Even more event information!

They are coming in hard and heavy now...check out our event calendars regularly as we are updating every day right now!

I'm trying to get as much done as possible before I hit the road on the 2nd of January.
I hope to see 2008 be the best riding year yet!

On our Youtube channel I have some new playlists.
I found the videos on sport bikes rather intresting - I can see the love ofthe power and control of the machine and when stunts goright they are a thing of beauty but when they go wrong....ouch is all I can say.

I do have a real issue with the numbers of riders in these videos with little or no safety gear on and riding like stunt riders on the highway...not overly smart, rather dangerous and quite frankly not good for the average rider....in some cases I can see why non motorcyclists don't like us much. Most of the people involved appear to be young and think themselves as invincible.

Anyway, I best get back to the events calendars, there is much data entry to do and I have a boss that won't let me rest! LOL

Stay safe out there....

BDB

More event information

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

I am in the process of adding about 120 competition events to the calendars.

I have the Alberta Dirt Riders and the Peace Motocross info loaded. I will be working on the PNWMA events for BC. We are waiting for competition event info from the rest of the provinces to be set. Once they are, we will get them loaded in as fast as my fingers can type.

You can help us out....if you know of any motorcycle event, be it cruiser, touring, sport bike whatever - and you don't see it in the calendars - drop us a line....

Stay safe out there....

BD Betty

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone finds themselves surrounded by friends and family and that you all have the most Merry of Christmas's and a happy and prosperous new year.

Please, stay safe out there.

BD Betty

Another round of lost advertisers

I am really sad to say that the people who read the paper have not been talking to the advertisers. We have 2 more businesses that say they can't afford to advertise because they get no response from you, the readers.

I know you guys read this thing, but they don't seem to be seeing that or so it appears.

So question for you all:

What kinds of advertisers do you want to see? Obviously not bike shops - so where do I start targeting my efforts so we can keep the lights on and the doors open? What kinds of businesses do you want to know about? What kinds of businesses will you support?

Any suggestions? It's up to you, if you enjoy the tools we provide and want to keep them....

Your suggestions would be appreciated right about now.

Stay safe out there...

BDBetty

Heavy Hearts

This has been a really tough week at our house.

One of my husband's friends went head to head with a semi and is now in critical and unstable condition in the Kamloops hospital. Another is undergoing cancer treatments on the other side of the country.

Needless to say my poor husband is feeling pretty powerless and helpless right now.

I am asking for your help.

We all know the power of prayer, so if you can spare a second, please say a prayer for these two men.

Thanks and stay safe out there...

BDB

Holy Cow!

I knew that there were a whack of motorcycle events happening every year but even my eyes are popping. Right now I am adding as many as 30 events a day.

Everything from groups meetings and ride nights to coffee nights & breakfast rides, runs, rallies rodeos, demo's, open houses....man alive we are going to be busy this coming year!

Hope you are all having fun getting ready for Christmas.....
Stay safe out there

BDB

I am amazed with my website results

I'ts 15 to 7 on Thursday night and I popped in to set up a new member.
I was working in the administration portion of the site and was amazed to see that we had 22 people on line. Myself and Ali were the only 2 members.

I've asked her to get a show how many visitors on line module.
I remember when I was thrilled to see one other person on line at the same time as me.

I've been working away on the provincial event calendars - as groups and businesses firm up their 2008 events we are pulling them all together. I all we have about 600 events for the 2008 riding season from group ride nights and breakfasts to runs, rallies, demo days, competition events - and not many of them set yet! In all I have added about 60 events in the last 2 days.

Registered members - you can help me here! Submit your clubs stuff right into the calendars and when you have drop me an email so I can go and check on the repeating portion.

Your help would be much appreciated!

Hope you find the information in the calendars useful when planning your holidays and choosing the long weekends you want to book off this riding season.

I also hope it proves useful for those who are moving to a new area - you can find others of like mind at www.beltdrivebetty.com quite easily.

Register for your free membership today and remember a subscription to the Busted Knuckle Chronicles On Line is only $5.30 a year! Gives you free classified ads and the color version of the paper delivered to your computer 48 times a year!

Stay safe out there!
BD Betty

Yah!

Well after all of the destruction and construction I finally get to move into my new office tomorrow. It's amazing what elbow grease, drywall and paint can do for an old attached garage!

