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Visually Impaired Patriots Experiencing the Road to hold its fifth annual motorcycle ride

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by Erik S. Hanley from https://www.jsonline.com A motorcycle ride supporting veterans with disabilities is rumbling through Oak Creek later this month When T.J. Oman, a retired Navy lieutenant commander in Wisconsin, reached out to a fellow veteran in Minnesota about the fifth VIPER ride, he learned the man had been diagnosed with cancer and had months to live. VIPER, or Visually Impaired Patriots Experiencing the Road, will hold its fifth annual motorcycle ride on Aug. 22 in Oak Creek at the Oelschlaeger-Dallmann American Legion Post 434, 9327 S. Shepard Ave. The Minnesota man has traveled to the Milwaukee area for every past VIPER event, but his sister was keeping this year’s announcement from him because of his diagnosis, Oman, one of the VIPER ride founders, said. “I messed up her plans because when I didn’t see his application this year, I put together an email and sent it to a batch of people curious about their absence,” Oman said. Now that he knows the ride is happening, despite his diagnosis, that veteran is coming to ride. Motorcycle owners, known as “pilots,” are partnered with a veteran called a “tailgunner.” The duos stay together throughout the day’s events. Volunteers are known as the “groundcrew” and they work to give directions, welcome participants, set up food and drinks, clean up and more. “We’re looking forward to it this year because we missed it last year,” said John Carter, a former Marine and co-founder of the VIPER ride. The 2020 ride was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Initially only for blind veterans, the ride recently became “the VIPER ride plus+” expanding to allow veterans with any physical disability that prevents them from operating a motorcycle. There is no cost to participants. “We don’t charge anybody a dime, this is not a fundraiser,” […]

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Charity motorcycle ride raises more than $95,000

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by Vincent Ball from https://www.brantfordexpositor.ca Organizers of the charity motorcycle run for Lansdowne Children’s Centre are sending a virtual “wheelie” to their supporters. “We raised $95,663 and we can’t thank people enough for all of their support,” said Angie Turnbull, director of philanthropy, at the Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation, the centre’s fundraising arm. “We had so many people, so many businesses step up this year to help out. “It’s really quite heartwarming.” Organizers of the virtual ride held during July had hoped to raise $70,000, up from the $33,000 generated by last year’s virtual ride. The last time the event was held in-person was in 2019 when $62,000 was raised. This year’s event was boosted by the sale of raffle tickets to win a motorcycle provided by Harley-Davidson Cambridge, Turnbull said. “We were really worried about how we were going to sell raffle tickets but when people heard about our concerns they responded,” shel said. “A lot of businesses called and offered us space to sell the tickets and that was a really big help.” Turnbull said 42 riders participated in the virtual event. Past rides have attracted from 280 to 400 riders. “We’re thrilled with the results but the big winners are the 3,000 children we support.” Lansdowne provides a range of services to children with physical, communication or developmental challenges in Brantford and Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk counties. It receives government funding for programs such as occupational, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy. Money raised by the foundation through events, such as the motorcycle ride, goes to support recreational programs such as cooking, gardening and camping. In addition to building the self-confidence of the children, the programs enable them to safely socialize with other children and provides some respite for parents.

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Laconia Motorcycle Week starts strong

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by Michael Mortensen from https://www.concordmonitor.com With the cloud of COVID largely lifted, motorcyclists returned in droves over the weekend to mark the start of Laconia Motorcycle Week. Weirs Beach, the traditional epicenter of the event, was bustling by mid-morning Saturday. “I think it’s going to be a banner week,” predicted Mayor Andrew Hosmer, who did walkabouts in The Weirs with City Manager Scott Myers on Saturday and Sunday. Public safety officials reported the kick-off to the event, which wraps up this coming weekend, was largely trouble-free. “There were large crowds, but very few police events,” Police Chief Matt Canfield said during a news conference Monday morning at the Naswa Resort. Hosmer agreed that things have been going smoothly. “It’s a good atmosphere,” he said during a telephone interview Monday. The weather – with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s, coupled with low humidity – helped bring out the crowds. Motorcyclists began pouring into the area on Saturday. Parking spaces on Lakeside Avenue in Weirs Beach, which during the nine-day event are for motorcycles only, were mostly taken by mid-morning Saturday. Bikers strolled up and down the street browsing and buying from vendors who were hawking all sorts of biker paraphernalia, as well as from local nonprofits like the Laconia Kiwanis Club, whose members were selling cold bottled water and soda. Members of the National Guard were stationed at a tent next to Rally Headquarters on the boardwalk offering COVID vaccinations. About three dozen people were vaccinated over the weekend, according to Charlie St. Clair, executive director of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association. The clinic will continue for the rest of the week. “The state is trying to get out to events like this (to set up vaccination clinics), ” Laconia Fire Chief Kirk Beattie explained. The fire chief told the news

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Peter Makris Memorial Run Kicks Off Laconia Motorcycle Week on June 12

