Posts Tagged ‘motorcycle rally’

Motorcycle News: National Motorcycle Museum and Moto Guzzi Rallies

Posted: March 2, 2023 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle news
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ijustwant2ride.com

Down Shift – National Motorcycle Museum is closing.

Sadly, the National Motorcycle Museum will close its doors in September. The museum in Anamosa, Iowa, was opened 22 years ago by the owners of J&P Cycle John and Jill Parham. John passed away in 2017.

Their notification stated, “We have struggled for several years to cover wages and utilities partly due to low visitations.”

The museum states that it will auction its collections to pay outstanding bills. This auction will include both motorcycles and memorabilia that the Parham’s collected over their many years in the motorcycle industry.

My Take Just another sad note reflecting both the results of the pandemic and the state of the motorcycle industry in America.  Also, I am not sure that Anamosa, Iowa is a destination for a lot of folks. I would not be surprised if more “niche” museums closed their doors in the near future.

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Up Shift – Moto Guzzi Experience

Moto Guzzi motorcycles are sponsoring 3 events around the USA.  The first up is in Bozeman, MT (June 28th-July3rd 2023).  The second is in the Smoky Mountains starting in Knoxville, TN (August 30th-September 4th). The third Moto Guzzi Experience runs October 18th – 23rd in the Ozark Mountains around Bentonville AK.

All these events include tour leaders and support vehicles, and you can rent a Moto Guzzi if you do not want to ride yours to the event. Base costs? $2,500 if you rent a motorcycle, $1,500 if you bring your own and passengers cost $1,000. That cost includes hotels, full board (minus alcohol), the tour leader and support vehicle.

Folks who attend the event will get a discount on a new V100 Mandello or a V85TT afterwards.  Discounts of up to $1,250 on a new bike is never a bad thing.

My Take: I am assuming these events are going to be similar to what the Harley Owners Group does with their annual rallies If that is the case it should be a lot of fun. In fact, we were at one of the HOG rallies last year in the Smokey Mountains. If you attend of these Moto Guzzi events let me know I would like to hear how it turned out.

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Ride on, Ride Safe

Q&A With the International Motorcycle Show 2021

Posted: October 18, 2021 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle news
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If you have be reading my sporadic posts (I really wish I cold do this instead of making money to feed and clothe myself and motorcycles) you know I recently attended the Pennsylvania stop of the International Motorcycle show.  It was an outdoor event that my wife and I enjoyed!

While I was there, I met Meredith Loza, Marking Director of the Powersports Group with Informa Markets. She is the one charged with making sure there are folks coming to the Show. For a Friday afternoon I would weigh she did a pretty good job at it!

Did you know that the International Motorcycle Show (or IMS) is 40 years old… I did not!

I only had a short time with her as she was running the show’s events and I wanted to see everything that I could see.  But I did get to ask some questions, hope they are informative for you.

Why did you go outdoors?

Progressive IMS Outdoors represents a revamp of our tour’s nearly 40-year history that will not only transition IMS from the traditional convention center setup to a new open outdoor experience but will also provide a festival-like atmosphere that promotes enthusiasts of all ages and levels to come together to better engage with products, each other, and the industry. 

In serving the Powersports market, our approach always has been to evolve with the times by paying close attention to the interests and needs of our attendees, industry professionals, and OEMs. In doing so, our shows have become more interactive over the years. IMS Outdoors will serve our attendees with larger venues allowing for more demo rides and interactive activities.

The new outdoors format will support the growth of the Powersports community by offering a unique experience the industry has yet to see. 

Is this a permanent move?

Yes, IMS Outdoors is replacing the traditional International Motorcycle Shows that used to happen from November through February. Just like the previous indoor events, attendees can rest assured each stop will showcase hundreds of the latest street bikes, dirt bikes, cruisers, scooters, and ATVs for new and experienced riders, and will give enthusiasts the opportunity to check out the latest gear and aftermarket accessories, as well as hours of entertainment. 

