He's in !!!

About 10 years ago I started on the quest to have my grandfather Orie Steele elected to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, which is affiliated with the American Motorcyclist Association. Well today I got the news that he has been elected and will be inducted on October 6, 2007. This is great news for the whole family, but especially my mother who has been going through a tough recovery from her accident.

The Hall of Fame has asked me to speak, since I kind of took the lead on this deal. That has me a little nervous, but a good friend is a speach writer and he has offered his help. He is a very funny man, so I am sure that I will get them all to laugh.

Geez, I am getting nervous already. I have been involved with motorcycles my entire life and my grandfather played a big role in that. You see my parents met at Road Knights Motorcycle Club events. Their dates were often on the back of a motorcycle. They traveled to Daytona, Laconia and all over the East Coast on motorcycles. Then they had kids and settled down. Dad worked in my Uncle's Harley shop in Northeast Philly for a long time. Then he went to work at Stan's BMW in Doylestown, PA. I started riding when I was 6 on a Bronco mini-bike that my Dad got from the shop. Then I moved up to a couple of different dirtbikes, then I got my first street bike, a 1979 Triumph Bonneville. Followed quickly by a BMW R60/6 which I used for commuting to college when I returned to school. Then after my father passed away I got his old BMW R75/6, which I still have at home in the garage. Its not running properly right now, but I am still working on it and hope to have it on the road soon.

As a child all of my parents friends had motorcycles. I thought people without them were weird (I still do). Now to have him recognized like this is incredible. I am very excited to say the least.