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STURGIS MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM ANNOUNCES HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2023

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The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame honors the most influential people in the motorcycle

industry, sport, and culture, to highlight their accomplishments and to promote the future of

motorcycling. On behalf of the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame Board of Directors, I am

proud to announce our 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees (in alphabetical order by first name):

 

1981 Team USA, winners of the Motocross Trophee Des Nations

Chris Callen

Jay Allen

Roland Sands

Scott Jacobs

Donnie Smith, Arlen Ness Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

Russell Radke, Freedom Fighter

Bert Munro, Kickstands Down

 

Congratulations to each of these individuals. Stay tuned for Hall of Fame Highlights where the Sturgis

Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame shares information about each inductee leading up to the

ceremony.

 

The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum’s Hall of Fame Induction ceremony is sponsored by Law Tigers Inc.

The induction breakfast ceremony will be held on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at The Lodge @

Deadwood.

Tickets sales open March 1, 2023.

For corporate tables, please call Leah or Penny at 605-347-2001.

Rogue’s Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame Ring

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by Misled

In 2005 John “Rogue” Herlihy was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Freedom Fighter section of the HOF which is for individuals who fought for motorcycle rights.

Hall Of Fame Rings did not become available until 2020. In 2020 the inductees received Hall of Fame Rings designed by Frank Zubieta owner of NINO 925.

Members of the Sturgis Hall Of Fame were given the opportunity to have rings made for them by contacting Frank.

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Best Of Times Bikernet Weekly News for September 9, 2021

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It’s All Good

Remember, we’re living in the best of times, but the control freaks need more control.

Ride fast and free forever,

–Bandit

The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

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MRF 2021 HOF Inductee Announcement

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MRF 2021 HOF Inductee Announcement

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation announces the 2021 Freedom Fighter Hall of Fame Inductees.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) is pleased to release the names of the 2021 class of Inductees to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Freedom Fighters Hall of Fame (MRF HOF). These will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Minds conference September 23-26, in Atlanta, Georgia.

This year’s MRF HOF Class of 2021 – Freedom Fighter Inductees are:

  • Butch Brown
  • Deb Butitta
  • Jim Dahling
  • Carol Downs

Past Motorcycle Riders Foundation Hall of Fame inductees are: Keith “Bandit” Ball, Mark Buckner, Wayne Curtin, Michael “Balls” Farabaugh, “Still” Ray Fitzgerald, Richard Gray, Bob Illingworth, Nathan “Buck” Kittredge, Ed Netterberg, Sherman Packard, Todd Vandermyde, Paul Vestal, Penny Walker, Ed Youngblood, Vince Consiglio, Fredric Harrell, Rodney Roberts, Simon Milward, JoAnne Packard, Karen Bolin, Lee Richardson, Jerry “JT” Thomas, and Teresa Hepker, Dick “Slider” Gilmore, Charles Umbenhauer, Wanda Hummel-Shultz, “Biker” Jim Rhoades, Lee Ryan, Marc Falsetti, Gary Klinker, Charlie Williams, Dave Dwyer, “Radio” Bob Letourneau, “Farmer” John Eggers and Michael “Boz” Kerr.

Congratulations to all from the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Board of Directors.

Visit http://mrf.org/

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. The MRF is chiefly concerned with issues at the national and international levels that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. The MRF is committed to being a national advocate for the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle and works in conjunction with its partners to help educate elected officials and policymakers in Washington and beyond.

American racing champion Dick Mann passes away

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from https://www.roadracingworld.com

Racing Legend Dick Mann passes away – from a press release issued By American Motorcyclist Association

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and Racing Legend Dick Mann Passes

Mann, a two-time AMA Grand National Champion, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Dick “Bugsy” Mann, one of the most versatile racers to ever throw a leg over a motorcycle, passed away on April 26 at the age of 86.

Mr. Mann, born June 13, 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah, was a two-time AMA Grand National Champion (1963 and 1971), and became best known for being the first person to achieve a motorcycle racing Grand Slam, which involved winning across all five types of circuits included in the Grand National Championship: road racing, TT, short track, half-mile and mile. When he retired from racing in 1974, Mann had 24 national victories, which — at the time — placed him second in all-time wins within the AMA Grand National Series.

While Mann got his racing start in scrambles, he soon got hooked on turning left on dirt ovals, and after some time learning his trade, headed to the professional racing circuit in 1954, turning expert in 1955. He achieved his first national win at the Peoria TT in 1959, quickly establishing himself as an elite racer in the series.

Mann also helped pioneer the sport of motocross in the U.S., competing in several of the early AMA professional motocross races in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Perhaps Mann’s most fulfilling national win was his victory in the 1970 Daytona 200 aboard the then-new Honda CB750. He’d been racing the Daytona 200 for 15 years and finished second three times, and in 1970 finally got to the top step of the podium, holding off rising stars and future Hall of Famers Gary Nixon and Gene Romero, as well as former world champion and Hall of Famer Mike Hailwood. That win wasn’t just Mann’s first victory at the 200, but the first time a Honda had won an AMA national.