Transitioning to an experience-forward event series has been very well-received by both our attendee and exhibitor community, a model everyone is excited to continue. This new and improved layout mirrors the Powersports lifestyle by providing a fun environment for enthusiasts to reconnect after so many months apart and demo product of interest, from on-road motorcycles and off-road Side by Sides, to the latest e-bikes on the market.

How is COVID impacting industry?

Amidst the difficult circumstances, the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a renewed interest in outdoor-based activities including the Powersports industry. In fact, earlier this year, the MIC reported a double digit jump in new motorcycle sales increasing to 18.4% and sales in off highway motorcycles spiked, reaching 46.5% growth year-over-year. These are all trends we’ve seen reflected at IMS Outdoors as we’ve introduced demo opportunities for on and off-road enthusiasts for the first time ever, plus demo opportunities within complementary lifestyles such as electric bikes and side by sides. We’re excited to play a foundational role in keeping this renewed momentum going and building a stronger base of enthusiasts.    

And anything else you would like to share with me.

Excitingly, we recently revealed our Southern California venue which will be held at the OC Fair & Event Center from November 19 through 21. We look forward to returning to our flagship market this Fall. Tickets are available at www.MotorcycleShows.com. 

And is there anything else you would like to share with the readers/riders? Excitingly, we recently revealed our Southern California venue which will be held at the OC Fair & Event Center from November 19 through 21. We look forward to returning to our flagship market this Fall. Tickets are available at www.MotorcycleShows.com. 

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Ride on, Ride Safe

HOG Motorcycle Rally, Curves to Cores the Rides

Posted: June 28, 2019 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring, Rally
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Overcast, light rain and thunderstorms, that was day one of the HOG Curves to Cores motorcycle rally. There were no guided rides and with those weather conditions I decided not to do any of the self-guided rides. Instead I did the poker run and apple hunt. I still had a lot of fun!

Day Two of the rally was sunny but not hot, perfect motorcycle ride weather! I had signed up for the “Acting Like a Good Ole Boy” guided ride.

z16This was a 127-mile, well crafted, ride across the Blue Ridge Mountains and down the Shenandoah Valley. Some SPECTATUCLAR scenic views and some cool riding. I was unable to get pictures from the motorcycle as my co-pilot and backseat photographer had to work

The mid-point of the motorcycle ride was a stop at “Cooter’s Garage and Dukes of Hazard Museum”. Those of us of a certain age will remember the Dukes fondly as it was a lot of fun to watch. Today it is “politically incorrect” but then it was fun.z17

When we pulled into Cooter’s Garage, we were only folks there but, before we left there was at least one other group of about 10 motorcycles and then the Can-Am Spyder section of the Women’s Mid-Atlantic Riding Tour pulled in the parking lot.

The last time I saw that many Spyders in one spot, my wife sent me to the store for a can of bug spray! (now that is comedy)

From Cooter’s Garage we rode to lunch and then back to home base in Winchester. The return trip was just as scenic.

Day Three was supposed to be a ride to Summit Point Raceway to ride our big Harley Davidsons on the track. I did not make this ride as I had an offer to test ride the new Zero electric motorcycle. Stand by for a post on that event.z13

Day Four of the rally and the weather, once again, was perfect for riding motorcycles. This day my wife was able to attend and we had chosen the “For Whom the Road Tolls” guided ride.

At 80 miles this ride followed the first toll road in what would become the United States, Snickersville Turnpike. This was another well run ride. I want to praise our road captian Peter for an outstanding job on a ride with lots of intersections and stop signs!z6

This ride was through some of the most rural parts of northern Virginia. Beautiful farms and landscapes abound though out the ride. We passed though multiple small towns founded in the mid-1700s, a lot of pre-United States and Civil War history was ridden through this day.

Day four was also the closing of the rally. Held at Groves Harley Davidson of Winchester they had several event prizes to give away, of course I did not win anything! Bummer.

All in all this was a great event, setup and executed very well. We are going to another HOG rally later this year, it will be hard pressed to outperform the Curves to Cores rally.

