Author Topic: Don Clark 98 yesterday  (Read 4425 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Brick

  • MSTA Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1494
  • Karma: +35/-2
  • Lifetime Mileage: 793,844
  • Primary Motorcycle: 2020 BMW R1250GS
Don Clark 98 yesterday
« on: January 05, 2018, 09:32:04 PM »
I called and left a message for Don. I’ve not heard back. On the fourth Don was 98. That man has been my hero! ❤️


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Brick
2020 BMW R1250GS
1999 Suzuki SV-650

Offline fz1grl

  • MSTA Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 204
  • Karma: +8/-1
    • Oklahoma MSTA
  • Lifetime Mileage: 290,000
  • Primary Motorcycle: Yamaha FZ1
Re: Don Clark 98 yesterday
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2018, 09:33:15 PM »
Darn if I had known I would have sent him a card. 


If anyone talks to him please tell him we all still love him.
Denise Dickenson - 01 FZ1(blue)
http://www.fz1grl.net
http://www.okmsta.com/fz1grl
234567 and still going...
Oklahoma MSTA http://www.okmsta.com

Offline Brick

  • MSTA Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1494
  • Karma: +35/-2
  • Lifetime Mileage: 793,844
  • Primary Motorcycle: 2020 BMW R1250GS
Re: Don Clark 98 yesterday
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2018, 10:25:01 PM »
Darn if I had known I would have sent him a card. 


If anyone talks to him please tell him we all still love him.

Denise, Don't let that stop you send it anyway!

Brick
2020 BMW R1250GS
1999 Suzuki SV-650

Offline Patmo

  • MSTA Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1574
  • Karma: +65/-2
Re: Don Clark 98 yesterday
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2018, 07:34:40 AM »
That’s a great idea Denise/Brick.

I’m sure he would love to get a whole bunch of cards from MSTA people.
not all that wander are lost

Offline t0213rw

  • Forum Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1
  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Don Clark 98 yesterday
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2018, 06:14:19 PM »
From an old newsletter inspired by The Don himself:

Cheese, Crackers, and Old Whine

Russ Weik

I arrived at STAR 2011 too late Monday to connect with friends for a community ride.  Tom was making a last minute repair to his bike in the parking lot so we joined forces to explore some local roads.  Twenty miles into the ride, I’m feeling very familiar with the roads.  A rest stop at Shady Valley and it all comes together.  I was here twenty years ago and had spent the better part of a week riding “The Snake,” although, they had not attached the name as a marketing tool to hwy 421.  I slipped into reminiscing about the fun of my younger days, strafing these curves with little traffic and uninterested police.  Those were some good ole days.  I was wondering if this would be my last time to come to Tennessee.  I have enjoyed so many of these great roads and yet feel there are so many more just over the mountain.  Was I running out of time? 

For our evening meeting the Executive Committee went over the details of our club.  I would have excused myself, slipping out for a beer, and never returning had Michael not mentioned the Garmin door prize at the end.  I stayed.  Choon is up next with his demographic power point presentation about MSTA.  My mind centers on a graph that looks like a pig-in-a-python of our member’s ages.  I’m there, right in the middle, right on the high point.  The future looks all down hill run from here, for me.  One hour later, I find that the Garmin drawing was rigged.  Isn’t that what all losers say?  So, I step outside to nurse the last of my beer.  It’s only 10:00 PM, I am about ready to turn in, when I find Greg holding court in the drive.  No one can tell a story like Greg.  I’ve heard some of them and been a part of some of them, Riders of the Corn, Keith Submarining his BMW, Dracula’s Sprocket Teeth, Greg’s Record Fifty Yard Crawl, and How Not to Patch a Tire.  Each time, some of the perpetrators are present to defend their positions and embellish the stories with semi-truths.  I will miss hearing those stories.

Tuesday morning arrives and with the help of some Aleve, I stumble down to the nearest caffeine fountain to begin the awakening ritual.  The breakfast conversation quickly turns to; who has had the latest by-pass surgery, who has been through chemo this year.  So many of us have had a round of skin cancer, it no longer drums up sympathy.  My mind turns to years when we talked about faster bikes and the hot waitress at the pub the night before, but not this year.  We pack up for our day’s ride and I wonder how many more times, if any, will I get to ride these roads?

