Motorcycle Views

For ONLY two days, Monday, June 5, 2017 and Tuesday, June 6, 2017, you can purchase a Kindle edition of my latest book, Normal Secrets, from Amazon at NO COST, FREE, $0.0.

I am providing this SPECIAL FREE offer to make my memoir available to newsletter subscribers with only one catch: I would like you to consider writing a short review of the book on Amazon on the same page where you bought the FREE book, after you have read the book. You are free to praise it or pan it. Just give your honest opinion and don't reveal any secrets.

Again, the Kindle book will cost you nothing. You will see the price listed at $0.0. Don't make a mistake and buy the paperback edition. That will cost you money unless that is your intent. (Bear in mind that you can buy the paperback if you want and also choose to get a Kindle edition FREE. That offer has always been there.)

There are color pictures in the Kindle edition. The paperback has only black-and-white. There is also a built-in search mechanism that allows you to locate items of interest without having to scan the entire book. The Kindle edition will always remember where you stopped reading and take you to that point the next time you want to continue reading from any of your devices.

Again, you can buy a FREE Kindle edition of Normal Secrets on Amazon that you can read on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. But, you must purchase ONLY on Monday, June 5, 2017 or Tuesday, June 6, 2017. It will cost you NOTHING.

I started thinking about this memoir more than a year ago and have been writing almost fulltime on it for all of 2016 and part of 2017. It covers much of my life and reveals family secrets that had been hidden from me. It took the death of my father to set me in action trying to dig out the secrets and either prove or disprove them. It took me seven years to prove the biggest secret of all. I was 61 years old at that time.

You'll also find out how fate changed my course in life many times as I struggled to find out who I was, what I wanted to do, who I would love, how I came to become both a motorcyclist and a moto-journalist, and how I came to become an author in my late seventies.

It's a true story, loaded with secrets, that begins in the Midwest and spans more than a hundred years. I didn't think I had any secrets in my life, but I was wrong. Maybe reading this memoir, you will begin to wonder if there are also secrets in your life. You'll read how I uncovered my secrets.

Click the cover to see the book on Amazon. You can then read the first five chapters by clicking "Look inside."

Again, you can buy a FREE Kindle edition of Normal Secrets on Amazon that you can read on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. But, you must purchase ONLY on Monday, June 5, 2017 or Tuesday, June 6, 2017. It will cost you NOTHING.

Purchase my latest book, Normal Secrets, in a Kindle edition for FREE on Amazon for two days only. If you're reading this newsletter on Sunday, June 4, 2017, you have ONLY tomorrow and the next day to make this FREE purchase. After that, the only way to get a FREE copy is to buy the paperback edition and indicate that you also want a FREE Kindle edition (this offer has always been there).

• Harley-Davidson Recalls 2017 Electra Glide Ultra Classic (FLHTCU), Police Electra Glide (FLHTP), Police Road King (FLHP), Road King (FLHR), Road King Special (FLHRXS), Street Glide (FLHX), Street Glide Special (FLHXS), Road Glide (FLTRX), and Road Glide Special (FLTRXS) Motorcycles Since a Clamp Used To Secure an Engine Oil Cooler Line May Have Been Improperly Installed
  

• Daytona Helmets International (Daytona) Recalls Skull Cap D1, D3, and D6 Helmets Since They May Not Adequately Protect the Wearer In the Event Of a Head Impact During a Motorcycle Crash
  

• Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP) Recalls 2017 Can-Am Spyder RT Motorcycles Since the Headlight May Shine Too High When On the Low Beam Setting
  

The Americade Motorcycle Rally is a June tradition for touring motorcyclists

The resort town of Lake George, NY, sees plenty of tourists, conventions, and gatherings during the year. However, its biggest draw is in June when it hosts the biggest motorcycle touring rally in the world, the Americade Motorcycle Rally. The rally is held the first full week of June and for 2017, it's June 5-10.

The rally started back in May, 1983 and was then known as Aspencade East. Started by motorcycle racer, Bill Dutcher and his wife Gini, the rally attracted 3000 motorcyclists in its first year. By 1986, the name was changed to Americade and drew in 10,000 registrants. Current attendance is estimated to be nearly 50,000. Counting the people who simply show up without registering just to "hang out" on Canada Street, the total attendance probably exceeds 100,000. Each year the number of people in town increases as the day-of-the-week approaches Saturday when attendance peaks.