Ride On, Ride Safe

HOG Motorcycle Rally, Curves to Cores

Posted: June 23, 2019 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle Rides, Rally
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ijustwant2ride

I recently attended the Harley Owners Group (HOG) regional motorcycle rally. This year it was held in Winchester, VA.  Winchester is only an hour from my driveway there was no way I could miss this event.

The “Curves to Core” motorcycle rally organizers which put the event together really did a nice job. Why “Curves to Cores”?  I think the curves is self-explanatory, and the “Cores” is about a defining industry in the area.  This part of the Shenandoah Valley is a big apple growing area, providing a large part of the apples used in products across the North IMG_20190620_062955720America.

The organizers put a lot of work into making this event a success.  40+ motorcycle rides documented turn by turn AND with a memory stick full of GPS directions.  About half of this rides had an option for a guided tour version.  There were also scavenger hunts, poker runs and off bike events open to all attendees.

I chose 3 guided rides to participate in:

“Acting Like a Good Ole Boy”- A 130-mile ride crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains twice with a visit to “Cooter’s Garage and Duke’s of Hazzard Museum”.  If you are of a certain age you will remember the TV show following the daily troubles of Bo and Luke Duke.

“10 Turns of a Big Ole Yeee Haww” – A 90-mile loop ride with a stop at Summit Point Raceway. The highlight of this ride would be getting your Harley Davidson on the race track and letting it loose, so long as you did not run out of talent or floorboards (I have rubbed some of mine off and I had not been on a track).

“For Whom the Road Tolls” – A 80-mile ride on Snickersville Turnpike, the first toll road in America. Luckily it is no longer a toll road but it is a very, very quiet and scenic motorcycle ride though back country Virginia.

Unfortunately I was not able to do the track day ride.  I got an offer to test ride the Zero electric motorcycles.  Watch for a post about the Zeros in a future post.    IMG_20190619_102816460_HDR

I really enjoyed the other two rides and I will write about the rides in another post.

One of the day one activities was a scavenger hunt for large apples.  I called it apple picking.

We are currently scheduled to attend a second regional HOG rally in September, the “Hills and Hollows” rally in Johnstown City, TN.

Ride On, Ride Safe

 

Day 7 HOG National Rolling Rally History in the Hills

Posted: July 10, 2016 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring, Rally
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ijustwant2ride.comWe awoke to day seven of our motorcycle vacation with both excitement and a bit of sadness. This day had a lot of great riding on the schedule but was also the last day riding with the Harley Owner’s Group “History in the Hills” national rally and the last day with our new friends.

After a quick breakfast, loading the bike and performing the motorcycle safety Ijustwant2ride.comchecks we were kickstands up and on the “Moonshiners 28”!  28 has some awesome sections of twisty roads interspaced by small towns and great scenic vistas.  The first stop on this ride was Bridal Veil Falls which was a bit underwhelming as there had not been much rain in the area but it is very easy to see how if got its name.

Still on the moonshiner our next destination was Fontana Dam.  This dam was built as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority electrification effort but also as the primary electrical supply of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the race to build the atomic bomb.  As far as dam’s go it was pretty spectacular and you can still ride across the top a pleasant surprise in this day and age of high security.

ijustwant2ride.comOn the way to Fontana Dam I kept wanting to really run the turns and twisties.  I would get a mile maybe two of fun and then I would get behind a slower bike or car, after getting around that person I would get another mile or two and end up behind an even slower vehicle!  This went on until I was riding up an ascending right hand turn behind a fellow biker in 1st gear.  At that point I leaned back and told Debbie that God must be trying to tell me to slow down and enjoy the view … which we did.

Literally, less than five minutes later I said that we happened upon a crash!  Another participant of the History in the Hills ride, riding in a small group, was on the ground.  It was not a multi vehicle accident or a rider exceeding their ability but a true ACT OF GOD!  A very large tree limb broke and fell upon them as they past under causing them to wreak.  The passenger took the brunt of the falling limb and suffered, we found out later, a broken collar bone, mild concussion, and a multitude of cuts and abrasions.  The rider fared better but did have some minor injuries while the bike appeared to have a bunch of cosmetic damage.  This was the only serious injury of the entire HOG event.