It's been really weird an frustrating working between 2 offices but today I will have heat in there and tonight phone lines!

I have for the last 5 years worked in a 9 x 9 bedroom. Now I get 266 sq ft of space!
I am excited to say the least - tired too, it's been a long haul to get here!

Watch the web site for a great contest to win tickets to the Red Deer Motorcycle show for you and 7 friends!

Have a great day and stay safe out there.

BDB

A Special Day

Today is our wonderful web mistress's birthday.
I hope you will join me in wishing Ali a wonderful day!

I have been updating the event calendars as more and more groups and businesses are confirming their event dates and meetings.

If you know of an event that we don't have listed you can help us and your riding club or business by sending us the information or adding it directly to the calendars.

We want the information here to be the most accurate and up to date that we can provide.
With over 1.2 to 1.5 million hits and over 55,000 visitors a month this site CAN help your club or business get some added exposure.

Your active involvement on our site will help us to make this site the ultimate motorcycle tourist web site about the Canadian Riding Scene!
Have a great day everyone and stay safe out there.

BD Betty

Busy - stupid busy!

Between IBlogger experiencing some technical difficulties for a few days and the fact that I have been painting the old garage here at home to make a bigger office for myself I have been very busy.

Ali has been coding her fingers to the bone as you can see by the new things that keep popping up on the site. The lady amazes me.

I hope you will check out our Preferred and Referred contest - maybe recommend a shop or a waitress for their great customer service - you could win a killer prize....

We have the New "How well do you know Arlen Ness?" contest for tickets to the Red Deer Motorcycle show and more stuff coming down the pipes all the time.

Have a great day and now that my blog is back up and the painting almost done, I promise to chat here a wee bit more often....

BD Betty

Our newest web site

We acquired a web site called www.canadianriders.ca
"Riders in need have a friend indeed"

It's a web site about riders who are willing to help out when you are broke down on the road.
Ali and I will start revamping that site and trying to get more riders involved with helping each other out. It all started when I asked for a link on that site! Peter asked me and Ali to take it over.

I have emailed all of the members there and invited them over to www.beltdrivebetty.com

It is my hope to add all of those who wish to be part of our riders phone book (Belt Drive Betty's Little Black Book for Canadian Riders).

To that end We are going to offer this:

For $35.00 you get your name and a phone number (email as well if you have one) added to our phone book for the city/town you are from in the phone book.

You also get a copy of the phone book mailed to you.

If you think it's a good idea, let me know at bdbetty@gmail.com

Stay safe out there....
BD Betty

New Forums

Well it looks like a good number of riders are checking out all of the new tools, our forum is only a few weeks old and seems like it's catching on.

If anyone has any comments on the site, new tools you'd like to see or functionality or navigation issues - give us a holler. Ali has been like a mad woman with all of her hard work! Wait till you see what she has it store for all of you tomorrow....

Be good out there....

BDB

Finally!

One more big data entry job done!
I do believe I have everyone loaded into the new members format.

If you can't log in or have any challenges just give either Ali
or myself a holler - we'll get you up and running as soon as we can.

There are going to be more tools on the way very soon. It's amazing the work that can go into making a good web site. Virtually every day we are tweaking, fine tuning or adding something. My hats off to Ali - she does a kick ass job!

One of the new tools that we will be adding is a Riders Helping Riders Section.

We acquired a web site called www.canadianriders.ca

It is a place to list yourself if you are interested in helping fellow riders when they break down or are in need while on the road.

Eventually we plan to incorporate this information into our riders phone book!

So much to do and so little time to do it in.....Don't forget to be at a cenotaph near you tomorrow and take a few moments to give thanks for our freedom....

Stay safe out there...

BD Betty

Memberships and other stuff

Hi everyone,

Ali has our new membership program loaded. I am going through every one's files and updating information and trying to contact everyone.

If you aren't showing up yet, give me another day or so, then if we lost you you might have to re register. Sorry gang that sometimes happens when upgrading components.

The good news is we now have members forums, puzzles, word searches, the on line phone book which has become really popular with the riders, the new events calendars and a whole host of wonderful tools.

We hope you'll become a registered member on the site and take advantage of all of the tools - it's free!

Subscriptions to the electronic version of the paper are still only $5.30 per year and include the membership on the sites and all of the freebies and tools on them....

Stay tuned - more improvements coming.....

