Joe of Rommel Harley Davidson of Delaware, Maryland and North Carolina, right, and a potential customer bow their heads during the blessing of the bikes on Sunday. (Chris Barber — 21st Century Media)
The event was not limited to Harleys, however. Drivers of every kind of cycle, from off-roads to Triumphs and Hondas and even vintage cars, were there to soak in the sun, have a hotdog and greet their riding friends at the Power Place Church on Rosedale Road.
The blessing prayer delivered by Pastor Greg Hollis was billed as the main feature and the theme of the morning.
“Thank you, God, for theses men and women and the amazing motorcycles they ride,” he prayed. “May His presence go with you as you ride ... May his presence surround you every time you get on your bike.”
But the warm sunshine and high spirits offered more than just a chance to ask for God’s attention to the vehicles.
Honor Bound Motorcycle Club, the group that attends the Power Place Church, hosted what amounted to a huge picnic and reunion of riders.
Probably the most popular aspect of the Blessing of the Bikes was not the blessing at all, but rather the chance to look at other motorcycles and talk to the owners.
Many of them, including “Guru,” 72, from New London, ride all year around. But in between rides, he keeps the bike in his garage and shines it up so it gleams in the first rays of springtime sunshine. He even takes a New Year’s ride, which his club marks with a signature “brass nut.” He had a string of them hanging from his pocket, including several that had a facet painted white to signify that on that particular year it had snowed.
Guru said he has 83,000 miles on his bike.
“I used to spend winters riding in Florida. I’ve been to Sturgis (South Dakota, annual motorcycle gathering). It’s in your blood. I put my boys on bikes when they were 8,” he said. Continued...
For many riders, the winter is a time to embellish their bikes.
Jason Bochniak of Newark, Delaware, is the owner of what was the most admired and talked about bike at the gathering. It was all in chrome and decked out in just about every accessory imaginable.
Bochniak said he got the 2002 Harley Softail Deluxe that had endured a bad accident. He set about to fix it up, adding chrome super chargers and some kind of leather pigtails hanging from the handlebars.
“There’s not much Harley left in it,” he said.
He said he had attached a cylinder of nitrous oxide to the motor because it gave his ride a “kick in the butt.”
Raleigh Bowers of Kennett Square belongs to the Buffalo Soldiers Club of Newark, Delaware. He, too, spends his winters inside with his bike. When the club starts riding in the spring, however, the members prefer the roads of Delaware over those in Pennsylvania.
“Did you ever ride in Philadelphia?” he asked. “It’s full of potholes. Riders from all up and down the East Coast know how bad it is.”
Overseeing the whole event was Jeff Smack, the PennDell coordinator of Honor Bound Motorcycle Club. He also leads the motorcycle ministry at the Power Place Church and made sure there were volunteers to give out hotdogs and drinks to everyone, including even the scores of nonriding members of the congregation and their children.
He said this year’s was probably the most heavily attended. Continued...
Honor Bound is a national motorcycle club that has more than 100 chapters around the country. The local club meets in the Kennett Township Church which is part of an industrial complex.
Smack said the members of the church are not all bikers, but many people who ride motorcycles have common beliefs and tend to join in prayer at Honor Bound churches.
The event was not limited to Harleys, however. Drivers of every kind of cycle, from off-roads to Triumphs and Hondas and even vintage cars, were there to soak in the sun, have a hotdog and greet their riding friends at the Power Place Church on Rosedale Road.
The blessing prayer delivered by Pastor Greg Hollis was billed as the main feature and the theme of the morning.
“Thank you, God, for theses men and women and the amazing motorcycles they ride,” he prayed. “May His presence go with you as you ride ... May his presence surround you every time you get on your bike.”
But the warm sunshine and high spirits offered more than just a chance to ask for God’s attention to the vehicles.
Honor Bound Motorcycle Club, the group that attends the Power Place Church, hosted what amounted to a huge picnic and reunion of riders.
Probably the most popular aspect of the Blessing of the Bikes was not the blessing at all, but rather the chance to look at other motorcycles and talk to the owners.
Many of them, including “Guru,” 72, from New London, ride all year around. But in between rides, he keeps the bike in his garage and shines it up so it gleams in the first rays of springtime sunshine. He even takes a New Year’s ride, which his club marks with a signature “brass nut.” He had a string of them hanging from his pocket, including several that had a facet painted white to signify that on that particular year it had snowed.
Guru said he has 83,000 miles on his bike.
“I used to spend winters riding in Florida. I’ve been to Sturgis (South Dakota, annual motorcycle gathering). It’s in your blood. I put my boys on bikes when they were 8,” he said.
Not all riders are as rugged as Guru, however. Many of them, including Michael Kelly, 55, of Nottingham, awaits the arrival of spring and spends the winter grooming his 45-year-old Triumph. “I’m a fair-weather rider,” he said.
For many riders, the winter is a time to embellish their bikes.
Jason Bochniak of Newark, Delaware, is the owner of what was the most admired and talked about bike at the gathering. It was all in chrome and decked out in just about every accessory imaginable.
Bochniak said he got the 2002 Harley Softail Deluxe that had endured a bad accident. He set about to fix it up, adding chrome super chargers and some kind of leather pigtails hanging from the handlebars.
“There’s not much Harley left in it,” he said.
He said he had attached a cylinder of nitrous oxide to the motor because it gave his ride a “kick in the butt.”
Raleigh Bowers of Kennett Square belongs to the Buffalo Soldiers Club of Newark, Delaware. He, too, spends his winters inside with his bike. When the club starts riding in the spring, however, the members prefer the roads of Delaware over those in Pennsylvania.
“Did you ever ride in Philadelphia?” he asked. “It’s full of potholes. Riders from all up and down the East Coast know how bad it is.”
Overseeing the whole event was Jeff Smack, the PennDell coordinator of Honor Bound Motorcycle Club. He also leads the motorcycle ministry at the Power Place Church and made sure there were volunteers to give out hotdogs and drinks to everyone, including even the scores of nonriding members of the congregation and their children.
He said this year’s was probably the most heavily attended.
“In 2010, we started with about eight bikes, and this is how it’s grown,” he said.
Honor Bound is a national motorcycle club that has more than 100 chapters around the country. The local club meets in the Kennett Township Church which is part of an industrial complex.
Smack said the members of the church are not all bikers, but many people who ride motorcycles have common beliefs and tend to join in prayer at Honor Bound churches.
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