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ABATE 32nd annual Mayor’s Ride

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by Angie Trindade from https://www.wane.com ABATE Foundation motorcycle organization kicked off its 32nd annual ride in Fort Wayne with strong turnout. FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – ABATE Foundation, or American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, hosted its 32nd annual Mayor’s Ride. The ride started at The Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union 166, 2930 in Fort Wayne and ended after an hour-long ride to Decatur. Fort Wayne motorcycle enthusiasts arrived in droves to register around 9 in the morning. They were set to ride by 11 a.m. Event organizer and Region Zero Secretary of Abate, Sherri Gordon, said she was thrilled with the strong turnout this year. ABATE was unable to host this event last year due to COVID. “I’m definitely pleased with the turnout this year,” said Gordon, “And we’re hoping to get to where it used to be 15 years ago where we had almost a thousand bikes.” The Mayor’s Ride originally started in Indy with the Governor’s Ride but then other Indiana counties joined in on the fun for Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month. “It’s all about motorcycle safety, promoting it. People need to be aware, stay off your devices. Watch out, we are out there. We are somebody’s mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, and grandmother, just listen for us and watch out.” Gordan was assisted by her fellow chapter members Jeff Eads, Dekalb County Rep, and Jamie Swagart, Adams Wells Rep. Eads was eager for the ride considering last year’s cancelation. “It’s been wonderful,” Eads said, “We are so glad to see people together. Just this many bikes together, it’s good to see our brothers and sisters riding with each other again.”

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Public Safety meeting discusses illegal dirt bikes and excessive noise

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by Carolyn Noel from https://www.thereminder.com CHICOPEE – A Public Safety meeting took place to discuss illegal dirt bikes, motorcycles, speeding and excessive noise in the City of Chicopee on May 19. City Councilor William Courchesne, Ward 7, has been an active participant in the fight against this issue. At the City Council meeting on May 4, Courchesne spoke on the many phone calls he has received from upset residents in his ward. He also helped with updating the Code of the City of Chicopee to strengthen and modernize many noise ordinances. During the Public Safety meeting, residents were given the chance to voice their concerns on illegal dirt bikes, motorcycles, speeding and noise. Members of the Chicopee Police Department were also in attendance to respond and answer questions. One resident spoke on the danger of dirt bikes speeding along public streets. “They’re turning our public streets into their playgrounds,” she said. Attendee Gerald Lavoie agreed on the danger of dirt bikes speeding on streets, but also proposed that the city give them a safe space to ride. “The kids need a place to ride,” he said. Lavoie suggested opening up land for people to ride their dirt bikes safely by Westover Air Reserve Base, near Szot Park or anywhere else that could be accommodated. Resident David Perault spoke on his motorcycle-related concerns at the meeting. He said that from April through November the noise is “crazy.” He even compared the area he lives in to a speed race. “My apartment unfortunately faces the Chicopee River and what I like to call the Indianapolis 500,” said Perault. “These guys are flying.” He spoke on the excessive motorcycle noise that he had to deal with during the COVID-19 lockdown when he was home. He said that a lot of the motorcycles backfire,

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A Biker celebrates his 90th birthday by riding his motorcycle

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by Karassa Stinchcomb from https://www.kxnet.com by Eloise Ogden from https://www.minotdailynews.com Berthold farmer and motorcyclist celebrates his 90th birthday in a big way. Some people say he’s a legend in the motorcycle community. He celebrated a big milestone that some people never get to experience — his 90th birthday. “You only turn 90 once. It’s a pretty big deal! And for somebody to still be riding at 90 is huge!” said Kelsey Schlag, the marketing manager at Magic City Harley Davidson. Schlag is talking about Oliver Skinningsrud, better known as Ole. Ole is an active motorcyclist — even at age 90. “Ole’s been tickled to death! 90 years old, it’s pretty special somebody 90 can still ride like Ole does,” said David Williamson, Ole’s friend. The biker community stepped up to throw him this once-in-a-lifetime celebration. More than 20 bikers from KAHU, Minot Hog Chapter, Norsemen and Ramblers motorcycle clubs rode with Ole to the Magic City Harley Davidson shop from Berthold. He also received a special escort from the sheriff’s department. Skinningsrud on his trike, a red Harley-Davidson three-wheeler, led the group of about 45 motorcycle riders from Berthold to Minot, followed by Ward County Sheriff’s Department vehicles with flashing lights. Around 100 people were at the Harley-Davidson dealership for a birthday gathering there. A Korean War veteran who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, was honored earlier in the day at a noon lunch with friends and neighbors at Carpio’s Senior Citizens Center. “When Ole found out, oh he just couldn’t believe he was getting escorted!” Williamson said. “It was wonderful! Yep. They sure did a good job,” Skinningsrud said. “This is great! I wasn’t expecting all of these people, so I think that really shows how great the biker community is,” Schlag said. Everyone enjoyed dinner, good conversation

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One-Off Triumph Thruxton 1200 RS to be given away

