Motorcycle riders hit highways to battle children's disease

For the past four years, area motorcycle riders have traversed a variety of circuitous, roundabout routes from Beaverton to Tigard to raise money and awareness for juvenile myositis, an autoimmune disease affecting 17,000 children and adults in the U.S.

This year’s fifth-annual ride, which begins Saturday morning at Black Rock Coffee in Beaverton, will be different. For the first time since the charity event’s inception, Mason Smedley — the ride’s goodwill ambassador and mascot — will be absent, in the physical sense, at least. The 10-year-old boy, who struggled with the disease commonly known as JM for most of his life, died June 19 as a result of its complications.

“That’s the beauty of doing what we do. People will make new friends on this ride. It’s about growing the community." — Brian Launer, organizer of Mason Smedley Memorial Ride for the Cure JM Foundation

Brian Launer, one of the Intel Motorcycle Club-sponsored ride’s founders and key organizers, doesn’t deny the added poignancy of this year’s event, billed as the Mason Smedley Memorial Ride.

“It definitely is raising our care factor, if you will,” says the Aloha resident. “It’s definitely more emotional and closer to our hearts than ever before. He was an unbelievable child. I can tell you, as a 48-year-old, I learned some things from that 10-year-old.”

Registration for the ride begins at 8 a.m. at Black Rock Coffee, Northwest 185th Avenue and Baseline Road. Riders pay $10, which includes coffee and one raffle ticket good for a variety of prizes. The ride will commence over three, pre-planned routes — all kept secret until ride time — from between 130 to 300 miles. It ends with a party Beaverton Motorcycles, 10389 Cascade Blvd., in Tigard, that gets rolling at 4 p.m.

A drawing for the raffle prizes, including helmets, riding gear, one night at a coastal bed and breakfast, restaurant dining certificates, wine and coffee, among other items, will be announced at 5 p.m.

A separate raffle, whose tickets sell for $25 each, qualify entrants to win a black 2012 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R motorcycle, provided courtesy of Beaverton Motorcycles. The winner of that prize, for which 1,000 tickets are being sold, will be announced at a drawing later this year or earlier, depending on how fast the tickets disappear.

Proceeds from entry fees and raffle tickets go to the Cure JM Foundation, says Chuck Taylor, a former Intel employee who founded the company’s motorcycle club in 2002. The fundraising goal for the fifth-annual ride is $10,000, including entry fees and the motorcycle raffle.

“Ninety-five percent of the money raised for this charity goes directly to the cause,” he says, noting the large overhead costs of other charitable organizations. “A huge amount goes directly toward what we’re raising it for.”

Taylor, 43, who works for Tualatin’s Lam Research, remains with the Intel Motorcycle Club. Club riders participated in other charitable events in the area before deciding to champion their own cause. When members learned the son of fellow employee Damon Smedley was stricken with JM, the group hitched its wagon to Cure JM Foundation.

“It’s a small charity. It’s not a big organization that gets millions of dollars a year,” Taylor says. “The amount of money we raise for them is considerable based on the amounts they typically get.”

Taylor believes there’s something particularly powerful about helping those in need whose lives are just beginning.

“A person who’s older and experienced things, they’ve had a life,” he says. “Where with (JM) you’ve got this child who hasn’t experienced a lot in life. For me it just feels better to help a child in need.”

Mystery ride

Specific routes for the motorcycle rides are traditionally kept secret. The goal adds to the event’s adventure while maintaining the mystery of a scavenger hunt in which riders seek out clues, signs and landmarks they document on their maps to qualify for raffle prizes.

Those who identify at least six clues are entered into a drawing for a night for two at Craftsman Bed and Breakfast in Pacific City.

“It’s really cool to see people stop at the location and try to find a clue,” Taylor says. “It increases the participant enjoyment and interaction.”

Launer, 48, agrees with the aura of mystery behind each year’s route selections.

“It’s part of the excitement of the ride,” he says of the scavenger hunt. “It tends to bring out people who are curious. We don’t give it out in advance so people don’t go out and pre-route it.”

Three routes, ranging from 130 miles to almost 300 miles, are available this year, based on a rider’s preference of distance and time of departure. The last bikes pull out from Black Rock Coffee by 10 a.m.

“Some ride and leave early in the morning, taking a relaxed ride and taking breaks on a route that takes them along rivers,” Launer says. “Some relax and stop every 30 to 50 miles, while others ride hard core all day from beginning to end.”

Last year’s event attracted around 75 riders. With increased marketing this year, not to mention a classic summer weather forecast for this weekend, organizers expect an uptick in participation.

“The weather’s supposed to be good,” Taylor says. “We may get double this year.”

In addition to raising awareness about JM and its devastating effects on children, Launer appreciates the camaraderie that forms along the routes — and grows each year.

“That’s the beauty of doing what we do,” he says. “People will make new friends on this ride. It’s about growing the community.