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In 1983, I was riding my new VFR 750 onto the Blue Ridge Parkway (off
of Hwy. 276) when another new VFR, a Ducati 750 SS, a Yam. SR500 cafe
bike, and a Norton 850 Commando rode up. They invited me to ride with
them on the rest of their Clemson Café Racers "poker run". I discovered
that they were very good riders as they took me down Hwy. 215. The ride
ended in a party at Burral's place, a bar on Hwy. 107.
The Clemson Café Racers were a colorful group of skilful riders from
around the Clemson/Walhalla area of S.C. I joined the CCR and took my
sons and some friends to Walhalla for CCR events. They showed us their
roads and a lot of good times. The Clemson folks, their events, and the
roads we learned from them, inspired us to form a club in the spirit of
the CCR's.
At the start, we decided to keep it informal and have no club officers.
Our motto was: We only have rides, parties, and t-shirts. It was such
a small group that whenever three of us got together, we considered it
an official meeting and a cause for celebration.For years, we would join
the CCR for their events in S.C. and we had good fun and great rides.
Sadly, the CCR drifted apart over the years but the ICR continued as a
small group of seven or eight.
At some point, I put an ad in the Sunday times to try to bring both sport
riders and vintage bike owners together. We picked up three members from
that ad and the subsequent meeting at the Suck Creek Catfish House.
I had been collecting names and numbers of all the sport riders I'd met
over the years. The purpose was to provide a way for local sport riders
to contact each other. The ICR remained a small group until I got a computer
in '98. The telephone list turned into an e-mail listbot service put together
by Jeff Adams on his web site. The list has been the catalyst that has
enabled our growth.
Drew Keith deserves a lot of credit as well. Drew had a "Sport Bike Night"
flier put together. He took copies to all the local motorcycle shops and
quit a few riders showed up. Probably because the first few events were
held at Hooters! Of course, there were lots of squids and posers that
showed up as well. Fortunately,we were able to meet 4 or 5 guys that new
how to ride fast and smart. All of the members wear full leathers and,
if a bike breaks down, there is always someone willing to abort the ride
to fetch a truck/trailer (Chris Phillips has gone beyond the call of duty
on several occasions).
At this point, we are not seeking new members. Everyone is happy with
the crew we have. However, we do accept new members if they are "sponsored"
by an existing member. That means that an ICR must ride with the person
and decide if their riding skills and attitude are consistent with the
groups. If they have what it takes, they are welcomed to join us on all
our rides, etc.
So far, the formula has been working. We now have approximately forty
members, although the majority participate only through the e-mail list.
We have weekly meetings at the pub, memorable parties, and lots of great
rides.
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