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com One-Off Triumph Thruxton 1200 RS Steps Into the Spotlight, to Be Given Away At the beginning of April, as it once again announced its support for the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride (DGR), British bike maker Triumph said it would be unveiling a one-off Thruxton 1200 RS during the event. The full reveal date is still set for May 23, but the bike maker gave us a preview of the motorcycle this week. No exact details on the motorcycle were provided, and we do not know to the letter what makes this particular bike special, but a few of the released images with the two-wheeler show the paint scheme that makes this one stand out in its family. Fully designed by Triumph’s paint shop, the scheme is clean and elegant, with white and black on the fuel tank, the DGR logo featured on the bodywork and the promise of unique customizations. The bike maker will spill the full beans on the bike on May 23 because it is then when DGR is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The event came to be in Sydney, Australia, and it is meant to “raise funds and awareness of prostate cancer and men’s mental health.” To date, over 300,000 riders took part, and $27.45 million were raised for the cause. The special Thruxton is meant as an additional perk for those willing to take part, as one of the participants in this year’s event will get to win it. The rides are open to all whose willing to attend and will take place all over the world. All one has to do to get a chance at winning the one-off motorcycle is to register, make a random donation, and raise an additional $250 from other rides. Full details on rules and regulations

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Historical Perspective Progressive Laconia Motorcycle Week

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June 12th-20th, 2021 – New Hampshire – home to America’s Original Riding Rally After a COVID-hobbled rally in 2020, Progressive Laconia Motorcycle Week® returns to New Hampshire for its 98th year, June 12 – 20. Ninety-eight years is a long time, longer than most of us have been alive, so you can imagine there are stories to tell about the world’s oldest motorcycle rally. If you’re doing the math, you’ll have to take into account the 7 years the rally wasn’t held to come up with 1916. This was the year a few hundred motorcyclists, organized by central and southern New England motorcycle dealers, traveled north for a “gypsy tour” to Weirs Beach. Who would have known this would mark the beginnings of a tradition that would span a century? The tour was first sanctioned by the Federation of American Motorcyclists in 1917 and when the FAM disbanded in 1919, the Motorcycle and Allied Trades Association (M&ATA) took over the sanction until 1924, when the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) was formed. Back then, the weekend event centered around races and hill climbs. The number of participants grew each year as did the event’s duration. Over time, the rally blossomed into a week-long event, eventually suffering in attendance and popularity after getting wrapped up in the upheavals of the 60’s. The rally reverted to a 3-day weekend and would remain so until 1991, when organizers revived the week-long event after seeing the success of Sturgis’ 50th Anniversary Rally in 1990. Laconia Motorcycle Week reclaimed the support of local businesses and the AMA as a week-long rally and the oldest gypsy tour in the country. Today, Laconia Motorcycle Week® is a much-expanded version of the early “gypsy tour” years, offering attendees lots of fun, food, music and, of course, countless miles of

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Veterans plan Memorial Day motorcycle ride despite roadblock

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by Angie Angers from https://www.baynews9.com It’s a Memorial Day tradition for tens of thousands of veterans to ride their motorcycles to the nation’s capital. Pentagon had blocked their permit request, but vets say they are going regardless This time, the event was nearly in jeopardy. Every May for more than 30 years, veterans from all over the country have made the trip to honor those gone and those still missing in action. “Not only continue the tradition of holding Congress and the government accountable for trying to find these over 82,000 missing veterans, but also for veteran suicide,” said organizer Tom McNamara with AMVETS. McNamara says they’re expecting roughly 100,000 veterans and they’d received nine out of the 10 permits needed to make the trip happen. But just recently, defense officials denied their application to use the Pentagon’s parking lot like they have for the last three decades. “Using our satellite views on how we’re going to stage motorcycles, and a month ago they came back and said, ‘No, we’re not gonna do it, and didn’t give us an answer as to why,’” McNamara said. Officials of the Pentagon later cited COVID safety concerns and left AMVETS scrambling for another plan. Now Rep. Brian Mast is involved and is accusing leaders of blocking the tradition. He sent a strongly-worded letter to Congress pushing them to reconsider. McNamara says — either way — the veterans are using their constitutional right to protest and will be coming to D.C. no matter what. “As our First Amendment right, these people are coming anyway, we’re going to be there anyway. So now, we’re just lining up on the streets,” he said. They just want to keep the tradition alive. “Let’s just say Congress will know about it,” McNamara said with a laugh. The ride

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Ducati Monster 2021 First Ride Review

