Re-Cyle December 2013

AMCA VIKING CHAPTER NEWSLETTER December 2013 [email protected]

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY

http://www.vikingmc.org

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

OFFICERS

Upcoming Club Events ……... 2 President’s Message & Editor’s Note ………………... 3 Davenport Run ………………. 4

PRESIDENT: Ron Spargo 952-443-2020 [email protected]

VICE-PRESIDENT: Sean O’Neil 612-870-0766 [email protected]

DIRECTORS: Roger Rimnac 612-825-2550 [email protected]

Bob Hopf 612-867-5654 [email protected]

Timothy O’Keeffe 651-675-6560 [email protected]

Craig Kotval 651-269-1975 [email protected]

Wings & Wheels ……………. 5 Fall Swap Meet & Wheels of Thunder ………….. 6 Fall Mystery Ride …………… 7 The Viking Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America welcomes any and all old bikes (and their owners) regardless of make, size or country of origin. The only requirement is that the bike must be at least 35 years old to be considered an “antique”. While there are a few of our bikes that are strictly show bikes due to their age or rarity, most of our bikes are ridden and enjoyed as they were intended by their maker regardless of their age. Ownership of an old bike, however, is not a requirement for membership in the Viking Chapter. An interest in old bikes is all you need to become part of a very interesting and diverse group. Our membership is comprised of folks from all ages, all walks of life and all interests and skill levels.

TREASURER: Roy Williams 612-377-6146 [email protected]

SECRETARY: Kathy Rimnac 612-825-2550 [email protected]

CLUB HISTORIAN: Tom Jones 763-533-9163

DEPUTY JUDGE: Jerry Richards 651-482-0096 [email protected]

If a member has an issue or question regarding their motorcycle there is someone in the club that can WEB/EMAIL: NEWSLETTER: offer assistance either turning wrenches or providDoug Nelson Tim Gadban ing information or encouragement. Throughout the year the Viking Chapter sponsors a number of rides 612-559-9595 651-235-5898 and events including many with other organizations. [email protected] [email protected] Our largest event is the Antique Motorcycle Club of America National Meet held in June at the State Congrats to all new and re-elected Board Members!! Fairgrounds in St Paul. This is the largest (and best) annual antique motorcycle show and swap meet in the Midwest. I encourage you to put it on your calendar. If you have questions regarding any aspect of the Viking Chapter, I invite you to contact any of our club officers. Their names and contact information are listed on the cover. Additional information including a calendar of events and membership form are also available on our website: www.vikingmc.org. Come to a meeting and see what it’s all about. I think you’ll have a good time.—Ron Spargo, President 1

UPCOMING EVENTS Note:

Board of Directors (B.O.D) meetings are open to all members. When held at a chapter member’s home, please notify the host ahead of time.

Wednesday Dec 11, 7pm B. O. D. Meeting Mid-America Auctions 2755 Long Lake Rd, Roseville, MN 651-633-9655

HOLIDAY PARTY !! IT’S A POTLUCK !! $$ SILENT AUCTION $$ ## GENERAL MEETING ## ** ANNUAL AWARDS ** ++ MEET THE 2014 BOARD ++ - - 50/50 RAFFLE - -

Wednesday Jan 8, 7pm B. O. D. Meeting, Doug Nelson’s Home 9715 Mill Creek Dr, Eden Prairie, MN 55347 612-559-9595 Saturday Jan 11, 4:30 – 9pm

Viking Chapter Holiday Party!! Roseville Ice Arena 2661 Civic Center Drive, Roseville, MN 55113 651-792-7000 Friday Jan 17 thru Sunday Jan 19 International Motorcycle Show (IMS) Minneapolis Convention Center 1301 2nd Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 612-335-6000 Tuesday Jan 14, 7:30pm National Meet Planning Committee Mtg. Dulono’s Pizza 607 West Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55408 612-827-1726

Bring some grub to share based on suggestions below. The club will provide snacks, appetizers and beverages.

