STERLING MUNDANE TROPHY

This week the Nobody Motorcycle Club received some very exciting news; The Nobodies have been awarded the Sterling Mundane Trophy for 2010. This is the first time a motorcycle club has received this very prestigious award.

STERLING MUNDANE TROPHY

If you are unfamiliar with the Sterling Mundane Trophy here is a little history. Sterling Mundane (1903 - 2002) was an artist and art collector who had a great impact on the art world. He was the person who coined the phrase "Moving Art" in 1937. " I feel that art is not only life, but movement". * New York Times February 18, 1937

He was adamant that art was not only to be found "on a wall or in a gallery" but also where "we work, walk and malinger". He believed "great art has to be chased" and felt that some times one can only get a "fleeting glimpse as it passes by".

The Mundane Trophy was first awarded in 1953 by Sterling. After his death, the Sterling Mundane Trophy Committee has been awarding the trophy.

"When I received the news this past Thursday I was both surprised and humbled", explained Kickstand. " I had been notified we were in the running several months ago, but I never expected we would win". We were seen by the Sterling Mundane Trophy Committee last September as we were riding on Scenic Highway 61 on our Muffin Ride. " We saw this group of motorcyclist parade by us with Lake Superior as their backdrop", explained one of the committee members. "The movement, colors and chrome mixed with the water, waves and rocks.......it was a magnificent piece of art!"

There will be a brief ceremony at the Nobody Club House next Saturday May 1 at 9 am prior to our Potato Ride. Please come and celebrate this historic moment with us as we receive the trophy.

SNOT GUN

Have you ever experience needing to spit a wad of snot, while riding your bike helmet bound? It has happened to me many times, especially in the morning on my commute to work. I have always fought the urge to open my face shield and attempt to spit. I am positive the results would have been disastrous. Well, after a winter of many failed attempts and a spring of numerous trial runs, I have perfected my prototype of the a snot accelerator system. I call it the Snot Gun. It functions great allowing one to get rid of that unwanted snot. You simply turn on the accelerator via a toggle switch then spit into the collector mouth piece. The snot is shot out a tube on the back on your helmet. It clears your bike and lands about 8 feet back, depending on your speed and wind direction.

The Snot Gun runs off your 12 volt system and is easy to wire.

It is attached to you helmet without harming the integrity of the shell.

I am now in the process of finding a manufacturer, who I suspect could also improve the product making it less conspicuous. My hope is to work with aerostitch as they are great innovators and also are a local company.

I also foresee developing a Snot Gun Assault. This system would allow a biker to take aim on a rude, aggressive automobile driver.

At present I am able to make a limited number of my Snot Guns. If you are interested in purchasing one contact me at bikerbergums@msn.com. I am selling them for $134.86, that includes shipping (USA) and handling.

2010 RIDE SCHEDULE

The Nobody Ride Schedule is finalized. This year promises to offer the biggest and best rides in the nation. We anticipate 100's if not 1,000's of bikers to participate in our one of a kind rides.



To enlarge the calendar simply double click on the document. If you would like a copy sent to your email address just contact me Kickstand bikerbergums@msn.com.

OK CLOQUET RIDE

On a cool April 6 evening the Nobodies held their first ride. As is the case for many of their rides, it was an impromptu affair. Meeting at the club house, the Nobodies rode to Gordy's Hi Hat in Cloquet MN. Gordy's is know for its hamburgers, fish sandwiches, shakes and onion rings. In fact its hamburger is ranked in the top ten in Minnesota. I have heard, Gordy's will be featured on the food network this year http://www.gordys-hihat.com/.


Thunder Brother, Jen (prospecting) Gutts, Smelty

We took the North Cloquet Road for the majority of the ride 40 plus mile ride. The temperature was in the high 40's.

Gordy's Hi Hat Drive In

Nobodies in Gordy's Parking Lot

Kickstand, Dirty Deeds, Gutts, Smelty, Jen (Prospect), Thunder Brother After A Great Meal

If you are interested in joining the Nobodies for a ride keep your eye on this blog, as this weekend the 2010 Ride Calendar will be posted. You can also email Kickstand at mailto:bikerbergums@msn.com.

Remember whenever riding in a group your number one concern should be getting to the destination first.

GOT PATIENCE ?

We Americans are not known for our patience. Right?, do all my international followers agree?
It doesn't take a very astute observer to notice the impatience in our culture. If one takes a trip to a store that is short on cashiers and long on customers, you can witness impatient behavior. Or simply monitor your own reactions when you are behind schedule and you experience some kind of delay.

Life offers us many opportunities to grow in patience. The bad thing is most of the opportunities come when we don't have the time. Hmm, I suppose time constraints are a necessary element when learning about being patient. But like every thing else, we Americans are always looking for short cuts and painless ways to learn and mature.