In the past, hardly anyone was in town on Monday. Recently there has been heavy attendance on Monday. The prospect of unusually good weather may contribute to the early crowds but the town merchants are quite pleased to have the extra business. . . Read more.

Rolling Thunder XXX was last Monday. I rode in Rolling Thunder with my wife in 2005 and wrote about our experiences.

I had never been able to ride in Rolling Thunder® but wanted to. My late wife Jane cornered a forum member, Spanky, at the 2004 BuRP Forum rally. He's a former Marine pilot who had been part of Rolling Thunder® for a few years. He invited us to come on down and be part of Rolling Thunder® XVIII.

Jane and I both rode our motorcycle trikes in Washington D.C. on Memorial Day, 2005 with Rolling Thunder, along with several members of the Motorcycle Views forum. Here's that story.

I'm sure that Rolling Thunder® XXX will not be too different from my story of 12 years ago except there may be more security.

You may have seen our Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, on TV as he prepared to ride in Rolling Thunder. Yes, he's a motorcycle rider. I understand that he had two secret service agents riding along with him. Here is a video is case you missed it.

I am now actively working on my sixth book, 50 More Wild Motorcycle Tales. Click the cover to learn more about what was included in the first book. If you have written any true motorcycle stories about your own motorcycle experiences, send them to me for consideration in the new book. The window for additional stories is quite narrow right now so please hurry submitting any story.

I am featuring five (5) of my Motorcycle Terms in each issue of the newsletter.

• Belt Drive
• FIM
• Motor Maids
• Sidestand
• Twin Cam 88B
  
  
• All Motorcycle Terms

Motorcycle Picture of the Month - June 2017 - 2007 Honda Shadow Spirit VT1100C:
See the latest Picture of the Month and previous pictures. If you'd like to be considered for Picture of the Month, send me a picture and description of your bike. Submit Picture.

I have recently created an author website to contain all my current and future books.

I hope you will take a look at my five books, available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon.com. My new book, Normal Secrets, is a memoir about secrets in my life. The other four books are motorcycle related. These books make great, inexpensive gifts. In fact, you can purchase all five for less than $40 total (less than $15 if you buy the Kindle editions). I have reduced the price of my five Kindle editions to $0.0 (FREE) IF you also first purchase the corresponding paperback edition. That way you can always have the book with you if you have a tablet or smartphone with you. None of the paperbacks has color pictures in them owing to the high price of producing a book with color. However, every Kindle edition has color pictures, so Normal Secrets, Getting Started Riding a Motorcycle, and Motorcycle Haiku Poetry Kindle books have full-color pictures (excepting original black-and-white pictures).

My book, Normal Secrets, is a departure from my previous four motorcycle-themed books. I started thinking about this memoir more than a year ago and have been writing almost fulltime on it for all of 2016 and part of 2017. It covers much of my life and reveals some secrets that almost no one knows about me. In fact, many secrets I didn't even know myself until recently. You'll also find out how fate changed my course in life many times as I struggled to find out who I was, what I wanted to do, who I would love, how I came to become both a motorcyclist and a moto-journalist, and how I came to become an author in my late seventies. It's a true story that begins in the Midwest and spans more than a hundred years. The book is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. An audiobook is planned. Click the book cover to learn how to buy it on Amazon.com.

My fourth book (released December 1, 2015), Motorcycle Kick-Starts, also available on Amazon.com in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook (Audible) editions, contains a condensed view of motorcycling for new and returning riders. It's designed to whet your appetite for more while sticking to basic motorcycle information without overpowering you with details. The book starts out telling you what motorcycles are and showing you how you might learn to become an active, safe rider. Then ten short motorcycle stories, written by actual motorcyclists, are presented. These stories allow you to observe some unusual things that happen to people who ride motorcycles. Between stories, some practical advice about motorcycles is given in the form of ten motorcycle How-Tos and ten motorcycle Tips that you will need to know to become a proficient rider. Click the book cover to learn how to buy it on Amazon.com. The Audible audiobook edition is also available for immediate download on iTunes and Audible.

My book, 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales, contains a collection of stories that originally were only available on my website. Fifty of these stories were selected, intensively edited, and compiled into the book. I wrote five of the stories. The book is available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook (Audible) editions. Click the book cover to learn how to buy it on Amazon.com. The Audible edition is also available for immediate download on iTunes and Audible.