Wednesday Feb 12, 7pm B. O. D. Meeting Ron Spargo’s Home 8399 Bavaria Road, Victoria, MN 55286 952-443-2020

A-Berghoff ……………………………. desserts & cookies Berquist ……………………………………… deviled eggs Bishop-D ……………………………... desserts & cookies E-J ……………………… side dishes, salads, beans & fruit K ……………………………. rolls, bread, butter & relishes L-Z ………………………………… entrees & main dishes

Wednesday Feb 19, 7pm February General Meeting St Paul Indian 2967 Hudson Road, St Paul, MN 55128 651-765-9988

For the Silent Auction bring a desirable item in good condition— artwork, books, posters, etc. (no swapmeet stuff - it doesn’t have to be a motorcycle related item). This auction benefits our club and also supplements our Charity Fund. So get off your kiester and donate that old knick-knack to a good cause! Bring your stuff to the party to be bagged and tagged.

Tuesday Feb 25, 7:30pm National Meet Planning Committee Mtg. Dulono’s Pizza 607 West Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55408 612-827-1726 Wednesday Mar 12, 7pm B. O. D. Meeting Davanni’s 663 Winnetka Ave North, Golden Valley, MN 55427 763-398-0303

Tuesday Mar 25, 7:30pm National Meet Planning Committee Mtg. Dulono’s Pizza 607 West Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55408 612-827-1726

Wednesday Mar 19, 7pm March General Meeting Jack Crane Museum 1301 East Cliif Road, Burnsville, MN 55337 952-927-8126

Saturday Mar 29 thru Sunday Mar 30 DennisKirk/Donnie Smith Bike & Car Show River Center Kellogg Blvd & 7th Street, St Paul, MN 55102 651-265-4800 2

SPARKY’S PLUG By Ron Spargo It’s been a very busy fall for the Viking Chapter. In addition to our general monthly meetings we had a club ride from Kerry Rasmussen’s house to Osceola WI for the annual Wheels and Wings event (see Page 5). This year the event organizers decided to charge a $10 fee to anyone who wanted to have their car or bike judged. As a protest to the fee none of our members entered their bikes. The opinion of our members is that the fee should be charged to enter the event or to park your car or any other means to offset expenses. The fee should not be charged to those who have already spent a lot of time and money on the very vehicles people are coming to see. It just seems to be a “bass-ackwards” method of covering expenses. We’ll see if the organizers figure out a better method next year. Sept 15 was our annual Swap Meet at the Minnesota Fairgrounds. Attendance was good in spite of a damp start to the day. This event is getting bigger each year with a great variety of bikes and parts. I even managed to find a few pieces of unobtainium. October 5 was supposed to be the date of the Fall Mystery Ride but it was postponed due to bad weather until the following weekend. And of course we need to mention the annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner where all those members and spouses who volunteered their time and effort to at least one club sponsored function are fed well. I’m sure I saw several of the same folks at the dessert bar each time I visited it! While there is not yet any snow on the ground I know that most of us have winterized our bikes and are on to our winter projects. While I like riding all my bikes for different reasons I also appreciate the time winter allows us to work on our bikes. The maintenance, restoration, repair or rebuild of my bikes gives me almost as much pleasure a riding. There are many club events during the winter so keep a copy of the schedule handy. There is plenty to do and we want to see you and hear what you’ve been up to. Report from the 2013 Barber Vintage Motorcycle Festival - by Ron Spargo If you have not had the opportunity to attend the annual Vintage Motorcycle Festival held at the Barber Motorsports Park just east of Birmingham Alabama in October you owe it to yourself as a true motorcycle enthusiast to add this event to your bucket list. This event has it all from a beautiful 5 story motorcycle museum with about 1000 restored bikes on display to the 2.5 mile road racing course, AMCA and VJMC bike shows, swap meet and old bike auction. There is probably more but I just haven’t gotten time to see it yet. This year, on Saturday only, the crowd exceeded 60,000 people which provided great opportunities for people and bike watching. My son, Chris, and I were there to once again participate in the AHRMA vintage road race event with Chris as rider and me as van driver, mechanic, parts cleaner, time keeper, cheering section and whatever else needed to be done. Chris prepared two race bikes for this event. The first is his tried and true Yamaha RD400. This is the bike he races in the Formula 500 class and just to make things interesting bumps up to the Formula 750 class. The RD400 is well developed and has won the Formula 500 class championship several times. He is also a consistent top three position finisher in the Formula 750 class with several first place finishes to his credit. His little bike is a Yamaha TA125 chassis with a 180cc CS1 twin for power. This bike runs in the 200GP and 250GP classes. With a wet weight of about 160 pounds and 30hp at 12,000 rpm it’s good for almost 120mph with a tailwind. I’ll have it at the IMS show in January if you want to see it. We entered the Formula 500 and Formula 750 races for Saturday and Sunday and the 200GP and 250GP races for both days. Of the eight races entered we had one DNF (wrong gearing) and brought home six podium finishes. Both bikes and rider performed quite well the entire weekend. The crew however, was well worn at the end of the weekend. We’ll do it again next year and I suggest you join us for the fun. You won’t be disappointed.

