Born To Ride Motorcycle Magazine #222 - Nov 2022

NOV 2022 #222

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19TH read it/watch it/ride it

BORNTORIDE.COM

Contents

NOVEMBER ISSUE 222

FEATURES

Accidents, Are You Covered?

Billy Lane at Gibtown Bikefest St. Pete. Bikefest is Coming American Pickers Coming to Florida Adrenaline Harley-Davidson Sarasota Charlotte’s Webb Halloween Party Biker Legend Mondo Porras Denver Choppers

COLUMNS

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James Irwin-A Biker Helping Bikers Nefarious James Spyke & Mike CMA

DEPARTMENTS

Contents Page Letter From The Editor Dave Nichols Ride Safe Ride Smart Movie Review-Electra Glide In Blue BTR Kids-Happy Birthday Bruiser!

REPORTS

26

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St. Pete. Bikefest November 18, 18, 19, 20 Tickets & Information - SaintPeteBikefest.com Featuring Scott Stapp

Start Born To Ride TV and Magazine in your city! Call 888-795-5779

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Choppertown LiveBack at Thunder By The Bay Is Solar For You? Born To Ride Youtube Is Hot! CycleRama Performance Report Fidelis Automotive-A Name You Can Trust Bobby Friss Rocks For The Children Bert’s OCC Great American Bike Night

ON THE COVER

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18 25 29 31 42 47 55

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The information contained herein is provided by Born To Ride Magazine or by its advertisers. BTR makes every effort to present accurate and reliable information in the issue. Born To Ride Magazine does not endorse, approve, or certify such information, nor does it guarantee the accuracy, completeness, efficacy, timeliness or correct sequencing of such information throughout this magazine. Use of such information is voluntary on your part, and reliance on it should only be undertaken after your independent review. Reference herein to any specific manufacturer, company, commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, service mark, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement of or recommendation of said by Born To Ride Magazine.” “Born To Ride Magazine (including its employees, contributors and agents) assumes no responsibility for consequences that may result from the use of the information herein, including the use of the information obtained at www.borntoride.com and it’s linked sites, or in any respect for the content of such information, including (but not limited to) errors or omissions, the accuracy or reasonableness of factual or scientific assumptions, studies or conclusions, ownership of copyright or other intellectual property rights, and the violation of property, privacy, or personal rights of others. BTR Magazine is not responsible for damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on such information. No guarantees or warranties, including (but not limited to) any express or implied warranties are made by BTR Magazine with respect to such information contained throughout the site.” No part may be copied without written permission of the publisher, Born To Ride, Inc. P.O. Box 3021, Brandon, FL 33509. 888-795-5779, Fax 813-689-2996. ­­

Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & affiliates. Coverage subject to policy terms.

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BORN TO RIDE Magazine

PO BOX 3021 Brandon, FL 33509 PUBLISHER

Ron Galletti 813-785-3895 888-795-5779 rg@borntoride.com

CO PUBLISHER

Deb Galletti dgalletti@borntoride.com

EDITOR

Dave Nichols editor@borntoride.com

ART DIRECTOR

Peter Soutullo art@borntoride.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Erick Runyon

ART DEPARTMENT

Juan Guzman, Jared Hartman, Erick Runyon , Peter Soutullo, Craig Miller, Beatnik Steve Werner art@borntoride.com

WEB DESIGN/ELECTRONIC MEDIA Juan Guzman

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION Nancy Ray nray@borntoride.com

MULTI-MEDIA SPECIALIST Jared Hartman, Craig Miller Jasper Harris

SALES & MARKETING 888-795-5779

ROAD CREW

Vick Velosity, Mark Crowder, Doug Bright, Birdman Mike,

SCENIC RIDE CONSULTANT Steve Finzelber-Finz Finds

ON THE ROAD TEAM

The John & Heather Show

CONTRIBUTORS

JP Brady, Neale Bayly, Susan Hurst, Spyke & Mike, Eric Albright, Eric Vician, Myra McElhaney, Paul Murray, James Gladstone Greg Blackwell, Felicia Morgan, John Sullivan

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ron & Selena Hawks, Chris Miller, Scott Odel, Eric Albright, Chopper Dave, JP Brady, Erick Runyon, Craig Miller, Vic Lawall

LAW FIRM

FRAN HAASCH LAW GROUP www.LawFran.com 866 LAW Fran BORN TO RIDE OFFICE

888-795-5779 BTR 4 | BORNTORIDE.COM

Letter from the Editor

DAVE NICHOLS

FROM THE HELM ST. PETE BIKE SHOW IS COMING! HOWDY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! There is so much to catch up on in this thrill-packed issue of Born To Ride. First off, the St. Pete Bikefest is coming to Bert’s Barracuda Harley-Davidson and the OCC Road House & Museum in Clearwater, Florida. See our incredible cover story featuring the kickass singer of Creed, Scott Stapp. He and his band will tear it up at Bikefest. Get details right here.

