Welcome back to the All Riders monthly newsletter brought to you straight from the Matt Cave!
This is "4M: The Matt Cave Moto Monthly Mailer".
Winter is coming. Too soon?
Well, not for me, it isn't. It is true that down here in Central Florida, these days, a morning walk through the neighborhood conjures thoughts of how Dante must have felt as he traversed the nine circles of Hell. I put my shoes on, get the leash on the dog, and open the door to greet the day. As soon as I crack that door open, the moisture-laden, steam engine, vehement soul-sucking abuse of August slurps itself across my skin. My shower-fresh fancy morning fabulous degenerates into sloppy seconds in a wink and all hopes of having that walk without a slip-slide in my nethers are null and void. Along with any ability to identify as dry, my gleeful morning perspective dissolves into pessimistic cynicism like a jettisoned scoop of ice cream on the smoldering sidewalk.
So, it would be easy to say that Winter is still but a glimmer in a wishful eye.
However, maybe it is just me, and perhaps I am just feeling optimistic, but September has historically meant the imminent coming of Winter. Perhaps because I am a northerner (I grew up in New Jersey and lived in the north my whole life until about seventeen years ago), and September has always meant the end of Summer and the beginning of Winter. Up north, we would be starting to get those occasional wayward gusts of cool breeze that would signal the coming season of white cold.
Now, when I was a kid, Winter was akin to death. It was the death of everything enjoyable. The epic Summer vacation had come to a close yet again, and now all there was to look forward to was school, homework, school, and homework. The worst omen of the impending Season of Dread was really at the end of August when I started to see "Back to School" posted all over the pharmacies and grocery stores. Boy, did I hate that. There was Winter Break to look forward to and Christmas gifts, but man, it was way too long a haul to consider that in the "pros" column when it was only September. So, I would shut down emotionally. Well, I would at least turn off that fun-loving, Summer having, freedom-embracing side of me and deal with school. Well, at least in high school, it would be about focusing on chasing the ladies. Oh yeah, there was that—new opportunity to try to score. Maybe even new girls to try to best. Come to think of it; I guess Winter wasn't all bad.
Anyway, the point is that Winter, for me, was always about entropy or the end of enjoyment in life. Well, that all changed when I moved to Florida, and riding became something I could do all year round. Like so many northern motorcycle riders, I would get to ride in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Depending on the year and the number of days it rained, that could be a fair amount of riding or not so much riding. Either way, you were locked down during the actual Winter months. Winter was a long time to wait to ride again, let me tell you. Time to pack it in for a season and wait until something better happens.
Then, one day I moved to Central Florida. In short order, I realized that while technically you can ride all year round, the rain and heat make it difficult to enjoy riding in the Summer months. Once the Summer ramps up, you have to get out early to avoid either one and the delightful riding, in my opinion, is unavailable by early afternoon. So, I have found that in Florida, Winter is the epic riding season.
Winter (in Florida) is truly the archetypical harbinger of joy and hope, happiness and growth for the motorcycle enthusiast. It is the season of freedom by two wheels (Liberatum Duabus Rotis). You can get up any time of day and go for a ride. Chances of rain are low, and the temperature is always fantastic. Sometimes it gets pretty chilly in the morning or evening, but nothing that a windbreaker and a set of gloves can't handle. Mid-day is almost always somewhere in the '70s... absolutely perfect riding weather. These are the days of taking the bike out early in the morning and not riding home until after nightfall. That is what motorcycling riding is all about. So, I'm officially ringing the Winter in. Let's hope the Big Momma agrees.
Now for you northerners out there, it sucks to be you. Start thinking about your Winter projects or planning your motorcycle riding trips to Florida. We are here if you wanna ride with us.
Helluva Helmet you got there, Doc.
Since we are talking about making our way toward the Winter and riding more often, we should probably say something about motorcycle safety. Of course, not every motorcyclist likes to wear a helmet, or should I say, WILL wear a helmet—however, even those of us who chose not to know that it is safer to wear one. Many motorcycle helmets have saved many a life, so let's take a short dive, nay a short wade, into the inception of the first helmet designed for the motorcyclist.
Did you know that the first motorcycle helmet was designed by a dude named Eric Gardner in 1914?