EDITOR’S NOTE Well you may have noticed that our Viking Chapter newsletter has taken on a different look. Ivar needed some help due to his workload and so I have been invited to step in. There are a couple of features I want to add for future newsletters: one is a “Feedback” column …. letters to the editor, etc.; the other is a section called “Tips & Titbits” which will include news that is not specifically Viking Chapter related but that may be of a technical or informative nature to all riders. So members are encouraged to contribute. If you have a strong opinion about something or some useful technical advice please fire away. Road stories, photos or bike related cartoons welcome. Parts being sought or items for sale would also be included. My email address and phone number are listed on the cover. Another thing I would like to encourage is electronic viewing of the newsletter. Some members do not own or operate computers and will therefore need to receive hard copies (which are necessarily limited to eight pages in length) but the majority can view the on-line version. There are two obvious advantages—the first is the cost savings for printing and mailing, the second is the ability to have a larger publication with more pictures and features. Your 2014 membership renewal form has a check-box where you can indicate your preference. The Spring edition of Re-Cycle will have two versions: hard copy and electronic. On entering my third year with the club I have to say that I have never met a more fun or helpful group of people to hang with. Thanks to those who contributed photos and info for this issue. — Tim Gadban 3

CLUB NEWS DAVENPORT RUN – 30th August 2013 by Tim Gadban Departed Prescott 6am Friday with Harvey in the lead … down 35 on the Wisconsin side. A couple of us hit a patch of tiny glass beads turning onto the bridge to Winona … luckily no spills. It was hot, hot, hot …. for the sake of the older bikes Harvey stuck to side roads all the way down. Ralph had some clutch problems with his shovelhead and had to bail. With the mercury pushing 100 degrees F and few of the older bikes acting up, we were glad to get to the Davenport fairgrounds and set up camp, then adjourn to the air conditioned Rusty Nail for a cold one and a few yuks. (Civilization has come to Davenport Iowa! Last year the Rusty Nail had only Bud & Bud Light available in pitchers, now you can also get Summer Shandy or Blue Moon) The meet this year seemed toned down … fewer vendors, fewer show bikes and an early Saturday migration from the grounds. On Friday eve and Saturday morning we cruised the grounds for parts and mementos. Ivar Natins, Rick Wyatt and Dave Rademacher were there as vendors. We all found something to take home and lusted after various bikes on display. In general vendor prices seemed too high (at least to some of us) and led me to wonder how a meet would go if the vendors stuck around on Saturday afternoon to do some haggling. I was also thinking that a Saturday night hoedown with a live band and a couple of kegs might liven things up a little and get people to stick around. Well we did our part and had a flashlight campfire jam session. Live music, sweet wine and tall stories under the Iowa stars … just doesn’t get any better. Tom Jones sounded 6am Sunday reveille (just a horn blast this year) … time to saddle up and move out. Thankfully the weather had cooled down considerably. When Cal couldn’t get his Honda Dream started, our friendly neighbors from the Waseon Ohio chapter came over with a 4-wheel ATV to give him a pull-start. Bob Zick joined us for the return journey. We took the Cassville ferry across the river and made our pilgrimage to the annual chicken fry lunch at St Mary’s in Guttenberg… absolutely delicious! From Winona most of us came back up 35 to Prescott … I never get tired of that ride. We made it home before dark.

