Thursday, Aug. 06, 2009
Saying Goodbye to Another Biker Icon
Another icon is lost.
On July 30 my wife Sissy and I were sitting at Fat Jack’s in Surfside Beach when I overheard a woman on her cell phone say, “No he was riding to Sturgis and was hit when he tried to pass someone and he died.” When she hung up I said, “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but overhear you. Were you talking about Click?”
I was referring to Clifton “Click” Baldwin, owner of the Carolina Harley-Davidson/Buell dealership in Gastonia, N.C. Baldwin died last summer while riding through Montana on his way to the annual Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, S.D., with a motorcycle group known as the Hamsters. The rally is a yearly gathering point for the Hamsters. I’ve briefly met several members, including Baldwin, through my friend Bruce Siegel who owned Greasy’s Custom Motorcycles in Aynor, who is also in the Hamsters.
I was shocked by her reply and how tragedy had struck the Hamsters and the Harley-Davidson world once again. “No. Bruce Rossmeyer, who owned Destination Daytona, was killed today on his way from a dealer meeting in Colorado to Sturgis.” On July 30 at around 11 a.m. Rossmeyer was riding with a group from a Harley-Davidson dealers’ meeting in Denver to the rally in Sturgis to meet up with family members and other Hamsters. While passing on the left side of a truck pulling a trailer, the driver, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol report, slowed, turned on his left turn signal and turned in front of Rossmeyer. Rossmeyer hit the driver’s door of the truck, was thrown from his motorcycle and came to rest under the trailer. He was declared dead at the scene. Four motorcycles riding in the same group safely passed the camper ahead of Rossmeyer before the collision. A sixth motorcyclist behind Rossmeyer swerved and avoided crashing.
It was not clear in the reports I read whether the driver of the truck was cited, but my understanding is the group was passing legally on a road that was “straight, dry and flat” according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, so it is likely that the driver of the truck failed to make sure it was safe to turn. Typically, drivers are required to yield to both oncoming traffic as well as traffic that is legally passing them before turning across the opposite lane. In the case of Baldwin’s 2008 accident, however, he was passing in a no-passing zone, which friends have acknowledged was poor judgment that unfortunately cost him his life. In any case, where someone is killed in an accident regardless of the cause, it is horrible for everyone involved and should serve as a reminder to all of us to be careful whether we are riding a motorcycle or driving a car or truck.
The parallels between the accidents involving both Baldwin and Rossmeyer are uncanny. Both men were owners of Harley-Davidson dealerships. Both were members of the Hamsters motorcycle group. Both were killed on their way to Sturgis while riding in a group and striking four-wheeled vehicles while passing them on the left side, and both accidents occurred in late July (albeit one year apart.) Both men also leave behind a legacy of supporting charities, especially those involving children, including strong ties to NASCAR driver Kyle Petty’s charity rides and his Victory Junction Camp for kids.
According to News-JournalOnline.com, Rossmeyer helped found, and served on the board of directors for, Camp Boggy Creek in Cassia, Fla.; sponsored “Ride for Children,” the camp’s annual charity motorcycle ride; sponsored “Kyle Petty Ride Across America;” served on the board of the Boys & Girls Club and the Police Athletic League for the city of Daytona Beach.
Rossmeyer owned or co-owned a total of 13 Harley-Davidson dealerships in Florida, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Mississippi. It was rumored he was interested in acquiring the Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson dealership as recently as last year, but my local sources suggested Harley’s corporate rules prohibited him from buying it because of a mandatory waiting period between dealership purchases.
I will remember Rossmeyer from the time I met him at a Hamsters dinner at Thoroughbreds in Myrtle Beach. He was being interviewed by a reporter who asked him what his place in the motorcycle community was. He proudly said, “I own the world’s largest Harley-Davidson dealership.” “Really?” the reporter asked. So Rossmeyer pulled another Hamster over and said, “This young lady wants to verify that I own the largest Harley-Davidson dealership in the world. Can you verify that, please?” Reluctantly, the gentlemen replied, “Yes. He does,” and walked away. With a sheepish grin, Rossmeyer turned back to the reporter and whispered, “He used to own the world’s largest dealership.”
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