Eric Gardner was actually doctor Eric Gardner. Dr. Gardner was a British physician who saw patience with head injuries caused by motorcycle accidents. The good doctor devised a shellacked canvas shell to provide head protection to motorcyclists.
The invention notably reduced the number of concussions in motorcycle crashes in races like the Isle of Man TT. In Britain, a mandate to wear motorcycle helmets was set in place, but the rules for what a "motorcycle helmet" actually was were questionable. Bikers being bikers, they all wanted to look cool. So, what once was a shellacked canvas shell morphed in many cases to simple leather caps like the ones used by football players or even less substantial leather coverings akin to wearing nothing at all.
It was not until 1935 when T.E. Lawrence (a famous British military officer) was involved in a motorcycle accident, suffered severe head injuries, and ultimately died, that things changed for the motorcycle helmet. T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was a national hero, so his death caused quite a stir. It brought a lot of press to the dangers of motorcycling, which lead to much more scrutiny about motorcycle safety practices. Another physician, Dr. Hugh Cairns, cared for Lawrence post-accident but had also experience dealing with other similar cases. He decided to study the correlation between motorcycle accidents and head injuries. Soon after, Dr. Cairns published a report in the British Medical Journal, which garnered quite a bit of attention.
Even though Cairns had brought a lot of attention to the motorcycle head injury problem, the whole helmet-wearing thing was not really catching on. There was just a lot of resistance to it. After all, you gotta look cool on your sled, man. Helmets got used in some sense, but not in any significant way for a while. In 1941, the military mandated a cork and rubber helmet covering, but it did not do much to protect the rider. It was not until 1953 when a guy named C.F. Lombard built a helmet that was worth something. It had a hard fiberglass shell, foam in the middle to absorb impact, and a padded comfort lining. This thing was actually made of three layers, and its design is still echoed to some degree in motorcycle helmet production today.
C.F. Lombard's design was a game-changer in the evolution of the motorcycle helmet.
New laws and more research inevitably vaulted motorcycle helmet technology forward. New materials and new processes led to materials that were lighter, stronger, and easier to use and wear. The inception and use of computers even made it possible to start testing motorcycle helmets in labs.
1954 (or so) Enter Roy Richter of Bell Helmets. Richter used the design and concept from Lombard to create a modern helmet in the plan for his flagship Bell 500.
Modern bell 500
The Bell 500 was the result of months of research and development. Richter had the help of veteran naval pilot Frank Heacox. The two reverse-engineered numerous helmets already on the market, including some used in military aviation. Heacox was instrumental in the production of the helmet because he used it himself both in races and on the street. That first iteration of the Bell 500 featured a polyurethane foam liner inside a hand-laminated fiberglass outer shell.
Helmet safety was getting a shiny new vernier, but only racers were adopting it at the time (both motorcycle and car). Street riders were still reluctant to embrace the helmet as a thing. This persisted more or less until 1967 with the unveiling of the full-faced Bell Star. Maybe it was the fancy cool looks of the Bell Star or the fact that in the year before, the first-ever safety standard for helmets was created and legalized by USDOT. In so in the US, it became "legally" mandatory for street riders to wear helmets. It was not until 1975 that some states started to repeal their helmet laws.
1968 Bell Star
As one can imagine, there's a whole lot of helmet history between then and now, but this is an All Riders monthly newsletter, not an encyclopedia (remember those?). So, that's all I got for you right now. As I said, this was a 'wade" into helmet history, not a "deep dive."
Wrapping up August:
We did not get a lot in group riding-wise this August, but I addressed that in the last 4M newsletter (which I am sure you read). We did end the month with what turned out to be a very successful memorial ride for our fallen friend, Heidi Race. The HeidiStrong Remembrance Ride went off without a hitch. We had about twenty-one bikes show up, The weather was beautiful, the traffic was light, and everyone had a great time. It seemed like the lights stayed red only long enough for the group to stay together, and the rest of the time it was green lights and smooth sailing. If I didn't know better, I'd say maybe someone up above was looking out for us to have a great time. We ended the day with a lunch date at All Riders Supporting Vendor: St. John's River Grille. Here are a few shots from the ride:
Follow the link above for t-shirts, patches, membership cards, and work shirts.