BD Betty

What's wrong here?

Why do so many motorcycle shops and retailers not want to advertise in a phone book for your saddlebags?

Send me your thoughts on the subject at: bdbetty@gmail.com

I'd love to hear what you think.

BD Betty

PS - I have almost reached my goal of 1,500!!!!!

Pushing 1200 Entries

I'm just cooking with gas today - almost 1,200 entries in our on line phone book.

My goal, by Wednesday to have 1,500.....we are getting there!

Have a great day!

BD Betty

Sad news in Canada.....

There are some very sad things going on in the motorcycle industry here in Canada, and it looks like the motorcycle industry here is going to go through much of what our brothers and sisters south of the border are going through - a slow down.

Companies like Honda are going to the big box style of sales where you can buy a boat, generator and car from the same guy that sells you a bike - closing out all kinds of small dealerships. Here in the North you can't even demo a bike unless the dealership has a bike for that purpose. You have to make an appointment and go to Edmonton to test ride a Honda now.
Why? Economics they say.

The other sad thing is the number of bankruptcies and close outs -and the strong Canadian dollar is a huge contributing factor. Many businesses bought product when the dollar was not so strong and are still sitting on that product. Why? Because bargain minded Canadians are going south to shop be it in their cars or through the net. So, the American economy will benefit from our strong dollar and Canadian businesses will suffer for it.

Everyone wants to save money and who can blame them, yet at the same time it is causing a back lash, Canadian businesses are starting to close their doors. I know it's affected the paper in a very negative way as more and more businesses tighten their belts - their advertising budgets for little publications like the Busted Knuckle are the first thing they trim.

Why? Because the advertisers doesn't feel that they get that much out of the money they spend with us. They don't think you guys actually read this thing so....they cut their ads.

For me, it's a double edged sword - the bankruptcies have meant that businesses who owed me money are now not paying me for what they received and we have lost 10 advertisers already.

All I can hope is that I have the ability to weather the storm, many it seems have not been able to.

We need your help. Tell the businesses you see in the paper that you do read it.
If you don't, the paper may end up being another casualty.

Stay safe out there.....
BD Betty

1,100 entries and growing

It's been slow going but we are over 1/4 of the way through the data entry for the new riders phone book!

If I can keep up this pace the phone book will be ready to go to the printer in December!
I hope you will take the on line version for a test drive.

Have a great weekend and stay safe out there.

BD Betty

Free Membership

Ok gang -

Up until now we had no real way to allow people to sign up for free memberships. Spammers and hackers being our biggest fear. However, the content management system we use has now got the tools we needed and so...

So now, even if you don't subscribe to the paper ($5.30 per year on line or $47.65 in print) you can still get 90% of the benefits that subscribers receive.

AND IT'S FREE!!!!

So sign up today to take advantage of all of the tools that we have for you..... Stay safe out there.... 

BDB

Lots of interesting things happening

Ali has been adding components to the web sites in a fast and furious manner which always means a learning curve for me. The newest component allows us to manage our membership better.

Now new members get tools specific to the group they are in so Rider members see different tools than business members. This is like a dream come true - finally we are the rider's version of a chamber of commerce and Travel Canada all rolled in to one!

We still have a ton of things we want to offer our members and if there's anything you want on the site - let us know, a hunting we will go to find it!


Stay safe out there....

BD Betty

The Rider's Phone Book

If you haven't taken Belt Drive Betty's Little Black Book for a test run - you should check it out!
http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/joomla07/index.php?option=com_sobi2&Itemid=182
We now have over 850 businesses which means I am pushing the 25% mark for data entry!
It's coming - BC is almost half finished then I'll start on Atlantic Canada and work my way to the monsters - Quebec & Ontario!

This book is going to be one great tool for we riders!

The other thing that is a wonderful tool - the new calendars!
They are wonderful - it's easy for anyone to add an event be it for a group or a business.
You just click on the plus sign for the date of your event and away you go - the best is that I get notified before it's posted so we can ensure that every bit of information is given to the rider that we can - it also helps out the person who is adding the event because the repeating dates can be a bit confusing to enter.
http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/joomla07/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=208

As you can see, every province has it's own calendar and we have a large number of events transferred from our old calendar system to this new one already!
Check them out and if you don't see your groups meeting and ride/coffee(beer) nights or a local competition event or toy run in the calendar - add it!

