Greetings from The Bikers' Den,

It has been a busy spring for us here at The Bikers’ Den. We have been making some great contacts over the last few months so that we can provide our customers with even more motorcycle gear from top names like Harley-Davidson and Survival Optics Sunglasses. In the next few weeks we are excited to be adding the following manufacturers to our lineup… Gatorz Sunglasses, HJC Helmets and Shoei Helmets. Please make sure to check The Bikers' Den Website often for the latest motorcycle gear, and riding resources.

We are looking forward to a great summer of riding and we wish all of you a safe riding season. Please make sure to watch out for those confined drivers who are more concerned with talking on their cell phones than shoulder checking to look for traffic. Be alert, think ahead and most importantly, enjoy the ride.

This month's Motorcycle Article was submitted by Eric Rutherford of Myrtle Beach, SC, USA. "Big E" has written a compelling article about the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally experience. The Featured Motorcycle Club is the Central California Road Runners Motorcycle Club Fresno-CA, and the Motorcycle Link of the Month is The annual Rain or Shine Motorsports themed rally and expo, The Roar 2005. Scroll down to see all of our featured products and motorcycle-related articles and information.

Specials and Promotions

Featured Products, Specials & Promotions

	Leather Motorcycle Jacket - Deluxe X4 Series    ON SALE: $199.95 Deluxe side laced X4 Series motorcycle jacket. Classic Motorcycle Style with adjustable belt, full sleeve zip-out liner, and zippered wrist closure. Manufactured using Premium Drum Dyed Naked Cowhide.
	Harley Davidson Baby/Infant Baseball Outfit - Grey    ON SALE: $29.95 Harley Davidson Baseball Outfit – Four piece set in classic HD colors. The pinstripe baseball bomber style jacket is a great quality 100% cotton. The collar, wrists, and waist are elasticized in multicolour (Black,White & Orange) stripes.
	Ladies Braided Leather Touring Jacket - X4 Series    ON SALE: $199.95 Ladies Deluxe X4 Series Premium Grade Braided Leather Touring Jacket. Euro-style collar motorcycle jacket with bold braids and elastic sides. Manufactured from Premium Drum Dyed Naked Cowhide.
	Harley Davidson Austin Motorcycle Boots   $129.95 Men's Harley Davidson Austin Motorcycle Boots. Full grain leather upper. Full length cushion sock lining. Oil-resisting rubber outsole. Goodyear welt construction. Riding appropriate footwear.
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	Classic Leather Sleeveless Motorcycle Jacket    $105.00 Classic Leather Sleeveless Motorcycle Jacket. Excellent for summer and warm weather riding. Comes with an adjustable belt and 3 zippered front pockets. Made from Quality Buffalo Leather. .
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Your Motorcycle Articles

In July this year my dad, Billy, called and said he was toying with the idea of riding to Sturgis and back, "just to check it out".

We left knowing this ride would not be about the Rally itself. It would be about getting on our Harleys and riding ourselves ragged…together. It would be about sharing the road with our fellow bikers to "The Motorcycle Mecca", Sturgis, South Dakota during the annual Black Hills Rally. It would be a test of our patience, our endurance, our riding skills, and our motorcycles. Most of all, it would be a chance to say "My dad and I…" and "My son and I…" It wouldn't set any time or distance records, but for my dad who is 72 and me with my longest ride to date being about 450 miles to Daytona, it was a challenge, and we were up to it.

We had the good fortune of being able to join up with some old and new friends, tagging along on their family ride. I'd be remiss if I didn't say their company made the ride even better than we had hoped for. In September we're all planning another trip to North Carolina's "Rally in the Valley". That will be my wife Sissy's first road trip on her new Harley, and another journey full of new memories.

Rather than trying to recount each day of this ride, I'd like to just share some of the highlights and some of the memories.

First and foremost, there was the corn. Our route took us through Ohio, Indiana, Missouri and to capture it in a word…"corn". We even stopped at a local shrine called "The Corn Palace".

Then there was "the day". Every long trip holds the possibility for bike problems. Ours struck Scott and Cindy, our faithful guides. My dad and I were riding at the back of the line of seven motorcycles when all of the turn signals in front of us came on unexpectedly and we pulled of on the shoulder. I had not noticed the exhaust pipes ahead that slid across the interstate and now lay steaming in the median a half-mile back, somewhere in the tall grass. A 'search party' was able to recover them and they were reinstalled, still hot, somewhere in the middle of nowhere. By the end of the day, the bike had also suffered an oil leak and dead taillight. We all realized though that when the pipes fall of the bike in front and miss everyone in formation behind…well, that's a happy ending.

Making up time, my dad and I set one-day, personal distance records of 617 miles. That record would soon be broken. 600 miles in a day was no longer going to impress either one of us.

One of the most rewarding rides was on Highway 2 nearing our destination. After a lot of hard riding we all agreed to abandon the interstate and spend a day riding a small two-lane through farm country. The hills were rolling, the scenery was everything that makes you proud to be an American, and at the end of the day all I could say was, "That is why I bought a motorcycle."

We finally made it to our destination, Rapid City, just outside Sturgis. We checked in to our hotel with our heads held…well, with our heads still on our sunburned necks above our weary shoulders, stiff backs and saddle-sore butts. Tonight, there would be no wild party. We ate dinner, had a drink, made a morning plan, and basically passed out.

Revitalized (sort of) and knowing our time was limited; we rose early, saddled up and headed to Main Street, Sturgis, South Dakota. We stopped at the Harley dealer (new shirts for family and friends), checked out a few vendors and bikes, and headed to the Convention Center knowing we had just accomplished something special. We stopped to get our H.O.G. pins commemorating the event, checked out the '04 bikes and a few trailers (which were looking pretty good by this time), grabbed lunch, and headed to the hills.

A nice change of pace from the flat, straight, highways we had spent the last 4 days traveling, we rolled through the foothills to sit in the shadows of our forefathers: Mt. Rushmore. There's not a lot my dad hasn't seen and it brought me great pleasure to know that we shared this first for both of us. We passed on the $8 parking, got a roadside picture with a hundred other bikers, and headed back to the hotel to rest and refuel our bikes and bodies for the ride home early the next morning.

For days we dodged the bugs, the tractor trailers and the rain, kept each other in sight, the Gatorade coming, and the bikes pointed east. At one point we treated our bodies to a night in the hot tub and the pool. We shared a few more laughs, a lousy dinner, and then a couple good ones. We pushed on and before you know it my mind was slipping back to things like work and laundry, and how much time it was going to take to get the bike clean. Our ride was almost over. I was tired, hungry, sunburned, homesick…and really, really proud. Proud of myself, proud of my dad, proud of us both

Motorcycle Clubs

Central California Road Runners Motorcycle Club Fresno-CA The Central California ROAD RUNNERS Motorcycle Club was formed in January 2002 for motorcycle enthusiasts who love to ride. In November 2004, CCRR started the process of becoming a non-profit mutual benefit corporation. We ride for the thrill of riding. Weather permitting; you can count on a ride every weekend, either Saturday or Sunday, and sometimes both. We have short rides around the valley, longer rides to other destinations, planned overnighters, and we support other club events. Our monthly meetings are held to socialize and plan our next month's rides. We have an annual holiday party, a summer picnic, and other fun things throughout the year. If you are looking for a club where riders become friends, the ROAD RUNNERS is the club for you.

The Roar 2005