Camping Fools Rides: Cal Spooner – 1964 Honda 305 Dream; Sean O’Neil – 1967 HD Sportster; Ralph Smith – 1969 HD Shovelhead; Harvey Berquist – 1975 Triumph Trident; Tim Gadban – 1975 BMW R90/6; Tom Jones – 1979 Yamaha XS650 Mark Jilk – 1981 Honda CB750; Jim Petsch – 2002 Suzuki SV650; Keith Braun – 2003 HD Road King Stan Mewhorter – 2004 HD Sportster; Bob Zick – 2004 Triumph Thruxton 4

CLUB NEWS WINGS & WHEELS – 7th September 2013 by Kerry Rasmussen It was a beautiful morning for a ride to the Osceola airport for the annual Wings and Wheels event on Sept 6th … it was sunny, clear and cool. We had a great turnout of 18 riders. The ride was thru the valley back roads and this year we shared the road with a bicycle race. Once we got there, we all headed to an airplane hangar for a generous pancake breakfast and ate our fill. Wings and Wheels is a huge event. Old planes, bikes and thousands of cars. There were stunt fliers doing acrobatics in old planes all afternoon. We all had a great time.

Eyes on the plane sailor! Polaris was there with the new Indians and I finally got to sit on one. At about twice the size of my Chief I think them a bit big. But they are in good hands and I think that they will do fine. My neighbor Jim Gannon joined us on the ride. It was first time out this year after getting a pacemaker. He was looking forward to a little fun. He said it was the best time he had had all summer.

A good time was had by all in spite of the afternoon heat and I look forward to our ride next year.

Rides: Ivar Natins – 1946 Indian Chief; Steven Solnitzky – 1947 Indian Chief ; Rick Schunk - 1948 Vincent Rapide; Keith Peters - 1951 Vincent Rapide; Stan Mewhorter – 1971 Triumph TR6R; Neal Punchard - 1972 BMW R75/5; Kevin Johnson - 1973 Yamaha TX750; Joel Fisher - 1976 Harley; Gary Kloss - 1977 Yamaha XS650; Mark Jilk - 1981 Honda 750; Jim Cannon - 1989 Harley; Ted & Judy Drake - 1984 Honda Magna; Bob Hopf -1998 Harley; Ron Spargo - 2000 Moto Guzzi; John Ulrich; 2003 Honda Goldwing; Tom Fisher - 2008 Harley 5

CLUB NEWS VIKING CHAPTER FALL SWAP MEET – 15th September 2013 Once again donuts, dedication and daring-do prevailed and our swap meet was a successful and well attended event. It has however been decided that attendees were practically committing highway robbery with the $2 entry fee, so next year, to offset club expenses, the entry fee will be raised to $5. Thanks to all who pitched in to make this happen and shine!

WHEELS OF THUNDER – 18th thru 20th October 2013 Sean O’Neil pulled the lion’s share on this event in which a few members’ bikes were displayed. Overall the event was not as well attended as the organizers had hoped. It was however exciting to see so many various motorized contraptions (boats, bikes, dragsters, custom cars, monster trucks, etc.) on display and it was a treat to be around on Sunday afternoon when Big Foot and a dragster fired up together in the Minneapolis Convention Center!