Barracuda Bill
September bestows upon us Episode 4: The indomitable "Tiger of the Sea", the sea being the road and Tiger being the Cuda, returns for an inquisition into tire inflators. Barracuda Bill comes along with a refreshing new logo in his Matt Cave Moto-Made Barracuda Bill Breaks it Down. Episode 4 is coming at you via Youtube and your inbox (if you subscribe below).
In September, the wheels go round with our monthly events:
1) First Fridays Moto-Meetup: First Fridays returns on Friday, 9/3/21 with a visit to Mellow Mushroom in Port Orange. 5790 Journey's End Way, Port Orange, FL 32127. Funky, art-filled chain pizzeria featuring craft beer, calzones & creative stone-baked pizzas. 7:00pm.
4) Third Thursday Moto-Meetup: Thursday, September 16th. As always, Third Thursdays Bike Night will be at Abbey Bar & Odd Elixir downtown Deland. Amazing staff, great beer, wine, mead, and some finger food to boot. We start at 7:00 pm.
You also get 10% off of your entire bill with your current ARMD membership card.
Check out Abbey Bar:
3) Dan's Full Moon Ride: The original All Riders night ride. September's ride is will be Sunday the 19th. Check out the "Deets" on our Calendar page to stay "in the know".
3) Chuck's Wednesday Ride to Nowhere: The famous weekday evening ride hosted by the 'Route Master" Chuck "Magnum" Boehm continues through August. It has been a crazy rainy summer, but the itinerate Route Master is forever on the job. Chuck tried a few 6:30om KSUs this year, but the remainder of these rides will sport the original 6:00 pm KSU in order to take advantage of all available daylight.
Beyond September:
Man, I almost forgot! I WENT BACK AND ADDED THIS ONE IN ON 9/2. We have the 27th Annual Bruce Rosssmeyer's Camp Boggy Creek Ride for Children coming up on Sunday, 10/3. Since it is so early in October, I figure it makes sense to get the word out in this newsletter. While this ride is not organized by All Riders, there are a handful of All Riders whose hearts are near and dear to Camp Boggy Creek, so we want to make a real effort to get All Riders out in force for this one.
To foster a spirit of joy by creating a free, safe, and medically sound camp environment that enriches the lives of children with serious illnesses and their families.
Now if that is not a mission to get behind, then I don't know what is. Keep an eye out for more information on this ride. We will likely get together and ride to the start of the event together. There is a $50 dollar registration fee, but hey... that's how we support the cause.
Beyond Beyond...
I know that it's early, but it is never too early to start planning for the biggest All Riders event of the year. Save the date for the one run to rule them all... 6TR: The All Riders 6th Annual Toy Run. 6TR benefits the Toys for Tots organization. We gather toys from supporting businesses all around Fl, and we organize this run to attract motorcycle riders from all over. The entry fee for the ride is one $20 unwrapped toy. All of the toys collected go to Toys for Tots for distribution to underprivileged kids in Volusia County. We have donated thousands of toys with our Toy Run over the past five years. If you can only make one All Riders event this year, make it this one. Saturday 12/4/21.
Other Information:
As always, if you would like to check out some fantastic reviews and interviews, check out our relevant pages:
If you are new to riding or want to bone up on some group riding info or learn about how we do things at All Riders, check out:
We also link to the AMA database of motorcycle laws in the USA at All Riders 101.
If you want to learn more about or membership card program: ARMD, go here:
Please take some time and check out the rest of the site, and if you have any criticisms, ideas, corrections, or worthwhile general observations, feel free to email me at:
matt@theallriders.com
ARMD SUPPORTING VENDOR HIGHLIGHT:
Looking to buy a new motorcycle dealership? No? How about a new home? •Offering 1% off of commission of the sale of property for ARMD Members. *ARMD Veterans, Military personnel, Teachers, First Responders, or Medical Workers who use Southern Title for closing can get 50% off of closing fees* Beth Dalton Justice Discom Realty Inc. 2845 Enterprise Rd. Suite 107-A Debary, FL 32713
386-668-9128 Ext. 104 386-279-5097 Cell
Thanks for stopping by. Rubber down!
-Matt