After stopping at the Dam we were back on the road towards Deals Gap and theijustwant2ride.com start of the Tail of the Dragon.  Debbie and I have ridden the Tail of the Dragon in the past and boy is it a lot of fun.  Before hitting the road we had a snack of onion rings at the Deal’s Gap dinner and of course the mandatory swag from the gift shop.  As much as I enjoy the Tail of the Dragon I do have to point out that there are many similar places in my home state of West Virginia just without the hype.

Eleven miles and 318 turns later we bested the Tail of the Dragon again and onto our next stop, lunch at Knoxville Harley Davidson West.  The dealership served ups BBQ sandwiches with all the fix’ns.  But because it was hot we wanted to do the last few mile to our hotel in Oak Ridge so we left fairly quickly.

It is at this point I have to point out and highly commend the organizers of this rally.  The Harley Owners Group had chosen RUSH LLC to develop, promote, lead and run this event and they did a fabulous job.  This job well done was top with a giant cherry ….. an actual visit to the grounds of the national lab and to the nuclear reactor that help create the nuclear/atomic age.

This was a really big thing, I had a job working a contract at the lab a few years ago they just do not let regular people in very often.  The RUSH folks said it took about seven months to do all the coordination and get the individual badges issued and I fully believe it.  Awesome job RUSH.

The reactor was the one where all the materials to create the two bombs thatijustwant2ride.com ended WWII and was in operation until 1967.  After the war better reactors were created and this one used to help develop and support nuclear medicine.  Nearly everything in the medical field that you use today that has a nuclear component can, most likely, trace it origin to the Oak Ridge National Lab and this reactor.  A very cool way to end this trip.

The buses then took us to our farewell diner.   This was a fun but bittersweet event.  We shared our table with the same folks that we shared the table during the opening diner.  Two of the other couples and Debbie and I had become friends during the event and the other guys (Moe, Larry, and Curly) were great guys and good sports that we happened upon almost daily.

As this was our first, but highly unlikely last, trip with the HOG rolling rally and RUSH crew.

Harley Owners Group Rolling Rally: History in the Hills Day 2

Posted: June 18, 2016 in Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring, Rally, Uncategorized
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Day 2 started with breakfast in the Hotel (Gettysburg Country Inn and Suites).  The eggs were……weird, all uniformly round and the same thickness. It was if they had come out of one of those automatic pancake machines.  The taste???…well with the three scopes of salsa I applied they were barley ok (Debbie did not like them at all). 

Our ride around the Gettysburg area started with a trip to the Jennie Wade house. ijustwant2ride.com Jennie was the only civilian who was killed during the battle.  She was shot dead while baking bread for the Union soldiers encamped around the home.  It was a stray shot that went through two doors and killed her instantly.  Her story was quite inspiring during and after the war, I highly recommend you take a few minutes to check it out.  

After our docent led tour of the Jennie Wade house we rode back to the Seminary Ridge Museum.  We did not get a chance to see the entire museum on day one and wanted to finish the tour.  There was a lot of neat history on display. 

Debbie wanted to have taco pizza for lunch but the local Pizza Hut does not make that kind of pizza so she was quite disappointed.  Subway was her second choice so that is where we went. 

ijustwant2ride.comAfter lunch we rolled out to Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum.  If there is an elephant toy, figurine, picture, painting of any size it is likely in Mr. Ed’s collection.  In addition to the elephant museum, Mr. Ed’s is also a candy store with a large selection of old school and newer candy as well as homemade fudge. 

From Mr. Ed’s we decided to ride to Jack’s Mountain Bridge. It is your typically ijustwant2ride.comstandard covered bridge but, the ride up and over the mountain was a lot of fun.  Nice cruiser style riding with sweeping turns and quick elevation changes.  It was short but a lot of fun, we rode it twice! Make sure to check out the video of our ride over Jack’s Mountain.  

