SMOG (Selene Motorcycle Owners Gang)

Brothers -

After receiving lots of good comments from the Gang, I drew a proposal for Arina and Howard to use to complete their (maybe) final draft of the SMOG logo. It is attached. I did suggest that the image inside the perimeter be reduced in size by 10% - 15% to provide more room for language. I also suggested that if space allows, the “PLANET EARTH” line describing our territory be included, but only if it fit properly. As you will note, I pushed the bolts down and out to avoid the type (and also suggested that they could do better on bolts than I did). Stay tuned.

J

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

John -

Not to be too much of a bummer, but as we all know time marches on. We enjoyed Andy’s Hideaway back in the 2001 - 2009 years when we kept our Fountaine Pajot Cumberland 44 Powercat ADVOKAT in Saint Thomas. We would run down through the Leewards to Saint Barth on that fast cat and party. Lots of great family and friends vacations to be remembered.

But Andy’s Hideaway is no longer there, replaced many years ago by one restaurant and now occupied by La Casina, another eating and drinking place. More upscale, but, you know - not Andy’s. I know Jimmy Buffett hung out at Le Select and showed up there with his guitar and played sometimes, but I never saw him. And now Jimmy is gone.

Heck, I was just doin’ my own thing, passing time and having fun. All of a sudden, no fault of mine that I know, 1975 is fifty years ago. What the hell happened?

Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Roger -

I agree completely Brother. With apparent unanimous consent among those interested enough to engage, I will extend such an invitation to the Selene Community.

John -

Careful Brother. Be very careful. I’m not as bad as I once was, but I’m as bad once as I ever was. (Credit to Toby Keith for lyrics). Seriously though, your grandson is obviously a Badass and I would be proud to sponsor his membership as a SMOG B&CSB (Brownies and Cub Scouts Bunch) prospect. His ride is perfect for his size and I am sure he will graduate to Ducatis, Triumphs, Indians or something else that will horrify his parents (as I horrified mine when I started riding at around 7) when the time comes. Heck, he looks so cool that I promise to pay for his first SMOG tattoo when he graduates to the big leagues and joins us.

If we must dust it up, well, as I said, I’m bad. I will meet you out back of any bar that will still let me in to start with. You can even bring your grandson to back you up, so long as he promises not to shoot my eye out with his Red Ryder Carbine Action BB gun. I am not sure Andy’s Hideaway on Saint Barth’s is one of those bars - last time I left there I was too drunk to even fish and may have staggered out without paying my tab. Maybe Le Select, another favorite of Jimmy Buffett’s there and a place Terry and I hang out every time we are through. But there is no real “out back” there so we will just have to have a drink off to settle things I guess. See pic from last time we were through March 2025. Another pic attached is of my ride on Saint Barth’s loaned to me by our fellow Selener, Hugues Poirot, who owns a boat yard there. His boat is Solar Fox - over 3,000 watts of solar array!

Brian -

I think you are onto something Brother! There are E-motorcycles out there that are mind blowing. Harley-Davidson LiveWire, Zero DSR/X, Energica Experia, BMW CE and others come to mind. These are typically one speed machines, most that truly fly - I am talking 0-60 in two seconds! Of course, they are almost all heavy and have limited range, but not my problem. I sure don’t think we should insist on IC power, but your idea that an E-bike should be able to keep up with the IC Gang makes sense. This process of determining who and what is worthy sure sounds like it could turn out to be a real long talk, if lubricated appropriately of course.

So, don’t forget to check the pics of our favorite bar on Saint Barth’s and our custom ride (called the bathtub) when on island.

And yes, I rode today - took my classic 2007 Triumph America out to exercise her. She is available to any Brother who visits here and we can ride the twisties here in the back country of the Northern Neck (NN) of Virginia. Then I put everything I own in the house, garage or outbuilding in anticipation of this awful snowstorm that should arrive late tomorrow.