Born To Ride’s Southern Fried Moto Show at Gibtown Bike Fest will feature the one and only Billy Lane of Choppers Inc. and Sons of Speed antique races fame.

Come out and meet Billy and drool over his insane antique racer motorcycles. Win tickets to watch all the action of Sons of Speed during Daytona Bike Week!

Plus, ride out and put your scooter in the Born To Ride Bike Show. Want to be a sponsor or vendor? Give us a call at the BTR office to get more news on this killer event.

Here’s some BIG news! You know Mike Wolf, the bike loving host of the History Channel’s “American Pickers” TV series?

Well, Mike and his crew are coming to our neck of the woods and are looking for sweet pickin’s. The show producers reached out to our own Ron Galletti to get the word out and to locate interesting collections for when the show comes to Florida. Read all about it in this issue.

We’re proud to announce that the newly rebranded Adrenaline Harley-Davidson had a super successful Grand Opening party. We were impressed by the high energy and awesome attitude of the excellent staff and management. We were there to cover all the action for this issue.

But wait, there’s more! Born To Ride’s Choppertown Live bike show is coming back to Thunder By The Bay this February 17th through the 19th. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Thunder By The Bay. Plan to come on out and see some of the best choppers built by the best builders in the south!

Wait, I ain’t done yet! The Charlotte’s Web Halloween Party was a blast and a half

and Born To ride was there! The entire biker community really came out en masse to support Brandi Meyers and her amazing event featuring Tommy Roxx and his mind-blowing original tunes and southern rock classics. Tommy had every engineer boot toes a tappin’.

Special thanks go to James Irwin “A Biker Helping Bikers” who is committed to helping riders in so many ways. He can help you get your retirement in order and even has a FREE book for all Born To Ride readers. Check out his column in this issue.

Speaking of, we’d like to take a second to thank all the biker friendly establishments that support Born To Ride including the incredible Fran Haasch motorcycle attorney who does so much to help bikers each and every day. If you’re involved in a motorcycle accident, Fran will fight for you! Tell her Born To Ride sent you!

All this and more is twistin’ the grip and roarin’ your way in the November issue of Born To Ride. Like what, you ask, mouth agog? Well, like gut bustin’ laughs from Spyke & Mike, another righteous quandary from Nefarious James and Denny from the Christian Motorcyclists brings up of how bikers help others. Ever see the chilling 1973 movie “Electra Glide in Blue”? Our own Phantom reviews the movie that made Robert Blake famous. All this and more is just a page turn or computer click away.

Don’t forget to support all the excellent advertisers who keep Born To Ride on the streets. Let them know you support Born To Ride and remember to join our Born To Ride Facebook page and YouTube Channel at borntoridetvmagazine. Be a part of two-wheeled history right here at Born To Ride!

Enjoy the best biker rag in the south and then get on out there and catch some wind, my brothers and sisters!

This is not a drill. Life is short… let’s ride!!!

— Dave Nichols editor@borntoride.com

Scan Everything To Stay Alive

You should be especially aware at intersections, where other vehicles can cross your path of travel. There are many things to scan for, including traffic devices, road surfaces, and the traffic and pedestrians around you. For more information go to www.msf-usa.org

Attorney Fran M. Haasch isn’t just our attorney, she’s yours as well! 1-866-LAW-FRAN

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A Biker Helping

Bikers JAMES IRWIN

RIDING INTO RETIREMENT The stories you are gonna read today and in future issues, are true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent, just like that TV show Dragnet from the 1960’s

This cash flow creation discovery call I had with Chris and Ron, allowed me to create a family bank jumpstart for them.

Financial freedom brainstorming is my passion and what I do best!

As you may remember, from last month’s issue (to catch up on missed issues, go to www.borntoride.com) Chris and Ron have a dilemma over what to do about the money that was inherited. They both decided the only fair solution was to split the money and call me for ideas.

Many of you may be young and all I can say is, the only person that can take care of your older self is your younger self.

START PLANNING FOR FINANCIAL SECURITY.

So, I asked them two questions. The same two I always ask: “What do you want the money to do when you are alive?” And “What do you want the money to do when you die?” They had the same request since they both have a wife, son, daughter in-law, and granddaughter. Their request was they wanted the money to create a lifetime paycheck for them and then, when they die, a lifetime paycheck for their wife, and when she dies, a lifetime paycheck for their son, and when he dies, a lifetime paycheck for his wife, and when she dies, a lifetime paycheck for the granddaughter. Sounds like a tall order right? Nope! Sounds hard, but there is a simple solution by using one annuity.

The annuity needs to be a zero issue age single premium immediate annuity (SPIA) with successor ownership and the grandfather and granddaughter need to be set up as joint annuitants.

