A bit of Raffle Bike Trivia

Paul Valentine donates the Club's first Raffle Bike back to the Club

Paul Valentine is a Life Member who first joined the club in 1986. He has been a prominent and active member ever since. Throughout the Club's website you can see his many photos that he takes at all the major club events including almost all LOtP Rallyes. Paul has just donated his BSA 441 Victor that he won as the club's first Rallye Raffle Bike in 1990 back to the club. It will again be used as a raffle bike. Many thanks to Paul for all he has done for the club.

Paul with his raffle bike on the way to the Little House.

The auctioning of our first motorcycle!!!
By Wendy Griffiths

The NTNOA's very first raffle bike was a BSA 441 Victor. The year was 1990 and Paul Valentine was the lucky winner. Paul recently rediscovered it while cleaning out his backyard storage building. A tree is slowly demolishing the building so he has been emptying it to tear it down; thus bringing out the bike. Paul is certain of the date because it’s lettered on the gas tank by a guy named Curtis that used to hang around Big D in those days. Curtis misspelled Raffle on the tank. He spelled it as "Raffel". The bike is complete except for a battery and a zener diode. It was running when Paul stored it right after the rallye. It needs a lot of cleaning up from years of being subject to various types of varmints, but it has fared much better than expected.

Here's the rest of the story in an email sent to Wendy Griffiths on September 30th, 2020 from the original owner.

Wendy,

Thank you for continuing the tradition with this very worth while motorcycle raffle. While you may not know, or remember me, I actually started the raffle some 20 plus years ago when I was president of the club. I had an old BSA Victor that needed much attention, and donated it to the club to raffle off at Lake O' the Pines.

It was Jack Wilson, from Big D. Cycle, and his employees immediately took over the project, and donated a lot of time, labor, parts, and love to bring back a very much under rated motorcycle to the rally. Then while on display in front of all of us, Jack actually signed the gas tank. I do not remember who won the Victor, but am sure they really enjoyed it for a long time.

Thanks again!
Richard Martin (500 CC's My Limit)

P.S. The call sign above was what I used as the Author, and Editor of the monthly NTNOA news letter that Bob Minyard used to publish, and mail out for us at his expense. Miss you guys!!