The three buddies sat together in Boston before heading out on their motorcycle rides, reminiscing about the past and dreaming about the future.

One of the three was Rick Graham, a 47-year-old firefighter who was among the first minorities on the Boston force in the early '70s.

"He was getting excited because he was heading towards retirement," said Fitzgerald Allen, a friend of Graham's. "He did make the comment, if he had to leave this world, he would want to leave on his Harley Davidson."

The three friends -- Graham, Allen, and John Bing, set off on their ride on a beautiful summer night in 2001.

All of a sudden, Graham, a diabetic, started to veer off the road.

"They speculated he had a diabetic coma," said Allen. "I was right beside him. He just passed [by me] and I just watched him go right into the guardrail."

Graham passed away from injuries he sustained in the accident, Allen said.

Allen and a group of friends then got together and decided to go ahead with an idea they had been discussing even before Graham passed away -- a ride to memorialize deceased motorcycle riders from the New England area. The ride was named in Graham's honor.

This year's 10th Annual Rick Graham Memorial Diabetes Ride from Boston to Onset will be held on Sunday, September 16.

A list of deceased bikers is read after the ride arrives at the Dudley L. Brown VFW in Onset.

Three years ago, organizers decided to promote diabetes awareness as part of the ride.

"You're talking about some tough motorcycle guys," said Allen, one of seven committee members who organize the ride. "Diabetes is a major problem for some of those 70-year-olds."

The awareness campaign is also meant to help prevent a loss like Graham's from ever happening again.

"By coming out and opening up the doors … we can say, 'OK, he's got diabetes…' and we're helping each other," Allen said.

The ride is also in memoriam of deceased area bikers who rode into Boston's inner city in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, and brought a positive outlet to inner-city youth, Allen said.

"As a young kid, when you're in the inner city, you look at [biking] as a hobby," said Allen. "You really had to get a job and save to make it happen."

"It helped me a whole lot, getting that hobby," he added.

The ride started off with approximately 100 participants in its first year, Allen said. Last year, there were more than 600 participants.

A donation of $20 is recommended for bikers and passengers. For kids 12 and under, $10 is recommended.

Proceeds go to helping the families of deceased riders and to charities in the Boston and Wareham areas. Most of the proceeds, which was more than $10,000 last year, will go to the American Diabetes Association.

The Boston Fire Department escorts the ride when the kickstands go up in Boston at 11 a.m. Whenever riders pass a town's fire station, such as in Milton and Bridgewater, they will be greeted with the American flag and a salute, Allen said.

The Wareham Fire Department will escort the ride as it arrives in Wareham and makes its way to the Dudley L. Brown VFW at 4 Gibbs Ball Park Road between 12 and 12:15 p.m., Allen said. Bikers will be greeted with food, music, and other fun.

The ride ends in Onset because the community, along with Brockton and Rhode Island, was a center for motorcycle culture in the '70s, Allen said.

"Still to this day, Onset is a major participant in enjoying" the culture, Allen said. "It hasn't changed through the generations."

A rain date for the ride is scheduled for Sunday, September 23. Registration for the motorcycle ride will be at 9 a.m. on Pierpoint Road behind the Franklin Park Zoo in Dorchester.

To pre-order long sleeve T-shirts or sweatshirts, contact ride organizers at rickgrahammemorialride@yahoo.com. All orders must be placed by August 19.

For more information, contact Adrian at 617-293-7039, Fitz at 617-296-7461, Rick at 617-877-2155, LaCarl at 617-866-7217, or via email at rickgrahammemorialride@yahoo.com.