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Many of you are approaching retirement and all I can say is, the five years prior to retirement and the five years after retirement is the more critical time to get everything right. A PEACEFUL RETIREMENT CAN HAPPEN.

know, bikers are a very charitable people, giving back to the community in many meaningful ways. I’m of a fellow biker as well, and that is why, with the help of many generous people, we are offering The Mission ONE Million book absolutely free to Born To Ride readers.

I’ve watched too many people’s lives crash because they were not financially prepared. Go to my website now at: www.healthinsurance65.com or call 833-467-2865 and get your Mission One Million book now. The book is for anyone wanting to get out of debt, build wealth, and create financial independence.

Many of you are on Medicare and Social Security or have older parents on Medicare and Social Security. ITS NOT TOO LATE TO RESCUE YOURSELF IF YOU ARE NOT WHERE YOU WANT TO BE. A 15-minute phone with me is all it takes to create a strategy for you to take a FINANCIAL VICTORY LAP CALL 833467-2865. Let’s start by getting a free education on money matters from the experts by attending my webinars. These can get you on the road to financial freedom.

WATCH YOUR EMAIL! Through the generously of the publisher of Born To Ride, many of you may receive an invitation to the money schools. As you

The book retails for $24.95, but I bought your copy for you. That’s right, the book is FREE to Born To Ride readers. A biker helping bikers. That’s what it’s all about!

-James Irwin

Call 833.467.2865 Bi-monthly Money School 20 min. Webinars at Healthinsurance65.com

BTR 14 | BORNTORIDE.COM

Grammy winning songwriter, solo artist, and Creed frontman, Scott Stapp’s 1st album in six years, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SHADOWS is a driving, propulsive celebration of overcoming that debuted in the Top 5 and Top 10 on album charts in the U.S. and UK. “When you’re looking down a dark tunnel, everything is shadow. But taking one day at a time, you start to see the space between the shadows; the light and the color. The world takes shape in a whole new way.”

After five years of sobriety, Stapp created an album that makes peace, offers solace, expresses frustrations, hope, wins, and losses in healthy, powerful ways. The album’s first single, “Purpose For Pain,” is appropriately about finding meaning in darkness, returned Stapp to the radio charts last summer.

“Everyone goes through dark times and that pain is real. I think it helps to believe we’ll come to know the purpose for that pain, the lessons learned in enduring, and who that pain can help us become.

Scott Stapp’s fighting spirit is well documented. He endured childhood trauma, fled home as a teen, supported himself, formed a band. Against the odds, Creed burst into popular consciousness in 1997 with MY OWN PRISON and would dominate rock radio throughout the early 2000’s. Followed by the Diamond-certified HUMAN CLAY (1999), WEATHERED (2002) and FULL CIRCLE (2009), Creed sold over 50 million albums, broke airplay records, sold out arenas, and won a Grammy for “With Arms Wide Open.”

As a solo artist, Stapp released PROOF OF LIFE (2013) and THE GREAT DIVIDE

(2005). Rolling Stone wrote, Stapp is “a singer with an enormous emotional range and a composer of startling originality.” Yet, despite his success, the unresolved traumas of his past, depression, and addiction began to overshadow his gifts. Stapp’s health deteriorated and his personal and professional relationships were in jeopardy.

After an excruciating public struggle and decline, an intervention from family, MusiCares, and other artists led him to the resources needed to overcome, now five years and counting. But the journey was never easy. “There are failures before there’s success,” says Scott. “but every day you renew your commitments. In learning that I was ill, not ‘weak,’ I regained control of my life. I can’t overstate the benefit of being understood - the shift in how we speak about mental health now is a blessing. I’ve definitely gained a perspective that lets me help people a few steps behind me on this path.”

As recovery reshaped his perspective, Scott and his wife of fourteen years, Jaclyn, moved with their three children to Nashville, TN. There, Scott found a haven for his family in a community that nurtures creativity and is renowned for turning sad stories into amazing music.

It was there that THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SHADOWS was written and recorded with producers Marti Frederiksen and Scott Stevens. The experience was not only collaborative but charged with a challenge amongst musicians to bring their best. In terms of emotional honesty, the gloves were off.

“We all got to do some story-telling and get to the heart of the man Scott has become,” said Frederiksen. “He’s come out strong and

I’m proud of the work that went in to making it right.” “This was an amazing journey,” added Stevens. “Working alongside Scott and Marti brought out the best in us all. We hit on every emotion and came out better friends because it.”

The album opens with the propulsive hardrock blast of “World I Used to Know,” Scott’s state-of-the-union about current affairs.

