My First Motorcycle Club By Wade Boyd Jan.19.2010 My first motorcycle club was the Valley of Moon when I was fourteen years old. Jim Parks from Jim and Jim’s Yamaha in Sonoma Valley got together with some riders from my hood, guys like Glen Hester and Sam Villagante. Like big brothers, these adult riders gave us kids pointers and took us dirt bike riding to places like Middle Creek, Knoxville and Cow Mountain. I remember crashing in Middle Creek’s slippery Turn 57 riding my 1970 Suzuki TS90. Thirty-five years later, I would crash in the same exact spot, the same way, this time riding my trusty Kawasaki KX500. It was a great club and I got a bunch of sponsors by being a member. I’ve tried to make them proud over the years. Back then my favorite shop was Cycle West, they helped this up and coming youngster very much. The second club I joined was the AFM (American Federation of Motorcyclists). My Pops, Bill Boyd, was president of the organization at the time. I hung out at Vacaville and Cottati in 1968-69. Finally my Pops sponsored me and I got to race for the first time on a Suzuki 125 Stinger, known as the slowest bike in the world! The only bike I ever passed was a hand built 50cc GP bike, I had 2 mph on him and it took a lot of work. Pops got me a 200 Yamaha twin for the 250-mile race at Cotati. On that bike I was hot and untouchable, and it was the first time that I got to go really fast on a race bike. I went by two 650 Triumphs like they were parked, mid corner front wheel in the air!! I then asked my Pops my first real racing question, ”Pop, why did my front wheel keep going up in the air?” We may have won it, but my partner Dingy Diane crashed into a hay bail and we got a DNF. The AFM had sidecars back then and it’s where I first fell in love with them. I also remember being welcomed into racing manhood and taking a shot before being allowed to race at Cotati. Those were the days of bands and clowns at Vacaville. My Pops put an end to the LeMans type starts, because he had a wooden leg and couldn’t run. He was the president, after all! The third club I joined was the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association), so I would be permitted to race flat track at places like Vallejo Speedway, including Petaluma and Santa Rosa tracks. I started racing at these tracks in 1971 and turned expert in my senior year at Sonoma Valley High in 1973. My Pops got his first trophy at Vallejo Speedway and so did I. The AFM and AMA is where some of us really learned how to ride a bike, work on a bike, travel, and how to make it all happen. With or against other riders, to live, race and survive, and create ones own life style, racing and riding, because it was/is My (Our) Passion. Hats off to all the adults and adult riders who take time with the kids, to instruct and inspire, and offer a direction in life. We took the pointers, had some fun, and some of us ran with it, and hopefully keep passing it along. In later years, I’ve interacted with many local clubs. They even helped me accomplish my dream of being a professional Isle of Man TT racer. Clubs like the San Francisco Motorcycle Club, The Oakland Motorcycle Club, The East Bay Moto Bros, The East Bay Rats and The Vampires have all sponsored and helped. I’ve even gotten sponsorship help from the Hells Angels. When I asked Mr. H.A. for a sticker to run on my race bike he said ... that’s okay ... I don’t think you want to run our sticker ... and they helped anyway! Motorcycle clubs are good for many things. Making friends with people on a like mission. Going riding and having parties. Making connections and good memories. Zoom...