A group picture from the early days, around 1995, at the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive in northwest Michigan.

Early one cold Sunday Michigan morning in May, 1991, three Silver Wings pulled off Maple Island Road and parked on the shoulder near the bridge over the Muskegon River. A thermos of hot coffee provided the physical warmth; animated conversation provided the social focus; a shared love of motorcycling provided the immediate reason for existence. Unknown to them, Pilgrim (Dick Stob), Hawkeye (Joel Brower), and Stranger (Jerry Fondse) had started the "Ride Over Forty Degrees Motorcycle Club." (Degrees as in Fahrenheit, not lean angle.) We later shortened the name to
Ride Motorcycle, but the indomitable spirit remains.

The group grows

That fateful day included the first visit for all three to the "Blessing of the Bikes" in Baldwin MI. By the end of the day all three agreed that they should ride together frequently and that the group should grow to include anyone who shares a similar love of riding. In the ensuring years, many more have affirmed that shared focus and that inclusive attitude.

Our goal

Our goal is to provide an opportunity for friends from all professions, ages, genders, and with all different motorcycles and abilities, to ride together and to stay in touch with each other. Those who received some of the first mailings recall the list of rules and regulations: there were none!

Our philosophy

The club never wanted to require limits on the engine size, manufacturer, member's age or gender. We wanted to be all inclusive. The simple joy of riding, especially riding together, was the only reason for the club's existence and that remains the central vision today. Any gathering of the group reveals the essence of this philosophy; an artist, a student, a professor, a truck driver, a writer, and a factory worker can all eat a genuine pork barbeque sandwich at Jimmy's in Saranac before heading to the Hubbardstown Dam over Maple River and then on to Carson City. Careful attention to the conversation between members of the group standing on the sand along the Grand Traverse Bay below Sunrise Landing in Northport will reveal multiple interests and perspectives. Leaning against their bikes in a scenic turnout along the Blue Ridge Parkway will be six motorcycle enthusiasts, all seeking the Great Smokies through their own eyes. And riding down Highway 1 along the California coast on a sunny August afternoon five motorcyclists take in what once only seemed possible in dreams. We invite you to share our vision