Have a great weekend everyone and be safe out there....
BD Betty

Slowly but surely....

Hope your Turkey Day was a good one.

This has been a rough week on some levels.

Through a whole series of Murphy's Laws striking I went from 5 people helping me to no one helping me - all in one day.

2 Days later I had 2 people volunteer to help out, so I guess we'll just see how it goes.

I have been working at transferring more event information into the new 2008 calendars and so far so good. As I'm going I am trying to contact the event coordinators and the various riding clubs to get updates on their events and group information.

If you know of an event that we haven't yet got on the calendar - please by all means enter it.

We want everyone to have the tools they need for making 2008 a great riding season.
Some of us have shorter ones than others do and we like to cram as much in as possible, so please HELP ME OUT HERE!

I have the better part of 800 businesses or 1/5th of my data in the on line phone book.
If anyone doubted my sincerity about becoming the Biker/Rider's version of a Chamber of Commerce I hope that the work that is getting done shows you how serious I am.

We need advertisers for the print version of the book....
If anyone can help out with selling phone book advertising please get in touch with me - this going it alone is kinda rough... bdbetty@gmail.com

We also need more advertisers for the newspaper and web sites - I am so busy doing data entry I have no time for sales work it seems.

Anyone willing to step up - we do pay so please contact me.

Thanks everyone and stay safe out there....

BD Betty

SNOW! Yikes

Well, yesterday morning we woke to snow here in GP...yuck!

A reminder to all, bike shops and painters/airbrushers really appreciate having their work load spread out. Jamming them up in March only puts strain on everyone. Book your appointments NOW!

Belt Drive Betty's Little Black book has just shy of 800 entries it it!

Everything I have for Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon & NWT is now in the phone book. I start on BC today and once the west is done I start on the east.

Our events calendars are coming along, if you know of an event, a group meeting that isn't listed - add them - you have the power!

Anyway, that slave driver I work for tells me it's time to go back to more data entry so....
Have a Great Thanks Giving everyone - and take time to remember the things you ARE thankful for, like family, friends and bikes.


Love you all - stay safe out there.

BD Betty

New Event & Group Calendars for the web site!

We have just installed our new events calendar management system, it is highly searchable by event type and is broken down by province to make your event and group information easy to find.

We can now carry your Group Meetings, ride nights, breakfast meetings, Rallies, Runs and other events.

Our BC and Alberta Calendars are well under way. Please, check the calendar for your province and make sure we have the right information for your group. If we don't please send us an event correction or email me to become a provincial calendar administrator.
For all other provinces, if anyone is willing to give us a hand to get the information for your province or region added to our new calendars, please contact me at bdbetty@gmail.com

We want every riding club and every event to get the exposure they need to grow the participation of their clubs and events for 2008.

Thanks and stay safe out there....

BD Betty

Man I wonder sometimes...

I hate typing, why did I ever get myself into a business with this much data entry?

Oh well, here I am! Over 700 entries are now in the phone book as I work my way across the country.

When I get frustrated or fed up with doing that, I have been doing events. Copying all of the 2007 events and putting them in the new calendars and then entering the group information I have and trying to double check everything.


I would like event calendar managers for each province, people to make sure everything we have is absolutely correct. If anyone is interested in helping out, I'll do my best to make it worth your while! Email me at: bdbetty@gmail.com

Hope to see some of the locals and not so locals out at the GP Toy Run this weekend, for those attending Edmonton Toy Run or any other event, stay safe out there!

BD Betty

New Calendars & over 600 phone book entries

I have been doing data entry until I think my arms are going to fall off!
The good news is the phone book is progressing really well. The Alberta section is almost complete, Marg is working on BC and when I complete Alberta in the next day or so I will start on Saskatchewan. One by one we are going to get everything we know about into this thing and then....we''ll open it up to you our subscribers to add to it what you know about. If every rider checked to see if we knew about their favorite bar or shop, well we'd have a hell of a phone book!

The new events calenders are wonderful! It's taking a lot of time to transfer over the information from our old calendars but - when it's done it will be a tool that will make your life and mine a whole lot easier!

Check in often because Ali and are are fixing, tweaking, adding and updating stuff daily!

Stay safe and be smart out there.

Topping 500 Entries

In the last week the phone book entries have doubled!
www.beltdrivebetty.com

Check it out and if you have a category to recommend let us know!

