motorcycles

Meet Trooper Mike Niezgoda, who is part of the State Police motorcycle detail out of Clarence.

Trooper Niezgoda was nice enough to meet me one day out in Pembroke for a photo and an interview to coincide with Motorcycle Safety Month. It was a great interview. Unfortunately, my recorder failed me and the interview was lost.

We've tried to arrange a follow-up phone interview, but it hasn't quite come together.

But it's still an important public service message: Be careful out there.

Car drivers, be aware that you share the road with two-wheeled friends. 

One thing Niezgoda emphasized is "look twice." Most car-motorcycle accidents occur at intersections because drivers simply don't see the approaching motorcycle so they pull out into traffic, especially when making turns.

Drivers need to be careful about following too closely behind motorcycles. Hitting a bike from the rear can be fatal for the rider, even if the speeds would have resulted in just a fender-bender for cars.

For motorcycle riders -- get as much safety training as you can, wear DOT approved helmets, and be alert for drivers pulling into your path.

A couple of notes about Niezgoda and his bike. Trooper Niezgoda is also a Marine. He served a tour in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan. He is passionate about motorcycles and rides a Harley in his off-time as well. The Harley he is riding was part of the factory output on Sept. 11, 2001. Harley-Davidson donated that run of bikes to NYPD and State Police.

A few motorcycle enthusiasts have found a way to bring thousands of riders to Genesee County this summer with a Round-up Rally on Aug. 12, 13 and 14 in the Clarion Hotel's south parking lot

Dave Kasinski proudly wore a shirt that reads, “It’s In Our Blood” with a silhouette of him, his brother and his son standing next to their bikes beneath the words.

Kasinski used to ride motorcycles during his college days but the hobby faded when it came time to raise his family. A few years ago, he took hold of the handlebars again and hasn’t looked back.

“When my son Sam went off to college, he ended up getting a motorcycle and so did I, so we could go riding,” Kasinski explained with a smile. Soon, his brother was riding along with them, too.

The trio has gone on trips to meet up with fellow bikers before -- that’s how they came up with the idea to host a similar event in Genesee County.

“That’s the thing, we’ve done it,” Kasinski said. “We pick two or three events a year and we just take a ride. That’s the whole fun part about owning a bike. No one wants to just ride around and around their own hometown forever.”

So in an effort to bring other riders here, Kasinski – with some help from the chamber of commerce – is hosting the Round-up Rally with plans to send riders downtown and throughout the county to check out what we’ve got to offer.

“Batavia has a lot to it – if you look at a map and see how all the streets come from different directions like Route 98, 63, 20, 33, 5 – every direction you could come from. We said, ‘Let’s bring 'em in from all over Western New York!’”

One event, aptly named Cruzin’ the County, aims to get bikers to do just that.

Businesses that aren’t located in downtown Batavia can sign on as sponsors of the event and then they’ll get the opportunity to have their place put on a map handed out to the riders. Places like Alli’s Cones and Dogs in Oakfield, Red Osier in Stafford and the Log Cabin in Corfu have already signed on.

“The map will show all the locations they (the riders) can go,” Kasinski explained. “It will also have an area for the business owners to put a stamp on it once a rider gets there. When riders come back to the Rally with a full sheet stamped, they can enter their map into a big cash drawing.”

The Cruzin’ the County cash winner will be announced at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13.

Riders will also have the option to participate in the Rally Mug Club. Round-up Rally planners are working to create a logo to be printed on coffee mugs. Riders who get the printed mugs can enjoy discounts at restaurants and bars in Batavia. Eight different places will be printed on the mug.

“If you’re not from Batavia you don’t know the places in the city,” Kasinski said. “But if you have a list and a map, and a choice of location, and a discount for having the mug, you’ll try somewhere new.”

On the last day of the Round-up Rally, Kasinski and his crew are planning a Poker Run to benefit a charity.

“We’ll pick a few locations from Cruzin’ the County and we’ll start at the Clarion,” he said excitedly. “Then, riders will go out to each place and get a poker card. At the end of the day, whoever comes back with the best poker hand will win a prize.”

There are still sponsorship opportunities available for the Round-up Rally, and planners hope this first year is a huge success.

“What we’re hoping to see is a little more sponsorship from the members in the city,” Kasinski said. “At minimum, if they would be willing to sponsor a rider they would be recognized for it and the charities we pick would do so well and the Round-up Rally would have an awesome first year.”

For more information, visit their Web site or contact Dave Kasinski at 585-768-7260 or John Kasinski at 716-683-7647.

This morning, driving down Main Street, Batavia, I spotted a group Border Patrol agents riding Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, and I immediately thought, "I've never seen the Border Patrol on motor bikes before."

I would soon learn, this is an unusual sight -- there is only one motor bike unit with the Border Patrol in the United States, and they're based in Grand Island.

I stopped at an intersection next to the agents and asked one what they were up to and he told me they were headed to Stan's Harley-Davidson -- a pilgrimage of sorts, I gather.

The agents were in town to display their bikes at a Border Patrol co-sponsored golf tournament at Batavia Country Club.

Assistant Chief Mike Hester told me the Border Patrol invested in the Harley unit a year ago, during the previous administration, when the President was looking to double the size of the Border Patrol. Area agents found out that the Buffalo region has the second highest rate of Harley ownership in the nation, so a Harley unit was seen as a way to get into the community and recruit potential agents. Mostly, the Harley unit has been used at bike events and other community events, but they also patrol the tourist areas of Niagara, where heavy pedestrian traffic can make a typical cruiser harder and more dangerous to use.

Pictured are Supervisor Adam Matuszeiuski, Chief Hester, Acting Assistant Chief Andrew Scharnweber and Field Operations Supervisor Jason Heckler.

Stan's Harley was the group's last stop for the day in Genesee County before heading home.