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The Peter Makris Memorial Run hits a milestone in this 15th year as the “Official Kickoff to Laconia Motorcycle Week®.” Started as a tribute to NASWA patriarch Peter Makris, the charity run offers the best riding experience with the escort of NH State and local police, offering a “feet-up” ride through the Laconia area scenic hills, lakes and small towns. The run also accentuates one of the reasons we ride—to give back to the community. Bikers are known for their generosity and heart and this ride is an expression of both. Makris was for many years the face of the legendary NASWA Resort, the Official Hotel of the rally, welcoming all to “The NAZ” with his warm smile and handshake. He was well-loved in the community as a leader and is now commemorated in this 15th annual ride which has raised over $475,000 for area charities including the Laconia Fire Department, Easter Seals “Veterans Count,” the Laconia CERT team, and last year, the Belknap House homeless shelter and Building Dreams for Marines. This non-profit was formed to assist Marines and other U.S. military veterans with mobility issues as it retrofits residences to enable vets and their families to live comfortably and confidently in their homes. Peter Makris’ service in the Marines and membership in the Leathernecks Motorcycle Club brings the charity full circle. “We know my father would be proud of this initiative,” says Cynthia Makris, president of the NASWA Resort who followed in her father’s footsteps to make the NASWA a strong community service and contributor. The Resort was founded by her maternal grandparents in the early 1900’s and she now guides 4 generations of the Makris family in maintaining its legacy, with her mother, 96-year-old Hope, busy in the kitchen, baking the desserts for the resort. The Peter

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Gearhead’s Trike Story

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by Tim Graves with photos from Sam Burns That old trike was a real Frankenstein’s monster. She was the back end of a Corvair of a 1960 vintage and a front end of a Honda CB 500. She had a full-size keg gas tank on the chariot bed over the engine. The driver seat was a plastic Baja bucket. The passenger seat was none. Just a little history of what started me on the biker’s road. Click Here to Read this Photo Feature Article only on Bikernet. Join the Cantina for more – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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115-year-old Motorcycle dealer to ride into the sunset

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by Warren Scott from https://www.heraldstaronline.com WINTERSVILLE — John and Kim Neidengard said preparing for the Feb. 27 closing of their 115-year-old family business is a bittersweet experience. After selling Harley-Davidson motorcycles and related gear to hundreds of area residents, they are looking forward to spending more time riding together on the road and visiting their adult children and grandchildren. But the couple of 23 years said they will miss seeing their regular customers, working with others to organize poker runs that have raised thousands for charity and carrying on a legacy culminating in the state’s oldest family-owned Harley-Davidson dealership. Kim admitted she became a motorcycle fan after meeting John 28 years ago, noting his love of cycling started at an early age. “I worked here probably since I was 12,” said John, who noted it was common for children in family-run businesses to help out “as soon as you were old enough.” “As soon as I graduated from high school, I went to full time,” he said, adding he never thought of doing anything else. John said in that regard, he was much like his father, John F., who had worked for his father, G.H. Neidengard, a machinist who opened the family’s first motorcycle shop at 137 South Third, Steubenville. John said G.H. was a friend of the first Steubenville man to own a motorcycle and quickly fell in love with them. Early motorcycles were little more than bicycles with motors, noted John, but they offered low-cost transportation at a time before Henry Ford’s Model T made automobiles affordable to most people. They also were a form of entertainment, as motorcycle enthusiasts participated in hillclimbs and races that, in the days before radio and television, drew many spectators. John said the first shop was quite large, with second story apartments

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First Run to the Atlantic

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From Oklahoma in the Rain, Women and Moving Photos and text by Bill May It was September 2010. I had 5 acres with a mobile home and a little shop out east of Norman Oklahoma. I had just got back from riding to Sturgis. It was my first time and I really enjoyed the ride. Click Here to Read this Photo Feature Article on Bikernet. Join the Cantina – Subscribe Now. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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Frazier’s Harley-Davidson to host 32nd annual toy ride

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by Regan Spinks from https://accesswdun.com Motorcyclists with Frazier’s Harley-Davidson in Buford will conduct their 32nd annual Toy Ride on Sunday, Dec. 6. Each year, Frazier’s Harley-Davidson collects hundreds of toys and monetary donations to benefit the Chattahoochee Baptist Association’s Christmas Hope program, which provides presents for underprivileged children. After collecting the donations, motorcyclists deliver them to the association in their annual Toy Ride. Approximately 100 motorcyclists will make the journey to deliver donated toys on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. Many riders will display the donated toys on their motorcycles during the ride. “The Toy Ride is a great way to make a difference in a child’s life this Christmas season,” Frazier’s Harley-Davidson Owner Bill Frazier said in a statement Thursday. Upon arriving at the Chattahoochee Baptist Association building on McEver Road in Gainesville, the riders join in an assembly line to bring all the toys into Santa’s Workshop. Frazier’s Harley-Davidson officials said that the Toy Ride is a great opportunity to feel the holiday spirit. “Without the help of Frazier’s Harley-Davidson, this program would not be nearly what it is today,” said Wanda Oliver of the Christmas Hope Program. “It is so exciting to see and hear all the motorcycles coming in.”

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End of the World Run

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Dodging Asteroids, JFK Jr., C19 & Route 666 Photos and text by Koz Mraz Armageddon and apocalyptic end times are all the rage! Between conspiracy theories, the November 2nd asteroid, Nov 3rd elections and the pandemic it’s definitely time to take an “End of the World” motorcycle ride. I suggest avoiding toxic zombies in metropolitan areas and, the petrified people of Covid suburbs. Get Out! as fast as you can to high country. I picked up my Harley-Davidson Road Glide at Sedona EagleRider and headed to Meteor Crater, the Petrified Forest and Rt. 666, the Devil’s Highway all the way to Mexico in my EOTW ride. Most people don’t realize that Arizona has some serious mountains with Humphreys Peak topping out at 12,633 feet! Flagstaff also has the perfect underground hideaway from the impending cataclysm. Click Here to read this Travel Photo Feature at Bikernet Join the Cantina – Subscribe Today https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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