We have also received our first contest submission for the Preferred and Referred Customer Service Contest! Watch for that story to be posted soon - Ali is setting that up this weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone - stay safe out there.

The On Line Riders Phone Book

So, are you watching this thing grow?
http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/joomla07/index.php?option=com_sobi2&Itemid=182

It's already a great tool and we've only just begun!
275 entries out of 4,000 are entered so far and now with the help of Marge Vatman of the SCRC, you are going to see tons of new entries every day!

Have a great week everyone!

Ride safe out there.

AIM-Can Peace River Region

Well - we are at 35 members already!

It's been a rough week between Jim Sanderson's wake and funeral and the phone book marketing materials - but I am getting unburied!

Slowly...

Have a great day - hope you have all had a good Saturday and hope Sunday is better - cause Monday is next....

BD Betty

AIM-Can Grande Prairie/Peace Region becoming a reality

At last nights Toys for Tots meeting in Grande Prairie, 20 people signed up to become members of AIM-Can

AIM-Can is a not for profit that provides assistance to motorcyclists when they have an accident.
If you are interested in getting involved with an organization that is meant to help motorcyclists, please email me at bdbetty@gmail.com

We are planning our first information and organization meeting for mid October and we'd like to see representation from all groups with in the Peace Region there.
This organization is not about the brand you ride or who you ride with but rather that you ride. I'll let you all know when and where that meeting will be a soon as we have the details worked out.

Here in the Grande Prairie area we have lost 4 riders and had one who was assisted heavily by AIM-Can in Prince George and Vancouver. Don MacGlauglin is still in Vancouver General. The unfortunate part about life is that accidents do happen and they can happen to you, think of getting involved as an additional insurance policy for your peace of mind.

Memberships are $20 years for a single member and $30 for couples.

Until next time - ride safe....

BD Betty

The NEW National Phone Book for riders

Hi guys, I know I have not been on here as much as I'd like to but I have been working at a furious pace to get the online version of our phone book up and running.

At the same time as we are working on the on line one we are working on the print version for your saddlebags.

The on line version has some extra handy tools like google maps of the businesses address, links to emails and web sites and lets you know if the business is a BDB Club Business member or not, let's you know if they are rider owned or friendly and tells you a bit about what they offer.

I hope you'll take some time to look at the work we are doing, perhaps leave a note in our guest book to let us know what you think.

We'd appreciate your help too. If you subscribe to the paper either in print or on line, you can add businesses you know to our data base. Just log in and begin adding!

Once we have the phone book to where we are pretty content, then Suzie will configure it to be mobile so you'll have access to it from your Blackberry or whatever electronic gizmo you use too!

We are working on it, hope you use it often!
No matter which Toy Run or event you go to this weekend be it the SIR's, the Central Alberta, Ashmont, Hawg Flatts....stay safe out there!

BD Betty

Busy, busy time!

Another couple of days of major data entry work and we begin sales for our National Phone Book for Riders. The resource will be available in print and on line.

Bare with me and the lack of info here on my blog for a wee bit longer.
Once I get involved doing data entry - my least favorite job - I get pretty tunnel visioned!

The Red Deer Toy Run and the Porky's CNIB Run in Ashmont are this weekend....ride safe everyone.

BD Betty

Home from Sturgis

I finally made it home on Tuesday night only to hear that a local rider, Garry Wilson had passed away on his way to Sturgis (He and a deer collided). I attended his funeral on Wednesday and it was a wonderful celebration of his life.

Unfortunately, we here in Grande Prairie will have another service to attend on September 8th as Jim Sanderson also passed away - another single motorcycle accident.

An update on Don "Ho" - he's sitting up, talking and moving his right arm - what a relief!

I hope that all who attend the Alberta Ladies Rally in Saskatchewan, the Medicine Hat HOG Rally and the Western Development Museum Show n'n Shine in Moose Jaw have a good and safe weekend.

I am heading out to the Sprint Car Nationals at Castrol Speedway with hubby - talk to you all again on Monday.

Ride safe no matter where you go this weekend....

BD Betty

The World Championships and Sturgis

Getting internet access has been interesting and it is so nice to finally have it...

It has been an absolutely amazing time here. 2 of our Canadian builders out of 6 that attended the World's finished in the top 20!

