american motorcyclist 08 2011
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Welcome to Life Member Plus!We designed the new Life Member Plus program to stay connected with our Life Members
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The new program is 100 percent optional, so if you choose not to enroll, you still receive all the current benefi ts of life membership—a voice on behalf of motorcycling in the halls of government, the ability to sign up for AMA-sanctioned events, money-saving benefi ts and more.
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AMA Life Member Plus Includes:• FREE AMA Roadside Assistance• 12 issues of American Motorcyclist magazine• AMA Life Member Plus Membership card, pin, and decal every year• A voice protecting motorcyclists’ rights at the federal, state and local levels• Continued access to AMA Rights, Riding, Racing and Rewards—including
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August 2011Volume 65, Number 8Published by theAmerican Motorcyclist Association13515 Yarmouth Dr.Pickerington, OH 43147(800) AMA-JOIN (262-5646)AmericanMotorcyclist.com
American Motorcyclist magazine (ISSN 0277-9358) is published monthly
by the American Motorcyclist Association, 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington, OH 43147.
Copyright by the American Motorcyclist Association/American Motorcyclist 2011.
Printed in USA. Subscription rate: Magazine subscription fee of $10 covered in membership
dues; $15 a year for non-members.
Postmaster: Mail form 3579 to 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington, OH 43147. Periodical postage paid at Pickerington, Ohio,
and at additional mailing offices.
Cover Chase Yentzer may not look like a lobbyist, but he spent
a day on Capitol Hill telling lawmakers that “Kids Just Want to Ride!” as part of the AMA Family Capitol Hill
Climb. Read about the impact that Chase and other AMA members had in efforts to change the lead law, beginning
on page 32.Photo by Morten Aigeltinger.
Navigation Photo Young riders turned out in force for the AMA Family
Capitol Hill Climb on May 26 in Washington, D.C., to urge federal lawmakers to change the lead law so that kids’
bikes and all-terrain vehicles can be legally sold next year. Photo by Morten Aigeltinger.
8. LETTERS You write, we read.
10. IMRE SZAUTER Alcohol and motorcycles don’t mix.
12. RIGHTS U.S. Interior secretary changes direction on Wild Lands, pursues Wilderness.
18. RIDING Dispatch from South America, and master the pre-ride check.
24. RACING Chad Reed stacks outdoor wins, and Junior Motocross Team eyes Italy.
28. HALL OF FAME Daytona winner Gene Romero, Stan Simpson and an 1885 Daimler Replica.
32. KIDS JUST WANT TO RIDE! Young motocrossers rally In Washington against youth motorcycle sales ban.
37. ALL THINGS VINTAGE The smell of two-stroke race gas. The sound of classic twins at speed. Fields of dreams and every bike you ever owned. What are you waiting for?
41. GO RIDE What to do, where to go.
50. WAYNE DANIELSEN Protecting the passion.
NAVIGATION
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EDITORIAL OFFICES
American Motorcyclist 13515 Yarmouth Drive Pickerington, OH 43147 (614) 856-1900 submissions@ama-cycle.org
Grant Parsons, Director of Communications James Holter, Managing Editor Bill Kresnak, Government Affairs Editor Mark Lapid, Creative Director Jen Muecke, Designer Jeff Guciardo, Production Manager/Designer
ADVERTISING
Steve Gotoski, Advertising Director (Western States) (951) 566-5068, sgotoski@ama-cycle.org
Misty Walker, Advertising Assistant (614) 856-1900, ext. 1267, mwalker@ama-cycle.org
All trademarks used herein (unless otherwise noted) are owned by the AMA and may only be used with the express, written permission of the AMA.American Motorcyclist is the monthly
publication of the American Motorcyclist Association, which represents motorcyclists nationwide. For information on AMA membership benefits, call (800) AMA-JOIN or visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com. Manuscripts, photos, drawings and other editorial contributions must be accompanied by return postage. No responsibility is assumed for loss or damage to unsolicited material. Copyright© American Motorcyclist Association, 2011.
AMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Contact any member of the AMA Board of Directors at www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com/about/board
Stan Simpson, ChairmanCibolo, Texas
Jon-Erik Burleson, Assistant TreasurerMurrietta, Calif.
Perry King, Assistant Secretary Northern California
John Ulrich, Executive Committee MemberLake Elsinore, Calif.
Dwight Conant, Kearsarge, N.H.
Charles Goman, Winder, Ga.
Maggie McNally, Albany, N.Y.
Scott Miller, Milwaukee, Wis.
Art More, Surprise, Ariz.
Jim Viverito, Chicago, Ill.
AMA PRESIDENT AND CEO
Rob Dingman, Pickerington, Ohio
WAYNE DANIELSEN, Guest Columnist Proving that you don’t have to be a life-long motorcyclist to make an impact on the motorcycle lifestyle, Wayne doesn’t let his late start slow down his activism. GRANT PARSONS, Director of Communications While cleaning the basement (well, really just re-arranging the clutter), Grant discovered his ancient Hein Gericke V-Pilot jacket. Wonder how long it will be before that style comes back around?
JAMES HOLTER, Managing Editor At a recent staff off-road ride, James had the foresight to bring a GoPro. Naturally, as soon as he turned it on, people started crashing in front of him. Amazing, the power of a videocam. BILL KRESNAK, Government Affairs Editor Here’s the thing about craigslist ads: They all sound awesome, but when you start emailing people about that sweet-looking PE250, there’s aways a catch. No title. Worse shape than advertised. Bike’s too far away. Seller is a flake. Just once, Krez would like to close a deal.
MARK LAPID, Creative Director After four days of bombing around the roads of Michigan with his buds, Mark is just now able to unlock from his Honda Hawk GT-induced crouch. A small price to pay for that much fun. JEN MUECKE, Designer How did this happen? With race tires and track plastic on the 600RR, lights removed from the DRZ, and the Ducati in dry storage in the living room, Jen finds herself with zero street-legal motorcycles. Shopping time! JEFF GUCIARDO, Production Manager/Designer Know what happens when you try to sign up for an MSF class in the height of the riding season? Jeff does—they’re all full. Now he’s reduced to showing up for already-scheduled classes, sitting around and hoping for a no-show. A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do. Other contributors include: Mark Kariya, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, Jeff Kardas, Morten Aigeltinger, Kyle Holloway, Jim Kimball.
CONTRIBUTORS AND STAFF
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GET INVOLVEDI just read Rob Dingman’s column in the
July issue about motorcyclists becoming more politically effective. Rob urged AMA members to contact their congressional representatives about supporting funding for the Recreational Trails Program (RTP).
I was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2010 largely for the work I did in the early 1990s to get that program legislated and funded. AMA members need to know that Rob Dingman played a key role in that effort. He was working for the Motorcycle Industry Council in their Washington, D.C., office at the time and was instrumental in that successful legislative effort. He was still wet behind the ears, and I was the leader of the BlueRibbon Coalition, an organization that was still wet behind the ears at the time. Rob and I put out many political fires together to get that job done, and the
AMA played a key role as well. I’m really glad to see Rob at the helm of the AMA at this critical time.
Political effectiveness requires persistence above all. I’ve been politically active in Idaho since our governor told me in 1985 that OHV [off-highway vehicle]recreationists were “politically ineffective.” I resolved to correct that situation.
Rob mentioned that many of our self-funded programs are being raided in these tough economic times. I live in a small population state, Idaho, and our legislature attempted to raid our fuel-tax-funded OHV program last year. Our governor supported the raid as well. Due to our pressure, the governor changed his position, and the legislature delayed its vote on it until this year. OHV representatives statewide lobbied our legislators in opposition to their plan, and in this last legislative session they unanimously, in both houses, voted to retain our program intact.
Sandra Mitchell, with the Idaho Recreation Council, led the effort with OHV riders statewide heavily involved. Granted, in a small state there is more potential to affect the political process, but the key is to never give up.
Follow Rob’s lead on political effectiveness and, above all else, stick together. OHV riders and street riders need to work together on all issues that affect either group. Support the TEAM: Together Everyone Accomplishes More.
Clark CollinsAMA Charter Life Member2010 Inductee, Motorcycle Hall of Fame
15 BEST? REALLY?I just returned from a trip down the
Natchez Trace Parkway with four other riders. I planned the trip after seeing it listed as one of the 15 best roads in America in American Motorcyclist magazine. We were all left wondering why this road made a list of even the top 500. With the exception of both ends, the road was relatively straight with unchanged scenery unless you got off of the Parkway. The surrounding roads and towns were nice but we thought the Parkway itself lacked the punch to be named one of America’s 15 best.
We traveled more scenic and more fun roads (back roads and byways with almost no highways) from Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and Virginia just getting to and from the Parkway. The standouts being from Rt. 9 (near Martinsburg, W.Va.) to Rt. 29 to Rt. 50 to Rt. 28 to Rt. 92 (all in West Virginia) and then Rt. 42 from Glade Spring, Va., to Woodstock, Va. (stops here and there but resumes further up).
We met some great people, ate some good food (were even treated to some moonshine in Tennessee) and rode some killer roads. All in all, we had a blast. We just thought the Trace did not have the credentials to be on the 15 best list.
Erick AndersonGermansville, Pa.
Thanks for the note, Erick. The list was the result of a two-step democratic process—nominations then voting. It was created by AMA members for AMA members. Apparently, the laid-back, nostalgic feel and historical significance of the Trace appeals to enough of your fellow AMA members to warrant a spot on the list. That said, we’re glad you found some roads you enjoyed not far off the main route—and definitely thanks for the tips!
OFF-ROADERS MATTERAs a fellow motorcycle enthusiast
and father of two young dirtbikers, I have to take exception to the apparent double standard comment of J. Hoover in the letters section of the June issue of American Motorcyclist.
Like John, I am glad to be a member of an organization supporting all motorcyclists no matter where they are or what they ride. The thing I didn’t like is the comment against off-roaders. I hope John can realize that off-road riders/racers along with organizations like the AMA are fighting a battle to preserve the little bit of land that remains to be ridden on.
Send your letters (and a high-resolution photo) to submissions@ama-cycle.org; or mail to 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147.MEMBER LETTERS
LETTER OF THE MONTHWOMEN RIDERS
Thank you for putting a woman cyclist on the cover of your magazine (July), as well as a meaningful story to complement the photo.
I’m a new AMA member, returning to the cycling world after a 30-year absence. If women represent a growing percentage of riders and buyers, as I understand they do, I wonder if the other cycle magazines on the stands devote a representative number of their covers and cover stories to women subjects—other than in eye-candy poses.
I’ve started subscribing to some of these magazines. I think I’ll ask them.
Karl KunkelHigh Point, N.C.
Clark Collins
Karl Kunkel
8 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
On Facebook? Us, too! Like the fan page of the American Motorcyclist Association and you could leave comments like these:
www.facebook.com/AmericanMotorcyclist
Although I currently use a KTM dualsport, I’m certain that dirt-riding skills make anyone on two wheels a better rider, and children like my two boys will be the next generation to enjoy motorcycles and defend all motorcycle users in the future.
If we have to guzzle a gallon of gas for over four hours of exercise, skill building and a shared state of mind, so be it.
Brett PowellMcKinleyville, Calif.
RACING MEMORIESWow! I can’t believe what I just read. I
picked up the AMA magazine (that I rarely get to see because my husband hogs it), and there in the letters section, a letter from Tony Fiore from Niagara Falls caught
my attention.I grew up in Clarence, N.Y. I know I
must have known him, as my younger brother, Roy Fleck, and I were friends with the Bobby and Ronnie he mentioned. We raced together. I raced 100cc class until I convinced my mom I could get the holeshot and not get squished around the first corner in the 125cc class. I raced from 1971–77, on the same tracks, I’m sure, as there weren’t that many—Zoar, Bluemont, Dansville, Cherry Hill.
I’ve lost touch with most all of my racing brothers but always thought it would be great if we could do a reunion some day. I now ride a dual sport (although not any technical stuff) and a K 1200 GT on the street. I think often of the days on the racetrack where we had more moms and dads than we could ever want as teenagers but loved them all. We had so many brothers and a few sisters, I think there were three of us girls—myself, Kim and Shelly. I, for one, painted my helmet and number plates pink so I could rub it in. I loved racing, and I loved the people.
Thanks, AMA, for connecting old riders, even if it is just through a letter to the editor.
Peggy (Fleck) ZaringDusty, Wash.
NO APOLOGY NECESSARYConcerning your “From The President”
letter regarding Arnold Schwarzenegger as Motorcyclist of the Year (MOTY) in the June issue of American Motorcyclist, if you consider it “good business” to apologize to us members for what I consider a job well done, then I accept your apology, but I personally felt the Schwarzenegger-as-MOTY idea was brilliant! The decision was controversial and invigorating, and that is exactly what the AMA membership needs in this new era you are guiding us through.
The recent AMA MOTY decision also shed a tremendous amount of light on the loud pipes issue that will eventually affect us all.
Thank you, Rob Dingman, for bringing new life to the AMA. No apology necessary!
George BrownMiddlesex Co., N.J.
Thank you for your magazine. I am a rookie rider in my third season of riding in N.W. Ohio. I started off on the totally cool retro-look Suzuki TU250X (superb starter bike!), which has now been passed onto another rookie, and now am riding a Suzuki GS500F. I appreciate the articles/contributions on how and where to ride, what to look for, etc. They’ve been very helpful! I look forward to seeing where all the racing is taking place in the surrounding areas, too! I am pretty blessed to be in a rich racing area! Thanks, AMA!—Sue Parker
Like the flying V-twin it is, just like it did the day it left the factory.—Charles Hood, answering the question “What does your motorcycle sound like?”
Brrrrraaaaaaaaaaaap!—Mark Fowler, answering the same question.
I must say to all who love vintage motorcycles, this is a super fun event. There are lots of things to do and see. Every year, it gets better, so if you have the time, come to AMA Vintage Motorcycle
Days in 2011. I am a proud member of the AMA, and I want to thank you all for all the time and effort it takes to put such a huge event together. On behalf of myself, ZL-OA members and all motorcyclists out there, thanks!—Chris Ludlow
Took a German exchange student on a 350-mile ride Sunday up the Great River Road from St. Louis to Hannibal then back home via the Illinois River Road. She was able to experience a small bit of America on two wheels and visit the historic sites at Hannibal. For a first time co-rider, she did great and had fun.—Barb Detmer Johnson, answering the question, “Where did you ride this weekend?”
White Rose Motorcycle Club, Spring Grove, Pa., for the AMA Class A Professional Hill Climb.—Bruce Lefever, answering the same question.
Some great riders on our team this year! Go USA!—Ross Mauri, offering words of support for the U.S. International Six Days Enduro team.
Peggy Zaring
You can connect with fellow AMA members on Facebook. You can also always find more information at AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
George Brown
August 2011 9
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Late last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a new gasoline formulation that contains up to 15 percent alcohol by volume, also known as E15.
Never heard of it? In the coming months you probably will, as ethanol-based E15 will become an important issue for the on- and off-highway motorcycling and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) communities.
In a nutshell, E15 may appear at a fueling station near you and you need to be careful—in fact very careful—where you use this new fuel.
In October 2010, the EPA approved E15 for use in model year 2007 and newer light-duty vehicles (cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty passenger vehicles). In January 2011, it added model year 2001-06 light-duty vehicles to the approved list. Because flexible-fuel vehicles are approved to use E85 (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), they may also use E15.
More important to riders, though, are the vehicles and engines that are not approved for
E15, which currently include all motorcycles and ATVs.Also on the unapproved list are vehicles with heavy-duty
engines, such as school buses, transit buses and delivery trucks; off-road vehicles, such as boats and snowmobiles; small engines, such as lawnmowers and chain saws; and all cars older than 2001.
While the AMA applauds efforts to make our nation more eneergy efficient, the problem is that E15 burns hotter than gasoline that contains a lesser amount of ethanol. In engines not designed to dissipate that extra heat, damage in the form of premature wear can result.
Although this is a concern in all motorcycles, it’s particularly problematic for air-cooled engines found in many bikes.
When you consider everything in your garage, storage shed and basement that runs on gasoline, you may discover you have more E15 non-approved vehicles and engines than approved ones.
To double-check whether an engine shouldn’t use E15, review the owner’s manual for anything you own that runs on gasoline. Check the fuel requirements—it’s likely that you’ll find a statement that you should only use gasoline with no more than 10 percent ethanol by volume or you’ll void the warranty.
So, what should you do?Keep an eye out for E15, and avoid it. Here are a few pointers to
keep in mind:• Don’t dispense E15 into unmarked containers, as you’ll likely
forget in a week what’s in the can.• Don’t store any ethanol-blended gasoline for long periods, as
it absorbs water from the air. Make sure you use a quality gasoline
stabilizer if your vehicle or engine won’t be started for some time.• Don’t siphon gasoline from a light-duty vehicle for use in any
other gasoline-fueled motors, as you may be introducing E15 into an unapproved vehicle or engine.
• Do use the internet to locate and patronize fueling stations that dispense E0—gasoline with no added ethanol. Many marinas still sell E0, so consider bodies of water as R&R (rest and refuel) stops when you travel. Check pure-gas.org for more information.
If you want to take it to another level, there are opportunities to get involved in shaping the E15 issue.
