An Open Letter to My Star 123 Family
by ‘Big Steve’ Thomson, Vice President, STAR Chapter 123 Date: 3/19/10
Several years ago, I wrote a letter on the National STAR Web site about our little group of motorcycle riders. Unfortunately, I no longer have that letter to put up on our new Web site, so I guess I will just have to write another one. My old letter was entitled “STAR is Family”. That still holds true today.
Back in 2000 a good friend of mine saw that I had just bought a Roadstar at North County Yamaha (NCY). He told me he was riding with a group called STAR Chapter 123 who rode out of the NCY shop every second Saturday of the month. He thought I might enjoy riding with them. With some trepidation, I decided I would give the group a check ride.
There were two things you need to know that could have made this decision a disaster. First, though I had a motorcycle license, I had not ridden a large motorcycle….ever. I had not ridden any street bike since I was in high school twenty plus years ago. And I had never ridden in a group. Second, I am a cop. Not a bad thing necessarily, but one thing about most cops; we are xenophobic. In other words, if you are not a cop, I probably would not trust you very far. And by all means, it would be unlikely we would be friends. Cops hang out with cops. Cops understand cops. Real people don’t understand cops.
All things being said, I still decided to go for a ride with the group. Now to add to the potential disaster, this first ride was to Orange County to attend a memorial service for the past President of the old Orange County Chapter. So I would be riding in heavy traffic on Orange County streets to an event where I would know almost no one. I hid my poor riding skills for most of the ride. That is until we started home on Highway 1 in Laguna Beach. The signal light turned yellow. The bike in front of me stopped. I didn’t. Only God knows how I avoided crashing into Don and Judy Davis (back in those days Judy rode on Don’s bike). I skidded around them and through the intersection, with the thought that I'd never be invited back with Chapter 123.
But I came back for more. In July 2000, the Chapter rode through DeLuz Canyon. There was moss on a low point on the road, crossing a culvert. I gave the bike some gas, and wound up sliding the bike sideways and sitting on the back seat, trying to keep from dumping the bike. Being a new rider, I was near the front and everyone saw me foul up again. And yet, the next month they voted me in.
I asked myself. Why would these folks want me to ride with them? Bikers and cops don’t usually get along. And based on my riding skills, I wasn’t much of a biker. But these people just told me I would get better on the bike and it didn’t seem to bother them that I was a cop. Our conversations were about everything but work, which was pleasant and refreshing. (By the way, I did get a little better on the bike.)
It only took me a few months to realize I had found a family. STAR Chapter 123 is family. People have come and gone, but the family is still there. There have been splits and divisions, but the family is still there. I found friends that just didn’t care who I was, or what I was. Just that I was with them and shared a joy with them….the joy of riding.
Almost ten years have passed since I joined the family. My nearest and dearest friends ride with me every second Saturday of the month. The high point of my month is that second Saturday of the month. Other than my wife, these people are the most important people to me. And here is the weird thing. That xenophobic cop thing is about gone. My friends now come from all walks of life, races, backgrounds, views, and careers. A couple of them are cops, but most are not. And now I even look forward to meeting new people as they join our little family.
So I went from a handful of cop friends pre-STAR 123 to a heart full of diverse family and friends. Joining this group has been one of the big events that have made my life what it is today. Thank you to each and every one of you.
And to those of you who are checking out this new Web site and thinking you might want to ride with us, ask yourself this question, “Do you have too many great friends in your life?” If the answer is yes, pass us by. If the answer is no, come find out what friends and family are all about.
Chapter Ride - August 14, 2010
It was a fabulous ride today. I counted 25 bikes starting out from NCY. This included Scott Ewert (minus Hopalong) all the way from NorCal.
We broke into two groups for the first leg; Don (with Judy riding shotgun due to a broken bike) leading the first group and yours truly leading the second group. I even caught some of the "Johnny Mojo" and handled the signal lights like I owned them. After the first stop in Fallbrook, the two groups joined and rode through the Deluz Canyon area on roads that, I for one, have never been on. We saw several homes that were just awesome and I will never afford unless I win the lottery (who am I kidding.....I can't even win the 50/50.....sigh). One stretch was almost surreal with all the different colors of bougainvillea growing along the sides of the road.
Lunch was at Pat and Oscar's next to the Duck Pond in Temecula. Hook won the 50/50 (have I mentioned that in the ten years I have been in the group, I have never won the 50/50?). A few left us after lunch, but the majority of the group rode the back roads of Rainbow and Valley Center back to NCY.
All and all, it was a near perfect ride on a near perfect day. The only flaw was that some of you missed it!
Big Steve - Chapter VP