Roger Goldammer won the Metric Championships with his bike "Experi Mental" and finished 9th in the freestyle with "Nortorious" and Cycle Boyz finished 17th with the "Master Deluxe"

Watch for the paper coming out on August 16th for more on the World Championship of Custom Bike Building.

I have had the most wonderful time here in Sturgis - meeting some of the most wonderful people in the motorcycle industry and I promise you that the next few papers are going to have some incredible interviews and pictures....stay tuned for more!

Ride safe everyone....


BD Betty

World Championship of bike building here we come

Well, I'm on the road with the boyz....we'll be in Sturgis tonight.

When I'm on a better computer - one with a key board that works properly I'll fill you in a bit on this trip - it's been wonderfulT!

On the Road again

This should be a trip to remember!

I'm packed, bike is facing the driveway and in a couple hours I begin my next trek...
Mad Hat - then Sturgis - should prove very interesting considering I haven't been to Sturgis in 23 years......

I'll try and drop a not from the road once in a while....

Stay safe out there.....

BDB

Medicine Hat Drags and Sturgis

I am working overtime to be ready to leave Friday morning for Drumheller.

Saturday morning my bud, Jayne and I are going to go catch the drags in the Hat, on Sunday I'll finish the paper and Monday I head for meetings in Moose Jaw, Regina, Winnipeg, then I'll back track to Brandon, meet up with Cycle Boyz and head to Sturgis.

Going that way to Sturgis doubles the mileage for me, but also gets me out to see a number of businesses along the way. In all I am looking to put on somewhere around 5,500 kms.....

Where ever you head to, ride safe out there.

BD Betty

An Update

Spoke with Don "Ho's" wife Pat, he's doing much better. They are thinking of moving him out of ICU in another day or two, that's great news!

I am thankful for groups like AIM - and after this I know Pat and Don will be too.
Who knows, we might get our chapter up here yet.

I was going to head to PG and Smithers on the Muscle Run but I have a wicked cold and I need to be in Sturgis in about 2 weeks so I chose to ride the couch instead.
Check out the video coverage from Hawg Flatts on the home page of www.beltdrivebetty.com

Thinking seriously of starting our own weekly news reports for those of you with video cameras....you know - clips from events - anyway, let me know if you like the idea....

Stay safe out there....

Back on the NET!!

Finally I am back on the Internet and touch wood it looks like its stable again!

I was planning to head out to the Muscle Run but I have the Flu so....
Yah I think I'll stay wrapped in a blankie.

Wherever your travels take you this weekend - ride safe.

BD Betty

My challenges with Telus

I'm glad to finally get on here - I have had limited internet connectivity for about 10 days now. One minute it works and the next....and thier customer service is soooo very good. NOT

Anyway Hawg Flatts was a good time - I'm hoping to get to a few more events yet this year!

I will be uploading a whack of pictures from the last 2 months worth of events into the photo galleries in the next few days - Telus willing.

Have a safe weekend no matter which event you attend!

Ride safe.
BDB

Update on Don "Ho"

I spoke with Don's wife Pat and she informs me that Don now has pneumonia and that is causing some grave concerns.

I have also spoken to some of the gents from AIM Vancouver and they tell me that there have been 2 deaths and another couple of serious injury accidents involving motorcyclists.

If you can spare a moment, a few prayers are needed - please and thanks.

BDB

Rider Down!!!!

Local Grande Prairie Rider and one of Toys for Tots of Grande Prairie’s Founder Don “Ho” McLaughlin went down just outside of Prince George a few nights ago.

The Prince George AIM Chapter found out that he was being transported to Vancouver General Hospital and contacted the local AIM Chapter there to provide any assistance they can.

What we know at this moment is that Don’s wife Pat is with him in Vancouver now.

He is in a medically induced coma and is stable for the moment.
He has a fractured spine and collapsed lungs.


Beyond those details we can’t tell you much more right now but will keep all informed as more information comes in.

Home and still standing!

The 2007 Canadian Championship of Bike Building was a great time!

There were major last minute changes to the show due to injuries sustained by some of our performers. There was drama in both the Riding Beauties competition and the Canadian Championship of Bike Building!

After a severe hissy fit on Friday night, Mother Nature cooperated and in all we saw over 6000 visitors come to the show.
The severe weather warnings all weekend and the long weekend itself had a greater impact on visitation than we anticipated but in all we are not displeased with the results.