• Contact the fueling stations you visit to let them know your concerns about E15. If a retail location gets enough pushback from customers, they may choose to keep their current fuel offerings, instead of replacing one choice with E15.
• Follow the issue—a good consumer is an informed consumer. Search the Web for articles on ethanol-blended fuels, but carefully note the source of any information you read. Some with a financial interest in ethanol are quick to say we have nothing to worry about. Don’t take their word for it—read and decide for yourself.
• Read the science—the Oak Ridge National Laboratory has published “Effects of Intermediate Ethanol Blends on Legacy Vehicles and Small Non-Road Engines, Report 1 – Updated.” Although it’s quite technical, it’s still a good resource on the use of ethanol-blended gasoline on older vehicles and engines. Visit http://www.ornl.gov/sci/bioenergy/pdfs/EffectsIntermediateEthanolBlends.pdf to download a copy.
• Ask your federal lawmakers to support H.R. 748, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.). H.R. 748 would prohibit the EPA from allowing the sale of gasoline containing more than 10 percent ethanol in light-duty vehicles.
• Go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Get Involved to contact your federal elected officials and for additional ideas. Sharing your personal experiences with ethanol in gasoline can affect their position on the issue.
The bottom line on E15 for motorcyclists and ATV riders?At this time, you shouldn’t use it in your vehicle. Even if E15 is
eventually authorized for use in newer motorcycles and ATVs, pay careful attention to the manufacturer’s warnings.
Finally, when it comes to alcohol and motorcycling, alcohol in our gas tank shouldn’t be our only concern. A large number of motorcycle crashes resulting in serious injury or death reveal that alcohol consumption was involved with riders and/or the drivers in the other vehicles.
When it comes to alcohol and motorcycles, they just don’t mix.
Imre Szauter is the AMA government affairs manager for on-highway issues.
ALCOHOL AND MOTORCYCLES DON’T MIXAnd That Includes Your Gas Tank
By Imre Szauter
10 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
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U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has reversed his position on his controversial Wild Lands policy.
But at the same time, Salazar vowed to work with Congress to impose restrictive Wilderness land-use designations on millions of acres of public land.
And days after making that announcement, he cited an omnibus public lands bill that was ramrodded through Congress as an example of what can be done if the Obama administration and members of Congress work together.
That unfortunate measure designated 2 million acres of public land as Wilderness, which banned off-highway vehicle (OHV) riding with the stroke of a pen when it was signed into law.
The legislation—the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009—was a
combination of more than 160 bills, and some federal lawmakers complained that they had never even seen almost half of them, let alone debated them, nor did they have time to get constituent input.
Salazar’s pronouncements portend an epic battle in Congress this year between anti-access forces, who want to keep people off public land, and responsible off-highway riders, who believe that public land should remain available to the public.
A congressionally authorized Wilderness designation makes nearly all forms of non-pedestrian recreation illegal.
The AMA supports appropriate Wilderness designations that meet the criteria established by Congress in 1964, but anti-access advocates have been abusing the legislative and administrative processes to ban responsible OHV
recreation on public land.On June 1, Salazar said the federal
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would not designate any Wild Lands, which would have been managed as if they had received the highly restrictive Wilderness land-use designation from Congress.
Instead, Salazar said the BLM, which is a part of the Interior Department, will work in collaboration with members of Congress and others to identify public land that may be appropriate candidates for congressional Wilderness protection.
“We will focus our effort on building consensus around locally supported initiatives and working with members [of Congress] to advance their priorities for Wilderness designations in their states and districts,” he said.
Rob Dingman, AMA president and CEO, said he was pleased that Salazar reversed himself on Wild Lands but cautioned that OHV riders must remain on guard, given these new developments.
“This is a major victory for motorcyclists, all-terrain vehicle riders
INTERIOR SECRETARY CHANGES DIRECTION ON WILD LANDS, PURSUES WILDERNESSSalazar Vows To Push For Restrictive Wilderness Land-Use Designations
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and others concerned about appropriate access to public land,” Dingman said. “But we must remain vigilant. Anti-access groups will continue pushing for legislation to inappropriately close off millions of acres of public land to OHVs. Not only are BLM lands under attack by these groups, but U.S. Forest Service lands as well.
“I want to thank all the AMA members and others who attended meetings and contacted their federal lawmakers to oppose the Wild Lands policy,” he added. “Your voices helped put pressure on Secretary Salazar to persuade him to abandon his Wild Lands policy.”
In December, the AMA and OHV enthusiasts won an important battle for responsible riding on public land when U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) dropped his effort to pass another massive omnibus public lands bill that would have inappropriately designated even more millions of acres of public land as Wilderness, barring OHVs.
But then, just days later, on Dec. 22, Salazar signed Secretarial Order 3310 creating the Wild Lands land-use designation that essentially allowed BLM officials to manage public land as if it had received a Wilderness designation from Congress, but without requiring congressional approval.
This new Wild Lands policy was widely expected to restrict or eliminate responsible OHV use in the affected areas, and it appeared to be orchestrated by anti-access groups to pull an end-run around Congress.
It also was expected to have a far-reaching impact because the BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land nationwide.
On June 10, Salazar sent a letter to members of Congress saying the Interior Department will send Congress a list by Oct. 15 of areas “that we believe are ready for immediate Wilderness designation...”
To stay abreast of this, sign up for AMA Action Alerts at AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Action Alerts.
Allstate Insurance Company is putting signs at intersections in 25 cities to get drivers to look for motorcycles.
The diamond-shaped, yellow caution signs, feature a motorcycle silhouette and are inscribed with the word “LOOK.” They are part of Allstate’s Once is Never Enough (ONE) motorcycle awareness campaign.
The signs are designed to increase awareness of motorcycle collisions with motorists at intersections and to help remind drivers and riders alike that they should scan for cross traffic more than once.
“In the time it takes to blink an eye, a life could be saved,” says Keith Rutman, vice president of Allstate’s consumer household unit. “Taking one extra second at an intersection to look left, right—and left again—for motorcyclists can help
make our roads safer.”Signs are being
installed in Albany, N.Y.; Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.;
Chicago; Cincinnati; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Denver; Houston;
Indianapolis; Las Vegas, Nev.; Los Angeles; Miami; Nashville, Tenn.;
Orlando, Fla.; Philadelphia; Phoenix, Ariz.; Sacramento, Calif.; San Diego; San Francisco; Salt Lake City; Seattle; St. Louis; Tampa, Fla.; and Washington, D.C.
ALLSTATE URGES DRIVERS TO WATCH FOR MOTORCYCLESCaution Signs Going Up In 25 Cities
LOOKRIGHTS
NEW HAMPSHIRE POLICE: ‘LOUD NOISE ANNOYS’Decibel-Limit Violators Could Lose Bike Registrations
With the riding season in full swing, law enforcement agencies along New Hampshire’s seacoast are taking aim at excessively loud motorcycles.
The most egregious offenders of the state’s 106 decibel-limit sound law could see their motorcycle registrations suspended.
The police chiefs of several towns—New Castle, Rye, Portsmouth, Hampton and North Hampton—as well as a state police sergeant, held a news conference at the Seacoast Harley-Davidson dealership on May 20.
With the slogan “Loud Noise Annoys,” they declared that motorcyclists are welcome but that officers will be educating riders about the state’s sound law.
This will be done through what they described as “free” sound testing at roadside checkpoints where motorcyclists and other motor vehicle operators will be checked for possible motor vehicle violations.
Violators of the state’s sound law face fines of $84. Repeat offenders, or those with extremely loud bikes, could see their motorcycle registrations suspended until the violation is corrected.
“We’re keeping records. At least five law enforcement agencies on the seacoast will be cooperating,” said North Hampton Police Chief Brian Page in an interview. “If we stop a particular motorcycle for a sound violation on two or three occasions, we may go a little harder on the enforcement and ask the Division of Motor Vehicles for a hearing to suspend the registration.
“That seems to be a big deterrent,” Page added. “That seems to be bringing a lot of people around. I think we’re seeing a reduction in loud motorcycles.”
Page says he is hopeful that the effort will be an educational experience not only for motorcyclists, but also for critics who complain that almost all motorcycles are excessively loud.
That’s because police will have information on things such as how many motorcycles were tested and how many were, in fact, in violation of the sound law.
AMA HAS MODEL LEGISLATION FOR SOUND LAWS Offers Simple Way To Deal With Sound Complaints
The AMA has long maintained a position of strong opposition to excessive motorcycle sound.
In September 2009, the AMA developed model legislation for use by cities and states seeking a simple, consistent and economical way to deal with sound complaints related to on-highway motorcycles within the larger context of excessive sound from all sources.
The model legislation offers an objective method to evaluate motorcycle sound based on the Society of Automotive Engineers’ (SAE) J2825 standard, “Measurement of Exhaust Sound Pressure Levels of Stationary On-Highway Motorcycles,” which is a stationary test.
The model legislation’s decibel limits range from 92 to 100, depending on the test procedure used.
For information on the AMA’s model legislation, go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Resources > Model On-Highway Motorcycle Exhaust System Sound Emissions Ordinance.
To read the AMA’s position on sound, go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > PositionStatements > ExcessiveMotorcycleSound.
8 REASONS TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT RIDING A MOTORCYCLEIt’s Good For The Environment, And The Nation
We all know there are a lot of great reasons to ride a motorcycle. Here are eight more:
1 In the wake of skyrocketing gas prices, motorcyclists have
emerged relatively unscathed. A typical motorcycle can provide fuel mileage that exceeds that of most fuel-efficient automobiles. Many motorcycles return more than 50 miles per gallon, and many scooters can deliver nearly twice that.
2 In addition to using less gasoline, motorcycles require less oil and
other chemicals to operate.
3 The recent introduction of electric motorcycles provides an added
benefit for the environment.
4 Motorcycles take up less space than cars and trucks both during
operation and when parked. They reduce traffic congestion and, in so doing, help increase the efficiency of traffic flow on the road.
5 Significantly fewer raw materials are used to produce motorcycles
and scooters compared to cars and trucks. By some measures, it requires thousands of pounds less metal and plastic per vehicle to produce a motorcycle. The environmental benefits are realized both during production as well as at the end of the vehicle’s useful life.
6 Because motorcycles and scooters are so much more
compact and lighter than cars and trucks, they cause far less wear and tear on highways, reducing the cost and environmental impact of infrastructure repairs.
7 Because of their size, many more motorcycles can be transported
from factory to consumer using the same or less energy.
8 Riding a motorcycle engages riders’ bodies and brains in ways
that driving a car can’t match. For most riders this means arriving at destinations energized and inspired.
14 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
RIGHTS
The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona has reversed an unwritten policy and is now allowing street-legal motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on certain roads.
After being alerted by AMA member Keith Dishong that street-legal motorcycles were barred from three public access roads while trucks and other
street-legal vehicles were allowed, AMA Western States Representative Nick Haris and Brian Hawthorne of the BlueRibbon Coalition contacted officials at the refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
Haris noted that the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan allows street-legal
vehicles to use three access roads, so there was no reason to bar street-legal motorcycles and ATVs from those routes.
After investigating, refuge officials agreed that it couldn’t bar street-legal motorcycles and ATVs.
The officials announced on May 18 that street-legal motorcycles and ATVs are now allowed on three public access roads: the El Camino del Diablo, Christmas Pass and Charlie Bell roads, which are outside designated Wilderness areas.
No other roads or trails in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge are open to motorized use.
“This action does not open the refuge to unrestricted off-road vehicle activity,” refuge officials said in a news release. “Only the three public access roads already open to 4x4 vehicles are open to street-legal motorcycles and ATVs. These vehicles must abide by the same rules and restrictions as all other vehicles that access the refuge.”
Haris praised the USFWS for investigating the issue and reversing its ban. He urges all appreciative motorcyclists and ATV riders to send notes of thanks to Slone by going to http://capwiz.com/amacycle/go/Cabeza.
That’s Trent Young with his wife Ava. Last summer a buddy turned Trent on to S100 Total Cycle Cleaner. Then he wrote us: “I was absolutely floored as I watched the road grime, bugs and dirt I didn’t even know was there…Now I don’t have to be afraid of the rain. I am absolutely enthralled on how well your product works.” What Trent saw was S100’s amazing penetrating power getting the dirt that other cleaners miss, especially in the places he couldn’t see or reach. That’s where corrosion can start! Love your bike? Want to protect your investment and do it all in less time? Ask your dealer to set you up with some S100 Total Cycle Cleaner. Read Trent’s entire mail and learn more at www.s100.com or call us at 203-488-6569.
MOTORCYCLES GRANTED EQUAL ACCESS IN ARIZONAThree Roads Now Open To Street-Legal Bikes
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STATEWATCHCALIFORNIA
Off-highway vehicle organizations are applauding a recent legal ruling involving the Eldorado National Forest. Senior U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton issued a ruling on May 26 that largely upholds the Eldorado Forest’s travel management decisions. But the ruling finds the Forest Service violated the Endangered Species Act and certain Forest Plan standards in authorizing access through certain places because of alleged impacts to red-legged frog habitat. The frog-related claims involve only a handful of routes in the roughly 1,200-mile road/trail network approved by the agency. Groups that were defendant intervenors in the case include the California Association of 4WD Clubs, California Enduro Riders Association, AMA District 36 (Northern California, Northwestern Nevada) and the BlueRibbon Coalition.
LOUISIANA
House Bill 583, sponsored by Rep. Tom Willmott (R-Kenner), would prohibit the installation of any head lamp, auxiliary or fog lamp, rear lamp, signal lamp, or reflector on a motor vehicle, or operation of a motor vehicle equipped with any type of lamp or reflector that changes the original design or
performance unless it complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108.
MARYLAND
A new law that takes effect July 1 requires vehicle-parking facilities that are owned, leased or operated by the state or a political subdivision of the state, or that receive funding from the state or a political subdivision of the state, to allow motorcycles to park in the facilities, subject to certain charges. The bill that led to the law—House Bill 1282—was sponsored by Delegate Cheryl Glenn (D-Baltimore).
NEW HAMPSHIRE
A new law that takes effect July 15 prohibits law enforcement agencies of the state or a political subdivision of the state from accepting federal funding to establish motorcycle-only roadside checkpoints. Reps. Frank Holden (R-Lyndeborough) and Sherman Packard (R-Londonderry) sponsored the bill, House Bill 148, that ultimately became the law.
NEW YORK
Assembly Bill 7247, sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun (R-Washingtonville), would permit a
motorcycle operator to proceed with due caution through a steady red signal at an intersection after waiting no less than 60 seconds if the traffic control device is inoperative and fails to recognize the motorcycle.
SOUTH CAROLINA
A new law prohibits parents or legal guardians from knowingly permitting a child under the age of 6 to operate an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). The law also requires riders under the age of 16 to take a “hands-on” rider safety course and to wear a helmet and eye protection. The enacted legislation is available at AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > State Alerts.
TEXAS
House Bill 2470, which would have defined “sport bikes” as a separate class of motorcycle and placed special restrictions on the operators of those motorcycles, died in a Senate committee. The bill, which had passed the House, included an arbitrary definition and would have established a dangerous precedent of regulating motorcycles and motorcyclists differently based on its ill-conceived definition.
RIGHTS
p TOP “Went to Moab, Utah, for the first time this week. On the way there we even stopped at the [Motorcycle Hall of Fame] and thought these pictures would be good for the magazine. The views in Moab were incredible. I was riding with a group of Quigley 4x4 vans as a trail spotter or crowd spotter. So I had time to stop and enjoy the many views. The rocks out there are unbelievably sticky, which made any obstacle rideable.” — Michael McClane of York, Pa.
p ABOVE “The photo is of my friend, Les Baker, riding his 1955 Moto Guzzi Falcome 500cc single at Ebbett’s Pass, Calif., at 8,500 feet, 75 degrees outside and snow drifts everywhere on June 13, 2011! Gorgeous riding.” — Craig Howell
t “Daytona Bike Week—a little rain can’t keep the riders away.” — Anthony Barbitta
RIDING
18 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
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It all began in a rural farming region during the Great Depression, when the Jackpine Gypsies, a fledgling AMA-chartered club founded by seven members in January 1937, saw an opportunity.
At the time, nearby Mount Rushmore was nearing completion and the Sturgis Chamber of Commerce had its eye on attracting a share of the anticipated crowds. That sparked the Jackpine Gypsies to ask the Chamber to front money for a motorcycle race. City leaders agreed, and the second weekend of August 1938 was set as the date for the first AMA race meet in Sturgis, S.D.
After a successful first year, club president and Sturgis Indian dealer J.C. “Pappy” Hoel, now a Motorcycle Hall of Famer, added tours and other events to the weekend and called it the Black Hills Motor Classic. And the rest is history.
Neil Hultman, an active charter member of the Jackpine Gypsies since 1947, says the club has changed significantly from those early days.
“When I got in, it was a small club—we had nine members at the most,” Hultman remembers. “Motorcycles were our life and entertainment. We’d ride our
STURGIS AND THE AMA CLUB THAT STARTED IT ALLThe Jackpine Gypsies Did Something Cool Long Ago And It Stuck
motorcycles to work and ride them to club events and different towns on the weekends, and, of course, get ready for the annual event each August.”