Despite retiring from professional racing in 1974, Mann returned to his trail-riding roots in 1975, qualifying for the United States International Six Days Trial team, competed for the U.S. on the Isle of Man, and brought home a bronze medal.

Beyond being a legendary racer, Mann’s mentorship of the next generation of American racers and future Hall of Famers like Dave Aldana, Mert Lawwill and Kenny Roberts, was just as important.

In 1995, Mr. Mann was presented with the AMA Dud Perkins Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his significant contributions to the sport. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.

Honoring Motorcycle Racing Legend Dick Mann – from a press release issued by American Flat Track

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 28, 2021) – AMA Pro Racing joins the motorcycle community in mourning the loss of the great Dick Mann. Mann passed Monday at 86 years of age.

The winner of two Grand National Championships, Mann was touted as one of the greatest to ever compete in various motorcycle racing disciplines. Mann is best known for being the first person to ever win all five types of circuit included in the AMA Grand National Championship: short track, TT, half-mile, mile and road race.

Mann continued to contribute to the legacy of motorcycle racing by influencing some of the greatest names in flat track including Gene Romero, Gary Nixon, Mert Lawwill, Kenny Roberts and Dave Aldana.

Mann was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1993 and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.

Progressive American Flat Track will observe a moment of silence in Mann’s honor during its opening ceremonies at Saturday’s event at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Statement of Condolence on Passing of Dick Mann – from a press release issued by American Honda

Hall of Famer earned Honda’s first big motorcycle-race win in the U.S.

April 28, 2021 — TORRANCE, Calif.

Following Monday’s passing of Dick “Bugsy” Mann at the age of 86, American Honda today honored the versatile racer.

A true Renaissance man, Mann was noted for his adaptability as a rider, and for the longevity of his professional motorcycle-racing career, which included charter membership in the exclusive Grand Slam Club (for riders who earned Grand National wins in road racing, short track, TT, half-mile and mile competition), two AMA Grand National Championships and a bronze medal for Team USA in the 1975 International Six Days Trial. According to Racer X Illustrated, Mann even scored a win at the first AMA-sanctioned professional motocross race. Those successes came with a variety of brands, but the Utah native’s primary tie with Honda centered on a single race—the 1970 Daytona 200.

It was Honda’s first factory effort in the legendary endurance event, with a four-rider project aboard CR750 machinery (the racing version of the now-iconic CB750 four-cylinder, which had started production just a year earlier). Conversely, Mann (then 35) had a long and relatively successful history at the race, though victory had eluded him to that point.

After launching from the front row of an all-star starting grid, Mann eventually secured the lead, then preserved the bike in the race’s latter stages to score a 10-second win over Gene Romero, with Don Castro third. In the process, Mann ran a record average race speed of 102.697 mph. It was Honda’s first AMA National Championship race win, and it established the CB750 at the top of the performance hierarchy. (Over four decades later, Motorcyclist magazine would name it the Bike of the Century.) As such, the victory was significant not only for Honda, but for its American subsidiary.

“For a Japanese company with its first, completely unproven big bike, it was hard to top that,” Bob Hansen, then American Honda’s National Service Manager, is quoted as saying in Aaron P. Frank’s book Honda Motorcycles.

“Hansen prepared the machine, and I rode it as best I could, just as I was contracted to do. That was it,” said the humble Mann in the same book.

Mann, who would back up the Daytona 200 win the following year aboard a BSA, was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993, and he is a charter member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

“Everyone at American Honda sends their heartfelt condolences to Dick Mann’s family, friends and fans,” said Bill Savino, Senior Manager of Customer Engagement at American Honda. “Dick tallied a number of accomplishments over the course of his long career, but he’ll always hold a special spot in our hearts for the role he played in proving that Honda motorcycles could perform with the very best.”

Dick Mann at Daytona in 1971 on his BSA road racer.

Mourning the first Honda US champion / MotoAmerica Superbike
by Eileen Curry from https://www.thewestonforum.com

The American motorsport world lost one of its first great champions. American Dick Mann died on Monday at the age of 86; He was an iconic character in the early Honda years.

Dick Mann was seen as a versatile racing driver who was quick to adapt to new conditions. His long career contained countless seasons in various categories of motorsport, all of which were easy to handle. Mann was a founding member of the exclusive “Grand Slam Club” in the USA, an organization that welcomed national winners in the fields of road, short track, tourist prize and drag races over the half-mile plus the full mile.

In 1975 he won a bronze medal with Team USA in a six-day international trial, and Mann won the AMA National Championship twice. Especially impressive: In AMA’s first-ever motocross race, the race driver emerged from Salt Lake City victorious.

