Posted on: Monday, October 25, 2004
First Aloha Ride launched
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
Bikers are people too, with feelings and charitable notions, Matt Leibfried said yesterday, and are nothing like the troublemakers depicted in the movies.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser "I think the money is for a good cause," said Leibfried, a 35-year-old Pearl City resident who rode a Sportster in the event. "It's good for the biker image — we're not just a bunch of thugs. It's something positive for the community."
The back parking lot of Cycle City was a collection of contrasts yesterday as bikers dressed in aloha attire conversed with traditional riders decked out in boots, leather vests, and bandannas. People shouted to one another so they could be heard above the constant metallic sputter produced by the bikes.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser Couples and families joined individuals and riding clubs yesterday at the starting line on the corner of Pu'uloa Road and Nimitz Highway. The riders rode all different kinds of bikes, from hogs to sportsters, and many of the participants rode tandem.
At the start, the riders all gunned their engines, creating a deafening cacophony that left many onlookers with their hands over their ears.
While everyone agreed that the best part of yesterday's event was the financial aid generated for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Hawai'i, many looked at the occasion as a chance to mingle with other people who shared their passion.
Steve and Francis Berthiaume of Hawai'i Kai said yesterday's ride was a great way to spend a Sunday while helping out the community.
"We all need to pitch in and help community members," said Francis Berthiaume.
Members of Iolani School's key club helped serve Portuguese sausage, eggs and rice from large steaming tins to the riders before they rode off yesterday at 10:30 a.m. People ate in small groups and checked out all the bikes.
"It's a way to get everybody together and help out," said Steve Miyamoto, a 26-year-old 'Ewa resident who works for Harley-Davidson.
There was no set route for yesterday's event, but the ride did end at a park at Marine Corps Base Hawai'i in Kane'ohe.
Donovan Hauser, a 30-year-old 'Ewa resident, said the event was a good thing because the money was going to help kids and people in need.
"It's kind of a big deal," he said.
Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Leibfried and hundreds of others from across the state gathered yesterday morning at Cycle City on Nimitz Highway for the first Aloha Ride to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Hawai'i. Riders paid $30 for breakfast, lunch, entertainment and lapel pins and then spent the morning riding more than 25 miles around the island.
This motorcyclist was one of hundreds who took a 25-mile charity drive yesterday around O'ahu. The bikers were riding for the benefit of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Hawai'i.
"It's been a long time since the biker image died," said Mark McArthur, a Honolulu resident who owns an office maintenance company. "Now, it's all about fun and riding instead of hell-raising."
Motorcyclists gathered yesterday morning at Cycle City on Nimitz near the airport to begin the charity drive around O'ahu.