The hard-hitting “Purpose for Pain,” and the brooding, cathartic croon of “Ready to Love,” show the masterful evolution of one rock’s most distinctive voices. In “Name,” there is unflinching confrontation, while “Heaven In Me” is blues-soaked. “Survivor” is a superhero’s anthem and “Face of the Sun” looks boldly into the light. In a poignant moment, Scott’s children are the “choir” on “Wake Up Call,” a song that international organization Child Fund uses to share their mission to aid underfunded families around the world. “Gone Too Soon,” was inspired in part by the losses of Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell.

“Those deaths hit me hard,” says Stapp.

“It was heartbreaking and, for me, a lot resurfaced. Depression belittle success, steals joy, and it doesn’t discriminate.”

As someone who has received the help of others, Scott Stapp is a mentor to those who still struggle and, in gratitude, he ‘pays it forward’ through his own With Arms Wide Open Foundation, which helps military vets and their families with issues of drug addiction, PTSD-triggered mental health issues and suicide prevention. His efforts were applauded in 2017 when the Florida Association of Broadcasters gave him the Florida Service Award and in 2018, he was inducted into the Florida Music Hall of Fame.

BORNTORIDE.COM | BTR 15

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AMERICAN PICKERS TO FILM IN FLORIDA THE AMERICAN PICKERS ARE EXCITED TO RETURN TO FLORIDA! THEY PLAN TO FILM EPISODES OF THE HISTORY CHANNEL HIT TELEVISION SERIES THROUGHOUT YOUR AREA IN DECEMBER 2022.

America’s past along the way. The Pickers have seen a lot of rusty gold over the years and are always looking to discover something they’ve never seen before.They are ready to find extraordinary items and hear fascinating tales about them.

We at American Pickers continue to take the pandemic very seriously and will be following all guidelines and protocols for safe filming outlined by the state and CDC. Nevertheless, we are excited to continue reaching the many collectors in the area to discuss their years of picking and are eager to hear their memorable stories!

AMERICAN PICKERS is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique “picking” on The History Channel.

The hit show follows skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for America’s most valuable antiques. They are always excited to find sizeable, unique collections and learn the interesting stories behind them.

As they hit the back roads from coast to coast, the Pickers are on a mission to recycle and rescue forgotten relics.Along the way, they want to meet characters with remarkable and exceptional items. They hope to give historically significant objects a new lease on life while learning a thing or two about BTR 22 | BORNTORIDE.COM

The American Pickers TV Show is looking for leads and would love to explore your hidden treasure. If you or someone you know has a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques that the Pickers can spend the better part of the day looking through we would love to hear from you! Please note, the Pickers DO NOT pick stores, flea markets, malls, auction businesses, museums, or anything open to the public. If interested, please send us your name, phone number, location, and description of the collection with photos to: americanpickers@cineflix.com or call (646) 493-2184 facebook: @GotAPick

AMERICAN PICKERS is produced by Cineflix Productions for The History Channel. New episodes air Mondays at 9pm EST.

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BIKER LEGEND

MONDO PORRAS THE GODFATHER OF CHOPPERS

Revered as the “Godfather of Choppers” by many of his peers, Mondo can look back at an illustrious career in custom bikes as very few can. From judging and putting on bike shows worldwide, to television appearances and hardcover books, his story is as unique as the man himself and his name as instantly recognizable as the long, low and lean bikes Denver’s is most known for.

Of course, it wasn’t always just “Mondo.”

In fact, during the early days, back in the sixties when he began his career at Denver’s Choppers in San Bernardino (commonly referred to as Berdoo), Armando Porras was known as Bondo Mondo, due to his talent involving the BTR 38 | BORNTORIDE.COM

famous shop’s sleek and long custom frames.

Barely out of high school, Mondo had begun working with Denver Mullins, the original owner of the shop at the time, building custom cars and hot rods. “We decided, at some point, to get some motorcycles and fix ‘em up,” Mondo recalls, “and that’s how we got into playing with bikes. We all bought Harleys and decided we didn’t like the way they looked, so we started building front ends and changing frames and customizing them, and pretty soon people came in and wanted us to do that to their bikes.”

That was shortly after 1967, the year Denver’s Choppers opened its doors,

which made it one of the very first businesses in the slowly emerging custom motorcycle industry to manufacture and sell custom parts and accessories. “Back then, there were no catalogs to order parts from, so within a short time, we were known worldwide as the guys to go to for custom parts for choppers,” Mondo explains. Among the many innovations to soon come out of the small shop were items like rear fenders doubling as oil tanks, wildly stretched and raked frames, and especially springer front ends that kept getting longer and longer. More and more parts sprang up, and Denver’s began building complete custom bikes and shipping them all over the world.

Born To Ride Magazine, real editorial content for you the reader every month

It got to the point, according to Mondo, where “you couldn’t pick up a custom bike magazine without seeing a Denver bike in it.”

airport. “But slowing down has not really happened. I still work seven days a week because I love it so much,” Mondo says.