Hultman says the rally’s growth benefited from early AMA support.
“The race was a sanctioned event from the beginning,” he says. “The AMA supported us, and we supported the AMA. It worked well for both of our organizations.”
Throughout the ’50s, Sturgis kept growing, adding hillclimb and scrambles races. The event even became a stop on the AMA’s new Grand National
Championship in 1954 and ’55.Rally crowds grew to 30,000 through
the 1970s, and to 300,000 by 1990. By then, the Black Hills Motor Classic had become two events: the club’s activities, and the massive gathering of motorcyclists that accompanies them. With limited volunteers, club officials asked the Sturgis Chamber to take over the rally program.
A key part of Sturgis’ growth was the support of the townspeople.
“The best thing that happened for getting the town behind the event was when the churches got involved and started serving breakfast,” he says. “They learned that motorcyclists were regular people. They dressed a little different, but once you got to know them, they were no different than your next-door neighbor.”
The 2011 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally takes place Aug. 8-14. It features hundreds of events and attractions, including an AMA Gypsy Tour on Aug. 8—the 9th Annual Mayor’s Ride.
Info: SturgisMotorcycleRally.com.
AMA’s Sturgis Schedule
9th Annual Mayor’s Ride: Aug. 8, registration 8:30-10 a.m. Ride leaves at 10:30 a.m. from the back parking lot of the Motorcycle Expo off Lazelle St.AMA Booth: Aug. 8-14, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame on Junction Ave. Visit the AMA booth for a free gift.
RIDING
The motorcycle bug bit me hard in the fall of 2008. I was finishing up my senior year of college at a small school in the Midwest. I was a good student, but the economy wasn’t doing well, and job prospects were slim.
My roommate and I devised an alternative plan. We decided to postpone the school-work-marriage-mortgage-kids cycle and ride motorcycles around the country for the summer. We shrugged off the fact that neither of us had any motorcycling experience, bought an old pair of cruisers we found on Craigslist,
and the day after graduation we set off on a 13,000-mile, three-month journey to explore our homeland.
The trip was spectacular, and we had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people along the way. We fished rivers, climbed mountains and rode some great routes. It was a road trip with unlimited legroom, and when the chapter finally came to a close, I knew it would be hard to travel any other way…two-wheel travel syndrome had set in.
Fast-forward two years. I had taken a job teaching at a university in Cuenca,
Ecuador. The pay wasn’t anything to write home about, but I loved living, working and experiencing culture in South America. As my visa and work responsibilities came to a close, I decided I wanted to see more.
I saved my pennies and waited for the opportunity. A month later, that opportunity arrived at my door—in the form of a red, adventure-outfitted KLR 650 with just over 40,000 miles on the clock that I found while taking a weekend visit to a university in neighboring Colombia.
The plan: With less that $2,000 in my pocket, I would ride the bike from Medellin, Colombia, across six countries and arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina, before winter. Three months, 11 borders, and 10,000 miles later, I arrived at my destination, “el Fin del Mundo” (“the End of the World”).
The trip was a blast, and I enjoyed meeting locals, making new friends, practicing my Spanish, trying traditional foods, camping in secluded spots and riding some pretty wild roads. With $25 to spare, I sold the bike and came home.
Where will the next trip on two wheels lead me? I’m not sure, but one thing I do know, there’s no better way to travel—in this country or outside of it.
Read Kyle’s blog at www.EmptyAndFill.com. For more on his South America ride, see ElBurroTerco.com.
DISPATCH FROM SOUTH AMERICATwo Wheels: The Best Way To Travel By Kyle Holloway
RIDING
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August 2011 21
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MASTER THE PRE-RIDE CHECK
Q: “Can you recommend a good checklist for going over my streetbike before each ride? My guess is I’m pretty lax, and I think a checklist would help. Thanks!”
A: For a thorough checklist, print out the T-CLOCS Inspection Checklist from our website’s library (msf-usa.org). T-CLOCS stands for “Tires and wheels, Controls, Lights, Oil, Chassis and Stands.”
Some items only require a visual inspection (lights/turn signals, tire surface); some require a measurement (chain slack, tire pressure); others require a functional check (brake lever/pedal, throttle grip). All the items on the checklist are important, but we strongly recommend giving extra attention to your tires because they’re your sole connection to the road.
Proper air pressure is critical for optimal performance and tire life. Under-inflation can cause sluggish handling, higher steering forces, and internal damage due to over-flexing, and can cause the tire to separate from the rim. Over-inflation can reduce both the contact area and available traction, and can make the motorcycle react harshly to bumps.
Set the pressure according to your motorcycle owner’s manual or the tire information label on the motorcycle’s chain guard or swingarm. Note that there may be two sets of recommendations: one for solo riding and one for riding with a passenger
and/or cargo. Glance over the tires’ surface for
any evidence of uneven wear, cuts, embedded objects, bulges or sidewall cracks.
Inspect the tire tread depth to ensure that adequate tread remains. Tires have small wear bars molded into the tread grooves (see photo). When the tread is worn down to the level of the wear bars, the wear bars become exposed and the tire should be replaced.
Although it may look like there is a sufficient amount of tread, it won’t be enough to maintain traction in wet conditions (the deep grooves in fresh tires help channel water away from the contact patch), and worn tires are thinner and easier to puncture. Lack of periodic inspection can result in disaster.
Find more info about the Motorcycle Safety Foundation at MSF-USA.org.
Up to Ewan McGregor, film star and motorcycle adventurer of “Long Way ’Round” fame, for buying a Ural motorcycle to take his dog Sid out on rides.
Down to a Marine from North Carolina who contributed to a negative image of motorcyclists by riding drunk, with a passenger, and crashing, while both of them were naked.
Up to the Washington State Patrol for launching a safety outreach campaign to reduce motorcycle-related injuries and fatalities during prime riding season in the state.
Down to Arlington, Va., for conducting a motorcycle-only checkpoint during Rolling Thunder over Memorial Day weekend, and to New York state for continuing its motorcycle-only checkpoints.
Down to South Florida Sun-Sentinal writer Nicole Brochu for this comment about the lead law: “The restriction may have been unintended, but I have a hard time losing sleep over a measure that would limit kids’ access to ATVs and motorcycles.”
RIDING
MSRP: 299.99GoPro’s HD Helmet HERO kit includes
the camera, a battery, a waterproof housing, various mounting equipment and straps, a USB cable, a component cable and a composite video cable, and comes with a 1-year warranty. You’ll need to provide your own SD card.
With the introduction of high-definition in the Hero helmet cam, GoPro has met the expectations of extreme sports enthusiasts everywhere. The 180-degree angle camera captures an amazingly broad perspective of all the action, and it’s all in high-definition, which makes it clear and crisp.
The camera can be attached in a number of ways, but the simplest is to use the stick-on helmet mounts. Just clip on the camera, hit the shutter button and ride.
The battery is upgraded from the old version, which uses a rechargeable battery instead of lithium AAAs. A four-hour charge is good for a couple hours of use, which, you’ll find out your first time using
this camera, will be way more footage than you’ll want or need!
Audio quality is great, but you won’t capture much sound when the camera is housed in the plastic case. But that case is extremely tough. Also, high-def video takes up tons of space, so you’ll need a big SD card.
This is a great little camera that no doubt will live up to its billing—making you look like a hero. Just make sure your computer hard drive has hero status as well. With all that high-def video, you’re going to need it!—Jason Frank, Eustis, Fla.
I have to admit, when I first started using the Go Pro HD Hero, I was a little overwhelmed. It came with a variety of mounting options and two pages of instructions. After some testing and experimenting, I found the wide-angle view that seemed to work well for my street-riding videos.
I also played with the different stems and mounting plates that the camera could attach to, not to mention all the ways and places to attach the camera to the bike or rider. My favorite location was using an adhesive side-mount bracket on the fairing of one of my bikes.
The camera clicked securely into the
side mount on the fairing, and I really had no worries about it coming loose. The suction cup mount did slip off one time—after I had just waxed the bike—but performed well on many other occasions. When the camera did come off, I was really impressed by the case’s durability. The camera bounced off the road and was dragged a few feet. The case only got a tiny scratch, and the camera was fine.
I did have some trouble getting the videos off the camera. One computer I used would not retrieve the videos directly from the camera using the USB port, so I used an SD card reader. It also helps to have some understanding of video editing software and its use if you want to turn your raw clips into something more engaging.
The camera is very durable and has great video and picture quality, a long battery life and many mounting options.—Debra Heisler, Prospect Park, Pa.
MEMBER TESTED Want to be an AMA tester? E-mail submissions@ama-cycle.org for an application.
AMA MEMBER TESTEDGoPro HD Helmet HERO
RIDING
CHAD REED STACKS OUTDOOR WINSWins California, Texas Nationals
RACING
Australian Chad Reed’s late-season momentum fell short in the AMA Supercross Series, but the TwoTwo Motorsports/Bell-Ray Racing rider has gone two for two in the opening rounds of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
“We were better prepared than we were at the start of the Supercross season, and I am feeling the fittest I ever have,” Reed said.
Defending outdoor champ Ryan
Dungey, who races for Rockstar/Makita Suzuki, has been Reed’s biggest rival, but a speedy Reed and some bad luck have kept Dungey from keeping pace with the more experienced veteran.
Indeed, Dungey was on pace to claim the overall win with a 2-1 finish in Texas until a mechanical failure ended his moto.
“It is what it is,” Dungey said after the race. “We just had a little bit of a problem. We aren’t sure what it is, but we’ve got a great team here and we’ll get to the
bottom of it.”Despite the fortunate circumstances,
Reed was confident after the moto.“I saw him on the side of the track,
which was a bummer for him. You don’t want to win like that, but I felt like I had the pace until I threw it away in that second one,” said Reed, referring to an earlier crash he had in the second moto while he was gaining on Dungey.
With Dungey’s DNF, recently crowned AMA Supercross Champion Ryan Villopoto, who rides for Monster Energy Kawasaki, moved into second in the points race, 21 points behind Reed. Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGR’s Davi Millsaps was third.
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24 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
FAST, FASTER AND FASTESTA Speed-Read On AMA Racing
SpeedwayBilly Janniro has been the man to beat
at Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway, taking the win three rounds out of the first four. The fourth round on June 3 at Auburn’s Gold Country Fairgrounds was typical of the season—a two-man battle between Janniro and Auburn’s Bart Bast, who won the scratch main opening night and has finished second to Janniro each week since.
East Hare ScramblesWith rain pounding the course all
morning, Beta factory rider Chris Bach took a tough win in round four of the AMA Racing East Hare Scrambles Championship Series held in Casey, Ill., on June 5. Adam Bonneur from Morrison, Ill., took second while Derick Allen from Veedersburg, Ind., came in third.
AMA Pro SuperBike At the AMA Pro Racing Superbike
round at Road America on June 3-5 in Elkhart Lake, Wis., it was nearly an all-Yamaha affair.
Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha rider Josh Herrin won both rounds of the Daytona SportBike doubleheader, taking the series points lead in the process. Herrin now leads Vesrah Suzuki’s Cory West 127-115.
Herrin’s teammate Josh Hayes, defending American SuperBike champion, finished the first race second to Rockstar/Makita Suzuki rider Blake Young and won the second day’s SuperBike event. Hayes leads Young in championship points, 191-181.
In SuperSport, Team LTD Racing Yamaha’s David Gaviria won the first
race to pad his series points lead, while Yamaha-mounted Travis Wyman got his first professional win on the second day.
Hare & HoundFMF/KTM’s Kurt Caselli started in
second, soon passed early leader and JCR Honda rider Kendall Norman then raced on to win the seventh round of the AMA Racing Kenda National Hare & Hound Championship Series in Cherry Creek near the Little Sahara Sand Dunes area in Utah on May 21.
It wasn’t all easy for Caselli, though, who had to battle with Norman, who finished second, and third-place rider, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Destry Abbott, to take the win in the 51st Annual Cherry Creek race, hosted by the Sugarloafers MC.
With six wins in seven rounds, Caselli leads the points race with 187 to Honda rider David Pearson’s 159.
Flat TrackThe first Twins event of 2011, the
legendary Springfield Mile on May 30, provided the background, while Rogers Lake Racing/Blue Springs Harley-Davidson’s Jared Mees brought the comeback. Mees won his first Grand National since 2007.
The final laps played out like a typical Springfield main event, with several riders drafting for the lead. A three-rider pack raced to the finish line on the last lap, with Mees pullng around Kings Kustom/LZ Racing’s Sammy Halbert. Defending Grand National Champion and Zanotti Racing rider Jake Johnson finished third.
Halbert leads the combined GNC points race with 145 to Johnson’s 138.
Last year, the U.S. team took the world title at the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Junior Motocross Championships. This year, the team and riders expect no less than a full-on defense of that crown when the best junior motocrossers in the world line up in Cingoli, Italy, on Aug. 13-14.
Gabriel Jairala from San Antonio, Texas, and Derek Drake from San Luis Obispo, Calif., will compete in the 65cc class riding KTM 65s. Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green riders Mark Worth from Queen Creek, Ariz., and Chase Bell from Cairo, Ga., will race 85cc bikes. In the 125cc class, the United States will be represented by Rockstar Energy Suzuki rider Joey Savatgy from Thomasville, Ga., and Yamaha amateur support rider Chris Alldredge from Powell Butte, Ore.
Kawasaki Team Green Motocross Supervisor Ryan Holiday will coordinate the U.S. team’s efforts as team manager.
Savatgy is the lone rider returning from the 2010 team, when he finished runner-up in the 125cc division. Savatgy says he has some unfinished business for 2011.
“Last year was incredible,” Savatgy
says. “It was sick to be part of the winning team. I got to hang out with some pretty cool people last year and I’m hoping to see them again this year. Racing against the top competitors in the world really opened my eyes to the level of talent that is out there. I am looking forward to working with the other members of the U.S. Junior Team to defend our gold medal this year in Italy.”
In addition to the official team riders,
other Americans will also compete, including Josh and Michael Mosiman from Sebastopol, Calif.
“Standing on the podium with ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ playing, realizing that the United States had just fielded the best youth amateur motocross team in the world, was an experience like no other,” says AMA Motocross Manager Kip Bigelow.
“I had no doubt in my mind that we would find the support to defend our title this year. Thanks to backing from the AMA and FIM North America, this will be another fantastic adventure for these riders.”
JUNIOR MOTOCROSS TEAM EYES ITALYU.S. Team Looks To Repeat As World Champs
Gabriel Jairala
Derek Drake
Joey Savatgy
Chase Bell
Chris Alldredge
Josh Mosiman
26 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
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Scottish-born Dean Wilson, who was raised in Canada, is quickly earning a reputation as one of the most likeable racers in AMA Supercross and motocross. His performance on the track hasn’t hurt. At the second round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship in Wortham, Texas, Wilson took second to his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammate Tyla Rattray, but also slipped into the 250 class points lead.
American Motorcyclist: Dean, with a year under your belt, how would you sum up your experience as an AMA pro rider?
Dean Wilson: I think that my first year as a rookie went pretty well. Each weekend I felt that I was getting closer to a win, but then I had visa issues and was detained in Canada and missed two rounds—so that was a shame. Still, I felt that I rode quite well in Supercross before moving into the motocross series.
At the beginning, I was nervous and may have been a bit shaky but almost won the second round. Then two rounds later at Budds Creek I won my first National. From that point on I was usually up near the front of the pack, but did have a couple races near the end where I crashed and lost lots of points. But then I won the last National at Pala Raceway. Overall, it was a good year.
AM: Is there more pressure to win this year?
DW: Racing can be very mental at times, and there can be lots of pressure.
That easily could be something that has happened to me this year. I really felt a need to be winning.
I tried to take a step back and make it a bit more fun and enjoyable. Sometimes if I take things too seriously, it just doesn’t work that well. Just before Jacksonville, I worked on having more fun, and it worked out well—I finished second overall.
I still am the same person who likes to have fun and enjoy myself with everything that I do. Many have told me that I am the guy this year, so maybe that is why I put some pressure on myself. Maybe at the couple of races so far this year I just tried too hard, and put too much pressure on myself—that just doesn’t work for me.
I’ll keep working on my fitness and conditioning, and doing everything that I can to win races. I just will try not to get too stressed out mentally on it. When I am out having fun and riding is when I race at my best!
TWO QUESTIONS WITH…Dean Wilson On Pressure By Jim Kimball
THROWBACK: WHEN THE AMA MADE MX OFFICIAL The 1970 Trans-AMA Series Broke New Ground
One of America’s greatest woods racers was America’s first national motocross champion.
In 1970, the AMA established its first national motocross championship. Recognized by the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the international governing body for motorcycle sport, the 1970 Trans-AMA series featured considerable talent.
World stars, such as Gunnar Lindstrom, Joel Robert and Jeff Smith, and top U.S. upstarts like Brad Lackey, Jimmy Weinert and Jim Pomeroy contested the series. These Motorcycle Hall of Famers, and many more, raced at venues across the country, from Unadilla, N.Y., to Irvine, Calif.
When the mud cleared in Seattle on Dec. 29, two champions were crowned, one from the international contingent and one from among the U.S. riders. The international—and overall—champion was Dave Nicoll, a Cambridge, England, rider and member of the factory BSA team.