My book, Getting Started Riding a Motorcycle, was first published in 2011 but only as a Kindle edition. It was revised in 2014 and also made available in a paperback edition. Click the book cover to learn how to buy it on Amazon.com.

My book, Motorcycle Haiku Poetry, also available on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle editions, contains haiku poems about motorcycles. Haiku is a simple poem of three lines with five syllables in the first and last lines and seven in the second line. Each of the nearly 60 poems is coupled with a motorcycle picture and description related to the poem. I wrote seven of the haiku poems. Click the book cover to learn how to buy it on Amazon.com.

• Motorcycle Salvage Yards: Where you can find motorcycle parts.
  
• Motorcycle Seat Heights: Lists seat heights by motorcycle make.
  
• Famous Motorcycle Movies: The great motorcycle movies are discussed.
  
• 2017 Motorcycle Models: We give links to major motorcycle model pictures and specifications.
  
• Motorcycle Recalls: Gives all motorcycle recalls for the last ten years by make and year.
  
• Women on Motorcycles: These women ride their own bikes.
  
• 10 Ways to Be Safe on a Motorcycle: This article could save your life.
  
• 10 Motorcycle Myths: There are many myths about riding.
  

I now have a Motorcycle Views Newsletter Archive to store all my newsletters. The archive gives the year, month, day, and subject for each newsletter. Each newsletter contains many links to the Motorcycle Views website. A link to the archive will also be included on the Home page of the site and on the page where users can join the newsletter list.

Visit the Motorcycle Views Newsletter Archive

Are you relying more and more on your cellphone or tablet and less and less on your PC or MAC? Remember that all that great motorcycling information on Motorcycle Views is as near as your cellphone. It's also in a new format designed to fit your portable screen. Check us out anywhere you need motorcycle information.

See me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Since the last Newsletter, the Polar Bear Grand Tour has held an End-of-Season run to Pic-A-Lilli Inn, Shamong, NJ. Click this link (or the picture) to see some of the pictures as they appear on Facebook.

All the pictures and videos for the End-of-Season run can be found by clicking the following link:

Pic-A-Lilli Inn - May 6, 2017

I have also completed the Polar Bear Grand Tour Pictures of the Year for 2016-2017. These also include the Best videos. Take a Look.

The Polar Bears consist of 550 riders from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware, who ride each Sunday to a different prescribed destination where they sign-in and receive points. There is, usually, a restaurant at or near the destination. It gets cold, windy, and snowy on these rides. I've been a Polar Bear member for more than 20 years, and I built and continue to maintain their website.

The picture to the right was taken at the Pic-A-Lilli Inn, Shamong, NJ.

The Motorcycle Views Website is here for you. We encourage you to submit a story, picture, poem, salvage yard recommendation, user review of your own bike, tattoo, YouTube video you made of your bike, motorcycle tip, etc. These will be evaluated for inclusion into one of our major features. Send us a submission today and share part of your motorcycling experience with our many readers. Read how to make a submission.

Thanks again for coming along for the ride in this edition of the Motorcycle Views Newsletter. -- Walter

Please understand that the Motorcycle Views Newsletter is NOT the Motorcycle Views website. The newsletter provides a few links to content on the Motorcycle Views website. Once you click a link in the newsletter, you'll be getting access to content on the Motorcycle Views site.

If you'd like to view any of our past newsletters, just go to the newsletter archives page.

Thanks for signing up for the Motorcycle Views Newsletter. Using this Newsletter, I'll keep you up-to-date with what's going on in the Motorcycle Views Blog, the Motorcycle Views Website, and the Motorcycle Views Forum. Not sure what a blog is? It's like a daily readout of what I'm thinking about, similar to a diary at times. Most often, I'm using mine right now to tell my visitors what has been added to the Motorcycle Views site.

See me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube.

The Motorcycle Views Website is also on your Smartphone or Tablet:

Are you relying more and more on your cellphone or tablet and less and less on your PC or MAC? Remember that all that great motorcycling information on Motorcycle Views is as near as your cellphone. It's also in a new format designed to fit your portable screen. Check us out anywhere you need motorcycle information.

END OF NEWSLETTER