“The shop is always filled with bikes, new builds, customers’ bikes, my collection and my friend Gerald Casey’s collection who helps me out at the shop. In fact, we built a radical Knucklehead for Gerald for the Michel Lichter Bike ‘Motorcycle as Art Museum Show’ at the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis this year.”

The Denver’s Chopper style is uniquely its own, according to Mondo, who describes it as long and low. “I’d call it Southern California style. What a lot of people today call a Swedish chopper, is actually a Denver’s chopper. We used to send a lot of bikes over to Sweden, and there’s a motorcycle club in Sweden right now called Denver’s Choppers. It’s been there since the seventies. We were also the first ones who came up with the gooseneck frames.”

It all came to a tragic end, however, in October of 1992, when Denver, who also dabbled in drag boats, drowned during a test run with a safety capsule he and Mondo had designed. For the following year-and-a-half, Mondo stayed at the shop to settle outstanding accounts and take care of legal matters. “What I did was focus more on the drag boats but was still building bikes in the shop as well,” he says.

After more than 50 years in the business, Mondo still adheres to the old Denver philosophy, and his front end, rolling chassis, and complete bikes are as innovative, old-school, and mind-blowing as they were during the early days. “The front ends are our bread and butter,” he says about the trademark look that defines many of the bikes he builds. But his shop contains a number of different bikes styles, not just long choppers.

Award from the David Mann Chopper Fest, and he was installed into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018, along with being voted Cycle Source Magazine’s Man of the Year.

There are a lot of FXR-style bikes and high-performance sport bikes or whatever the select customer desires. “Stuff you can’t buy from Harley anymore, you can buy from us,” he says, “with any engine combination you can imagine.”

On June 30, 1997, he re-opened In 2012 he moved up to Reno to be Denver’s Choppers, having moved to Mondo’s also fully involved in the Reno near his daughter and her family and try Henderson, Nevada, just outside of custom bike scene and has several of his to slow down a bit, running his oneLas Vegas, for what he calls economic own shows, most notably during Street man-shop in a strip mall near the city’s reasons. “During that time some of the things I am most-proud of occurred to me,” he says. “First off, my association with Easyriders Magazine. I could not have done it without the magazine’s timeless support and help over the years. In 2001 I was awarded the trophy for Best Custom Bike Fabricator from Easyriders. I also had the very extreme pleasure of being in David Mann’s last painting for the 30th anniversary of Easyriders. This was a huge deal to me.”

Sadly, Easyriders magazine went out of business last year after 50 years as America’s best-loved custom motorcycle magazine. Mondo was also honored to be awarded the first ever David Mann Kind Mondo , thank you for donating your custom made front end to Choppertown Live !

BORNTORIDE.COM | BTR 39

Vibrations but also in places like Hollister and farther afield. After more than 50 years into his career, Mondo shows no signs of slowing down.

“I am still building quite a few long bikes the old Denver-style way for customers from all over the country and beyond,” Mondo says. “Most of my customers are hard-working Americans young and old who love choppers. I still build a lot of Springer front ends that go all over the world.”

Speaking of those long Springers, Mondo build an 18-over chrome Springer for the Golden Chopper in the bikerfilm Rough Boys last year.

It’s a custom Panhead that you can win! Go to www.roughboysmovie. com for details. He even plays the part of a mysterious character called “The Doctor” in the movie.

As far as retirement goes, Mondo says although he’s in his 70s now, he’s loving it more and more every day as the bikes get better with every build, with new ideas and challenges. “That makes it all worthwhile and exciting to come to work every day,” he says. “I don’t want to ever retire. I’m having too much fun building bikes and hot rods.

My running joke is that if you ever find me in my shop bent over my welding table with my hood on and the part finished I was working on, I died a happy man.”

Mondo has spent a lifetime creating amazing custom motorcycles and we’re proud to say that he was Born To Ride.

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— Kai Raecke and Dave Nichols

Mondo is a True Biker Legend 100% Real Deal DenversChoppers.com since 1967.

In case you haven’t seen the memo, ‘lifted trucks are the new black’. Long gone are the days that pick ups were only thought to be driven by farm hands, cowboys and construction workers. Lifted Trucks are as mainstream and American as ‘baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and chevrolet’ and we know just the man to help you get that ‘oh so perfect’ ride height for your cargo crawler. Meet Jeremy Breher of Fidelis Automotive.

Jeremy Breher has the confidence and the skill set to get things done quickly, effectively and correctly when it comes to not only lifting trucks, but with almost all things automotive.

This is a mindset he brought with him after he served from 2007 to 2011 w the U.S. Marine Corps. After serving his tour of duty in Afghanistan, he came to a crossroads in life - Should he stay in the Marine Corps, or as another option, go back to school, get his degree and reenlist as an officer?

He came to the conclusion that he could accomplish more for himself, and his country, by going back to school.

Being the go getter that Jeremy is, while attending school in 2012, he started Fidelity Automotive Services of Tampa.

