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Barks, Bikes & Likes - May, 2025

Something (g) old, something new, something borrowed, something grew. What’s that shiny thing on your finger? The prettiest non engagement ring I’ve ever seen. An elegant milestone proudly worn on my right hand. The left is reserved. Your girl finally found her prince. No more kissing frogs, I am Frog, the frog!! If you’re a Smokey and the Bandit fan you should get the reference. We’ll be making quite an entrance at the car shows this summer. You won’t want to miss us. Love is in the air and I have a serious case of spring fever. What’s the cure for spring fever besides falling in love? More throttle of course!

BY NICOLE SALEM, May 1, 2025

May Day already, indeed – time certainly does fly. So much happening, my head is swirling, immersed in interesting projects and culture. Tis the season! You may have noticed my last article printed twice. It ran in the March & April paper. It was important to me that it received some extra attention. I wrote about my muse, Bob Hicks, 44 years my senior. This was the first of many I’m planning to write as he continues to share 95 years of life, a remarkable tapestry of stories. Including but not limited to motorcycling, editor & publisher of 3 magazines, falling in love and much more. A very special man and close friend, I hope you will find his stories as fascinating and touching as I do. I am so grateful to be a part of the video project here at Cycles 128 and that he shares his wealth of experience and knowledge with us. Hours and hours of material that I’m not quite sure how we will piece it all together but I’m sure you will find the final project remarkable and a truly special tribute to him. Not a bad problem to have.

To honor his passion for motorcycles, I’m on a mission along with some of our museum Board of Director’s and my boyfriend Christopher to get Bob’s Harley-Davidson Sprint running.

A 1963 ITALIAN Harley, yes I said Italian. An Aermacchi 250cc with maybe 30hp. A fascinating piece of motorcycle history. According to Bob, Harley needed a small bike to compete with Japan and so badge engineering was resorted to. Ducati was there at a time and now MV Agusta, an Italian high end motorcycle manufacturer, is using that same facility. I wanted to keep this a surprise but I couldn’t. He’s delighted to put together the Sprint project, after about a dozen years in his shop. Look at this beauty, dust and all, must hold a lot of stories within its frame. So much history. Of course he raced one back in the day too. Bringing a piece of his racing past back to life will undoubtedly be a rewarding experience for all of us involved. A labor of love and a source of joy for Bob brings me joy too.

A little Salem history and I’m not talking about my family tree. The HD Sprint, #5, Bob raced back in the 60’s was tuned by Pete Preble of Salem Harley-Davidson, located on 234 Bridge Street in Salem, Massachusetts. Tuned for racing, this Sprint swept the final 9 races in Gardner, MA, a winning machine that was reliable and powerful.

I attended the annual Bikers Helping Bikers Nelson‘s Family Pancake Breakfast at the Ipswich Masonic Lodge. Paul W. Cote, owner of the Check Twice service mark, delivered a poignant speech about motorcycle safety and shared the story of Nelson Selig Sr., who tragically lost his life in a motorcycle accident on May 2, 2000 which led to the creation of "Nelly's Bill.” This bill became law in Massachusetts in 2004 and mandates that motorcycle awareness programs be included in drivers' education courses. In honor of Nelson Selig Sr., Massachusetts declares an annual Motorcycle Safety Awareness Period. This year, Governor Maura T. Healey proclaimed March 23rd to April 30th, 2025, as the Motorcycle Safety Awareness Period. Sadly another family has joined the movement, Austin Michael passed away on August 23, 2023 just a mile from his home. In honor of Austin they have started a Facebook page, @ Austin’s Voice Against Distracted Driving 24.

As a Motorcycle Rider Education Program (MREP) approved motorcycle training school, we are committed to reducing motorcycle-related fatalities and injuries in the Commonwealth here at Husky Riding Academy (HRA) in Greenfield. We provide Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) approved rider training courses for riders and increase awareness and education for both motorcycle riders and other drivers. On behalf of “Bikers Helping Bikers / Riders Helping Riders” I received a plaque recognizing my support of this mission and overseeing the school where we have trained thousands of riders since 1975.

Ride safe and remember, a simple check can save a life, so please "CHECK TWICE – SAVE A LIFE"!! Thank you for reading, Nicole & The Bandit(s)

@barksbikeslikes
@banditthepuggle

Husky Riding Academy - Level Up Your Motorcycle Knowledge