Easy Ridin’ Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

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Posted by: John Midlige on 1/23/2026 at 1:50 PM
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Ok get stuffed Jack,

Just because you’re president of this unruly gang doesn’t mean you get to just have your way with us.  You can go pound sand.

This is my Grandson on his E-Bike (6 yrs old).  See attached photo.

He will absolutely want to be a prospect and if you have a problem with that I suggest that we step outside behind the roadhouse and settle it.  

This is our first official dust up as a gang and I’m proud to be involved in it.  Loser buys next round.

John






Ok just in case anyone can’t figure this out I’m totally joking around.

I agree with Jack that some standards must exist although as the self appointed Vice President of this gang I can’t begin to fathom what they would be.  The most excellent thing about being a vice president is you get a cool title with absolutely no authority over anything and no power or responsibility.  In other words it’s completely irrelevant and meaningless.  This suits me to a T.

Could there be a minimum speed requirement that an E-bike must be able to obtain ??   Just wondering out loud.
There are E-Motorcycles that are just starting to come into play out there.  Fast and a lot of torque.  I’m guessing they would certainly qualify.

I especially like the idea of sitting around at the end of our first rally and cogitating this over some beverages.  I’ve still got some killer Rhume Vanille that I learned to make from Andy's Hideaway, home of “corked wine, warm beer, lousy food, view of the car park," in St. Barts.     The link below is a good dive into island life as seen through Jimmy Buffets experiences on St. Barts.

https://www.wimco.com/villa-rentals/caribbean/st-barthelemy/jimmy-buffett#:~:text=Andy's%2520Hideaway%252C%2520home%2520of%2520%E2%80%9Ccorked,was%2520British%252Dborn%2520bon%252Dvivant%2520Andy%2520Hall.

Other Thoughts ?????

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Ok get stuffed Jack,

Just because you’re president of this unruly gang doesn’t mean you get to just have your way with us. You can go pound sand.

This is my Grandson on his E-Bike (6 yrs old). See attached photo.

He will absolutely want to be a prospect and if you have a problem with that I suggest that we step outside behind the roadhouse and settle it.

This is our first official dust up as a gang and I’m proud to be involved in it. Loser buys next round.

John

Ok just in case anyone can’t figure this out I’m totally joking around.

I agree with Jack that some standards must exist although as the self appointed Vice President of this gang I can’t begin to fathom what they would be. The most excellent thing about being a vice president is you get a cool title with absolutely no authority over anything and no power or responsibility. In other words it’s completely irrelevant and meaningless. This suits me to a T.

Could there be a minimum speed requirement that an E-bike must be able to obtain ?? Just wondering out loud.

There are E-Motorcycles that are just starting to come into play out there. Fast and a lot of torque. I’m guessing they would certainly qualify.

I especially like the idea of sitting around at the end of our first rally and cogitating this over some beverages. I’ve still got some killer Rhume Vanille that I learned to make from Andy's Hideaway, home of “corked wine, warm beer, lousy food, view of the car park," in St. Barts. The link below is a good dive into island life as seen through Jimmy Buffets experiences on St. Barts.

https://www.wimco.com/villa-rentals/caribbean/st-barthelemy/jimmy-buffett#:~:text=Andy's%2520Hideaway%252C%2520home%2520of%2520%E2%80%9Ccorked,was%2520British%252Dborn%2520bon%252Dvivant%2520Andy%2520Hall.

Other Thoughts ?????

Brothers -

I am down with inviting everyone who owns both a motorcycle and a Selene, or has the intention to do so and is moving in that direction, into SMOG. We do need to grow our ranks and widen our geographic territory.

However, the idea of allowing all E-bikes to count as motorcycles and all E-bike riders to become prospects concerns me. We do need to have minimum standards. We don’t want to become a LCDG (Lowest Common Denominator Gang). I mean, if we allowed everyone on anything into the Gang, even the rider in the attached photo would be a member (she is cute, but we would need a baby biker branch to include this type - like Brownies or Cub Scouts).