Our show date for next year is June 20th to 22nd in Olds and will be hosted in 2 new buildings that the Olds Agricultural Society is Building.

The new buildings afford us some wonderful additions to our show schedule and some very important security against mother nature.

We have a whole committee behind the show now - so I am no longer a one person operation when it comes to the Canadian Championships!

A whole new series of partnerships are also being explored as a result of the 2007 show and we could be more excited!

Our Champions in the 2007 Mid-USA Canada Canadian Championship of Bike Building were:
Goldammer Cycle Works - Canadian Champion
Freakshow Choppers - 2nd place
Screamin' Demon - Third place

Media Award - Sponsored by The Busted Knuckle- Marcel Trudel - the Canadian Bike

People's Choice - Sponsored by the Edmonton & Calgary Motorcycle Shows
Precision Frameworx - Calgary AB

Best Paint - Sponsored by Paradise RV - Red Deer AB
Precision Frameworx - Calgary AB

Look for a ton of follow up on this show a story on Toad Rock and a whole host of other stories in the Thursday paper for all of you subscribers!

For those of who wait until the free paper is available - you'll be able to read all about it very soon!

Ride safe gang and watch for all of our updates to the websites www.beltdrivebetty.com and www.bustedknucklenews.com coming very soon!

Your help needed!

The Peace Motorcross Association needs flag people, lap counters and other sundre volunteer positions filled at Rock Valley Raceway just outside of Grande Prairie.

They feed you and pay $50!

If you can help out in any way please contact Lou Maffret at:
532-3414 or 539-1354

Thanks gang.....

A great day!

I had a really great birthday and want to pass along to Glenn Roberts from Motorcycle Mojo a Happy Birthday! He and I share June 19th as our birthday!

Haven't been able to ride much this last 2 weeks with the bike show only 10 days away - hence I am looking forward to Monday and the ride to Olds to get set up!

Hope to see some of you out for the show - it's gonna be a good one!


Have a great week everyone....ride often & hard!

Toad Rock & The Canadian Championships

Mary and I have teamed up to provide a great prize to one lucky person - go to both Toad Rock and the Canadian Championships & win a Cruzin Cooler!

Lou of Rocky's Ride for Diabetes will be leaving the Canadian Championships at 2 - 2:30 on Saturday from the Canadian Championships to go to Toad Rock - join him, or go on your own and you could win!

Have a great day - Ride often, hard and stay safe out there!

A busy time!

Getting the last of the paper work done before the Canadian Championship of Bike Building.

Inspite of everything, all the hiccups and challenges we are as ready as we can be. With over 70 vendors, some of Canada's most beautiful motorcycles, a burn out pit, a dyno, a rodea, a show n shine & a scavnger hunt, not to mention live music, yah it's gonna be a good time!

I'll be up to my eyeballs in paper work, but I'll try my best to keep you in the loop!
Have a great week!

Ride often & ride safe....

On the road....again

I have been on the road for the past week, I am still on the road! I love it. My husband was quite surprised when he realized I have over 5500kms on the bike already and by the time I get home I will be close to 6,500 - as I expressed to him - I have 23 years without a bike to make up for - and since I started riding my own again - well I don't want to stop - ever! The new FLHX is treating me really well, it's a beautiful machine!!!

I hope that those watching the news say a few prayers for our BC friends who are being flooded out. My bike came from Smither's H-D and I hope the gang at the shop are doing ok through all of this. My prayers go out to everyone there....Mother nature can be cruel as we all know.

The Ride to Camrose was an ok event with about 4-500 bikes turning up, but most didn't hang around too long as it was scorching hot and there were no tents for shade.

The Redwater Ride for Hunger was a resounding success with over 1,000 bikes showing up and about 500 participating in the Poker Run.

I wished that I could stick around for the Ride for Sight but I need to get home - paperwork calls!

I want to thank everyone who gave me a piece of the floor wherever I went - it's great to have so many good friends and it sure helps the budget.

For those of you who are fed up with gas prices may I make one suggestion? Get on your bike and ride more. High gas prices are just one of many reasons to get on your bike more.

Have a great weekend no matter which event you attend.

Ride hard, ride safe.


BD Betty

The Canadian Riding Beauty Contest June 30th & July 1st

We have 4 confirmed entrants in the first Canadian Riding Beauties Contest.

