New Jersey - Harley club about to pass Hamilton milepost that few thought it would see...

OFF THE WIRE
Michele Angermiller
Source: nj.com
The image of a rider on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is a powerful one, evoking the feeling of the open road, the wind in your face and the camaraderie of bonding with others in the pursuit of total freedom.
For Dawn Jones, a member of World Class Riders, motorcycles represent more than just freedom — they represent a way of life.
“You just go out and do what you want,” Jones said. “You can just go out, clear your mind and relax on the open road.”
On a warm spring night in March, members of World Class Riders — a mix of laborers, accountants, lawyers and other professionals — gathered at the Hamilton Elks Lodge on Kuser Road for their monthly meeting. Each member brought an Irish-themed dish and looked forward to an evening of club business. Above all, they gathered to celebrate a common love of Harley-Davidson and the spirit of the open road, or as Jones put it, to just “get out, relax and enjoy yourself.”
In May, the club will celebrate its 10-year anniversary — a milestone that seemed impossible three years ago when the club, then known as the Hamilton Hogs chapter of Harley-Davidson, lost its sponsoring dealership, Trenton World-Class Harley-Davidson on Route 130 in Hamilton. The dealership went out of business in May 2009.
Under the rules of the national Harley Owners Group, or HOG, which is controlled by Harley-Davidson, the group was forced to disband, although it was given the option of becoming a subgroup under existing clubs in Long Branch, Lakewood, or Langhorne, Pa.
“It was a real disappointment to us,” said Michael DiLeo, club president.
Determined not to let their organization founder, DiLeo and his fellow riders contacted the American Motorcyclist Association and re-emerged as a new club, retaining the World Class Riders name. The club, which had 159 members at one point early on, now has around 60 members, but there is always room for more.
“We are a little light on renewals, so we’re trying to raise new membership,” DiLeo said.
DiLeo joined the club with his wife, Cheryl, who was merely a passenger on her husband’s bike until four years ago. A petite woman, Cheryl said she finally decided to get on a Harley herself, and she enrolled in a rider’s education class.
“I knew nothing about motorcycles,” she said, though she is now confident of her skills.
Cheryl DiLeo proudly rides on a Harley-Davidson Sportster SuperLow motorcycle, perfect for her size, she said. She smiles when talking about riding with the other women in the club on “girls’ weekends” to Gettysburg, Pa., and proudly notes that the club is family-oriented and welcomes children.
Jones said the youngest member of the club is just 5 (and rides with parents, of course).
It’s a misconception that motorcycle clubs are anti-family, Jones said.
In fact, World Class Riders are family friendly, enjoying picnics and holiday parties.
Their charitable endeavors have included a Care Package drive for a Marine platoon stationed in Afghanistan, a “hogs and dogs” charity event benefiting the Anchor House organization that assists runaways, and a drive to donate hair to cancer patients at St. Baldrick’s, a charity that funds research to help find cures for kids with cancer.
The club also hosts pool tournaments and movie nights during the winter months to keep the members together when it is too cold to ride. The club invites guest speakers as well, with issues of motorcycle safety a favorite topic.
Members do ride. Often. There have been trips to Vermont, the Catskills and Yellowstone National Park (the bikes were delivered via a trailer, and were there ready for club members who flew out for the ride). Plans are being made for a trip to the Grand Canyon as well as trips through Tennessee and North Carolina.
Most of all, the club has fun doing what the members love.
“Everybody loves to ride,” said Jones.
Membership in the club costs $25. The group meets every third Wednesday at the Hamilton Elks Lodge on Kuser Road.
For more information, visit worldclassriders.com online.