POLAR BEAR
2012 Berks HOG Polar Bear Program
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
BERKS HOG POLAR BEAR CLUB - CHARTER MEMBERS
BERKS HOG POLAR BEAR CLUB - 2012 TOP TEN POINT TOTALS
BERKS HOG POLAR BEAR CLUB - 2012 PERFECT ATTENDANCE
Berks HOG’s Polar Bear program is now in its twelfth year. Each year this program is adjusted to suit the needs of our chapter and give it’s members better opportunities to spend time riding together. If you don’t care to brave the cold on your motorcycle, come on out to visit with us in your car. You won’t want to miss the fun we have at these events.
DISCLAIMER: The Polar Bear program is intended to be a hardcore program. Rides are only cancelled if the program official feels that nobody could make it safely. That is pretty rare. Road conditions are checked between Classic HD and the destination. If the roads and parking lots are passable, the event is on. That does not mean that it is safe for you to ride. Only you can decide if the conditions on your driveway and local roads are safe enough for you to pass. Remember, these rides are opportunities to ride your motorcycle, not requirements. There are more than enough rides and miles to earn your patch. If the bike feels too risky, please come in your car.
Benefits of Polar Bear riding:
- All Qualifying Polar Bears receive the Polar Bear Patch pictured on the cover.
- Multiple year participants receive a rocker displaying the number of years in the program.
- Prizes will be awarded for the high points competition.
- Prizes will be awarded to riders and passengers who achieve perfect attendance
- No need to winterize your bike if you’re riding it.
- Most importantly, you don’t have to give up the gatherings with all of your friends in Berks County HOG just because the weather has changed.
Qualifying for the Polar Bear Club Patch:
- Attend 2 Polar Bear Destination Rides
- Earn 1,000 points (see how below)
- Passengers need 500 points (5 events)
At the kickoff event on Nov. 12th at The Hitching Post, your VIN number and odometer will be read. If you miss kick off, or have more than one motorcycle to register, contact Dale Sheafer by e-mail, Asstdirector@hog.classicharley.com to have your odometer read. Harry Knerr in the parts department at Classic Harley-Davidson can also take your starting mileage, or any other HOG officer. This reading will also be used as the starting mileage for the Road Warrior program.
The kickoff event will earn you your first 100 points. After your mileage is read you earn 1 point for every mile you’ve ridden, and 100 points for every event that you attend. You are only required to attend 2 events to receive your award, so you have lots of flexibility in earning 1,000 points. You could do 9 events and 100 miles, or 2 event and 800 miles. But don’t let them all wait until the end.
At the Polar Bear Awards Ceremony, your ending mileage will be taken. If you can’t attend the awards ceremony, or if you have multiple motorcycles to register, you must have your odometer read before the awards ceremony. The awards ceremony is also worth 100 points.
The Rides:
Polar Bear rides are all destination rides except for the New Years day ride which will be a group ride from Classic. The distance to each destination will vary, but most will be at least a 45 minute ride from Classic. Some will be considerably more. Each ride will be pre-ridden from Classic HD to insure that a relatively safe path exists. The HOG Hotline (610-926-3380) will be updated the day of each ride. In the event that a ride is cancelled, the hotline will be updated and a post made to Google Groups. Cancelled rides will not be rescheduled.
Extra Credit:
Extra cold Polar Bears will be rewarded for their dedication. If the temperature in Reading stays below 25 Degrees on the day of a Polar Bear destination ride, that ride will be worth 125 points.
Bonus Rides:
Bonus rides may happen at any time during the Polar Bear season. A message will be posted on Google no less than 1 day before the ride. The details will be completely at the program official’s discretion. Bonus Rides will be worth 50 points. The primary purpose of these rides will be to make up some points if too many of the regularly scheduled rides get snowed out. You don’t have to make these rides to get perfect attendance, and they will not count as the minimum 2 rides.
New Year’s Day:
Every year on New Year’s Day, we leave as a group from Classic HD headed for the Richland quarry. The time of the start of this ride will be dependent upon the time of the water polar bear event. You are required to start and finish that ride with the group in order to get the 100 points.
Points Competition:
We will award prizes for the top 3 point totals at the awards ceremony. Remember that the awards ceremony is the last chance to have your odometer read. (Program official has the right to re-organize prize payout depending on the number of perfect attendance awards)
Perfect Attendance:
Prizes will be awarded to riders who attend every Polar Bear ride. The kick off event and the awards ceremony are both required for perfect attendance. Bonus rides will not count toward perfect attendance, nor will they make up for missed rides. A missed ride is permanent. If a ride is cancelled, it is stricken from the record so that perfect attendance is still possible. Perfect attendance for a Polar Bear rider is quite an achievement.
Safety:
Riding your motorcycle in cold temperatures increases your risk of an accident. When the body is cold, reaction times are slower and dexterity is diminished. Leave more room to maneuver your motorcycle and remember to use your rider radar.
Cold tires don’t stick to the road as well, and cables can freeze. Be sure to check over your bike before you take off on the day’s ride. Also remember to take those turns a little slower and keep an eye out for cinders.
Because of the wind speeds we experience while riding our motorcycles, the cold can be very dangerous. Hypothermia is a real threat when you ride for more than 10 minutes in severe temperatures. Please dress warm enough for the conditions. Serious shivering is the first symptom of hypothermia. If you experience this, find a place to get warm immediately.
Above all else, trust your own judgment. The rides will only be checked in a direct route from Classic HD to the destination. A green light on the ride might not mean that your route is safe. If you do not feel comfortable with the conditions for the ride that day, just wait for the next one. No Polar Bear ride, patch, or perfect attendance award, is worth risking a motorcycle crash.
FUN:
As this program grows and more and more people come out to each event, they leave with bigger and bigger smiles. The challenge of the cold weather ride brings a sense of camaraderie that only exists between the members who appreciate these events. Please join us for the tenth year of the Berks County HOG Polar Bear Program!
