Bikers Blend Leather, Mormonism
Associated Press 22Sep99 P4
By Hannah Wolfson: Associated Press Writer

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Temple Riders, a mostly Mormon group of 60 leather-clad motorcycle riders, all have something in common. They don't drink, they don't smoke, and they carry extra copies of the Book of Mormon in their saddlebags. They're proud of their big bikes and the high standards that set them apart from other motorcycle groups.

"You don't have to be LDS to ride," said Ted Gregory, 62, of Plain City, Utah. "All we ask is that when people ride with us they keep the same standards as we do." "We do mission work on the trips," said Ted May 64, "but it's not the main goal of the group."

"This group is very clean, very well groomed," said Gregory. "They just stand out; they've got that glow about them." Many of the group rides include one or two cross-country trips a year. They always include temple stops and some of the bikers wear hats bearing the image of the Salt Lake Temple.

The groups president, Cliff Beattie, an architectural consultant who at 55 is the group's youngest member said, "We're way over on the other side from the Hell's Angels." Temple rider's claim members from Idaho, Texas and California as well as Utah.

Ted May, 64, a ten year member of the group, recalls the time their "hogs" almost got them in trouble when they pulled up to a temple. "They called the police on us!" he said. "They were worried this big motorcycle gang was rolling into the temple." Fortunately, a group member had already notified local police that the Temple Riders were in town. "The police said don't worry about them, they're just a group of old Mormon High Priests that won't cause any trouble."