Star Touring, Chapter 230

Not to terribly long ago, I was in the market for a motorcycle. Not just any motorcycle, but a Harley-Davidson Road King Classic. The Road King Classic was the nearest thing to what I rode to California with good friend Jim Miller back in the mid-70's. Another good friend of mine, Scott Hamilton, had been riding motorcycles pretty much none stop for as long as I have known him. Scott was my Lieutenant during my years in Administration and again when I was assigned to the Traffic Unit. I turned to Scott for advice and opinion. Another friend, Mike Johnson, helped search the Internet until I found the bike I eventually purchased: a 2005 Road King Classic.

Scott asked me to consider joining a riding group he belonged to. He said it was a family oriented group - very friendly. I decided to give it a try. Riding by yourself can get old and so I met up with Scott's group for one of their monthly rides. In order to be considered for membership, an applicant must participate in 3 monthly rides. These rides are usually 200+ miles and last most of the day. After you fill out the waiver form and they confirm your motorcycle endorsement and that you have valid insurance, they assign you a "Shepherd." A shepherd is an experienced rider who will partner with you for the day to evaluate your riding skills. It may sound silly or insulting to some riders, but group riding is entirely different than riding by yourself or with 3 or 4 friends. When you ride with 30-40 other motorcycles, safety is paramount.

I completed my 3 rides and was voted into the membership. I am now a proud member of Star Touring Chapter 230.

Star Touring is actually a Yamaha motorcycle based group, but they welcome all makes of bikes. Chapter 230 has Yamaha's, Honda's, Victory's and Harley-Davidson's.

Please check out Chapter 230 web page for additional information.

http://www.star230.com/index.html