They are:

Jennifer Nakonechny from Regina Saskatchewan
Daphne MacDonald from Spruce Grove Alberta
April Ireland from Calgary Alberta
Lisa Henriksen from Rocky Mountain House AB

As long as entries are post marked June 2nd we will accept the entry so get them in to us.

Our Riding Queen will win:
$1,000 cash
$1,000 Leather Wardrobe from Leather & Steel
A crown, a photo shoot and (dependant on photographers scheduling) attendance in the VIP Ride and Steak BBQ on Monday July 2nd

We are going to have a lot of fun on the Canada Day Long Weekend at the Canadian Championship of Bike Building - June 30th & July 1st

- Olds Alberta - hope to see you there!

Ride lots and ride safe!

BD Betty

Event Listings

We just updated the events again - man is this riding community a busy one.

If you have an event or know of one that isn't listed - get it to us. The listing is free and over 60,000 riders will have a chance to see it that way.
Remember the paper is available in print and on line....

Hope to see a bunch of you at the Ride to Camrose on Saturday and the Ride for Hunger in Redwater on Sunday...
Ride hard - stay safe.

A new Poll

We are polling our readers to find out their thoughts on the new Victory Vision Street 

Tour models.

The poll can be found on the home page, right hand side on www.beltdrivebetty.com

We'd love to know what you think.....

The results of our first ever Rider Survey

The Results from our first ever “Busted Knuckle Chronicles” Rider Survey:

These statistics have been amassed over the last 8 months.
They are not scientific, they are however a fairly accurate reflection of our subscribers & community from Coast to Coast.

We learned alot about how to ask questions to derive more calculable answers for some questions like paint but over all we were pleased with the response and the quality of information.

Out of 720 respondents who participated in the survey we have deduced the following:

With respect to age:
1% are between 18 and 25
9.5% are between 26 and 35
26.5% are between 36 and 45
40.5% are between 46 and 55
12.5% are between 56 and 65
10% went unanswered

Education:
11% Dropped out of School
52% Completed Just High School
26% Completed College
21% Completed University
40% Completed Tech/Trade School
2% Completed some other form of education

Housing:
Rent: 26%
Own: 74%
Out of those who own their home:
Mtg. Free: 43%
Have Mtg.: 57%

Rider or Passenger:
Rider: 97.2%
Passenger: 2.8%

Ride for:
Pleasure: 97.2%
Therapy: 73.6%
Camaraderie: 66.6%

Ride with a Club:
Yes: 44.5%
No: 55.5%


Vacations:
They spend an average of 10 -14 days on motorcycle vacations and spend an average of $3170 on that Vacation.

While vacationing they will:
Camp: 66.7%
Hotel It: 40.3%
Motel It: 70.1%
Stay With Friends/Family: 51.4%
Other (B&B/Motor home Rentals): 12.5%

On average in a year they will spend:
Motorcycle Clothing:
$493/year on motorcycle clothing
98.6% buy for themselves
55.4% buy clothing as gifts

Motorcycle Safety Gear:
$250/year on safety gear
93% buy for themselves
37.5% buy safety gear as gifts

Mechanical Upgrades/Maintenance:
$1435/year on mechanical upgrades
48.6% get work done at dealerships
51.4% get work done at independent shops
76.4% do it themselves

Other Purchases:
Luggage: $200
Accessories: $650
Tattoos: $75
Insurance: $950
Charity Donations: $550
Biker Art: $200

They also own:
Dirt Bikes: 8.3%
Quads: 15.3%
Snowmobiles: 8.3%
Car: 56.9%
Truck: 76.4%
SUV: 26.4
Motor home: 6.9%
Travel Trailer: 27.8%


Their occupations include:
Accountant
Administration
Asst. Mgr
Chef
Computer Tech
Disabled
Farmer
Fire Fighter
Forestry
Forklift Operator
Funeral Director
Laborer
Landlord
Machinist
Manager
Mechanic
Media
Military
Oilfield
Parts Manager
Plumber
Public Official
Retired
Secretary
Sheriff’s Department
Small Business Owner
Teacher
Technician
Truck Driver

They also enjoy:
Soccer: 4.1%
Baseball: 1.4%
Football: 10%
Wrenching: 48.7%
Building Stuff: 38.8%
Cooking: 26.4%