Surprising many today, the top point-getter for the U.S. side was off-road racing legend Dick Burleson. As such, Burleson is the AMA’s first recognized national motocross champion.
A few years later, Burleson remembered his foray into motocross. “It was just a logical step,” he said. “Motocross was just like scrambles, only longer and rougher.”
His focus quickly shifted, however. The next year, Burleson raced for the Penton team in the 1971 International Six Days Trial—now the International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), the world’s premier off-road race. That event launched one of the greatest off-road racing careers in history. Starting in 1974, Burleson won eight straight AMA National Enduro Championships and cemented his position in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Dick Burleson
Dean Wilson
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RACING
Hall of Fame features the machines and people of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio. The Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that receives support from the AMA and from motorcycling enthusiasts. For info and directions, visit MotorcycleMuseum.org, or call (614) 856-2222.
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Gottlieb Daimler probably didn’t have a clue that his 1885 test bed for a four-stroke engine would become a classic in the world of motorcycling.
In the late 1800s, several inventors were hard at work creating motorized
bicycles and small internal combustion engines. Daimler was one of them, and his early attempts to produce a working four-stroke engine powered by coal gas led to an engine burning liquid fuel.
The German inventor had dreams
of powering a four-wheeled horseless carriage with his engine. In reality, however, the engine produced only one-half horsepower, which wouldn’t move a carriage.
So he built a smaller one-track chassis
1885 DAIMLER REPLICA An Enduring Classic
HALL OF FAME
28 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
to test his concept.The test bed was crude, but it
incorporated design features that can be found on motorcycles even today, including a centrally located engine, cradle frame and a float-type carburetor.
Daimler’s son rode the odd, wooden-framed motorcycle on its maiden voyage, and despite Daimler’s indifference toward further refinement of his two-wheeled
test bed, his 1885 creation would inspire generations of motorcycle designers.
Sadly, Daimler’s original prototype was destroyed in a fire in 1903.
But around the time of the 100th anniversary of Daimler’s creation, Jim Carlton and brothers Roy and Ray Behner of Ohio crafted a replica.
They produced a remarkable copy based on photos of Daimler’s test bed,
only to discover that their replica was somewhat larger than the original. So they built another.
This 1885 Daimler replica, the first one they built, is now part of the permanent collection of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame on the campus of the AMA in Pickerington, Ohio—a reminder of the humble beginnings of the modern motorcycle.
August 2011 29
Gene Romero—one of the best-known motorcycle racers in the United States in the late 1960s and early ’70s—proved to be a top contender in all forms of Grand National Championship racing.
Romero won Nationals on miles, half-miles, roadracing circuits and on TT tracks. He won the AMA Grand National Championship in 1970 riding for Triumph.
The biggest win of Romero’s career came at the 1975 Daytona 200. Romero, who had been racing in the 200 since 1967, came close to winning in 1970 and again in 1971, when he was the runner up.
Romero came through in 1975 with an excellent ride aboard a factory Yamaha. He rode in fourth for most of the race and then, midway through, began to pour on the speed.
After passing future Motorcycle Hall of Famers Giacomo Agostini and Steve Baker, he eventually took the lead when future Hall of Famer Steve McLaughlin crashed under Romero’s relentless pressure.
Romero cruised home to victory. It would prove to be his only win in the Daytona 200 in 14 starts, which is still one more than many other equally talented racers.
Born on May 22, 1947, in Martinez, Calif., Romero honed his racing skills on the dirt-
track and scrambles tracks of the central valley of California.
According to Romero, Johnny LaManto was a major influence on his desire to race. He described LaManto as a bigger-than-life local legend who lived on a ranch that bordered Romero’s grandfather’s ranch near Hollister, Calif.
As an amateur, Romero used his scrambles skills to become a top TT Steeplechase rider. Not surprisingly, Romero’s first pro finish came at the Castle Rock, Wash., TT in July 1966.
His first National win came two years later, again on a TT course, this time in Lincoln, Neb., when he rode a Triumph to victory.
Romero won 12 AMA Nationals during his 16-year racing career. He became known as one of the first riders to bring sponsorship into the sport from outside the motorcycling industry.
One year, the famous motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel was Romero’s primary sponsor.
In 1970, Romero won the prestigious AMA Most Popular Rider of the Year Award.
Romero raced motorcycles until 1981. After a short auto-racing career, he became the manager of Honda’s AMA Grand
National dirt-track racing program, and was at its helm from 1982 to 1985.
From there, Romero formed a promotions company and today is involved in numerous projects, from a motorcycle racing series to town fairs and festivals.
Romero was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.
Hall of Famer
GENE ROMERO Grand National Champion And Daytona 200 Winner
30 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
HALL OF FAME
SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2011
For Information Phone: (636) 488-3174 E-mail: tgulley83@yahoo.com
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HALL OF FAME BOARD MEMBER PROFILE
Stan Simpson
Born: Columbus, Ind., a few years after Christopher Columbus discovered America and before we started getting involved in World War II.
First motorcycle ride: My first ride was on my dad’s Indian, which he always said I could ride when I could start it! I was about 12 or 13, and I sure thought that thing was big and powerful! I had a few old parts bikes I put together and rode some, but I think the first real bike I owned and raced was an H-D 165 two-stroke. I also got to ride a few of the older guys’ bikes around the local scrambles track. My early favorites were, of course, the bikes that belonged to the fastest guys in the club!
Motorcycling experience: I have been a full-time rider since I was a teenager. It seemed that the folks I liked to be around all rode bikes. I started out riding in the woods, and the longer I rode and raced, the more I looked at the types of riding that allowed me to ride more each day. I was growing up when Husky and Penton were changing how and what we rode and raced. In the mid-’70s, I realized that I liked the people as much as the racing. Many guys influenced my transformation from a racer to a rider who cared.
Work experience: I have spent most of my adult life (read that to mean later-in-life!) working in the technical field of engineering and machine design. I gravitated toward the production of military products when the slow-down of commercial construction machinery came about in the early 1980s. I was fortunate to be involved in the design and supply of the world’s first rough-terrain container handler, which we designed and supplied to the U.S. Defense Department in 1998. I was really fortunate to be surrounded by great-performing staff members for many of the last years of my business career. I retired from the day-to-day running of a multimillion-dollar military supplier in 2009, and I currently do consulting.
Why I ride: Back in ’96, an injury ended my racing career. Luckily, I found I liked recreational riding just as much. I ride a lot (both on- and off-road) because I am more convinced than ever that you really do meet the nicest people around motorcycling. It is the best form of relaxation and camaraderie that you can find!
Favorite bike: I have two. Off-road, I like the new KTM EXC four-strokes a lot. For my longer road rides, I feel the Honda Gold Wing is the best there is for a guy built (or put back together) like me.
Best bike ever: I don’t know how
to answer this question. I could say the Kawasaki H-1 that brought high performance to the average street biker, I could say it was the early four-cylinder Honda 750s that revolutionized what a streetbike should be. Or perhaps it might be the latest series of KTM Adventure bikes. Probably, I’d say, “The one I just rode today!”
AMA Member since: 1957. I joined in February so I could enter a cross-country race in central Kentucky. That was a long time ago.
Why I’m an American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation (AMHF) Board Member: The longer I am involved in motorcycling, the more I recognize how important it is to collect and preserve the history of how we got to where we are, and who the heroes are who kept us all coming back for the next great thing. All of us who have been successful in our riding must help keep the heritage alive so we can share it with others after we are gone.
The biggest challenge facing the Hall of Fame: The biggest issue we have is the lack of folks joining us as volunteers and participants in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Every one of us should be telling the story every time we get a willing ear.
Win These Bikes!
ONE TO RULETORIDE
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Support The Motorcycle Hall Of Fame The coolest bike on the road in the early 1970s? The fi re-breathing Kawasaki Z1, the machine that took the four-cylinder Superbike to new levels, with a 903cc, dual-overhead-cam engine and muscle-bike styling that re-wrote streetbike rules for decades. The Z1’s DNA lives on today in the Kawasaki Z1000—a
modern interpretation of the muscle bike, with a fuel-injected,1,043cc, dual-overhead-cam motor that can take you anywhere you want to go.
See the complete rules at MotorcycleMuseum.org or call (614) 856-2222.
A minimum donation of $5 per ticket or $20 for fi ve tickets is suggested, but larger donations are encouraged.suggested, but larger donations
U.S. Rep Denny Rehberg, sponsor of the Kids Just Want to Ride Act, explains why banning the sale of youth dirtbikes is a bad idea.
32 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
It was an amazing scene in the normally staid Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C.: Hundreds of AMA members, parents and kids wearing colorful off-road riding gear, rallying in support of a bill that could halt the most serious threat to youth
motorcycling in decades.Packed into a hearing room that usually houses
suit-clad lawmakers and other officials, the riders and supporters heard from AMA officials and five members of the House of Representatives, all working toward the same goal: passage of H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want To Ride Act, which would amend a law aimed at lead in children’s toys that inadvertently blocked the sale of kids’ dirtbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
And as U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) spoke, the amazing scene just got more incredible. With kids gathered on all sides, including youngsters sitting in chairs normally reserved for elected officials in the crowded hearing room, Rehberg looked around and smiled.
“For the first time ever—because I don’t think anyone’s ever done this—everyone just stand up on the desk,” he said. For a moment, the kids seemed unsure, but as Rehburg encouraged them, kids in MX gear climbed atop the main hearing-room desk, literally elevating their cause as the rally went on.
As any parent knows, the youngest voices often carry the most weight. And that was true whether the youngest AMA members were standing in support of changing the
Kids Just Want To Ride!
Young Motocrossers Rally In Washington, D.C., Against
Youth Motorcycle Sales BanThe AMA Family Capitol Hill Climb Delivers A Strong
Message To LawmakersWords: Grant Parsons
Photos: Morten Aigeltinger
August 2011 33
“ Kids were
everywhere, There were kids in the
halls, kids in the cafeteria, kids in offices,
everywhere you looked. You couldn’t walk
around and not see those kids in riding gear and
wonder what was going on. We
raised a lot of awareness for
this. We made a point.”
law, circulating the House office building and drawing interest from congressional staffers or visiting their elected representa-tives to ask them to support the Kids Just Want to Ride Act.
“It was just awesome,” says Rod Yentzer, whose 8-year-old son, Chase, was making his second visit to Washington in an effort to end the sales ban. “I think we definitely made a statement with all the kids attending. The kids had a ball, and it was great for them to get involved and go there and be part of the political process.
“Kids were everywhere,” he says. “There were kids in the halls, kids in the cafeteria, kids in offices, everywhere you looked. You couldn’t walk around and not see those kids in riding gear and wonder what was going on. We raised a lot of awareness for this. We made a point.”
Families from 20 states and as far away as Colorado were part of the event—the AMA Family Capitol Hill Climb on May 26—organized by the AMA in support of H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want To Ride Act.
The bill is intended to exclude kid-sized machines that were ensnared in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008. The CPSIA was intended to ban small toys with high lead content, but because of broadly written language, it has been interpreted to apply to all products for kids 12 and under,
including dirtbikes, ATVs, bicycles, clothing and books.
“It’s been clear from the start that motorcycles should never have been part of this ban, and nobody delivers that message better than AMA members—young riders and their parents for whom off-road riding is an important family activity,” says AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “We helped bring them together, but it is their voices, and the voices of thousands of other motorcyclists from across the country, that are crucial to ending the ban.”
In response to the outcry from AMA members and others, officials issued a stay of enforcement of the lead-content portion of the CPSIA, but did not eliminate the ban entirely. The stay is set to expire at the end of the year. The AMA and its members, as well as many other motorcycling groups, have urged passage of the Kids Just Want To Ride Act to fully exempt kid-sized machines.
Speaking at the rally, Rehberg urged action by his fellow legislators to stop the ban. Not only does the ban hurt small businesses and jobs, but it forces kids to ride motorcycles and ATVs that are physically too large for their small statures.
“I feel pretty confident that we’re on the right side of the issue,” Rehberg said. “People say to me, ‘This just lacks common sense—what is going on here?’ This is what gives Congress a bad name... You’re putting our children at risk, and we’re not going to allow you to do that.”
He also thanked everyone for their efforts on behalf of the bill.
“To Rob [Dingman], thank you,” he said. “Thanks to the American Motorcyclist Association. I couldn’t do it without the partnership that has been created. And thanks to the parents for taking the time to bring their kids out to Washington for something that’s so important.”
Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) noted that parents, not government, know best how to make sure their kids stay safe.
“This is a great instance of where the government just doesn’t get it,” West said. “These kids are the responsibility of the parents. If the parents can make sure these kids are safe, and if parents can make sure they go out and enjoy a little bit of something that’s part of who we are in America—enjoying these little dirtbikes—then let the parents decide.”
Motorcycling is a healthy activity that should be encouraged, not curtailed by over-reaching government laws, said bill
34 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
Real Riders Make All The DifferenceThe Best Kind Of Lobbyist? Kids!by Rob Dingman, AMA president and CEO
For the first time in its history, the AMA organized a gathering of hundreds of young motorcyclists, their parents and concerned riders on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to demonstrate support for fixing a federal law that unfairly bans the sale of youth-model motorcycles and ATVs. Sure, we’ve had a steady stream of AMA members visit their elected officials in our nation’s capital over the years, but this was the first time we have brought together so many affected young riders and their families.
Every day, the halls of the U.S. Congress bustle with professional lobbyists in skirts and suits on their way to meetings with legislators and staff to persuade them to support or oppose the issue of the day. Never before, however, have members of Congress and their staff seen hundreds of young motorcyclists and their families descend upon Capitol Hill clad in riding jerseys and motocross boots.
During a rally in a House of Representatives committee room, organized with the help of Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), sponsor of H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act, several members of Congress got to see first-hand the depth of support for this issue that is so vitally important to so many motorcycling families.
It was at that rally that I witnessed something that I have never before seen in any legislative venue, let alone in Congress. When Congressman Rehberg began to speak in front of a rostrum with a youth-model Cobra motorcycle staged on top of it, he invited all the kids to stand behind him up on the rostrum with the bike, motocross boots and all.
I tried to imagine any member of Congress inviting a stuffy group of middle-aged lobbyists in suits to stand on a table behind him or her while giving a speech. That just shows the potential power and effectiveness of motorcyclists’ grassroots efforts. We have the ability to be so much more effective than those professional lobbyists because we are the real people who are affected by the decisions of policymakers—not paid lobbyists “rented” to make the case.
And it is proof positive that we can be even more effective if the AMA becomes a bigger organization. That part is up to millions of riders who are not yet AMA members—and each of us. I would like to thank everyone who participated in this effort, whether in person or by contacting your elected representatives to state your concerns. Please help us grow the AMA and continue to let your local officials know that Kids Just Want to Ride!
For more information about how you can get involved, please contact AMA Grassroots Coordinator Jessica Irving at grassroots@ama-cycle.org.
co-sponsor Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.).“That’s what I’d rather have my kids do,
to get outdoors and get some exercise...and ride their bikes,” he said.
Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.), another co-sponsor of the bill, said that stopping a law that shouldn’t have ensnared dirtbikes in the first place only makes sense.
“It’s one of those very simple things to take on,” Schilling said. “It’s another thing where the government wants to intrude in our daily lives, and this is a simple thing for me to jump on. I just really appreciate that everyone came out here to show support for the bill.”
Ashley Nash-Hahn, appearing on behalf of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who is co-chair of the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus, spoke in support of the kids and parents who made the trek.
“I’m so excited to tell her that we have all these young motorcycle riders here learning how to be safe,” Nash-Hahn said.
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), an AMA Life Member, said it was time to end the ban: “For government to step in, in non-commonsensical ways, and not even consider what legislation might do to families who want to spend time together, to businesses that want to provide products and services for them...now, to ratchet that back, is the wrong way to go.”
Among the kids and parents attending were Erin, 11, Adi, 7, and Carter, 5, Malcolm of Littleton, Colo., who, along with their parents, Danny and Peggy, won a trip to Washington, D.C., in the AMA’s “Kids Just Want To Ride” video contest.
Dingman noted that demonstrations of support like the AMA Family Capitol Hill Climb are vital in making the case to Congress that the CPSIA should not include motorcycles and ATVs.
“It’s AMA members like those here today, and the thousands of others who have made their feelings known to
AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman (left) and the winners of the AMA’s Kids Just Want to Ride! video
contest, Erin, 11, Adi, 7, and Carter, 5, Malcolm of Littleton, Colo., and their parents, Danny and Peggy.
August 2011 35
Stop The Ban!Legislative Efforts Need Support
There are various efforts now under way in Congress to end the ban on the sale of kid-sized dirtbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) nationwide.
The most promising is a measure introduced by Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.)—H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act—which would exempt kids’ off-highway vehicles from the lead-content portion of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, which created the de facto ban.
The CPSIA bans the making, importing, distributing or selling of any product intended for children 12 and under that contains more than a specified amount of lead in any accessible part. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which is responsible for implementing the law,
has delayed enforcing key portions of the law until after the end of the year.