I suggest that we agree to allow all bikers and boaters as described above in first. Then, at our inaugural rally, we can decide what happens next. Or maybe someone else has an idea to ensure that our brand remains strong. Please share your thoughts.

And anyone with contact information for Brian Calvert please share it. His emails are bouncing back to me.

Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Brothers -

When we get this Colors and patch thing done I propose that we amend the requirements for a prospect to patch in to the Gang. Not everyone is bold enough to put a motorcycle on a boat. There are quite a few folks out there who have motorcycles and Selenes and love to both cruise and ride, but they will never get their ride on their boat for some reason. Maybe they are practical, logical, sensible or something silly like that. I propose that we invite those folks to join us, and to cruise and ride with us, even if they don’t get their cycles on their boats. I believe this inclusion would allow the Gang to grow and give us a better presence in the Selene community. And when we do ride, we would likely ride together in greater numbers. It is always fun to make it a rally of sorts. We can gather on our bikes around our boats and socialize.

Along the same lines, as instigator in chief I have a duty to ask - Do we want to allow E-bikes in our Gang? That is a tough one for me. Beware the slippery slope. I think E-bikes are very fun and cool. Definitely have wanted one when pedaling up a big hill on my regular folding bike with groceries in a backpack. However, I am concerned that seeing our Colors on the back of a nice leather or denim vest worn by someone riding an E-bike might have others snickering too much. What would be next? Folding pedal bikes, battery powered skateboards, hoverboards and stand-up scooters? Not sure I could stomach diluting our brand like that. Can you imagine our Colors on the back of someone passing by on a Segway? I trust you can discern my opinion, but I have to ask.

Please consider each proposal above and speak. What say ye?

Easy Ridin’ Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Better? See attached.

J

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Agree with proposed changes.

1 suggestion - Shorten lightning bolts very slightly so they DO NOT overlap logo. Keep logo clean and easily readable.

Excellent

John

Brothers and Sisters -

Today I heard from Arina Chen at the shipyard with their spin on the SMOG logo for our colors. See attachment one.

We are making good progress - the yacht itself looks perfect IMO. The artist did not understand the importance of some parts of the original design, such as the necessity to have “MC” on the logo or the meaning of the lightning bolts (power). I very much like the perspective which puts the biker out ON the water in front of the boat rather than feet in the water as I designed initially.

IMO, the draft needs edits as follows: The boat and biker are a bit too large and need to be downsized maybe 15%. “MC” must be included on the right side of logo to comply with motorcycle colors etiquette and indicate that we are in fact a “Motorcycle Club” and not outlaws. The lightning bolts should be included because they look cool, are a real thing on the road and on the water, and they give the patch some real zap. The “FF” was retained but I think we can delete that and replace it on the left side at 9:00 o’clock with “USA” to show our chapter location since we are from all over; If we want to demonstrate Founding Father (“FF”) or some other status, rank or designation, we can do so with supplemental patches worn elsewhere on a vest or jacket; This lets us have one primary patch for all members without having to edit the patch design. Finally, the water surface drawn by the artist is flat and I prefer a little wave action as in my edited version (and the real world).

My edited version of Arina’s design is attachment two and includes all of the changes mentioned above, except the size of the central logo has not been downsized 15% as I don’t readily have the technology. Another thing that is missing is the “Planet Earth” language below the “SMOG” acronym which, in colors layout, demonstrates our territory. However, we do state “BORN TO RIDE THE SEVEN SEAS” which may be sufficient, but please comment. Keep in mind the less type the easier to design, create and read the colors.

Finally - colors - Arina sent her draft in black and white which I would expect. I propose that we go with white boat, gray sky, blue water, and gold lightning bolts, wings and headlight (we all do ride with our headlight on).

PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS ASAP as it has taken me a minute to get this far with this project (thought I was ghosted) and I would like to get back to Arina right away so that we can take the next step. I will visit the shipyard in MARCH and maybe I can bring some patches home to distribute if lucky.

Easy Ridin’ Jack

Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047