The American competed for Honda at the Daytona 200 at the Daytona International Speedway in 1970 on the four-cylinder CB750. The 35-year-old surprisingly won his first Japanese factory outing in Daytona. Day to day, it made Honda a legend in American motorbike racing, and the manufacturer had never before been represented at an AMA event. Because he defeated GP star Mike Hailwood in that race, this success had an important place in his resume.

In 1971 he repeated the victory of Daytona over the Bosnian Serb Army. In total, Mann handled 240 AMA races, of which he won 24. At the age of 40, he ended his road racing career and returned to his trial roots. Until the 1990s, Mann regularly competed in races, and in 2006 he opened an exhibition in his honor entitled “Superman” in the American MotoGP Hall of Fame. During his career as a racing driver, he built motorcycle tires and other parts for off-road motorcycles.

Mann passed away on April 26, 2021 at the age of 86.

AMA Hall of Fame 1967 BSA Hillclimber

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The Brit-Bike That Earl Bowlby Raced

You won’t find a longer unfaired race bike in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame museum than the BSA that carried Earl Bowlby to national hillclimb fame.

When he retired from competition after the 1990 season, Bowlby had captured 10 AMA Hillclimb national championships, plus six Canadian titles. He was inducted to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

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Sturgis Hall of Fame Breakfast 2020

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Well when I found out that my sister by another mother Vicki Sanfelipo was getting inducted that changed everything
Photos and text by ROGUE, Senior Editor, Bikernet.com

Like many people, I gave some serious thought to not attending Sturgis this year. The pandemic was a serious concern, with all the noise about it being spread when large groups get together.

Well, when I found out that my sister by another mother Vicki Sanfelipo was getting inducted, that changed everything.

The 20th Annual Induction Breakfast was held on August 12, 2020 at The Lodge At Deadwood. Seating was limited to about 500 and sold out. You needed to be wearing face covering to enter and safety precautions were in place as best it could be for a function of this type.

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Dale Walksler Inducted Into AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame

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The American Motorcycle Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame announced this week that they will add five new inductees at their annual ceremony on December 6 in Columbus, Ohio.

Included in the Class of 2019 is Dale Walksler, founder and curator of Dale’s Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, NC. Walksler’s induction to the Hall of Fame pays tribute to his lifelong passion and tireless effort to preserve and promote vintage American motorcycling.’

Walksler’s introduction to American motorcycling came when he bought a wrecked Harley-Davidson Servi-Car from behind a local repair shop. A few weeks later, he rode the machine out of his garage and into a lifelong love of motorcycles. After high school, he opened a motorcycle custom shop and then a Harley-Davidson dealership in 1974. During its 26 years, Dale’s Harley-Davidson of Mt. Vernon was continually recognized as a top 100 dealer, receiving countless awards from Harley-Davidson and industry organizations alike.

Over the years, Walksler continued to add to his personal collection some of the rarest and most historic American motorcycles and collectibles, eventually opening a museum to attract customers to his dealership. When he sold his dealership in 1999, he moved to Maggie Valley, NC to open Dale’s Wheels Through Time Museum. Recognized worldwide for its all-American collection of vintage motorcycles and automobiles, each machine being kept in running and operating condition. The museum has hosted over a million and a half visitors during its seventeen years in North Carolina. Walksler’s legacy includes not only the museum but his own celebrated television show, “What’s In The Barn,” as well as numerous appearances on other programs such as “American Pickers,” “Chasing Classic Cars,” and “American Restoration.”

The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame was started in 1998 and exists to “to honor the legends and heroes of American motorcycling and highlight their achievements and contributions to motorcycling.”

Ken Ford, a member of the AMA board of directors, said, “The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2019 includes individuals who have impacted motorcycling in positive and powerful ways, as both advocates and sportsmen, leaving a lasting impression on the sport we all love. Generations of motorcyclists owe them a debt of gratitude for their accomplishments. We’re honored to recognize them this December 6 at the induction ceremony as the newest members of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.”

The other four inductees for 2019 include Mark Buckner, Kurt Caselli, Ron Lechien, and Wiltz Wagner.
Founded in 1924 with a mission to “to promote the motorcycling lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling,” the American Motorcyclist Association now boasts over 200,000 members and in excess of 1,110 chartered clubs.

https://wheelsthroughtime.com/dale-walksler-inducted-into-ama-motorcycle-hall-of-fame/

2019 Sturgis Hall Of Fame Breakfast

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Article By Rogue – Honoring Those Who Stand Out in Motorcycling

The breakfast is held every year to honor people who have made a difference in motorcycling. There are numerous categories just like the things that make up the wonderful life of motorcycling.

The event was held at the Lodge at Deadwood on Wednesday August 7, 2019 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM

It was a pleasure to see these people inducted as they are all deserving.

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