I ride the day in a lethargic mood wondering how all this fits together.  My Gixxer is in her element on the twisty pavement, yawning at my inputs, as if to ask, “Is that all you have old man?”  Will this be my last sport bike?  Should I reconsider the sports car mentioned in the “Seasoned Rider Seminar?” On returning to the hotel I sponge a beer to ease the kinks in my muscles.  I like to think it is healthier that Tylenol.  I see Don Clark in the lobby and ask about the weather in California, how’s the wife and kids, grand kids, and great grand kids.  The small talk is going well when he says he just made his reservation for STAR in Avon, Colorado next year.  “What?” I say to myself, trying to keep a good poker face.  This guy is 95; still riding coast to coast, drinking like a teenager, buys green bananas, and shows no sign of retiring before midnight.  The thought occurs to me to break into his room and steal his drug pack, but if he found out, I think he would whoop my arse.

I have a good night’s sleep.  In the morning the arthritis is manageable, the sciatic nerve is dodging the herniated disc, and the motocross shoulder has locked in like a Snap-On socket.  My joints still sound like a bag of marbles but life is good.  We saddle-up for a new road called the Dragon’s Back.  (Some people have no shame.)  Choon is a magician with a Garmin and 30 minutes later we are in the curves.  Things are going so good, even a hay baler waves us around.  Then we come upon the sign, “15 MPH curves next 3 miles.”  Gixxer looks over her should to see if the same rider is on board today.  “Yeah, it’s me, girl.”  I didn’t have the heart to tell her I had dreams about an S1000RR last night.  After lunch, Choon dials up more good roads, although I am a little worried about that contraption we blew by that looked like a speed camera.  Wow, I could do this all day.  Let’s do “The Snake” on the way back to the Holiday Inn.  At dinner, I’m selling a side trip to The Tail of the Dragon, Cheroholla Sky Way, and the Devil’s Triangle.  And next month I should dust off the BMW and pay a visit to daughter in San Fran.  Maybe I can get my Texas buddies to do an Iron Butt ride when the temperatures ease up.  I think I need to come back to this area in a couple years, after all, Don convinced me I have another 30 years to ride.  Hopefully, I can be a role model for those on the left side of Choon’s chart that they have much more time to ride too. Just about every medical report says, “Close relationships lengthen your life span.”  MSTA, “They are my kind of people.” 

Offline NinjaBob

  • CHARTER MEMBER MSTA
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 732
  • Karma: +42/-2
  • To Dance Beneath The Diamond Sky
    • West Florida Republic Riders Club
  • Lifetime Mileage: 718710
  • Primary Motorcycle: Yamaha Tracer 9GT
Re: Don Clark 98 yesterday
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2018, 09:41:08 AM »
Great read! :trink39:
09 Kawasaki KLX250S
13 BMW R1200 RT
15 Yamaha YZF-R3
17 Ducati Multistrada 950
22 Yamaha TRacer 9GT

Offline STLTHMSTA

  • MSTA Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 451
  • Karma: +18/-0
  • Lifetime Mileage: 350,000+
  • Primary Motorcycle: ST1100abs
Re: Don Clark 98 yesterday
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2018, 09:28:53 AM »
Bravo! Very well written, thanks. I'm feeling MUCH better now, LOL.  TM

Offline stevegrab

  • MSTA Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1331
  • Karma: +36/-3
  • Lifetime Mileage: 130,000+
  • Primary Motorcycle: 2014 VFR
Re: Don Clark 98 yesterday
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2018, 11:52:33 AM »
Russ Weik can tell the tales well, miss spending time with him and riding with him. Think Avon 2012 was the last time. He could still ride that Gixxer pretty well for "an old man" as he'd say.

He certainly help mold this rider :)
Steve Grabowski
2014 Interceptor, 98 VFR, 99 Triumph Sprint ST, 06 Ninja 650

Offline Richardrka

  • Forum Member
  • *
  • Posts: 23
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • Lifetime Mileage: 300,000 at least
  • Primary Motorcycle: 2014 BMW R1200RT
Re: Don Clark 98 yesterday
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2018, 10:50:18 PM »
We were returning from Daytona in 1989 or 1990 I cannot member but I do know we had the OLD rig 1972 dodge suburban home build trailer and I was solo (Kathy flow home) hauling ASS! I had to stop! could not go any farther so Stockton TX came into view. Pulled into a motel and guess who beat me there!!!!??? DON CLARK!

Those were the days

Richard
RKA