Through 2015 Jeremy ’burned the candle at both ends’ by attending school and running a business. His business became so successful that he decided to not reenlist and pursue a full time career in the automotive industry. In 2017, Jeremy started Fidelis Automotive in the heart of Brandon, Florida and he hasn’t looked back.

In the time span between 2017 and 2021 Jeremy and his capable crew at Fidelis Automotive have garnered quite a reputation for getting things done, quickly and correctly. They are able to tackle just about any issue from wheels to wiring on any make and model of vehicle, foriegn and domestic.

In the last couple years though, Fidelis Automotive has become the ‘go to place’ to get that pick up truck lifted to just about any height, in any manner that suits your particular taste. His specialized team has been in the ‘lifting’ game for many years. They are known to be the best in the business, and though it’s not about ‘speed’, they can typically get the job done in half the time of their competitors. Just as he once was as a Marine, Jeremy takes pride in himself, his team, his business and has the confidence in getting the mission done correctly for his client and customers.

VETERAN OWNED , TRUSTED QUALITY SERVICE FOR ALL YOUR CAR AND TRUCK NEEDS.

FIDELIS AUTOMOTIVE 3146 E. SR 60 Valrico FL 33594 | 813-730-3473

STEVEN TYLER READS BORN TO RIDE

B R A I N W AS H E D It seems that as I get up there in years, OMG or should I say old, I’ve been opening my eyes to more opinions and views of others. The quotes I use or that are normally written or spoken by those that have had an impact on our past history.

This month is a little different. It’s from a current music artist that’s bucked the system and speaks what’s on his mind regardless of what others think. His name is Tom MacDonald and I’m going to add one of his song verses to this article for you to ponder and see if this rings true to you or not. It’s from a song titled Brainwashed. Here it is:

Step one, train the people only to consume Step two, infiltrate adults with the news Step three, indoctrinate the children through the schools And the music and the apps on the phones that they use Step four, separate the right from the left Step five, separate the white from the black Step six, separate the rich from the poor Use religion and equality to separate ‘em more Step seven, fabricate a problem made of lies

Step eight, put it on the news every night Step nine, when people start to fight and divide Take control, this is called situational design

Pretty powerful, thought provoking stuff, I think. Really take a moment to process these lyrics. It seems in these times, those in charge don’t want you to think

for yourself. They want to tell you what to think.

Look at what’s happening in this country right now. There is no “American” reason for it. If you want to know who is driving this bus to the erosion of this beautiful country, follow the money. Granted, you have to really dig through the BS to get to it but the truth is nice to know. No one wants to go through life blind. I know I don’t.

Tell Jim what you’re thinking, what do you want to say to him? editor@borntoride.com

So how does this effect you? Think about this. We are already dealing with a global push on emissions and climate change. I agree some changes do need to be made.

Is it really necessary to roll coal in your truck? Matter of choice, I guess. Remember the crying Indian on the TV commercials when people chose to throw trash out the window? Did it make a difference? I don’t know, looking at all the litter on the roads and streets.

Now they want to push electric cars. How many resources and much environmental damage does mining lithium cause? How much electricity does it cost to charge those modes of transportation? It’s obscene. Ask yourself this. When the batteries live out their life, where do they go? What do they do with them? Where does the majority of the lithium come from? Look it up and then see where our resources go to protect those interests. There’s a lot more to this but no space this time.

It still is just a minor scratch over how your freedom of choice slowly dwindles away.

Do something, people. If you just stand by blindly and watch, that’s up to you. I’ll be the one laughing at you when the only choice you have is driving past me on your electric motorcycle.

Thanks to Tom MacDonald for his wise thoughts.

— Nefarious James

American Citizen

BORNTORIDE.COM | BTR 45

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BIKER Movie Review

Biker “Exploitation” is a term coined by producers, actors, and ultimately YOU the viewer. Not all biker films are actually geared at the (exploitation) or in other words, the “bad” angle of the biker lifestyle. Some of these actually “miss the target” and simply feature the motorcycle as secondary component to the plot. However, in literally every film involving bikers or the biker ‘lifestyle’, one thing you, as a viewer can count on is the presence of the Police. Electra Glide in Blue has the unique twist of actually using story of a motorcycle cop as the baseline.

In this film, Blake plays a motor officer named John Wintergreen.

His character is not really into being a ‘traffic cop’ as he has aspired to become a homicide detective. In my opinion, if you had to be a cop, what better job than cruising around on your departmentally funded Harley? But hey, this review isn’t about me, it’s about the film!! Back to the chase, and no code-4!

