SCRC Loudoun VA Featured Member - July, 2005


Name:   Doug Middleton

Nickname:   Breeze

Marital Status:  Married to a wonderful girl, Melissa.

Location:  Leesburg, VA

Hometown:  Leesburg now; used to be the eastern shore of Maryland.

Children:  Two boys of my own. Also, a stepdaughter and a stepson.

Age:  43

Occupation:  Diesel Mechanic

Current motorcycle(s):  2003 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic Silverado

How did you hear about the SCRC and when did you join?
Found it on the Internet. Joined some time last year, can’t hardly remember yesterday, let alone last year!!

How long have you been riding?
Including dirt bikes, about 30 years off and on. Street bikes, ‘bout 10 years

Have you ever taken a motorcycle safety course?
No, but I want to eventually to help get better with the bike.

What was your first bike?
Very first bike was a mini bike with a 5 HP Briggs and Stratton engine. Ran pretty good until I decided to use paint thinner instead of gas. Ran real good that day for about an hour. First street bike was a 1980 Honda CX 500C.

How many bikes have you owned?
4 street bikes.

Why do you ride?
Same reason I sail, I love the feel of the wind and the way it relaxes me and the way it makes the stress of every day life go away. Besides, it’s just plain fun!

Have you ridden with an organized group before?
No, not until the SCRC.

What modifications have you done to your bike?
If you ask Melissa, too many! Actually, I have modified the intake, rejetted the carbs, gutted the exhaust, floor board extensions, bikini beach bars, hard bags, tear drop tail lights, and of course, a custom paint job. I am sure I forgot some though.

What accessories do you want to add to your bike?
Hmmm, that’s a hard question. Want to get some handlebar speakers, change the air intake system, maybe some different pipes, trailer hitch w/ trailer...and the list goes on!

What is your dream bike?
A Gold Wing set up for touring with a matching trailer.

What kind of riding do you like to do — straight-aways or twisties?
I like the twisties, but am not as fast as some people. I tend to be more of a flower sniffer type rider.

If you have a nickname, how did you get it? Tell the truth!
Been very, very careful not to give you guys a reason to give me one yet, LOL!

What is your favorite riding route?
As of right now, would have to be the route we took on the NOVA loop, but I am sure that will change.

Do you ride your bike to work?
I ride year round to work, regardless of the weather unless there is ice on the road.

What is the fastest you’ve ridden?
Took my CX up to 120 one time, that was plenty fast enough for me!

What is your favorite time of year to ride?
Spring when all the new fresh smells are in the air and also Fall with the leaves changing colors.

Have you ever been down? If so, how were you hurt and what did you learn from the incident?
Yes, I was rear ended back in January on Rt. 28. Wasn’t hurt, very lucky in that respect. Learned several things from it. I now watch my mirrors much more closely. Learned that cagers just don’t see anything, and when it comes to a motorcycle accident with a cage in certain areas, cops just don’t care about bikers. Sorry to all you members who are police officers, but you all know my dealings with this one.

Have you ever done an "Iron Butt" ride?
No, but does sound interesting.

If not, what is the furthest you’ve ridden?
1400 miles in 3 days.

What was the worst weather in which you’ve ridden?
Got caught in two snow storms back when I had my CX 500.

Do you know how to work on your bike?
I do all my own work on my bike.

What is your favorite road song?
Don’t have a favorite one but now that Melissa bought me a Sirius Satellite radio, I sure do like listening to my country music when cruising!

What was your most adventurous ride?
When a couple of buddies and we went to Cass, West Virginia. Took a really twisty road, and one of the bikes went down. Some pretty serious twisties on that road.

What rallies or events do you like to attend?
Haven’t attended too many, but prefer to go places that aren’t too wild, more of a family type atmosphere.

Is there someone who rides "two-up" with you?
My wife Melissa rides with me as much as possible. She loves to ride as much as I do!

Off the cuff from...Breeze
Off the cuff from me huh, I moved up here almost 2 years ago from the Eastern shore of Maryland. Had been dating Melissa for a little over a year prior. Finally got married to her back in May. We picked out this bike together and have been enjoying riding together since the first day. A lot of people have said we will want to move up to a bigger bike, but got to admit we are loving our little ole 650. Back in January the bike was totaled when I got rear ended on my way to work. We bought it back from the insurance company and you see now what we ended up with! When we first got the bike we thought it would be nice to meet and ride with others that shared our same interest. Since neither one of use drinks, we wanted to find a group that wasn’t all about partying. We found the SCRC group, and haven’t regretted it at all! From the first meeting we went to, this group has made us feel very welcome. We even had a few of them to the wedding! Definitely looking forward to meeting more members and doing a lot more rides with this group!

And don’t let Ricochet fool you, she doesn’t have that great of a memory, she just has one of those fancy thingies she keeps notes in all the time. Had me fooled for a long time! LOL