Cruising for a Cause

We are big fans of anyone who does anything for a charity, a cause, those less fortunate, etc. We’re proud to say that seems to be part of the biker collective consciousness because every where you go you see rides for charity, Toys for Tots programs, rides to collect money for an injured brother/sister’s surgery and the list goes on. We’ve said it before and will say it again. Bikers have big hearts. So we hope you enjoy this story and we salute Mr. Winokur and all bikers who give back.

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The first thing you see is the bright yellow blur coming down the road. Not a mustard yellow but a nuclear-reaction, not-found-in-nature, highlighter yellow that kind of glows. The next thing you notice, once the bright blur slows, is that it is a man and his motorcycle.

Then you might see a patch on his chest with Hebrew writing. Henry Winokur is one of the founding members of the Tribe, the only Jewish motorcycle club in Washington. It has more than 30 members.

 

“Jewish boys and girls don’t ride motorcycles,” Winokur jokes when asked what makes his group special. “Our mothers told us we couldn’t do it.”

But his mother, and all mothers who tell their kids that they can’t be safe riding a motorcycle, has a point. Safety is part of the explanation for the yellow suit, and his mother would no doubt be proud that he is the manager of the Motor Vehicle Administration’s Maryland Motorcycle Safety Program at Montgomery College in Gaithersburg and has taught classes on being a safe rider.

Winokur, 56, has owned many motorcycles, but his latest, a BMW R 1200 RT, tops them all with one feature: a custom seat that makes long rides a bit softer.

“I have no fat on my butt . . . so you get sore real quick,” he says. “It’s actually like sitting on top of a pillow-top mattress.”

Being able to ride long distances is important to Winokur because he uses such trips to raise awareness for issues he finds important, including the Ride for Kids, which supports research on pediatric brain tumors.

The Tribe also participates in the annual Ride to Remember with other Jewish motorcycle clubs across the country. The event raises money for Holocaust education, and this year he traveled 3,000 miles round trip to Omaha.

“Motorcycling has brought me great friends and a wonderful community, and I am a big fan of giving back,” Winokur says.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071000609.html