it slow, remember the 12 second rule of active scanning, and watch out for cars and trucks... they aren't used to seeing us.

Be safe!

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When are we going to get to ride?

Wow, seems like months since I've been on my bike.... actually it has been.

We're mid way through February and Phil says only a few more weeks till spring. Are you ready? I mean yeah, you're ready... who isn't? Is your bike ready? Do you have your gear gathered?

Are you mentally prepared? There are some good quick refresher books out there. I'm not implying that you forgot how to ride.. but it is possible to get a little rusty after sitting out 4 or 5 months.

The nice weather will be here before you know it... make sure you are ready to go.... mechanically, physically, and mentally.

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