In addition to introducing H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act, in June Rep. Rehberg got language inserted into the House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill that would prohibit the CPSC from using federal funds to implement the lead-content portion of the CPSIA for kids off-highway vehicles (OHVs).
The Financial Services bill provides funding for key federal agencies.
On another front, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce is considering H.R. 1939, the Enhancing CPSC Authority and Discretion Act (ECADA) of 2011.
The ECADA would exempt kids’ dirtbike and ATV battery terminals from the lead-content limits of the CPSIA. It may also allow exemptions to the lead-content
portion of the law for OHV parts under certain conditions.
Plus, the bill would impose slightly more lenient lead-content limits on products intended for use by children 7 to 12 years old, while products for kids 6 and younger would still need to meet the stricter lead-limit requirements.
“The ECADA is a step in the right direction,” says Sheila Andrews, AMA senior legislative assistant in Washington, D.C. “However, we are hopeful that the final legislation will fully address the problem by granting an outright exemption, like the one in H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act.”
To urge your federal lawmakers to support legislation supported by the AMA, go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com. > Rights > Issues & Legislation.
their congressional representatives, that help make real change occur,” Dingman said. “All motorcyclists owe a debt of gratitude to the people in this room—kids, parents, congressional representatives who support this legislation, and more. We are making a very real difference here today.”
For their part, the parents involved say it was a great opportunity not only to fight for something they believe in, but also the best kind of learning opportunity for the kids.
“It was a great event,” says Robert Dalby, who brought his sons, Wyatt,
6, and Tallon, 8, to the rally, and also met with their elected representative afterward. “It was very educational for them, not only to learn the lawmaking process, but to see what the AMA does for them beyond just paying your $39 and getting a card.”
It was impressive, he says, to see what kids can accomplish simply by their presence.
“They had a huge impact,” he says. “Not only when we met with our congressman, but just walking around the building in their riding gear. People would ask what they were there for,
and we would explain how we needed to fix the law, and people would get it. They’d understand.”
To date, more than 70 members of Congress have signed on to co-sponsor H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act, but its passage is by no means assured. That’s why the AMA continues to rally motorcyclists, and urge others to tell their lawmakers to support Congressman Rehberg’s bill. Easy-to-use tools to contact members of Congress are available at AmericanMotorcyclist.com > Rights > Issues & Legislation.
36 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
ALL THINGSVINTAGE
An off-road legend, vintage racing, the country’s largest motorcycle swap meet and much, much
more highlight AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, July 22-24, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Here’s a look at what you’ll find when you arrive.
It’s A Green World
Kawasaki Will Be Honored As AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2011 Marque Of The Year
Motorcycle Hall of Famers Jeff Fredette, Yvon Duhamel, Gary Nixon, Jimmy Weinert, Eddie Lawson, Jeff Ward, Mike Kiedrowski. The list of riders who became famous racing Kawasaki motorcycles is long and distinguished—as is the number of regular enthusiasts who have grown to love the brand and all of its renditions, from the incredible Mach III 500cc two-stroke in 1969 to the modern Ninja sportbike.
That history will take center stage on July 22-24 at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Kawasaki, Marque of the Year, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
“Kawasaki put the ‘Good Times’ in motorcycling from the very beginning, and has become a world icon,” says AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “We are pleased that attendees at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days will see firsthand the company and the people that brought us incredible machines like the Samurai and Avenger models, then the Mach III triple and the 900cc Z1, all the way to today’s Ninjas, Concours 1400s and Vulcans.”
Kawasaki, known as a leader in the
performance category for the past 45 years in the United States, has won numerous AMA racing championships on pavement as well as dirt. The recognition as AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Marque of the Year will include a chance for attendees to learn the brand’s history, as well as provide a chance for riders to demo current bikes.
Hosting a “Kawasaki City” at the Mid-Ohio venue for the event, the company will exhibit many of its groundbreaking models, including the famed 500cc Mach III triple and the 900cc Z1, recognized as one of the industry’s first true superbikes.
Off-Road Legend Jeff FredetteIs Grand Marshal
No One In The World Has Competed In More International Six Days Enduros
In 1978, a nervous rookie off-roader lined up in the rural Swedish countryside at the biggest off-road race in the world, the International Six Days Trial (ISDT).
Six days later, Jeff Fredette was credited with a gold-medal finish, launching what has become one of the most enduring international motorcycle racing careers of all time.
And now, Fredette, a Motorcycle Hall of Famer and the guy who holds the record for number of ISDE (International Six
Days Enduro) finishes, will be honored as grand marshal for this year’s AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. It’s only fitting, since Fredette made his name aboard Kawasakis.
“I’m excited about this opportunity to really experience all the things going on at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days,” Fredette says. “Last year was my first at the event, and my schedule only allowed me to see the hare scrambles. I’m looking forward to the swap meet, the flat track, the bike shows and taking in the vintage scene.
“Plus, I’m not going to miss out on the racing,” he says. “I want to compete in the trials, the hare scrambles, the motocross and the flat track. It should be a great time all around.”
Fredette, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002, lives to compete. In addition to his 30 ISDE finishes Fredette’s race résumé includes two AMA Racing National Championships last year: the Senior 40+ A class title in the AMA Racing Rekluse National Enduro Championship Series, and the 86cc-200cc Modern class No. 1 plate at the AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships.
Prior to that, he won the 2004 Senior 40+ and 1989 126-200 A class national enduro titles, as well as 15 Ice Race National titles.
Fredette, who has competed on KDX Kawasakis since 1983, says the partnership with the company began simply.
“It was the year after Suzuki pulled out of off-road, and I didn’t have a ride,” Fredette remembers. “Kawasaki came along with some bikes and support, and things just started to click. Kawasakis have always been great bikes, and I’m pretty loyal, so from then on, as long as everything worked, I had no reason to change.”
Fredette says he enjoys all types of motorcycle competition, but the nature of the ISDE will always make it special.
“The ISDE has become such a big thing in the off-road community because it’s grueling,” he says. “It’s not a one-day deal, or a two-day deal. It’s six days long. Ever since I saw [Motorcycle Hall of Famer] Malcolm Smith in “On Any Sunday,” I knew that’s what I wanted to do. You have to be a mechanic, you have to be able to ride fast, and you have to be able to keep going no matter what.”
The Smell Of Two-Stroke Race Gas. The Sound Of Classic Twins At Speed.
Every Bike You Ever Owned In A Field Of Dreams. What Are You Waiting For?
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Jeff Fredette
Better. Farther. Older?
Can You Get Better Fuel Economy Than Craig Vetter?
Motorcycle Hall of Famer Craig Vetter has always been looking to do more with less, from his wind-cheating Windjammer fairings and fuel-economy runs back in the day, to his innovative scooter designs today.
And now, he’s looking to revive those high-mileage-motorcycle contests at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days with a special event that involves a real-world ride on real-world bikes.
“The goal of the Craig Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge is to discover the least amount of energy—in dollars and cents—it takes to travel the way we really ride,” Vetter says. “Not only do entered
motorcycles have to produce excellent mileage, but they must be comfortable, attractive and be able to carry a reasonable load—such as four bags of groceries.”
Vetter said that the route will be roughly 100 miles, with awards for the overall winner, the best electric bike and the best performing vintage motorcycle.
“My Brit buddies are sure their BSA singles from the ’60s got 100 mpg. And who knows? Maybe they did,” Vetter says. “At the AMA Vintage Days Vetter Challenge, we will learn the truth.”
When Milwaukee Went Italian
Aermacchi/Harley-Davidson Club Will Be Showcased
There was a time when Harley-Davidson, that venerable American brand, branched
out its product line with small-bore machines that were about as different from the company’s big V-twins as they could be.
And this year, that unique era in The Motor Company’s history will be celebrated with the Aermacchi/Harley-Davidson Club hosted as AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Classic Club.
“Motorcycling history is rich with distinctive relationships that produced some interesting examples of motorcycle technology,” notes Jack Penton, AMA director of operations and a Motorcycle Hall of Famer. “The Aermacchi/Harley-Davidson line fits that description.”
Marques Of Distinction
There’s A Place For Every Kind Of Motorcycle Club
Kawasaki and Aermacchi may get the headlines, but plenty of other great motorcycling brands will also get their due at America’s grandest display of motorcycle heritage.
The always-popular AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Club Corral will feature a place for marque-specific clubs to show off their best machines and memorabilia.
Currently on tap to appear in the Club Corral at this year’s AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days are: The Bridgestone Motorcycle Club; the International CBX Owners Association; the Cincinnati Classic British Motorcycle Owners; the Kawasaki ZL Owners
Full info at AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com
Association; Ohio Norton Clubs; the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club (VJMC) and the North American Kawasaki Triples Club.
If You Need It, You Can Find ItAt The Swap Meet
Acres And Acres Of Treasure Hunting
There are few things cooler than a sweet vintage ride—except for an impossible-to-find sweet vintage ride that you just discovered at North America’s largest motorcycle swap meet.
And this year it’s shaping up to be one of the biggest swap meets ever, as hundreds of vendors and thousands of buyers are expected to converge on the grounds of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“The swap meet is about 20 acres of new-old-stock pistons, crank seals, fork boots, wheels, complete running bikes, not-so-complete and not-so-running bikes, shocks, fenders—the list goes on and on,” notes Penton.
If It Races, It’s Here
The Widest Selection Of Vintage Racing On The Planet
Whether you live for the thrill of competition or just like to kick back on the grass on a nice summer day to watch great old bikes duke it out, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days has you covered.
“Vintage racers are some of the most dedicated, enthusiastic motorcyclists in the world,” says AMA Racing Director Joe Bromley. “The AMA is proud to give these competitors the national recognition they deserve with the AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships.”
The AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships crown vintage class AMA Racing National Champions in motocross, hare scrambles, trials and road racing. The event also includes a round of the AMA Racing Vintage Dirt Track National Championships.
Riders in motocross, hare scrambles, trials and road racing will compete for AMA Racing national No. 1 plates. Dirt-track racers will earn points toward series awards.
Designated A classes in each discipline earn points toward the event’s two highest honors: AMA Track Racing Vintage Grand Champion and AMA Off-Road Racing Vintage Grand Champion. In addition,
a Senior class rider will be honored as the AMA Senior Off-Road Vintage Grand Champion for his or her performance in designated A classes in motocross, hare scrambles and trials.
But Wait! There’s More!
Seminars, Displays, Demo Rides And More Pack The Weekend
There’s more going on at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days than will fit in these pages, but here’s a quick roundup of what else you’ll find.
Seminars: Craig Vetter on high-mileage bikes. Jeff Fredette on ISDE exploits. A panel of experts on Kawasaki history. Presentations on bike restoration, Triumph motorcycle technicalities. And much more. All free for attendees.
AMA Partners: A chance to meet with, and enjoy special perks from, the AMA and its benefit partners at the AMA tent.
Life Member Recognition: Perks available only to AMA Life Members at the AMA Tent.
AMA Gear: Event shirts and other gear on sale at the AMA Tent.
Demo Rides: Ride the latest bikes from many makers.
Bike Shows: Both general machines and cafe racers at the Cafe Racer Magazine tent.
Gear Check: A special place to check your stuff so you don’t have to lug it around.
Member Gifts: At the AMA Tent.•
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Full info at AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com
A few of the hundreds of AMA-sanctioned events this month, detailed on the following pages. GO RIDE
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1 You won’t want to
miss the 150-mile fun rides planned as part of the Dualsport Northwest Adventure Rally set for July 27-31 in Stevenson, Wash. The event is part of the popular AMA Yamaha Super Ténéré National Adventure Riding Series. Info: Soundrider.com.
2 The Roundup Committee always puts on a rockin’ good time with its
National Bikers Roundup. The 34th edition will be held Aug. 3-7 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nev. Info: (702) 522-9043.
3 The all-American sport of AMA Pro Racing Flat Track features racers
battling on the dirt oval this month in Castle Rock, Wash., Aug. 6; Peoria, Ill., Aug. 21; and Indianapolis Aug. 27. For the full schedule, see page 46.
4 The 13th annual Quarry Run Dual Sport Ride will be held Aug. 6-7 in
Hancock, N.Y. The event features single-track and two-track trails and prime woods roads nestled in the hills and valleys around Hancock. This event is part of the prestigious AMA KTM National Dual Sport Trail Riding Series. Info: BearCreekSportsmen.com.
5 Defending AMA Motocross
champ Ryan Dungey, AMA Supercross champ Ryan Villopoto and Chad Reed are in a real dog fight in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship Series, which heads to New Berlin, N.Y., on Aug. 13 and Southwick, Mass., Aug. 27. See the full schedule on page 46.
6 The Utah Ride for Kids road ride offers a great time with hundreds of other
motorcyclists on Aug. 13 starting and ending in Salt Lake City. Enjoy a scenic
ride through Utah’s countryside while helping raise funds for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Info: RideforKids.org.
7 The fastest racers on the
planet will be at it once again at the AMA Racing Land Speed Grand Championships—BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials Aug. 27-Sept. 1 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The current motorcycle land speed record is 376.156 mph, set by rider Rocky Robinson in the Top 1 Ack Attack streamliner. Info: BUBRacing.com.