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by Dustin Wheelen from https://www.rideapart.com Take the edge off. In 1992, Ducati designer Miguel Galluzzi shoehorned a 900SS engine into an 888 superbike frame. He then bolted on a 750 Supersport fork and the Ducati Monster was born. Galluzzi’s Frankenstein experiment was well-loved though, driving sales at the Bologna brand for years. The parts bin special saved Ducati, in fact, and the Monster has remained in Ducati’s stable ever since. That hasn’t stopped the Monster from evolving through the years, though. Ducati frequently tweaked the ingredients, but the recipe remained the same: one part air-cooled L-twin, one part trellis frame. However, technology and design move on, and the model has changed with the times. By 2015, all Monster engines switched to liquid-cooling, and the latest iteration finally sheds its trellis frame—and the weight that comes with it. That prompted traditionalists and ardent Ducatisi to click their tongues, lamenting over Ducati’s heresy. To many fans, the trellis frame was the Monster’s pièce de résistance. The quality that separated the muscular streetfighter from its “soulless” competitors. The trellis frame was the Monster’s greatest strength, but it was also its greatest weakness, imprisoning the naked bike to a bygone era as its counterparts forged ahead. That’s no longer the case in 2021. Sure, the Monster is still “borrowing” from its counterparts by plucking the 937cc L-twin from the Supersport 950 and wedging it into a Panigale V4-inspried monocoque aluminum frame. Even the model’s 4.3-inch TFT dash sports a Panigale V4-derived interface. Despite those old habits, the question remains: is it still a Monster without the trellis frame? Did it trade in its panache for pastiche? Did it lose its character, its “soul”? These questions loomed large when Ducati invited us to San Francisco, California, to ride the 2021 Monster. After spending a full

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Using 3D printing to make a 1919 Harley-Davidson rideable

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by Janaki Jitchotvisut from https://www.rideapart.com This 1919 Harley-Davidson Is Now Rideable Thanks To 3D Printing. Vintage problems require modern solutions. Let’s say you’ve decided to take on a vintage Harley as a project. Maybe you’re passionate about the early days of Harley-Davidson, for example, and you see an opportunity that’s just too good to pass up. The Motor Company has been around for over a century, though. While it has fans all over the world, as you might guess, some parts are easier to find than others. That’s the problem faced by one Harley enthusiast in the Netherlands. He’d gotten his hands on a 1919 Harley-Davidson, and had been diligently doing hands-on restoration work for the better part of 50 years. Clearly, this guy was almost unbelievably patient. Eventually, though, even he got to a point where he had to think creatively to replace the one part that was holding him back from finally being able to go for a ride: a broken Bakelite distributor cap. As the story goes, the man had searched high, low, and everywhere in between for a spare. Since there probably aren’t many out there to begin with, finding one on the used market seemed chancy. So, the restorer (who appears to want to remain nameless) reached out to Carl van de Rijzen from Visual First in the Netherlands, which is known for creating 3D scans of existing items. 1919 Harley-Davidson with 3D Printed Distributor Cap Van de Rijzen, in turn, frequently collaborates with Edwin Rappard of 4C Creative CAD CAM Consultants to successfully 3D print the components he’s scanned. This was a unique challenge, for sure. They had the broken original distributor cap to scan, but a large chunk had broken off. How can you scan what isn’t there? Luckily, the broken part was

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Pentagon rejects permit request by veterans group for Memorial Day motorcycle ride

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by Nikki Wentling from https://www.stripes.com WASHINGTON – The Defense Department rejected a request from organizers of a traditional Memorial Day weekend motorcycle ride in the nation’s capital, throwing logistics of the event into uncertainty just weeks before it is scheduled to take place. Motorcyclists typically use the Pentagon’s parking lot as a staging area for the ride, but defense officials denied the permit application Friday for this year’s event. Officials cited the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the size of the expected crowd as the reason. Despite the denial, thousands of motorcyclists are planning to gather in Washington during Memorial Day weekend. As of Monday, organizers didn’t know where to gather the riders before and after they drive along the National Mall. AMVETS, a national veterans organization, is coordinating the motorcycle ride. The group said it was committed to still running the event on May 30 and organizers were searching Monday for a backup plan. “There are no options with as much space and convenient routes to the memorials, meaning it will be more difficult, disruptive, and expensive than if the Pentagon parking lots were available,” said Joe Chenelly, national executive director of AMVETS. The group criticized the Pentagon’s slow decision-making process. Chenelly said he applied in July to use the Pentagon parking lot on May 30. He was expecting to hear back by January. Chenelly told the Pentagon last month that he needed an answer by April 16. Officials called with their decision on Friday. “The biggest disappointment in the Pentagon’s denial was that AMVETS was ignored for months as its professional staff in Washington requested numerous times an opportunity to hear the Defense Department’s concerns and present a [coronavirus] safety plan,” Jan Brown, the national commander of AMVETS, said in a statement. AMVETS leaders said they were confident they

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ABATE 31st annual safety ride

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from https://www.wgrz.com Buffalo-area motorcyclists take part in 31st annual safety ride. The American Bikers Aimed Toward Education event aims to remind all drivers that motorcyclists are back on the road. BUFFALO, N.Y. — May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, and on Saturday, 75 motorcyclists took part in the 31st annual American Bikers Aimed Toward Education safety ride. The event is aimed at reminding all drivers that motorcyclists are back on the road. There are plenty of safety tips for motorcyclists, including the obvious. “On a motorcycle, you want to make yourself visible,” Lee Argen of ABATE Buffalo said. “You always want as visible as possible. Daytime ride with your high beam lights on. A lot of times, I think people are not visible because their lights are either off or on low beam in the daytime.” Drivers should never try to share a lane with a motorcycle. Always give a motorcycle the full lane width. The one-hour event began Saturday afternoon at the Rath Building in downtown Buffalo.

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