John Wintergreen patrols the rural Arizona highways with his partner “Zipper.” Wintergreen is laid-back but upright about enforcing the law, while Zipper is predominately lazy. Zipper likes busting Hippies (remember them?) even going so far as to plant evidence on a young ‘hippie’ during a search of his van. Wintergreen again proves to be the polar opposite of his partner Zipper, as he continuously states how much he hates riding his motorcycle, and Zipper’s only real dream is to own his own motorcycle. Zip spends a lot of time reading comic books, and eating junk food while John takes his job seriously. One of the things about Wintergreen that is out of place in this film is (in one scene) he is firing his pistol at an “Easy Rider” poster in the police firing range. … It gets worse! Crazy Willie, an older local – perhaps homeless- person comes in contact with John

and Zip near an old shack in the desert. They almost playfully chase Willie on their bikes and finally capture him. He tells John about his friend Frank who had committed suicide in the shack. John goes to the shack and discovers the body and believes the case is not a suicide, but a murder. The coroner later arrives and disagrees with John who was feverishly taking notes. After a shouting match with the coroner, in walks Detective Harve Poole, who admires Wintergreen’s savvy, and arranges for Wintergreen to be transferred to homicide as his ‘driver’ to help with the case. Harve and John return to the shack and find a large statue of Jesus, which is full of “Reds” and as the investigation continues, John and Harve interrogate a group of hippies, looking for a drug dealer named Bob Zemko. The theme of good cop – bad cop comes into play as Harve roughs some of the hippies up after John had nicely questioned them. John’s initial joy at being promoted is short-lived, as his relationship with Harve deteriorates after he finds out that John has been sleeping with ‘Jolene” (Harve’s girlfriend) and the waitress at the local bar. But when Jolene mocks Harve’s sexual prowess (implying that Harve is impotent) and brags that Wintergreen can “go three times in one morning” things just go downhill for our hero and he is demoted back to traffic.

After a wild motorcycle and car chase the pair capture and question Zemko. More good cop - bad cop scenes cause Wintergreen to eventually realize that Crazy Willie committed the murder; the victim was an old friend of his who had taken to selling the drugs and hanging around with a younger crowd. Jealous, Willie had murdered his friend and arranged it so it appeared to be a suicide. As usual there is some stolen money, and the search for this money is when Wintergreen discovers another terrible fact: Zipper’s dream was to own his own motorcycle, and had stolen the dead man’s drug money (initially blamed on Zemko) to pay for it. At Zippers trailer in the desert, the movie’s theme is uncovered when zipper shows John the “Electra Glide in Blue” sitting in the yard. Later, Zipper is drunk and begins firing his gun at Wintergreen, missing him but striking a random passer-by. Wintergreen then shoots Zipper in self-defense, and Zipper dies in his arms. Back in the desert on patrol, Wintergreen spots the same van that was featured earlier in the film, and he pulls it over. He recognizes one of the hippies as the very same one that Zip had planted the drugs on in the beginning of the film, and decides to let them go. They take off down the highway, but Wintergreen realizes that he still has the hippie’s Driver license in his hand. As he tries once again to pull the van over to return the license, the passenger opens the rear window and fires a shotgun killing Wintergreen. It’s a very sad ending to a really weird flick! For me, this is where the whole deal goes bad.

The movie is loaded with plagiarism of the iconic film “Easy Rider.”

Yeah, I believe that “Electra Glide in Blue” truly is a ‘cult-classic’ sort of piece, but the constant blasts from Easy Rider kinda turned me off.

The Phantom Movie Review

Do you have a favorite Biker Movie we don’t have? Let us know: info@borntoride.com

BORNTORIDE.COM | BTR 51

THE ACCURSED GOBBLE DAY! Mike, I bet you can get a good piece of swamp land in Kissimmee right now pretty cheap. It’ll give you a place to start your own donkey farm that you’ve always wanted; Kissimmee Ass Ranch.

Mike turns and points at me, saying, “Okay, featherhead, when that day comes we’ll make you the lead jackass so visitors can play pin the tail on the parrot!”

Hey there, my BTR friends. Mother Nature just proved that she can be breathtakingly beautiful and a devastating demon at the same time in two different parts of our state.

It’s a good thing Mike and I can count our blessings instead of counting inches of above sea level that the closest river is right now.

Yes, it’s that time of year where the license plates change colors. Yes, it’s the best riding weather season in Florida. Yes, it’s when we start seeing people we haven’t seen in six months. And sometimes, briefly, it becomes so chilly I get to see Mike wear other closed-toed shoes besides his riding boots to avoid stepping on iguanas falling out of trees.

It’s just too bad that hurricane Ian, who came skirting towards our doorstep, now has us helping our friends in the Fort Myers area rebuild or relocate. Damned mother nature!

Mike and I have participated in many fundraisers, donated personal items, money, and food to our friends in need. This was a life altering event that made you humans one big family crossing all borders and helping others in their times of desperation.

This is also one of the reasons why us locals call our home heaven and hell. If you decide to reside here, you must accept the fact that we live in Paradise/God’s waiting room, and have to make the best of it.