COMING UP
The AMA Legends & Champions Weekend is set for Nov. 18-20 in Las Vegas, Nev. The weekend kicks off with the 2011 Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Nov. 18. The Concours d’Elegance is on Nov. 19. The AMA Racing Championship Banquet is Nov. 20. Info: AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
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August 2011 41
CALIFORNIA
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RUN
AUG 20: SAN FRANCISCO: SAN FRANCISCO MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (415) 863-1930
AUG 21: SAN JOSE: SAN JOSE DONS MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (408) 509-6396
DUAL SPORT RIDE
AUG 20-21: BERRY CREEK: 2 DAY EVENT, IRONMAN DUAL SPORT, (530) 680-6019, IRONMANDUALSPORT.COM
AUG 27-28: MCCLOUD: 2 DAY EVENT, MCCLOUD DUAL-SPORT ADVENTURES, (530) 925-5015, MCCLOUDDUALSPORTADVENTURES.COM
COMPETITION
SCRAMBLES
AUG 6: LODI: LODI MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (209) 368-8718
AUG 13: LODI: LODI MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (209) 368-8718
AUG 28: LUCERNE VALLEY: INVADERS MC, (951) 492-1896
SHORT TRACK
AUG 20: LODI: LODI MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (209) 368-8718
AUG 27: LODI: LODI MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (209) 368-8718
COLORADO
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RALLY
AUG 26: FT. COLLINS: FRONT RANGE RIDERS, (970) 221-1014, FRONTRANGERIDERS.COM
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
AUG 14: DACONO: IMI MOTORSPORTS INC, (303) 833-4949, IMIMOTORSPORTS.COM
AUG 28: LAKEWOOD: COLORADO MOTORSPORTS PROMOTIONS LLC, (303) 697-1003
AUG 28: LAKEWOOD: COLORADO MOTORSPORTS PROMOTIONS LLC, (303) 697-7100, MXTHUNDERVALLEY.COM
CONNECTICUT
RECREATIONAL
BIKE SHOW
AUG 21: EAST HAMPTON: BRITISH IRON ASSOCIATION OF CONNECTICUT, (860) 585-5510, CTBRITIRON.ORG
ILLINOIS
RECREATIONAL
TRAIL RIDE
AUG 14: OTTAWA: VARIETY RIDERS MOTORCYCLE CLUB INC, (815) 434-3669, VARIETYRIDERS.COM
COMPETITION
1/2 MILE DIRT TRACK
AUG 6: PETERSBURG: PEKIN MOTORCYCLE,
(309) 231-4945, PEKINMOTORCYCLECLUB.COM
HILL CLIMB
AUG 20: WHITE CITY: CAHOKIA CREEK DIRT RIDERS, (618) 946-4316, CCDIRT.COM
MOTOCROSS
AUG 6: WALNUT: 4P PROMOTIONS INC, (815) 379-9953, SUNSETRIDGEMX.COM
AUG 7: WALNUT: 4P PROMOTIONS INC, (815) 379-9953, WSUNSETRIDGEMX.COM
AUG 7: BYRON: MOTORSPORTS ENTERPRISES LTD., (815) 234-2271, MOTOBYRON.COM
AUG 12: GEORGETOWN: PLEASURE RIDERS MC, (309) 838-5062, PLEASURERIDERS.NET
AUG 13: PECATONICA: PRO SHOW INC, (815) 275-6686, STATELINEMX.COM
AUG 18: PECATONICA: PRO SHOW INC, (815) 275-6686, STATELINEMX.COM
AUG 20: FOSTERBURG: SPLINTER CREEK DIRT RIDERS INC, (618) 372-4355, SPLINTERCREEK.COM
AUG 21: BYRON: MOTORSPORTS ENTERPRISES LTD., (815) 234-2271, MOTOBYRON.COM
AUG 21: FOSTERBURG: SPLINTER CREEK DIRT RIDERS INC, (618) 372-4355, SPLINTERCREEK.COM
AUG 28: WALNUT: 4P PROMOTIONS INC, (815) 379-9953, WSUNSETRIDGEMX.COM
OBSERVED TRIALS
AUG 28: OTTAWA: VARIETY RIDERS MOTORCYCLE CLUB INC, (815) 434-3669, VARIETYRIDERS.COM
INDIANA
RECREATIONAL
ADVENTURE RIDE
AUG 20-21: COLUMBUS: 2 DAY EVENT, STONEY LONESOME M/C, (812) 343-9772, STONEYLONESOMEMC.COM
DUAL SPORT RIDE
AUG 20-21: COLUMBUS: 2 DAY EVENT, STONEY LONESOME M/C, (812) 343-9772, STONEYLONESOMEMC.COM
ROAD RUN
AUG 27: INDIANAPOLIS: PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION OF THE U.S., (800) 253-6530, RIDEFORKIDS.ORG
COMPETITION
ENDURO
AUG 13: ROSE LAWN: HILL AND GULLY RIDERS ENDURO TEAM, (708) 567-1999, MIDWESTENDUROS.COM
AUG 14: ROSE LAWN: HILL AND GULLY RIDERS ENDURO TEAM, (708) 424-1969, MIDWESTENDUROS.COM
ENDUROCROSS
AUG 26: INDIANAPOLIS: SOURCE INTERLINK MEDIA, (317) 927-7750, INDIANASTATEFAIRGROUNDS.COM
HARE SCRAMBLES
AUG 14: COLUMBUS: STONEY LONESOME M/C,
(812) 350-0573
IOWA
RECREATIONAL
POKER RUN - OFF-ROAD
AUG 28: MT PLEASANT: EASTERN IOWA TRAIL TAMERS, (319) 821-1472
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
AUG 6: MONTEZUMA: FV MOTO X, (641) 623-3456, FVMOTOX.COM
AUG 20-21: MONTEZUMA: FV MOTO X, (641) 623-3456, FVMOTO.COM
AUG 27: CEDAR RAPIDS: CEDAR VALLEY TRAIL RIDERS INC, (319) 363-7800, CVTR.ORG
MARYLAND
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
AUG 27-28: MECHANICSVILLE: 2 DAY EVENT, MIDDLE ATLANTIC MOTOCROSS ASSOCIATION, (410) 375-5105, MAMAMX.COM
MASSACHUSETTS
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RUN
AUG 21: FISKDALE: PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION OF THE U.S., (800) 253-6530, RIDEFORKIDS.ORG
AUG 28: GLOUCESTER: PAUL W COTE, (978) 535-5822, MASSMSF.ORG
COMPETITION
HILL CLIMB
AUG 21: MONSON: QUABOAG RIDERS INC, (413) 267-4414, QUABOAGRIDERSMC.COM
MICHIGAN
RECREATIONAL
DUAL SPORT RIDE
AUG 28: ANN ARBOR: PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION OF THE U.S., (800) 253-6530, RIDEFORKIDS.ORG
POKER RUN
AUG 21: FARMINGTON HILLS: SOARING CHICKENS, (248) 473-7433
ROAD RUN
AUG 28: ANN ARBOR: PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION OF THE U.S., (800) 253-6530, RIDEFORKIDS.ORG
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
AUG 14: CRYSTAL FALLS: VALLEY RACEWAY, (906) 367-7060, VALLEYRACEWAY.COM
DIRT DRAG
AUG 5: BRIDGETON TWP: MUSKEGON MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (231) 726-6937, MUSKEGONMOTORCYCLECLUB.COM
1/2 MILE DIRT TRACK
AUG 13: CROSWELL: PORT HURON MOTORCYCLE CLUB INC, (810) 327-1062, PHMC-USA.COM
42 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
www.killingtonclassic.com 518-798-7888
Killington, VTSept. 8-11
brought to you by
AUG 14: CROSWELL: PORT HURON MOTORCYCLE CLUB INC, (810) 327-1062, PHMC-USA.COM
AUG 30: FOWLERVILLE: BOULIS RACING, (810) 686-7083
ENDURO
AUG 21: SHERIDAN: KNUCKLE BUSTERS RIDERS CLUB, (989) 287-0120
HILL CLIMB
AUG 6-7: BRIDGETOWN TWP: MUSKEGON MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (231) 726-6937, MUSKEGONMOTORCYCLECLUB.COM
HARE SCRAMBLES
AUG 7: CHIPPEWA LAKE: PORTLAND TRAIL RIDERS, (517) 647-7045, PORTLANDTRAILRIDERS.COM
AUG 28: MIDLAND: POLKA DOTS M/C, (989) 832-8284, POLKADOTSMC.NCT
MOTOCROSS
AUG 6: ATLANTIC MINE: 2 DAY EVENT, RANGE MOTO X, (906) 482-9333, RANGESNOWMOBILECLUB.COM
AUG 6-7: BELDING: GRATTAN RACEWAY MOTOCROSS, (616) 691-7221
AUG 7: CADILLAC: CADILLAC MOTORCYCLE CLUB INC, (231) 884-3729, CADILLAC.MC.COM
AUG 13: CRYSTAL FALLS: VALLEY RACEWAY, (906) 367-0600, VALLEYRACEWAY.COM
AUG 14: BATTLECREEK: BATTLE CREEK MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (269) 729-9691, BATTLECREEKMOTORCYCLECLUB.COM
AUG 20-21: BIRCH RUN: NORTH AMERICA ACTION SPORTS, LLC., (989) 871-3356, NAACTIONSPORTS.COM
AUG 20-21: NEWAYGO: 2 DAY EVENT, BIG AIR MOTOCROSS, (231) 652-2522, BIGAIRMOTOCROSS.COM
AUG 26: BARK RIVER: 2 DAY EVENT, DEGRAVE MOTORSPORTS PARK, (906) 466-7272
AUG 27-28: BELDING: GRATTAN RACEWAY MOTOCROSS, (616) 691-7221
OBSERVED TRIALS
AUG 6-7: ROSE CITY: MICHIGAN ONTARIO TRIALS ASSOCIATION, (810) 417-7289, MOTATRIALS.COM
SHORT TRACK
AUG 6: MIDLAND: POLKA DOTS M/C, (989) 832-8284, POLKADOTSMC.NET
AUG 20: DEFORD: LUCKY THUMB MC, (989) 635-2219
TT
AUG 7: MIDLAND: POLKA DOTS M/C, (989) 832-8284, POLKADOTSMC.NCT
AUG 21: DEFORD: LUCKY THUMB MC, (989) 635-2219
MINNESOTA
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RUN
AUG 12-13: ONAMIA: 2 DAY EVENT, MINNESOTA WINGS INC, (800) 472-6321
COMPETITION
ENDURO
AUG 13-14: AKELEY: 2 DAY EVENT, PAUL BUNYAN FOREST RIDER MC, (218) 739-5525, PAULBUNYANFORESTRIDERS.COM
AUG 20-21: DUQUETTE: 2 DAY EVENT, STRAIGHT ARROW ENDURO RIDERS, (651) 456-0224, STRAIGHTARROWS.ORG
AUG 27: WOODLAND: NORSEMEN MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (763) 753-0737, NORSEMENMC.ORG
HILL CLIMB
AUG 27: MANKATO: KATO CYCLE CLUB, , KATOCYCLECLUB.COM
AUG 28: NEW ULM: FLYING DUTCHMEN CYCLE CLUB INC, (507) 354-2306, FLYINGDUTCHMENMOTORCYCLECLUB.COM
HARE SCRAMBLES
AUG 7: HILL CITY: RANGE RIDERS MC, (218) 327-5336, RANGERIDERSMC.ORG
MOTOCROSS
AUG 7: MILLVILLE : HI WINDERS, (507) 753-3277, SPRINGCREEKMX.COM
AUG 7: CAMBRIDGE: RTW RACE PROMOTIONS, (218) 894-2826, CAMBRIDGEMX.COM
AUG 14: BROOK PARK: BERM BENDERS RACEWAY, (320) 679-9258, BERMBENDERS.COM
AUG 14: BROWERVILLE: MOTO CITY RACEWAY & RECREATION INC, (612) 919-9345, MOTORCITYRACEWAY.COM
AUG 14: MAZEPPA: HURRICANE HILLS MX PARK INC, (507) 843-5154, HURRICANEHILLS.COM
AUG 21: BROWERVILLE: MOTO CITY RACEWAY & RECREATION INC, (612) 919-9345, MOTORCITYRACEWAY.COM
AUG 21: KELLOGG: MOTOKAZIE INC, (953) 244-9996, MOTOKAZIE.COM
AUG 28: LITTLE FALLS: MOTO CITY RACEWAY & RECREATION INC, (612) 919-9345, MOTORCITYRACEWAY.COM
AUG 28: MILLVILLE: HI WINDERS, (507) 753-3277, SPRINGCREEKMX.COM
OBSERVED TRIALS
AUG 13: GOOD THUNDER: UPPER MIDWEST TRIALS ASSOCIATION, (507) 351-8879
AUG 14: N MANKATO: UPPER MIDWEST TRIALS ASSOCIATION, (507) 351-8879
MONTANA
COMPETITION
HARE SCRAMBLES
AUG 27-28: BIG SKY: LONE PEAK RACING LLC, (406) 223-3047, BIGSKYXC.COM
NEBRASKA
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RALLY
AUG 11: BEATRICE: NEBRASKA BMW NIGHTRIDERS, (402) 499-4876
NEW JERSEY
RECREATIONAL
BIKE SHOW
AUG 20: MT HOLLY: MOTORCYCLISTS FOR JESUS MINISTRIES, (215) 234-4861, BIKEGATHING.COM
ROAD RUN
AUG 28: LEBANON: AMA-DIST 02 OF NEW JERSEY, (732) 603-8434, WILLIAMSHD.COM
COMPETITION
ENDURO
AUG 28: MAURICETOWN: COMPETITION DIRT RIDERS, (856) 696-6478, COMPETITIONDIRTRIDERS.ORG
NEW MEXICO
COMPETITION
OBSERVED TRIALS
AUG 6: TAOS SKI VALLEY: ITS OFF ROAD, (719) 942-3372
NEW YORK
RECREATIONAL
BINGO RUN
AUG 7: QUEENSBURG AREA: ADIRONDACK RIDERS OF GLENS FALLS NY INC, (518) 792-2171, ADIRONDACKRIDERS.COM
DUAL SPORT RIDE
AUG 6-7: HANCOCK: 2 DAY EVENT, BEAR CREEK SPORTSMEN, , BEARCREEKSPORTSMEN.COM
FIELD MEET
AUG 6-7: WANTAGH: 2 DAY EVENT, QUEENSBORO MC, (718) 350-9856, QUEENSBOROMC.COM
OBS/QUIZ RUN
AUG 21: MINEOLA: NASSAU WINGS, (516) 248-5555, POPRUN.ORG
POKER RUN
AUG 14: ONEONTA: RETREADS - NEW YORK REGION,
AUG 28: YONKERS MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (914) 930-0669, YONKERSMOTORCYCLECLUB.NET
ROAD RUN
AUG 7: CENTRAL VALLEY: PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION OF THE U.S., (828) 665-6891, RIDEFORKIDS.ORG
AUG 14: EAST MEADOW: ALLIANCE MC, (516) 509-8143, ALLIANCEMC.COM
AUG 28: CLARENCE: REGENT RIDERS, (716) 937-9524
TRAIL RIDE - RECREATIONAL
AUG 14: E. QUOGUE: LONG ISLAND RECREATIONAL TRAILS CONSERVANCY, , LIRTC.ORG
COMPETITION
1/2 MILE DIRT TRACK
AUG 6-7: DUNDEE: 2 DAY EVENT, DUNDEE MOTORSPORTS AKA BLACKROCK SPEEDWAY, (607) 243-8686, BLACKROCKSPEEDWAY.COM
AUG 14: W. LEBANON: ELECTRIC CITY RIDERS, (518) 542-2144, ELECTRICCITYRIDERS.COM
ENDURO
AUG 14: BERKSHIRE: ITHACA DIRT RIDERS INC, (607) 657-8248, ITHACADIRTRIDERS.COM
HARE SCRAMBLES
AUG 6-7: KING FERRY: 2 DAY EVENT, CAYUGA COUNTY RIDERS INC, (607) 533-7553
AUG 28: CORTLAND: FULLACTION RACING PROMOTIOINS, (585) 297-2742, STATEHARESCRAMBLECHAMPIONSHIP.COM
MOTOCROSS
AUG 7: AUBURN: FROZEN OCEAN MOTOCROSS INC, (315) 784-5466, FROZEN-OCEAN.COM
AUG 12: NEW BERLIN: UNADILLA VALLEY SPORTS CENTER, (607) 965-5845, UNADILLAMX.COM
AUG 14: NEW BERLIN: UNADILLA VALLEY SPORTS CENTER, (607) 965-5845, UNADILLAMX.COM
AUG 20: SOUTH EDMESTON: THUNDER RIDGE SPORTS, (607) 847-7652, THUNDERRIDGE.BIZ
AUG 20: YAPHANK: LONG ISLAND MOTOCROSS INC, (631) 286-9411, ISLANDMOTOCROSS.COM
AUG 20-21: RICHFORD: BROOME TIOGA SPORTS CENTER INC, (607) 849-4438, BROOME-TIOGA.COM
AUG 21: NEW BERLIN: THUNDER RIDGE SPORTS, (607) 847-7652, THUNDERRIDGE.BIZ
AUG 28: MAPLE VIEW: SMX ASSOCIATES LLC, (315) 480-7733, MOTOMASTERS.COM
OBSERVED TRIALS
AUG 14: DUNDEE: AMA-DIST 04 TRIALS COMMITTEE,
AUG 28: CUBA: AMA-DIST 04 TRIALS COMMITTEE, (585) 247-5508
SHORT TRACK
AUG 6-7: DUNDEE: 2 DAY EVENT, DUNDEE MOTORSPORTS AKA BLACKROCK SPEEDWAY, (607) 243-8686
AUG 7: PATTERSONVILLE: ELECTRIC CITY RIDERS, (518) 542-2144, ELECTRICCITYRIDERS.COM
AUG 21: PATTERSONVILLE: ELECTRIC CITY RIDERS, (518) 542-2144, ELECTRICCITYRIDERS.COM
NORTH CAROLINA
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RUN
AUG 28: ASHEVILLE: PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION OF THE U.S., (800) 253-6530, RIDEFORKIDS.ORG
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
AUG 21: IRON STATION: IRON STATION MOTORSPORTS, INC., (704) 732-2820, TOPGUNMX.NET
OHIO
RECREATIONAL
DUAL SPORT RIDE
AUG 6: TORONTO: OHIO VALLEY BSA OWNERS CLUB, (724) 945-6018, BSA-CLUB-OV.HAILWOOD.COM
POKER RUN
AUG 14: AKRON: GREATER AKRON M/C, (330) 322-2150
ROAD RALLY
AUG 19: MARIETTA: MOTORCYCLE SPORT TOURING ASSOCIATION, (740) 374-9660
SWAP MEETS
AUG 5: TORONTO: OHIO VALLEY BSA OWNERS CLUB, (724) 945-6018, BSA-CLUB-OV.HAILWOOD.
