This is the time of year when the club officers send out our schedule for the spring events. I know what my schedule is--and that's ride the wheels off my bikes. It seems obvious.

I have long felt that our "present club" sits around too much. For example, "back in the day," we had our club meetings on Tuesday night. We got our business done and then had the entire weekend to ride. And ride we did. Within that two days we made trips to places like Winona Minnesota and Hatfield Wisconsin. Take a look at the Wisconsin map--not too shabby for 35 choppers.

However, in speaking with a present club officer a few years back I was informed that meetings are now on Sunday afternoon. Events include things like bikini bike washes and cook-outs, all at the clubhouse--which has a saloon in it. True to form I circled back to the clubhouse one Sunday afternoon and found two dozen geezer glides. All parked, and no one going anywhere.

In the few paragraphs at the bottom of this new schedule there was typed a few words I never thought I'd see. One phrase outlined some rides as "mandatory." In other words, club members are forced to ride their own motorcycles. However, it was last few lines that really got to me. The officer stated that the club was going back to our founding principles, and we were going to ride more.

Now, why on earth did he have to say that? I still shake my head in the realization that a bike club has to force members to actually utilize their $30K ego machines. It isn't right.