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MID-MICHIGAN BMW TOURING CLUB
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Steve and Sharlyn Sutton |
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I have been intrigued by motorcycles since I was little. I remember one of the older boys in my neighborhood when I was young had a Cushman Eagle. Boy that was "The Motorscooter" to have back in the 50's. I went to MSU in 1963 and purchased a Vespa motorscooter which I had great fun with for 2 years on campus. I graduated in 1966 with a BSEE. I almost bought a Honda 305 Super Hawk upon graduating, but needed to concentrate on getting a job. I ended up hiring in at AC Spark Plug in 1967 (now called Delphi). I married my wife Sharlyn in 1969 and then we proceeded to raise our family of 7 wonderful children. I received my MSEE from MSU in 1975. Motorcycles would not enter my life (other than the kids mini bikes and trail bikes) for another 30 years. I was re-introduced to motorcycles in 1995 when my neighbor wanted to sell his very nice 1975 Honda CB 550. I remember thinking how big that bike was. Three years later he wanted to sell a 1978 Goldwing GL 1000 that he had done some very fine work on. The Goldwing has taken me on a number of trips: The BMW Rally of the Rolling Broccoli Riders in Wiarton, Ontario with George Hameline; The BMW Kentucky trip with George and all you nice people in the BMW club in 2001. I have also gone on the "Midnight Ride" to the Mackinaw Bridge for several years with a group of riders from Fenton (sponsored by Gd. Rapids Goldwing Club). Also have made several other trips to Canada such as Tobermory and Wawa, Ontario. I have also done a rather unusual ride called the "Sunrise/Sunset ride"; going up to Harrisville on Friday night, getting up at 5am Sat. and watching the sunrise at Sturgeon point then riding up to the Bridge and then down to Acadia on Lake Michigan to watch the sunset on Sat. Night. A friend in Fenton organizes several of these trips every year. I am constantly looking at other bikes, but so far, none can match the ride and features of my 1978 Goldwing for the money. Sharlyn has gone on some local trips with me. Several years ago, I took a Friday off, as we planned to see her Uncle in Durand and then travel up toward Chesaning. I went out in the garage and pulled the Goldwing off the center stand, only to find that the rear tire was flat !! We ended up taking the Honda 550. On the way back from Chesaning, we bought an antique medicine chest which I bungee'd to the luggage rack. We also picked up a bag of grocery's in Fenton on the way home. Sharlyn held the bag while I drove. While she enjoys riding on the back roads, she is always worried about the safety aspect. I hope I get can her to ride to some breakfasts this year and meet you wonderful people in the club. I retired from Delphi Fuel Handling Engineering in 1998 and went to work full time for Tawas Industries. They are both a manufacturing company and a sales rep. and distribution company for Delphi's Non-Automotive Customers. I am Technical Support/ Liaison between Tawas, Delphi and the customers for all Delphi Energy and Chassis components. I am resident at Delphi Technical Center in Brighton and also at Delphi Headquarters in Troy. It's a great job and I don't plan on retiring for quite a while. It's a good thing because I have to keep paying for these kids! Steve Sutton |
