The Diamond Chapter April meeting will be at Perkin's, 3630 Central Ave., Hot Springs, AR. Be there at 1:30 or so to eat. Meeting will be around 2:00 - 2:15. The weather
will be in the 70's and no rain. It should be a great day to get out that old motorcycle for a ride. New
vintage motorcycle enthusiasts are welcome. Winter is finally going away and it is time to ride. Lots of events coming up in May. May meeting will be in Mt. Ida at the Good Ole Days car and motorcycle show Saturday the
25th. This is an all-day fun event. To show your bike you
must be there before 10:00am. Let's organize a ride and show. Please let me know if you want to lead the ride to Mt. Ida at the April meeting. See you at Perkin's.
Mike Thomson
Special note:
Greg Dingler has had surgery and is at home recovering. We all wish him well.
Diamond Chapter Minutes:
New Officers are:
President: Mike Thomson
Vice President: Greg Bright
Secretary: Kay Burns
Treasure: Linda Bright
Sgt. at Arms: Richard Rivera
Director: Mike Parker
Saturday, March 30, 15 members met at Bismarck's Fisherman's Grill with Michael Thomson presiding. Mike Parker gave the bike trivia about Japanese bikes. There was no news from the American Pickers. Upcoming events for
April - May were noted. No location for the April meeting was chosen. Kay Burns
Cherokee Chapter Road Run
Click on photo to enlarge.
The Cherokee Chapter AMCA organized an Antique Motorcycle Road Ride, held in Jefferson Texas on April 13th and 14th. 32 motorcycles participated in the event which included members of the Confederate Chapter and Diamond
Chapter. The oldest bikes were a 4 cylinder
Henderson, and a 1927 BSA. There were a few Indians and a number of Harley's from the 30's, 40's and 50's, a Triumph and a couple of BMW's.
Diamond Chapter members that rode were Mike Thomson on a 1974 BMW R90S and Greg Bright on a 1964 BSA B40. Linda Bright also rode a 2007 Yamaha and Butch and Pat Jones also attended.
Saturday's ride was a well-planned; wonderful 120 miles with 3 stops including lunch in Lone Star, TX at a great Mexican restaurant. After returning to Jefferson and a short break, we met at Auntie Skinners Bar and Grill
for Dinner. Sunday's ride was a relaxing 40 miles to
Uncertain, Texas.
Our first stop was Johnson's Ranch Fishing Village and Lodging owned by Billy and Dot Carter, also antique motorcycle enthusiasts. The Carters then invited us to tour their home and his shop just down the road. What a
treat! They opened their beautiful Caddo Lake home full
of unusual antiques; a wall of antique fishing lures in the kitchen and a 1958 Harley Pan head in the bedroom. Billy’s shop was full of old Harley bikes and parts.
With the great weather and beautiful setting of Cypress trees and Spanish moss, a great time was had by all. The Confederate Chapter won the trophy for most members attending. There was camaraderie between people sharing
a common interest and new friends were
made. Hope to see events shared by these chapters again in the future.
Greg and Linda Bright.
Here are the high points of the Jefferson Road Run:
Weather was wonderful... low 50's at night, highs were 75 and sunshine daily. There were 32 registered riders. Machines were from 1923 through modern. Two Cannonball present and ridden, 125 miles day one ride in
beautiful hilly, twisty roads country surrounding the Lake of
the Pines area and 40 mile ride day two was a shorter version around the Caddo Park and Lake area. There were 20 plus machines on day two. The City of Jefferson provided their Tourist Center parking lot as our Command
center. The Chief of Police provided two patrol
cars to escort and block off lighted intersections to get us out of town safely. A group dinner was held at Auntie Skinners on Saturday evening. Awards were presented Sunday morning. Visiting Chapter with largest
attendance went to the Confederate Chapter with 7 riders from
Tennessee. Diamond Chapter from Arkansas had 5 riders. No accidents... only minor adjustments and no breakdowns on the road in two full days. Steve Klein, Cherokee Chapter
Greg, Linda and Steve just about covered it all. It was a great time and we made a lot of new friends. If you missed the ride I am sorry. I took my 1958 Harley but it did not want to start on Saturday so I rode the 1974
BMW R90S. We will keep in close contact with the Cherokee
Chapter and try to get them to come to Hot Spring for our show in September.
I headed to the Texas hill country last Tuesday to do some riding with my friends from Texas. I had a great time. The weather was cold at night but in the 70's during the day. We stayed at the Koyote Ranch in Medina. It
is a great place with cabins, RV parking, General store,
beer garden and centrally located to all the hill country riding. We rode all the three sisters (335, 336, and 337). Made it to Leakey, Luckenbach, Fredricksburg, and Kerrville. The hill country is the best riding in all
of Texas.
Mike Thomson
Forsythe Report:
On Sunday, April 21th, Greg and Linda Bright attended a motorcycle swap meet in Forsythe Missouri. This event is hosted twice a year in April and September by the Freedom of the Road Riders. This year’s turnout was good
with lots of participation. There were some
vendors, a live band and lots of people selling bikes and parts. This is an enjoyable, easy one day trip held at a beautiful park on Table Rock Lake. The FOOR club makes you feel welcome. The September meet has a bike
show in addition to the swap meet. I wore my Hot
Springs Rally t-shirt and a man stopped us saying he attends every year and looks forward to seeing The Antiques Motorcycles in the Park. It feels good to have someone that far away pay a compliment for what we do here.
Greg and Linda Bright
Click here for The Back Straight by Larry Edwards
Work Shop Tools Explained:
HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer now days is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent to the object we are trying to hit.
BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that are more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line
instead of the outside edge.
Things my motorcycle has taught me:
1. If you can't get it going with bungee cords and duct tape, IT is serious.
2. Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 70 MPH can double your vocabulary.
Events:
April 28 - Diamond Chapter April meeting at Perkin's at 2:00 pm
May 3-5 - Arkansas State Hog Rally - Hot Springs http://www.arstatehogrally.com
May 11 - VFW Riders Poker Run and Bike Show, VFW by the KOA. Registration 9:00 am for the poker run. This is an all-day event with food, live
band, venders & bike show. The Diamond Chapter will help with the bike show.
Contact: John, 501-282-1286
May 18 - AMA Flat Track Motorcycle Races, Benton, AR http://www.i-0speedway.com/ This is fun to watch so let's get a group to go, Let me know.
May 25 - MT. IDA Good Ole Days, Mt Ida, AR. Bring a bike to show. Let's form a ride to go. All day event. Diamond Chapter meeting will be at 2:00 pm at this event, so try to make it. Contact:
870-867-2311
May 29- June 1 - British Car and Motorcycle show, Hot Springs Village. http://www.britishcarweeknationalmeet.org
June 30 - Diamond Chapter Mini Road Run and Meeting. Info goes to http://www.diamondchapteramca.org
For Sale:
Thomson's Antique Motorcycles Collection, 501-525-9833, Click here for more info.
1970 Triumph TR6, Club Project Bike, Rebuilt and restored. Call 501-525-9833 for info.
WANTED: Newsletter Editor:
Apply at meeting, great pay, benefits, and double your salary in no time. You get to have fun.
Remember June 30 will be here before you know it, so get those little bikes ready for the Mini Road Run. Keep the paint side up and the rubber side down.
Michael Thomson
President Diamond Chapter of Arkansas AMCA.
