Welcome to June! One of the biggest riding months of the year, for sure the busiest with bike nights, poker and fun runs, and some gatherings around the Midwest.  This is the month that the roads of Iowa just seem to open up!  A majority of the ag equipment is off the small highways and with that, less debris on the road.  The days are the longest in this month, which means more time riding after work and on the weekends.  The temperatures are getting warm for sure, but not oppressively hot like in the next couple of months.  Hot days, cool nights, and the official start of summer this month, what could be better for riders? This all means that you have no excuses!  Get your ass out on two wheels and capitalize on the season!

One of the most important things about being a part of the riding community in Iowa has always been about interacting with other riders.  Other people that we come across on a regular basis.  It does not matter what we ride, different brands of bikes, different styles of motorcycles, different roads and types or roads, or even off-road riders, we are all a part of the motorcycle community that was built on the love of freedom, respect for others, and the camaraderie that comes with out beloved sport. There is no concern if you ride a brand-new bagger, a ratted-out chopper, a trike, a cruiser, a bobber, or dual sport, or whatever else, we all share the same love of riding when we twist the wick and open up the throttle.  When we interact with others, shake a hand, check out their rides, make new friends, and get new ideas on rides, roads, places to go, and things to do.  That is all a part of this.  Riders always seem to come together and make things better than they were before we showed up. If society acted more like bikers, it would be a better world!

Last month was the designated Motorcycle Awareness Month. Here at Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa, we are naming SUMMER as the Motorcycle Awareness Season! Let’s continue to ride as safely as possible, advocate for safer roadways for all travelers, remind the cages that we are here, be seen and heard on the roads and at the State and Federal Capital buildings, and never give up fighting for the right to ride freely on our roadways. Let’s make a goal more widespread public awareness for motorcyclist safety, for motorcycles and riders being out on the road, for our lawmakers to keep our two and three-wheeled modes of transportation in their thoughts when drafting legislation, and show praise for those in the biker community that do so much for the public good.  Making people aware of all of this that riders do will only help keep us in the forefront of the traveling public’s minds, and hopefully make them realize we are here, we are not going anywhere, and they need to watch out for us for a variety of reasons. We need to be aware of our own safety as well, so stay sharp, ride smart, ride straight, and watch out for each other. No ride is worth ending in tragedy from doing dumb stuff. We’ve lost too many good people over the years, and every rider making it home safely matters, and we should all keep that in mind.

We would like to offer a heartfelt message of gratitude to all of our advertisers, contributors, readers and friends in this biker world for helping us keep this going month after month, year after year. Our little Iowa magazine exists because of our local Iowa support and readership and we ask that you look on our pages and try to frequent those places when you are out and about. Many of those listed are mom and pop businesses like us and rely on you walking through their doors to keep them open. For every reader that picks up a copy, please share it when you are done with it and we hope no one is ever afraid to submit some photos for Thunder Cam, stop by to see us at events, or help us get into more businesses that should have the latest issue of Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa on their counter. We appreciate all that you do for us, and try to give back to the biker community with our publication.  Thanks, one and all!

Stay safe, enjoy the ride, and I’ll see you down the road.

Vernon Schwarte
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Proud Editor/Owner Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa

Proud Owner Thunder Guns West and Thunder Guns

IMDA Board Member

Iowa COC Legislative Officer