COM
COMPETITION
ENDURO
AUG 14: MCARTHUR: ENDURO RIDERS ASSOCIATION, (614) 582-2782, ENDURORIDERS.COM
AUG 28: CHANDLERSVILLE: ZANESVILLE TRAIL RIDERS, (614) 204-4143, ZANESVILLETRAILRIDERS.COM
GRAND PRIX
AUG 14: ATHENS: ACTION SPORTS PROMOTIONS INC, (740) 591-7223, ACTIONSPORTSRACING.COM
HARE SCRAMBLES
AUG 21: ATHENS: ATHENS MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (740) 592-6480, ATHENSMOTORCYCLCECLUB.COM
MOTOCROSS
AUG 3: GALLIPOLIS: AMERICAN MOTOSPORTS LLC, (937) 358-2427, AMERICANMX.COM
AUG 7: MARYSVILLE: AMERICAN MOTOSPORTS LLC, (937) 358-2427, AMERICANMX.COM
AUG 11: CROTON: AMERICAN MOTOSPORTS LLC, (937) 358-2427, AMERICANMX.COM
AUG 12: CHILLICOTHE: AMERICAN MOTOSPORTS LLC, (937) 358-2427, AMERICANMX.COM
AUG 14: GREENVILLE: TREATY CITY MOTORCYCLE CLUB INC, (937) 548-7197, TREATYCITYMC.COM
AUG 21: MARYSVILLE: AMERICAN MOTOSPORTS LLC, (937) 358-2427, AMERICANMX.COM
AUG 21: UHRICHSVILLE: AES PROMOTIONS LLC, (740) 922-6655, CROWCANYON.COM
AUG 28: DAYTON: DAYTON MOTORCYCLE CLUB INC., (937) 263-9321, DAYTONMC.COM
AUG 28: MILLFIELD: PLEASURE VALLEY RACEWAY, (304) 284-0084, SUNDAYCREEKRACEWAY.COM
AUG 31: MT GILEAD: AMERICAN MOTOSPORTS LLC, (937) 358-2427, AMERICANMX.COM
OBSERVED TRIALS
AUG 6-7: DAYTON: 2 DAY EVENT, TRIALS INC, (937) 294-7957, TRIALSINC.ORG
OREGON
RECREATIONAL
DUAL SPORT RIDE
AUG 6: TILLAMOOK: NORTHWEST TOUR & TRAIL, (503) 681-8881, BLACKDOGDUALSPORT.COM
ROAD RALLY
AUG 2: JOSEPH: AMERICAN VOYAGER ASSOCIATION, (208) 746-3530, AMERVOYASSOC.ORG
PENNSYLVANIA
RECREATIONAL
CARNIVAL RUN
AUG 21: COLUMBIA: THUNDERBIRD MOTORCYCLE CLUB INC, (717) 898-0871
AUG 28: BUCK: GENTLEMEN MC SPORTSMEN, (717) 285-5371
44 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
DISTRICT TOUR
AUG 21: DALLAS: BACK MOUNTAIN ENDURO RIDERS, (570) 477-3461
POKER RUN
AUG 7: LEBANON: LEBANON VALLEY MOTORCYCLE CLUB INC, (717) 270-9797, LEBANONVALLEYMC.COM
AUG 14: SCHUYLKILL HAVEN: SCHUYLKILL COUNTY MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (570) 385-5146, SCHUYLKILLCOUNTYMOTORCYCLECLUB.COM
AUG 20: LEBANON: LEBANON VALLEY MOTORCYCLE CLUB INC, (717) 270-9797, LEBANONVALLEYMC.COM
AUG 21: KREGSGEVILLE: ZINC CITY MC, (610) 681-9903, ZINCCITYMC.ORG
ROAD RUN
AUG 7: CRANBERRY TWP: PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION OF THE U.S., (800) 253-6530, RIDEFORKIDS.ORG
AUG 14: YORK: YORK MOTORCYCLE CLUB, YORKMOTORCYCLE.COM
AUG 27: POTTSTOWN: MOTORCYCLISTS FOR JESUS MINISTRIES, (215) 234-4861, PAGOSPELRIDERS.COM
AUG 27: LEESPORT: CLASSIC HARLEY-DAVIDSON, (610) 916-7777, CLASSICHARLEY.COM
SWAP MEETS
AUG 19-21: SPRING GROVE: WHITE ROSE MC
COMPETITION
HARE SCRAMBLES
AUG 6-7: DUPONT: 2 DAY EVENT, HIGH MOUNTAIN DIRT RIDERS, (570) 954-7799, HMDR.ORG
AUG 21: MARKLEYSBURG: BRADDOCK’S TRAIL RACEWAY, (724) 880-5536, BRADDOCKSTRAILRACEWAY.COM
AUG 28: NEELYTON: FT OF MOUNTAIN, (814) 259-9387
MOTOCROSS
AUG 7: BIRDSBORO: PAGODA MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (610) 582-3717, PAGODAMOTORCYCLECLUB.COM
AUG 7: BOSWELL: DREAM PROMOTIONS INC./FIELD OF DREAMS, (814) 629-9677, FIELDOFDREAMSMX.COM
AUG 14: HANOVER : HAPPY RAMBLERS, HAPPYRAMBLERS.COM
AUG 14: NEW ALEXANDRIA: PITTSBURGH RACEWAY PARK, (724) 668-7600, PITTSBURGHRACEWAYPARK
AUG 21: BIRDSBORO: PAGODA MOTORCYCLE CLUB, (610) 582-3717, PAGODAMOTORCYCLECLUB.COM
AUG 21: JOHNSTOWN: PLEASURE VALLEY RACEWAY, (814) 539-9411, PURMX.COM
AUG 21: ELKLAND: MILES MOUNTAIN MX, (814) 258-0204, MILESMOUNTAINMX.COM
AUG 28: SHIPPENSBURG: DOUBLIN GAP MX PARK INC, (717) 249-6036, DOUBLINGAP.COM
OBSERVED TRIALS
AUG 14: MARYSVILLE: TRICKY TRYALERS MC, (717) 580-0127
AUG 27-28: HILLSGROVE: 2 DAY EVENT, PENNSYLVANIA TRIALS RIDERS, (570) 998-2927
SOUTH DAKOTA
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RUN
AUG 8: STURGIS: STURGIS MAYOR’S RIDE, (605) 720-0800, STURGISMOTORCYCLERALLY.COM
TENNESSEE
COMPETITION
ENDURO
AUG 27-28: SEQUATCHIE: 2 DAY EVENT, SOUTHEASTERN TRIALS RIDERS ASSOCIATION, (423) 942-8688, TENNESSEEKNOCKOUTENDURO.COM
MOTOCROSS
AUG 1-7: HURRICANE MILLS: MX SPORTS LLC, (304) 284-4010, MXSPORTS.COM
AUG 13-14: HURRICANE MILLS: 2 DAY EVENT, RACER PRODUCTIONS INC, (304) 284-4008, RACERPRODUCTIONS.COM
UTAH
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RUN
AUG 13: SALT LAKE CITY: PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION OF THE U.S., (800) 253-6530, RIDEFORKIDS.ORG
VERMONT
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RALLY
AUG 8: WEST DOVER: CONCOURS OWNERS GROUP INC, (802) 464-6647, MOUNTSNOW.COM
VIRGINIA
COMPETITION
CROSS COUNTRY
AUG 20-21: DILLWYN: LONE RIDER PRODUCTIONS, (804) 920-2529, VXCS.ORG
GRAND PRIX
AUG 14: MARTINSVILLE: VIRGINIA CHAMPIONSHIP HS SERIES, (757) 871-1573, VCHSS.ORG
AUG 28: PENHOOK: VIRGINIA CHAMPIONSHIP HS SERIES, (757) 871-1573, VCHSS.ORG
MOTOCROSS
AUG 20-21: AMELIA: 2 DAY EVENT, AMR MX, (804) 221-1368, AMRMX.COM
AUG 27-28: SUTHERLIN: 2 DAY EVENT, BIRCHCREEK PROMOTIONS, LLC, (434) 836-7629, BIRCHCREEKMXPARK.COM
ROAD RACE
AUG 13-14: ALTON: 2 DAY EVENT, TTXGP LIMITED
WASHINGTON
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RUN
AUG 7: SUMNER: TACOMA M/C, (253) 531-4408
COMPETITION
ENDUROCROSS
AUG 13: EVERETT: SOURCE INTERLINK MEDIA, (425) 322-2260, COMCASTARENAEVERETT.COM
WEST VIRGINIA
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RALLY
AUG 13: TEAYS VALLEY: ROAD RIDERS FOR JESUS, (304) 549-9182
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
AUG 7: HEDGESVILLE: TOMAHAWK MX LLC, (304) 229-9668, TOMAHAWKMX.COM
AUG 13: HEDGEVILLE: 2 DAY EVENT, MIDDLE ATLANTIC MOTOCROSS ASSOCIATION, (410) 375-1059, MAMAMX.COM
WISCONSIN
RECREATIONAL
ROAD RUN
AUG 7: MIDDLETON: PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR FOUNDATION OF THE U.S., (828) 665-6891, RIDEFORKIDS.ORG
COMPETITION
1/2 MILE DIRT TRACK
AUG 13: ANTIGO: RIB MOUNTAIN RIDERS
HARE SCRAMBLES
AUG 28: STONE LAKE: MIDWEST OFFROAD TRAIL RIDERS, (715) 834-2793, MOTRWEB.WEBS.COM
MOTOCROSS
AUG 6: HILLPOINT: SUGAR MAPLE MX LLC, (608) 393-8812, SUGARMAPLEMX.COM
AUG 7: HILLPOINT: SUGAR MAPLE MX LLC, (608) 393-8812, SUGARMAPLEMX.COM
AUG 14: LAKE MILLS: AZTALAN CYCLE CLUB INC, (414) 297-9367, AZTALANCYCLE.COM
AUG 26-27: HUSTLER: 2 DAY EVENT, CMJ RACEWAY LLC, (608) 220-6853, CMJRACEWAY.COM
AUG 28: TIGERTON: FANTASY MOTO LLC, (920) 419-9286, FANTASYMOTO.COM
OBSERVED TRIALS
AUG 20-21: DICKYVILLE: 2 DAY EVENT, WISCONSIN OBSERVED TRIALS ASSOCIATION, (608) 434-4553, WISCONSINTRIALS.ORG
AUG 28: ELLSWORTH: UPPER MIDWEST TRIALS ASSOCIATION, (507) 351-8879, UMTA.ORG
SHORT TRACK
AUG 6: BURNETT: BEAVER CYCLE CLUB INC, (920) 319-6889, BEAVERCYCLECLUB.COM
AUG 20-21: LAKE MILLS: AZTALAN CYCLE CLUB INC, (262) 754-0686, AZTALANCYCLE.COM
WYOMING
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
AUG 21: CHEYENNE: LARAMIE COUNTY RIDERS ASSOCIATION INC, (307) 421-1228, LARAMIECOUNTYMX.COM
August 2011 45
HALL OF FAME EXHIBITS
MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME MOTORCYCLEMUSEUM.ORG
The Hall of Fame is on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Closed: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Main Hall: Motorcycle Hall of Fame: Recognizing those who have made significant contributions to all aspects of motorcycling.
Dirt-Track! All-American Motorcycle Racing: Celebrating the storied history of the men and machines who battle on the dirt oval.
30-Year Ride: Honda’s Ohio-made Motorcycles: Gold Wings aren’t the only bikes that Honda produced at its plant in Marysville, Ohio. This exhibit showcases the 30 years of production, from the CR250 to the Rune.
Founder’s Hall: Honoring the Hall of Fame’s generous contributors.
AMA PRO RACING
AMA PRO SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP AMAPRORACING.COM
July 8-10: Lexington, Ohio: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
July 22-24: Monterey, Calif.: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Aug. 12-14: Alton, Va.: Virginia International Raceway
Aug. 27-28: Indianapolis: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Sept. 2-4: Millville, N.J.: New Jersey Motorsports Park
AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP MXSPORTSPRORACING.COM
July 16: Millville, Minn.: Spring Creek
July 23: Washougal, Wash.: Washougal
Aug. 13: New Berlin, N.Y.: Unadilla
Aug. 27: Southwick, Mass.: Moto-X 338
Sept. 3: Delmont, Pa.: Steel City Raceway
Sept. 10: San Diego, Calif.: Pala Raceway
AMA PRO GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AMAPRORACING.COM
July 9: Hagerstown, Md.: Hagerstown Half-Mile, Hagerstown Speedway
July 23: Lake Odessa, Mich.: I-96 Half-Mile, I-96 Speedway
July 30: Sacramento, Calif.: Cal Expo Fair Mile, Cal Expo Fair
Aug. 6: Castle Rock, Wash.: Castle Rock TT, Castle Rock Race Park
Aug. 21: Peoria, Ill.: Peoria TT, Peoria Race Park
Aug. 27: Indianapolis: Indy Mile, Indiana State Fairgrounds
Sept. 3: Springfield, Ill.: Springfield ST, Illinois State Fairgrounds
Sept. 4: Springfield, Ill.: Springfield Mile II, Illinois State Fairgrounds
Sept. 10: Knoxville, Iowa: Knoxville Half-Mile, Knoxville Raceway
Sept. 24: Minneapolis: Canterbury Park Mile, Canterbury Park
Oct. 1: Calistoga, Calif.: Calistoga Speedway Half-Mile, Calistoga Speedway
Oct. 9: Prescott, Ariz.: Yavapai Downs Mile, Yavapai Downs
AMA PRO HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP AMAPRORACING.COM
July 10: West Branch, Mich.
July 24: Jefferson (York County), Pa.
July 31: Canaan, N.H.
Aug. 21: Dansville, N.Y.
Sept. 11: Freemansburg, Pa.
Sept. 25: Jefferson (York County), Pa.
Oct. 9: Oregonia, Ohio
AMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
CAN-AM GRAND NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY GNCCRACING.COM
July 9-10: Millfield, Ohio: Sunday Creek Raceway
Sept. 10-11: New Berlin, N.Y.: Unadilla Raceway
Sept. 24-25: TBD
Oct. 8-9: St. Clairsville, Ohio: Powerline Park
Oct. 22-23: Crawfordsville, Ind: Tom’s Marine Polaris
AMA RACING NATIONAL HARE & HOUND NATIONALHAREANDHOUND.COM
Oct. 9: Johnson Valley, Calif.: Justin Shultz, SoCal MC; (949) 981-6776, SoCalMC.com
Oct. 23: Lucerne Valley, Calif.: Ryan Sanders, 100’s MC; (949) 584-9395, 100sMC.org
AMA NATIONAL ENDURO NATIONALENDURO.COM
July 17: Moorestown, Mich.: Jeff Hunt, Lansing Motorcycle Club; (231) 267-9534, LansingMotorcycleClub.org
July 31: Cross Fork, Pa.: Peter Burnett, Brandywine Enduro Riders; (610) 368-7332, BER.us
Aug. 28: Chandlersville, Ohio: Kory Young, Zanesville Trail Riders; (614) 204-1438, ZanesvilleTrailriders.com
Oct. 1: Matthews, Ind.: Doug Spence, Muddobbers MC; (765) 998-2236, MuddobbersMC.org
ENDUROCROSS ENDUROCROSS.COM
Aug. 13: Everett, Wash.: Comcast Arena
Aug. 26: Indianapolis: Pepsi Coliseum
Sept. 17: Ontario, Calif.: Citizens Bank Arena
Oct. 1: Denver: National Western Complex
Oct. 22: Boise, Idaho: Idaho Center
Nov 19: Las Vegas, Nev.: Orleans Arena
AMA RACING WEST HARE SCRAMBLES AMARACING.COM
Aug. 27 (Youth) Aug. 28 (Amateur): Big Sky, Mont.: Jamey Kabisch,
Lone Peak Racing; (406) 223-0478, BigSkyXC.com
AMA RACING EAST HARE SCRAMBLES AMARACING.COM
July 10 (Youth & Amateur): Millfield, Ohio: Rita Coombs, Racer Productions; (304) 284-0084, GNCCRacing.com
July 23 (Youth & Amateur): Valley View, Pa.: Tiffany Tobias, Rausch Creek Powersports; (570) 682-4600, RauschCreekRacing.com
Aug. 20 (Youth) Aug. 21 (Amateur): S. Edmeston, N.Y.: Jim Simmons, Thunder Ridge Sports; (607) 847-6520, ThunderRidge.biz
Sept. 18 (Youth & Amateur): Lynnville, Ind.: Kenny Moore, IN IL KY Enduro Riders; (812) 549-8385, BlackCoal.org
Oct. 15 (Youth) Oct. 16 (Amateur): Westfield, Mass.: Scott Fontaine, Knox Trail Riders; (508) 864-7316, WNYOA.net
Oct. 30 (Youth & Amateur): Gosport, Ind.: Mike Gibbs, Mid America XC; (317) 418-6084, TheMAXC.com
Nov. 5 (Youth) Nov. 6 (Amateur): Hurricane Mills, Tenn.: Rita Coombs, Racer Productions; (304) 284-0084
AMA RACING ATV HARE SCRAMBLES AMARACING.COM
July 24: Valley View, Pa.: Tiffany Tobias, Rausch Creek Powersports; (570) 682-4600, RauschCreekRacing.com
Aug. 20: S. Edmeston, N.Y.: Jim Simmons, Thunder Ridge Sports; (607) 847-6520, Thunderridge.biz
Oct. 29: TBD: Mike Gibbs, Mid America XC; (317) 418-6084, TheMAXC.com
ATV EXTREME DIRT TRACK AMARACING.COM
July 9: Danville, Va.: Birch Creek Motorsports
July 23-24: Ashtabula, Ohio: Pine Lake
Aug. 6: Franklin, Pa.: Tri-City Speedway
Aug. 20: Souix Falls, S.D.: Sioux Valley Cycle Club
Sept. 3: Goldsboro, N.C.: Busco Beach
AMA RACING PRO-AM MOTOCROSS AMARACING.COM
July 10: Blountville, Tenn.: Muddy Creek Raceway, Victory Sports Inc.; (423) 323-5497, VictorySportsRacing.com
July 17: Carrollton, Ohio: Area 330 Action Complex, Area 330 Action Complex LLC; (330) 863-6056, Area330.com
July 17: Bloomingdale, Mich.: Dutch Sport Park, Dutch Sport Park; (269) 521-7800, DutchSportParkMX.com
July 21-22: Washougal, Wash.: Washougal MX Park; (360) 837-3975, WashougalMXPark.com
July 31: Taylorville, Ill.: South Fork Dirt Riders, South Fork Dirt Riders; (217) 237-4752, SouthForkDirtRiders.com
Aug. 12-14: New Berlin, N.Y.: Unadilla
Valley Sports Center, Unadilla Valley Sports Center; (607) 965-8784, UnadillaMX.com
Aug. 14: Crystal Falls, Mich.: Valley Raceway, Valley Raceway; (906) 0600, ValleyRaceway.com
Aug. 21: Armaugh, Pa.: Pleasure Valley Raceway, Pleasure Valley Raceway; (814) 695-2453, Cernics.com
Aug. 28: Millville, Minn.: Spring Creek MX Park, Hi-Winders; (507) 753-2779, SpringCreekMX.com
Sept. 3-5: Millington, Mich.: Baja MX, Baja MX Inc.; (989) 871-3356, BajaMX.com
Sept. 4: Athelstane, Wis.: Pine Ridge Raceway, Pine Ridge Raceway; (715) 856-6612, PineRidgeRaceway.com
Sept. 4: Delmont, Pa.: Steel City Raceway, Bellco Inc.; (304) 284-0800, RacerProductions.com
Sept. 11: Walnut, Ill.: Sunset Ridge MX, 4P Promotions Inc.; (815) 379-9534, SunsetRidgeMX.com
Sept. 17-18: Richford, N.Y.: Broome-Tioga, Broome-Tioga Sports Center; (607) 849-4438, Broome-Tioga.com
Sept. 18: Buchanan, Mich.: RedBud, RedBud; (269) 695-6405, RedBudMX.com
Sept. 24-25: New Castle, Del.: Blue Diamond MX Park, Baltimore County Trail Riders; (302) 834-5867, BCTRA.com
Sept. 25: Canton, Texas: Buffalo Creek Motocross Park, , Kingdom Motorsports; (214) 939-4321, Buffalocreekmx.com
Oct. 2: Gaylord, Mich.: Baja MX, Baja MX Inc.; (989) 871-3356, BajaMX.com
Oct. 2: Englishtown, N.J.: Raceway Park, K.R.O.C.; (734) 446-7800, Racewaypark.com
Oct. 2: Danville, Va.: Birch Creek Motorsports, Birch Creek Motorsports; (434) 836-7629, BirchCreekMotorsports.com
Oct. 9: Birdsboro, Pa.: Pagoda Motorcycle Club, Pagoda Motorcycle Club; (610) 582-3717, PagodaMotorcycleClub.com
Oct. 16: Blountville, Tenn.: Muddy Creek Raceway, Victory Sports Inc.; (423) 323-5497, VictorySportsRacing.com
Oct. 29-30: Leonardtown, Md.: Budds Creek Motocross Park, Budds Creek Motocross Park; (301) 481-6148; Buddscreek.com
Oct. 30: Prentiss, Mich.: Golden Pine Raceway, Golden Pine Raceway; (601) 506-8669, GoldenPineRaceway.com
Nov. 6: Pell City, Ala.: Mill Creek, RPM Sports; (205) 699-8857, RPMSportsonline.com
Nov. 13: Musella, Ga.: Hillbilly Hills, LLQ; RPM Sports, (205) 699-8857, RPMSports.online.com
