Atlanta Motorcycle Schools

Greetings Fellow Motorcyclists!

Thanksgiving has come and gone… Our family enjoyed good food and that special family closeness these get-togethers bring. Hope you enjoyed the same! Now we are all looking forward to the Christmas and New Year's holidays!

Mary Kay Offer

JoAnna continues to build her Mary Kay business—and has often combined it with visits to family and friends. She offers complimentary facials and would love to reconnect with many of you, our customer. If anyone is interested, please contact her at (770) 573-9902, e-mail (joanna@jkminc.com), or via her website (www.MaryKay.com/JoAnnaMurray).

She is also offering an AMS Christmas Special—10% off your total purchase during the month of December. Just enter "AMS" in the comments for your on-line order—or identify yourself as an AMS customer in your e-mail/phone call. There are many nice Christmas gifts for family, friends, or yourself—for both men and women! And she offers free shipping!

Refresher Courses and Spring Tour!

2010 will include more of the same great course offerings with increasing emphasis on the Dual Sport riding for all of you street riders out there… AS you know, we will provide the dual sport motorcycle to ride. Get out on the "roads less traveled" and never dread that gravel parking lot again!

We still have a few spaces available in our Spring Tour. This is shaping up to be the best yet with our base out of the Iron Horse Station in Hot Springs, NC. Join us if you can! See Tour Photos for photo's of previous tours and information…

Or you may want to focus on taking "street" courses. This is also known as REAL WORLD training and practice. As you know we use bike to bike communication and the usual one to one ratio which makes for an educational, interesting, and fun session!!

We are already scheduling Course 201 and 301 for those of you who are ready for advanced lessons using your own motorcycles. March and April are just around the corner… As the temperatures warm, this becomes a great opportunity to freshen your skills and acquire new ones… Call Ken to discuss riding more comfortably and confidently in "traffic", "interstates", or the challenging hills and mountains of North Georgia..

Call Ken at (770) 573-9902 to discuss your ideas and appointment dates for early spring…

International Motorcycle Shows

The International Motorcycle Show schedule is as follows… Some of you attended the show in Greenville last January.

Personal Protection and Motorcyclists

Joanna and I will also be NRA Basic Handgun and Home Defense instructors as of the middle of December… Future Course offerings will include these two disciplines and will be so noted on the web site (www.jkminc.com). Handguns and ammunition will be provided for those customers that haven't made these purchases yet. Keep in mind that many motorcyclists do "carry" when riding motorcycles. We will be available to discuss "Motorcycling and Concealed Carry" details as fellow motorcycle riders.

Below is an article written by AMS and submitted by LawBike.com to Full Throttle. Enjoy!

Joanna and I have several passions in life. One of course, is for each other and all the many things we do together. This includes our love of motorcycling, traveling, proficient shooting, and teaching. We manage to combine all of this and more into our lives.

During my early years of riding, I enjoyed camping much of the time. Being younger and finances pretty thin -- it seemed the best way for me to see the country and attend motorcycle rallies. On occasion I would see a fellow motorcycle camper in possession of a handgun either on his person, in the tent, or on the motorcycle. In every instance nothing was mentioned and that individual appeared to be careful in the handling of the weapon. Having devoted many of my adult years in the combat arms while in the military, weapons had been a way of life for me and seeing an individual with a handgun really didn't concern me.

It was only in the past couple of years that I became aware of a need to be more responsible in protecting myself while traveling and at home. Interestingly, over time I would discuss this subject (personal protection) with other motorcyclists, I found more and more of my fellow riders also carry.

Recently a front page article in the USA TODAY was titled "More ask to carry concealed weapons". Concealed Carry applications have been on the increase for the past year. Many women are taking classes and applying for concealed carry permits. Joanna and I have our concealed carry permits and encourage other handgun owners to take quality training. Unfortunately, like motorcyclists too many handgun owners do not seek training nor practice on a regular basis.

Many of you are aware that at STAR in Staunton, Va., we presented a seminar on handguns and motorcyclists. It was well attended and a similar seminar may be provided at a future STAR.

For the second time, the AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference invited Debbie and Mike Gardner to present their "Survive Institute" (www.surviveinstitute.com). While not focused on handguns, they do stress how the world is changing and how important personal protection has become.

Joanna and I have always been strong advocates of the importance of quality motorcycle education over the years. This extends to our use of handguns. We have attended several courses in handgun usage and by the end of this year we expect to become NRA handgun and rifle instructors.

In addition to the personal protection aspect, we enjoy the sport of shooting. We own several handguns and find, like motorcycles, each is unique and requires slightly different approach as we use them. Most gun clubs offer "friendly" competition in many disciplines of shooting—for handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Like motorcycling, training and focused practice is required to build the necessary skills, confidence, and attitude.

Joanna and I would like to hear from customers of Atlanta Motorcycle Schools who own and carry handguns in their travels. We can be reached at ken@jkminc.com or (770) 573-9902.

Dr. Laura Quote

Dr. Laura Schlessinger has revolutionized syndicated talk radio, bypassing the tried and true topics of politics, sports, and relationships, to establish a lively and provocative daily forum for the discussion of morals, ethics, and values in everyday behavior and circumstances. In so doing, she has also attracted the first-ever national talk show audience almost evenly divided between men and women. Dr. Laura is also a motorcycle rider and concealed carry proponent (a quote from her program—"I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy")...

Two Wheel Tuesday

For those of you living in north-central Georgia, you may be interested in one of our favorite local motorcycle groups. TWT meets (normally) every Tuesday to enjoy dinner together. The club has no officers, no dues, no politics—just friends who enjoy each other's company whether riding or eating together. Check out their schedule and join us when you can! There are scheduled rides and even camp outs scheduled throughout the year.

Wishing everyone a HAPPY Holiday Season!

Ken and JoAnna