Dinero by Margarita

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1. Please give us a brief biography: where are you from, how did you get here from there, and where do you want to go next?

My mother was from Hubbard, Texas and my dad was from Petersburg, OH. It
took me a lot of years to figure out where I was from and now I'm just happy
to be where I am. Next? I am open to discussion.

2 What's the story behind the moniker Dinero No Mas? (Yeah, I know you
told me, but there are other enquiring minds out there that want to know!)

Too many wives and too many motorcycles left me with No More Money.


3. If you weren't a nice Swiss gentleman who works in a mechanic shop and
had no constraints on your choices, who would you be, what would you do
and where would you live?

I'm still not totally sure what I'd like to be when I grow up, but I
wouldn't mind trying to be rich for awhile. So far the Lottery hasn't paid
off and I sometimes think my ship got sunk before it got out of port. I
enjoyed my five years in Hawaii but there just aren't many roads there.
Sometimes I just have to be able to ride a thousand miles or so to get my
mind right. I'm content to be me.

4. How long have you been riding and what made you decide to risk life and limb in this first place?

Dad rode Harleys and Indians during the war so it just came naturally to me.
I started about 50 years ago on a Simplex and never loked back.

5. How did you come to be involved with this, uhm, highly individualistic
group of motorcycle enthusiasts?

I got invited to the new forum when it was set up and since many of the
folks were those I had known for a while and had ridden with, I came in for a look and never left.

6. Describe the perfect bike trip: when, where, why, and with whom?

I think I am still looking for it. So far the best ones have involved no
plans. Little Bear and I did about 4,000 miles over six weeks right after I
retired and just before he went back to work. We originally just headed
east with no real goal other than getting to the East Coast. We rode where
we felt like for as long as we felt like and slept wherever we felt like.
At times, it was almost spiritual.

7. What type of bikes have you ridden, and which was your favorite?

A Simplex, A Whizzer, a bunch of HOndas and Cushmans and Vespas and Harleys
have filled the days for me over the years. Some of them I wish I had back
right now. I guess my favorite one is always going to be the one I'm riding
at the time.


8. Very personal question, but you can make something up and none of us
will ever know the difference: what is one of the biggest mistakes you
ever made and how did you resolve the problems it caused?

I'm thinking that if I could have pulled my head out of my a$$ when I was a lot younger, I would be a lot better off today, but I don't have a whole lot to check off on my bucket list and I'll have plenty of memories when they strap me down in the rocking chair. How's the song go? "Regrets? I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention."

9. Who is your hero/heroine, and why?

If I had to name one person, it just naturally would be Tonya. She came to motorcycling a little later in life than many of us and I met her early on.
I watched her become a real biker over the last few years and I am proud
that we are such friends. When someone uses the phrase "real biker" she
automatically comes to mind.

As a group, I would have to say the kids I "adopted" well over twenty years ago. They taught me what life is really all about. I started out with
about a half dozen pediatric oncology patients and it became my mission to get them to Summer Camp every year. The program evolved into a couple of air conditioned team buses and an escort of up to 100 bikers each way and it is a sight I have trouble with when I lead the group. Some of the folks here have gone on that ride and know what I am talking about.

The "best moment" came when a little kid with only one arm left told me,
while surrounded by a bunch of little bald-headed kids, that "We are the
luckiest kids in the world because we have our own motorcycle gang." It's
all in the perspective, isn't it?

10. Which of your five senses brings you the most pleasure in life and
why?

Dad taught me early on that you learn a lot more with your ears open and
your mouth closed,(even though I sometimes forget that bit of wisdom). But in answer to your question, that has changed over the years. Touch, taste and smell have given way to enjoying the sights I see and the stories the old timers tell.

11. What is the wildest thing you ever did at a bike rally?

The Kubin twins, but that's a story for another campfire.

12. What is the wildest thing you ever wish you did at a bike rally?

I guess you know that I am not much for rallies anymore. Too many of the
wrong people there for the wrong reasons. I'd like to get up on stage and
explain that to them, but the ones who would understand don't need the
explanation and the rest wouldn't get it anyway.

13. Have you got any biker superstitions, riding charms and amulets, or
other similar quirks?

I have a bell, but it seems to me to be more a tradition than a
superstition. Given by a friend, or given to a friend, is a big part of
that. And I'm old enough to be one of the last that won't ride a green
bike.

14. What's your favorite Constitutional Amendment and why?

I'll go with the 2nd for the purpose of the conversation.

15. What has been your proudest moment on your bike?

Probably the first time I kept one up and got out on the road in the first
place.

16. What bike riding moment would you like to totally forget?

I suppose when I t-boned that girl in the Accura at the McDonalds would rank right up there.

17. Do you name your vehicles? If so, please share a few favorites with
your fans.

I really don't name them. Once in awhile one will name themselves. Like
the 1970 Mercury station wagon that I picked up for the engine. It was
naturally the Battlestar Galactica.

18. What was your most cherished childhood ambition?

I really just wanted to grow up to be like Dad.