Nov. 21-23, Gainesville, Fla.: Gatorback Cycle Park, Unlimited Sports MX; (813) 470-7498, UnlimitedSportsMX.com
Nov. 24-26: Gainesville, Fla.: Gatorback Cycle Park, Unlimited Sports MX; (813) 470-7498, UnlimitedSportsMX.com
46 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
AMA AMATEUR GRAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
AMA AMATEUR NATIONAL MOTOCROSS MXSPORTS.COM
Aug. 1-6: Hurricane Mills, Tenn.: AMA National Motocross Championship (final), Loretta Lynn’s Ranch
AMA RACING VINTAGE GRAND CHAMPIONSHIPS AMAVINTAGEMOTORCYCLEDAYS.COM
July 22-24: Lexington, Ohio: AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships - Round 1, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
July 22: Ashland, Ohio: AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships - Round 2, Ashland County Fairgrounds
AMA RACING DIRT TRACK GRAND CHAMPIONSHIPS AMARACING.COM
July 25-31: Du Quoin, Ill.: AMA Racing Dirt Track Grand Championships, Du Quoin State Fairgrounds
AMA RACING HILLCLIMB GRAND CHAMPIONSHIPS AMARACING.COM
Aug. 13-14: Oregonia, Ohio: AMA Racing Hillclimb Grand Championships
AMA/NATC YOUTH MOTOTRIALS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AMARACING.COM
Aug. 6-8: Taos Ski Valley, N.M.: AMA/NATC West Youth MotoTrials Championships, International Trials School, Bill Markham; (719) 942-3372, ITSTrials.com
AMA DUAL-SPORT/ADVENTURE SERIES
AMA KTM NATIONAL DUAL SPORT TRAIL RIDING SERIES AMERICANMOTORCYCLIST.COM
July 15-17: Walden, Colo.: Moose Run Dual Sport Rally, Front Range Riders, Steve Eddins; (970) 221-1014; FrontRangeRiders.com
July 23-30: Newberry, Mich.: Six Days of Michigan, Cycle Conservation Club of Michigan, Lewis Schuler; (517) 416-0126; CycleConservationClub.org
Aug. 6-7: Hancock, N.Y.: Hancock National Dual Sport, Bear Creek Sportsmen, Mike Goetz; BearCreekSportsmen.com
Aug. 20-21: Columbus Ind.: Buffalo 500 D/S Adventure Ride, Stoney Lonesome MC, Nathan Gaskill; (812) 343-9772; StoneyLonesomeMC.com
Sept. 3-4: New Straightsville, Ohio: Black Diamonds: New Straightsville Enduro Riders, Steve Wheeler; (740) 394-2220; NSEnduro.com
Sep 10-11: Golden Pond, Ky.: LBL 200, KT Riders, Jesse Thomas, (270) 522-3703, ginny42211@yahoo.com
Sept. 24-25: Buck Meadows, Calif.: Yosemite Dual Sport Adventure, Family Off Road Adventures, Lawrence Borge; (209) 649-3633; FamilyOffRoadAdventures.com
Sept. 24-25: Wabeno, Wis.: Big Woods 200, Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders, John Newton; (920) 350-2030; WiDualSportRiders.org
Sept. 24-25: Wolverine, Mich.: Ted’s Chandler Hill Challenge, Great Lakes Dual Sporters, Jeramy Valley; (989)
751-6863; GLDSMC.org
Oct. 1-2: Mt. Solon, Va.: Shenandoah 500 Dual Sport, NVTA, Detter Merz; (703) 505-9123; NVTR.org
Oct. 8-9: McArthur, Ohio: Baby Burr National Dual Sport, Enduro Riders Association, Steve Barber; (614) 582-7821; Enduroriders.com
Oct. 22-23: Study Butte, Texas: 14th Annual Terlingua National DS, Trail Riders of Houston, Jack Jennings; (713) 248-7222; TRH-Cycle.org
Oct. 29-30: Chatsworth, N.J.: Meteor Ride in the Pines, Meteor MC, Jeff Fitzpatrick; (609) 654-5015; MeteorMC.com
Nov. 5-6: Port Elizabeth, N.J.: Hammer Run, Tri-County Sportsmen, E. Polhaumas; (856) 785-2754; TeamHammer.org
Nov. 5-6: Wickenburg, Ariz: Howlin’ at the Moon Rally, Arizona Trail Riders, Don Hood; (602) 692-9382
Nov. 25-26: Palmdale, Calif.: LA-Barstow to Vegas, AMA D37 Dual Sport, Paul Flanders; (626) 792-7384; District37AMA.org
AMA YAMAHA SUPER TÉNÉRÉ ADVENTURE RIDING SERIES AMERICANMOTORCYCLIST.COM
July 16-17: McCloud, Calif.: McCloud Adventure Ride, McCloud Dualsport Adventures, Michael Lingsch; (530) 925-0151; McCloudDualsportAdventures.com
July 20: Bloomsburg, Pa.: Giant Look Adventure Ride, AltRider, Christina Olson; (206) 922-3618; Altrider.com
July 27-31: Stevenson, Wash.: Dualsport Northwest Adventure Rally, Soundrider, Tom Mehren; (206) 329-9808; SoundRider.com
Aug. 20-21: Columbus, Ind.: Buffalo 500 D/S Adventure Ride, Stoney Lonesome MC, Nathan Gaskill, (812) 343-9772; StoneyLonesomeMC.com
Aug. 26-28: Seattle: Ride the Hoh Rain Forest, AltRider, Christina Olson; (206) 922-3618; Altrider.com
Aug. 27-28: McCloud, Calif.: McCloud Adventure Ride, McCloud Dualsport Adventures, Michael Lingsch; (530) 925-0151; McCloudDualsportAdventures.com
Sep 15-19: Pendenton, Wash.: Sasquatch Dualsport Adventure Tour, Soundrider, Tom Mehren; (206) 329-7808; SoundRider.com
Sep 17-18: Logan, Ohio: Nutcracker 200, Buckeye Dualsporters, Bill Kaeppner; (740) 380-3050; KaeppnersWoods.com
Sept. 17-18: Morganton, N.C.: Blue Ridge Adventure Ride, JB SAKI Promotions, Ron Miller; (704) 309-3271
Sept. 17-18: Taos Ski Valley, N.M.: New Mexico Natl Adventure Ride, Aerostich Tours, Roger Pattison; (575) 776-8785; AerostichTours.com
Oct. 1-2: McCloud, Calif.: McCloud Adventure Ride, McCloud Dualsport Adventures, Michael Lingsch; (530) 925-0151; McCloudDualsportAdventures.com
Oct. 15-16: McCloud, Calif.: McCloud Adventure Ride,
McCloud Dualsport Adventures, Michael Lingsch; (530) 925-0151; McCloudDualsportAdventures.com
Nov. 5-6: Wickensburg, Ariz.: Howlin’ at the Moon Rally, AZ Trail Riders, Don Hood; (602) 692-9382; ArizonaTrailRiders.org
Nov 5-6: Port Elizabeth, N.J.: Hammer Run, Tri-County Sportsmen, E. Polhaumus; (856) 785-2754
Nov 25-26: Palmdale, Calif.: LA-Barstow to Vegas, AMA D-37, Paul Flanders; (626) 792-7384; District37AMA.org
AMA PREMIER TOURING SERIES
AMERICANMOTORCYCLIST.COM/ROADRIDE/TOURING
AMA VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE DAYS AMAVINATGEMOTORCYCLEDAYS.COM
July 22-24: Lexington, Ohio: AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, AMA, Connie Fleming, (614) 856-1900 ext. 1258, AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS
June 6-11: Lake George, N.Y.: Americade & TourExpo, Bill Dutcher, (518) 798-7888, TourExpo.com
Sept. 14-18: Ruidoso, N.M.: Golden Aspen Motorcycle Rally; Golden Aspen Rally Assn; Patric Pearson, (800) 452-8045, Motorcyclerally.com
NATIONAL GYPSY TOURS
Aug. 3-7: Las Vegas, Nev.: National Bikers Roundup, National Bikers Roundup, (702) 522-9043, NBRKCMO.com
Aug. 8: Sturgis, S.D.: Ninth Annual Mayor’s Ride; SturgisMotorcycleRally.com
Oct. 7-9: Redding, Calif.: Big Bike Weekend; BigBikeWeekend.com
GRAND TOURS
Jan. 1 - Dec. 31: USA Four Corners Tour, SCMA, (909) 271-0137, USA4Corners.org
March 25 - Oct. 1: Smoke Chasing 2011, Eddie’s Road, smokechasing@teamstrange.com, SmokeChasing.com
April 1 - Nov. 30: Ride For Your Rights Grand Tour, AMA, Dave Hembroff, (614) 856-1900 ext. 1202, AmericanMotorcyclist.com/Roadride/Touring.com
April 1 - Nov. 30: Travel the USA with KOA, Midnight Riders MC, (765) 566-3807, Midnight-Riders-MC.com
Jan. 1 - Dec. 31: California Parks Adven-ture, SCMA, (760) 985-7660, SC-MA.com
Jan. 1 - Dec. 31: California Mission Tour, SCMA, (760) 985-7660, SC-MA.com
Jan. 1 - Dec. 31: Three Flags Classic, SCMA, (626) 274-2237, SC-MA.com
SIGNATURE EVENTS
July 10: Sound Bend, Ind.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
July 10: Overland Park, Kan.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
July 17: Deerfield, N.Y.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
July 17: White Bear Lake, Minn.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
July 17: Elgin, Ill.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
July 23: Marysville, Ohio: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
July 31: Knoxville, Tenn.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Aug. 7: Central Valley, N.Y.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Aug. 7: Middleton, Wis.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Aug. 7: Cranberry Township, Pa.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Aug. 13: Salt Lake City: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Aug. 21: Fiskdale, Mass.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Aug. 28: Ashville, N.C.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Aug. 28: Ann Arbor, Mich.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride and dualsport), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Sept. 11: Carnation, Wash.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Sept. 11: Leeds, Ala.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Sept. 11: Indianapolis: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Sept. 18: Cottleville, Mo.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Sept. 18: Phoenixville, Pa.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Sept. 25: Lido Beach, N.Y.: 9th Annual Dee Snider Ride (road ride), March of Dimes, (561) 496-8442, BikersforBabies.org
Sept. 25: Ellicott City, Md.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Oct. 2: Las Vegas, Nev.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Oct. 2: Grapevine Texas: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Oct. 2: Fairfield, Calif.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Oct. 16: Mesa, Ariz.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Oct. 16: Cardiff, Calif.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Oct. 23: Lafayette, La.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
Nov. 6: Lithia, Fla.: Charity Ride for Kids (road ride), PBTFUS, RideforKids.org
STATE RALLIES
July 14-16: Alvarado, Texas: Bikers Adult Rally, Bikers Adult Rally, (972) 551-0024, BikersAdultRally.com
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GUEST COLUMN
When I was a child, I never rode a motorcycle. Motorcycles didn’t come into my life until sometime after I was married. My wife won a moped in a contest, and we rode that little guy everywhere. The fun we had on the moped inspired me to want a streetbike. I borrowed my brother’s Yamaha DT400 for practice. My wife didn’t want to be left out, so we both learned to ride.
New to the sport, we weren’t aware of Motorcycle Safety Foundation classes at that time. We did take our own training seriously, however. We spent hours starting, stopping, turning and doing figure eights. A year later, I took up dirt biking. I started on a Honda XL350 to see if I’d like it. The following year, I got a KDX200 and have been on one ever since.
One of the neighborhood kids was interested in riding, and his parents bought him a Honda XR100. The parents didn’t know anything about riding, so my wife and I taught him to ride. I had watched a guy at an enduro trying to get his girlfriend to ride his dirtbike. He was showing her how to operate the throttle and clutch to get the bike going. My first thought was if she does get going, how is she going to stop? I remembered that when teaching my neighbor to ride. So we taught him all the controls first, and had him practice stopping a rolling bike. After that, the motor was started and throttle/clutch work began. It was quite a joy seeing him succeed in learning how to ride. He was able to teach his brother to ride, and now they have taught their own children.
Whenever I trail ride with children, I keep a special eye out for them. If I am leading, I don’t race ahead. I keep a watch for them in my rearview mirror and try to ride their pace. That way, they don’t feel like they are riding alone. I am also able to lend immediate assistance if an issue arises, such as getting stuck on a root going up a hill. If I am following, I observe and make suggestions. Once, a beginner kept pumping the throttle in an attempt to go faster. I showed him how to use clutch control and explained about riding smoother. His pace picked up immediately, and I received a smile and thanks after the ride was over. It has always been rewarding for me to help riders of all ages learn how to ride.
Along the way, I have learned about, and gotten involved in, trail maintenance. I had never given much thought about trees falling across trail and that they had to be removed. I now have a motorcycle setup to carry my chainsaw, loppers and other tools necessary to maintain a trail. I’ve also helped build decking over wetlands. I work with two different clubs in different states.
Several years ago, I signed up on the AMA website for AMA Action Alerts and AMA News & Notes. I recently received an email from the AMA grassroots team urging me to meet with my U.S. representative regarding H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act. The purpose of the act is to exempt child-sized off-road motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) from the lead law. The email gave me the details of a town hall meeting my representative was holding. I’d never met any of my representatives before and didn’t know what to expect. I went to his website and learned that
this particular meeting would be held in a coffee house. I figured I had a good chance to speak with him personally at this sort of small event, so I decided to go.
When I arrived, there was the representative, two aides and about 20 other people. The format was to let people bring up issues/questions, and then hear his response, with the aides taking notes. I heard topics about terrorism, Afghanistan, taxes, the economy, the housing crisis, Republicans vs. Democrats and more.
I started to feel out of place because I was just looking for kids to be able to ride an age-appropriate-size machine. I tried to gauge whether or not he’d be receptive to supporting H.R. 412. I was thinking that maybe I should just tell what I wanted to one of the aides and leave.
But I hung around until the Q&A format was over. The representative said he’d stay awhile longer for individual discussions. I saw my opportunity and quickly moved in, getting second place in line. I introduced myself as an off-road motorcycle rider who works on maintaining trails. I brought up the issue of the lead law. He said someone else had also talked to him about it a few weeks earlier and asked me about its current status. I informed him that there was a stay of enforcement until the end of the year. I gave him a note asking him to co-sponsor H.R. 412, the Kids Just Want to Ride Act. He enthusiastically agreed to be a co-sponsor.
For a few hours of my time, a couple of bucks in gas, and about three minutes of actual talk, I was able to increase my representative’s awareness of the need to support kids and families who enjoy off-road riding. That, in some small way, could help save the future of off-road riding in America. All of us need to go that extra mile, however insignificant it may seem, to fight for what we believe in. Every effort counts. It could be yours that makes the difference.
Wayne Danielsen is an AMA member from Illinois.
PROTECTING THE PASSIONDelivering The Message That Kids Just Want To RideBy Wayne Danielsen
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to C
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Way
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50 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
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