Dear Alabama Riders, Well, I guess the cat is finally out of the bag and we can tell you about one of the biggest rides, if not THE biggest, in the State of Alabama. May 31, 2008, Full Throttle magazine is teaming up with the Alabama State Troopers for the Alabama State Trooper Memorial Ride. This is going to be a State Trooper escorted ride from starting points throughout the entire state into Montgomery to Garrett Coliseum where we will have a memorial service for the fallen state troopers. Many of the custom bike builders, along with Harley-Davidson, metric bikes and other vendors will be on hand at the Coliseum. There will be a big headlined concert that night. Sorry, we are unable to release the name of the band at this time. This is one event that no rider in the state of Alabama will want to miss. Lately there have been several days of good riding. The weather has been up in the 60’s and 70’s. There are lots of people out taking advantage of this. I know that before it is over, we are going to have some cold weather, but I have already heard people talking and planning trips to Daytona, Bama Bikefest, Faunsdale and Thunder Beach. I just want to take a minute to reflect on the National Highway Safety Commission’s report that there were 5,647 motorcycle related fatalities this year. That didn’t seem like too many to me until I thought about it a little and realized that that is over one hundred per state. 57% of these riders were 40 years old and over. 30% of this 57% were alcohol related. I’m over 40 and I like to have a good time as well as anybody, but we are responsible for our brothers and sisters, and when you see someone who you call your friend getting on a motorcycle when you know that they have had too much to drink, it’s time to stop them. You wouldn’t let them put a gun to their head. Please try to look out for each other as we begin to get geared up for the riding season. If we don’t do it, who will? In talking with Keith and George at Mt. Cheaha HD, Pam from 411 Biker Shack, Jimmy and Sylvia at Indian Hills Biker Resort and many of our other advertisers, they are all planning big events for our up and coming riding season. This year will be no different from last year. I don’t think there will be a weekend without somewhere to ride or some event to take part in. I know that Full Throttle magazine is extremely enthusiastic about this year and we are really looking forward to getting out and being a part of all of the events. If you have an event coming up, no matter how big or small you think it might be, we want to know about it. We can’t attend them all, but we will attend every one possible. We are going to be making a large statement throughout Alabama this year, especially around Montgomery, Dothan, Mobile and the surrounding areas, so from everyone at Full Throttle magazine, we look forward to seeing you out on the road in the coming year. Stop by and give us a yell and let us know how we are doing. Good or bad. I don’t handle constructive criticism well, but I can handle it. Ride it like you stole it, |