Oh and I got a lot of comments about my hat from day one.  I was able to come up with a selection of statements for anyone that mentioned the hat (all in good fun), such as: 

Be careful or I will let the flying monkeys loose!

I have my eye out for my replacement.

I am a big believer in equal rights, there is a good chance a women will get the hat!

Whomever gets the hat next will have a hard time looking this good!

The highlight of the evening was being able to get rid of the hat! 

 

To see what happened on day one check out that post!

Motorcycle Stuff: Rides and events in June

Posted: June 1, 2014 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, Rally
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I am sure there are more but here are a few Northern Virginia and surrounding area events of which I am aware.  If you know of any others please add them in the comments.

Ride for NF – June 8th

Back of the Dragon Days – June 13th – 15th

Ride your bike to work day – June 16th

Maryland/Delaware HOG Rally – June 19th-22nd

ABATE of Virginia Rally – June 20th – 22nd

HOG Worldwide Ride – June 22nd – 23rd

Virginia HOG Rally – June 26th – 28th

 

 

Old School Motorcycle Run…. West Coast

Posted: August 23, 2013 in Rally
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EDR-2013-PATCH

I ran across the EL DIABLO RUN on the internet.   If you are a west coast rider check it out,  it looks like a lot of fun and

From the website this is a throwback, old school, or whatever you want to call it, kind of ride.  I am adding the El Diablo Run to my motorcycle riding bucket list.  Baja is already on this list so maybe I can combine the two someday

2013 Gettysburg Motorcycle Rally

Posted: July 16, 2013 in Rally
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Gettysburg Bike Week

Welcome to Gettysburg Bike Rally

This past weekend Debbie and I attended the 2013 Gettysburg Bike Rally.  The rally is split into multiple venues, the All Stars Complex and Granite Hill Campground and the American Civil War Wax Museum. While not part of the official rally, Battlefield Harley Davidson also hosted a good number of vendors. We did not make all the venues passing on the Wax Museum, but maybe next year.

Gettysburg bike wiek

Debbie and Karma with Bubba Blackwell

On Saturday we met our friends Tim and Karma at the dealership and after checking out the store and vendors we then rode over to All Stars Complex to watch Bubba Blackwell, American Dare Devil.  We got there a little late but did get to watch him drift, wheelie and generally make several Harley Davidson bikes do whatever he wanted them to do.  I was impressed with this ability to bring an Ultra Classic bagger to a pipe dragging, all the way up wheelie!

But other than Bubba this venue was a bit….light on vendors and things to do.  We spent most of our time waiting to participate in the “Parade of Chrome” ride to the Granite Hill venue. I would have to guess that there were over 500 bikes lined up to ride in the parade through downtown Gettysburg.

It was apparent, as soon as we arrived, that the campground was the main base for the rally. The majority of the vendors were at the campground as well as the biker build off, bikini contest and the main stage for the headlining acts (War was the main band this year).

For diner we rode back into town looking for a nice place to eat, but it was clear that there was going to be a long wait no matter where we went.  We were referred to a local spot called “Sharpshooter Bar and Grill”.  When we arrived the outside was packed with bikers of all types, but indoors it was open and we got a seat as soon as we walked in.  The manager, Ed, was our waiter and he took great care of us.  The food was great, the service was great.  I would highly recommend Sharpshooter if you are in the Gettysburg area!

Apparently the heat and sun really took a toll on us.  Sunday morning no one moved until nearly 10AM. For breakfast we rode into town and ate at the Farnsworth House (a B&B that serves breakfast to the public). The House was there during the battle of Gettysburg and has over 100 bullet holes to prove it.

After our meal we decided to ride through part of the battlefield before heading home.  The easiest part of the battlefield for us to get to was the confederate line. We rode along the line stopping at several points to look at the monuments and history.  The view from where General Pickett started his march into the Union cannons was eerie, knowing that an entire Infantry division was destroyed.

After the riding the length of the Confederate line we said our good byes to Tim and Karma and we all headed home.  All in all it was a great weekend on the bikes and with friends.