Well that’s Sean’s Harley but that sure doesn’t look like Sean!

Craig feels right at home! Bikes Displayed: Brittney Olsen – 1923 HD Board Track Racer; Gene Berghhoff - 1949 Norton International Model 30; Carl Olsen - 1953 HD FL Pan Head; Steve Clough - 1955 Indian Trailblazer 700; Sean O’Neil – 1967 HD Sportster; Chris Spargo - 1973 Yamaha YCS1 Racer; Keven Johnson - 1973 Yamaha TX750; Doug Nelson 1975 Moto Guzzi 850 T3; Tim Gadban – 1975 BMW R90/6; 6

CLUB NEWS FALL MYSTERY RIDE – 12th October 2013 by Tim Gadban Prologue: On their way to the ride Bob Hopf and Steve Solnitzky decided to take a “mellow” route through downtown Minneapolis. While travelling in in the right-hand lane, with no warning, a gal suddenly pulled over from the left-hand lane straight into their path. Steve collided with the car’s right side while Bob hit the rear end. Luckily Steve had crash bars on his Indian, which saved his left leg from being mashed between the bike and her car. As it was he took off her right rear view mirror with his chest (see pic at right). Apparently the first words from Steve after impact were “Goddamit, don’t you know this is a 1947 Indian!!” The photo tells the story. Luckily Bob and Steve (and their bikes) made it to the ride intact.

Emergency Surgery

We met up at Rick Wyatt’s house …. coffee and donuts generously provided by our host. Rick hauled out a large crowbar and with some members’ assistance the left crash bar on Steve’s Indian was straightened out and the left foot board put back in place (see pic at left). How many guys does it take to fix an Indian ?!?!

After hob-nobbing and checking out the bikes, plus Rick’s machine shop and collection of old Beesers, we embarked on the “Mystery Ride”, which it still was to most of us. Having been postponed a week due to rain, we got the cold & windy Saturday! The route had lots of fall colors and country scenes. After twisting and turning for about 50 miles most of us still didn’t know where we were. At Chisago City Kerry’s Indian stalled so we hung around until he got it running and then headed off to our mystery destination …. Scandia. Here we stopped to eat and thaw out at Meister’s, which incidentally has really good burgers. From there we split up into different groups for the ride home. Some of us took 95 to 96 and headed west to St Paul. Rick and Kerry turned west off 95 onto 7 …. an awesome ride … up into the twisty country roads west of Marine on St Croix.

Rides: Kerry Rasmussen – 1946 Indian Chief; Steven Solnitzky – 1947 Indian Chief ; Stan Mewhorter – 1966 Triumph TR6C Allen Bower – 1970 Triumph T120R; Dave Rademacher – 1974 BMW R/90; Garry Kloss – 1977 Yamaha XS650; Tim Gadban – 1978 Honda GL1000; Mark Jilk – 1981 Honda 750; Ted & Judy Drake – 1984 Honda Magna; Bob Hopf – 1998 Harley; Mark Raffe – 1998 Moto Guzzi Vilev; David Glennen – 2000 Yamaha V-Star 650; Rick Wyatt – 2001 Kawasaki W650; Mike Warner – 2007 Moto Guzzi Breva Rode to Rick Wyatt’s: Ron Bohm – 1949 BSA A-7; Bill Behnins – 1972 Norton Commando; Kenin Morgan –1973 Norton Commando 7

Viking Chapter AMCA Inc. 7314 Chicago Ave South, Richfield, MN 55423 DECEMBER 2013

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APB News Flash— The Movie “Why We Ride” is being screened at 7:30pm on Monday Dec 2nd at AMC Southdale 16. Gen’l admission is $11. See http://www.tugg.com/events/6623 for ticket info and a preview

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