BTR 52 | BORNTORIDE.COM

I cackle, “I’ll do anything, but just don’t stick me on a Yam-Hee-Haw motorcycle and make me chase your asses around. You know I’m a Harley riding parrot.”

Mike breaks in, “Spyke, you’ve been known to ride whatever I plop your feathered ass on!”

I squabble, “Okay, you’ve got me there, and speaking of feathers, mine are all ruffled at the thought of this upcoming Bird Holocaust Day. Please make sure my ride is fast enough so I can get away from all those hatchet wielding people out there looking for Mr. Waddles to cook. With the severe case of avian flu that happened earlier this year, there is a huge shortage of birds for butchering.

Poultry pig-out day is what most humans look forward to except for my fruitarian friends, the vegans. I can always count on them leaving me out of the salad and off the table when I show up at their house. I just can’t bring myself to squawk that dreaded word because there’s no ‘thanks’ from me

except for the fact that it only comes around once a year. I’m tweeting about Tom the turkey day and leaving out his little cousins Timmy and Terry. They usually don’t make the plate on the fourth Thursday of this month. Instead, their fate ends at KFC, Popeyes or Chick-fil-A on a daily basis and usually deep fried between two pieces of bread served with fries.”

Mike replies, “Calm down, my thunder chicken. Nobody is going to come wielding axes, put you on a bed of greens, make you the centerpiece of the dinner table or worse, force you to walk through the back door of a chicken cooking facility and become fowl play. You’re not a gobbler, you’re not even a goblet. You are so small that your drumsticks are barely larger than toothpicks and your breasts are so tiny it makes Chicken McNuggets look like McMelons. Keep it up and you are going to awaken my recurring nightmare that you’re half parrot, half chicken and half plucked with a butcher knife waiting for you.”

I coo, “You’re like butter during my dead cousin’s day, on a roll. I’m going to start worrying about that knife when I see you running around the house in your sleep singing ‘Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater,’ it’s All about the Baste and I accept gobblerrhea. I think it’s best that you quit cold turkey and plan on doing what cows do on that day, eat grains and watch a mooo-vie. Also, you need to stay away from your drinking buddies; Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, and Johnny Walker otherwise you’ll end up like the potatoes, smashed.”

Mike babbles, “Okay, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, I think we’re both in need of a little two wheeled wind therapy. Let me get your McMelons on my shoulder, your wings in the wind, my knees under the triple trees, and the Fat Bird 3 wheels rolling down the road blowing out our poultrygeists.

— SPYKE

Do you have a riding pet story? Let us know, Spyke wants to feature them! editor@borntoride.com

RONNIE and EMILY’S

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRUISER

BIG 20!

WE LOVE YOU ! MOM & DAD

CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLISTS ASSOCIATION Whenever a group of bikers come together a curious, yet wonderful thing happens in their midst. First and foremost is the opportunity of fellowship, shaking one’s hands and a hearty slap on the back, and folks can share a warm genuine smile of greeting! Usually, it is a great time of sharing what has been going on in each other’s lives and activities. This time of friendship is well received and draws the visitors together in unity.

In addition to the camaraderie between bikers, there may be a need expressed with the rider looking for help to solve a difficulty. What makes this process a great way to get one’s problem solved is that in any group of bikers there is bound to be at least one person who has the right skill set or experience to be of service. This is all made possible because, for the most part, bikers are a caring, multi-talented group of individuals, and one can usually be found with just the right gifts and talents to be able to help.

I remember one group of riders went out for a long ride one day and unfortunately one rider had to stop as she had a medical problem. She was about 75 miles from home and had no way to get herself or her bike home. One of the riders BTR 54 | BORNTORIDE.COM

in the group called a group member that was able to pick up her and her bike and get her home. Once a biker needed help with the electrical system of his bike. He had rewired the bike from a book, but at 11:00 in the evening he could not remember how to wire it. A rider was familiar with doing Harley custom wiring harnesses and was able to get the bike going in less than fifteen minutes.

Another time, several bikers helped two other riders on a ride in the mountains. Two fellows each picked up a nail, one causing an immediate flat tire, the other caused a deeply embedded nail to stick out of the tire. One member of the group took off to go about ten miles and get a truck and trailer, to take the bike to a shop in town. The other rider had his wife ride back to town on another rider’s bike, in case the tire went flat, and the bike got repaired. Everyone got home safely that day.

The Bible teaches us, in Peter 4:10 that, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful servants of God’s grace in its various forms.” We should be aware when opportunities come to serve others from God’s gifts. This should come from our hearts, just like God’s gift to us, of both forgiveness and talents. That makes all the difference. Be blessed and receive your gifts from God, and then honor Him by using those gifts of service to bless others.

In the Wind, Denny Dingler

Check out BornToRide.com for more articles from Christian Motorcyclists Association

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