I have stumbled on a great way for motorcycle owners to practice patience, and as an added bonus have a beginner level mechanical experience. All you will need is a screw driver! Simply take out the 2 or so screws that attach you head light to the head light can. After you have taken the head light out, disconnect it to assure it will not disconnect and fall on the floor. Now for the lesson in patients. You will notice in the head light can many, many wires. It might be wise for you to observe how neatly the wires are arranged and attempt to remember exactly how they are arranged. Now very carefully, but with confidence, pull all the wires out of the can and arrange them in any pattern that strikes your fancy. You will notice that all the wires ( in my case with my Honda CX 650 I have 50 plus wires) enter the can from an opening in the back. You will also notice that there are a variety of connectors ranging from small single connectors with clear plastic sleeves to large plastic plugs. If you want to do a graduate level lesson in patience you could disconnect a bunch of the connections, but I don't recommend doing that. Now comes the lesson. It is so simple, that one would expect a 5year old could do it, place all the wires back into the can and insert your head light and secure it with the screws. Actually before you put the wires back in the can take note of the time or better yet time your assembly with a stop watch.
If you are fortunate and have a minimum number of wires like the photo of the can below you may not experience any irritation or frustration. More than likely you will have enough wires to make this seemly easy exercise challenging. As you struggle, practice some breathing techniques, prayer, or other stuff you have read about to keep an even keel and positive focus. Remember when you have successfully completed the task, take a few minutes to reflect on the experience. Experiential learning is a great way to learn, but you will need to take that additional time to glean the most out of the experience and figure how you can apply the lessons learned.

Regrettably I did not have a camera available, when I did the can project yesterday on my 650. That bike is blessed with a wonderful array of wires.





Send me a line telling me if you were able to learn a little more about being patient. Next time you are waiting in a line or feeling some frustrations from slow traffic, slow people or slow computers; ask yourself would I rather be messing with my can?

Nobodies New Patch

During the Nobodies Annual Meeting at the end of February, a decision was made to get a new patch designed. The Nobodies will be sporting this patch on their jackets very soon.





Last summer we discovered that we were not able to wear a patch that claimed we were a motorcycle club. There is protocol involved in forming a motorcycle club, even when you just want to pretend that you are a club. The process to be sanctioned in Minnesota did not appeal to us, so we just removed our patches. We did learn that people can be a motorcycle rider group without going through any formal process. So our new patche identifies us as riders, but in reality we are still a pretend motorcycle club.

If you want to order a patch just contact me as we allow anyone in our Nobody Motorcycle Club.

ASK KICKSTAND

Ask Kickstand is an email advice column dedicated to motorcycle questions. These questions can be technical: regarding mechanical issues, safety related, philosophical, spiritual or relationship issues.

Disclaimer: Kickstand is not a psychiatrist, a professional mechanic, Motorcycle Safety Trainer, pastor or a social worker. If readers choose to follow Kickstand's advice it is with the understanding that neither Kickstand nor the Nobody Motorcycle Club will be held liable.

Dear Kickstand,

I own and ride a 49 cc scooter. I ride year round using my scooter mainly to commute to work. Last year I rode nearly 7,000 miles. I get a lot of grief at work from people who own motorcycles. Most of these people have very large bikes (1000 cc or larger). They keep telling me to get a real cycle. I tell them that I enjoy my small scooter and that I don't need a big bike to experience the joys of cycling. I came across your blog and immediately realized that there are others out in the cycle world that also believe that size does not matter. Is there any way to convince my co- workers that I am in deed a biker too?

Sincerely Moto Woozy

Dear Moto Woozy,

I agree with you, One can experience the joy of motorcycling on any size bike or scooter. In reality that is what is important. If you are enjoying your riding, that is all that matters. I believe you are wasting time and energy trying to win over your co-worker bikers. Now there are a few techniques you can use to quiet down the biker buzz.

1. Do some research on small cc riders. There have been and continue to be some very interesting stories about people who have taken unbelievable trips on there little bikes. Start sharing some of these stories with your biker banters
2. Talk about your rides and ask your co-worker bikers what kind of mileage they are racking up. You may discover that many of them seldom ride and log less than 500 miles a year.
3. If you live in a climate that offers some nasty weather, ride to work during a storm. When questioned about it, just talk about how you enjoy riding in all kinds of weather.
4. Do an extreme ride and document it with photos.
5. Get a speeding ticket on your scooter. You simply need to find a very large hill and get your scooter going about 85 miles an hour. Keep doing it until you get pulled over. There is nothing like breaking the law on ones bike to gain respect.

Lets face it Moto, no matter what you do, you may never win over these critical co-workers. Just enjoy riding your scooter and have some adventures. And remember the Nobodies are on your side.