Best Motorcycle Events: Leesburg Bikefest April 26 - 28

Leesburg Bikefest: One of my all-time favorite motorcycle events~ Every year, the downtown of Leesburg, Florida is turned into a mecca for motorcycle riders! It's motorcycles-only downtown and everyone is able to walk around with a big mug of beer to listen to dozens of free music concerts during the three-day event.

You can find them on Facebook, and right now they are giving away unique prizes to online fans:
Every day starting April 1 through April 26th they are giving away a FREE Exclusive Collectors Leesburg Bikefest Promotional t-shirt not available for sale! Also -- Every Friday they are giving away a $25 Hot Leathers Gift Certificate. 

Here's the link to sign up for Free Stuff. 

Leesburg Bikefest | Bikefest Giveaways

Check us out at http://www.leesburgbikefest.com/

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Kid Rock 60-Concert "Rebel Soul Tour" Offers Harley-Davidson Experience And Chances To Rock At 110th H-D Party

Southern Rock Star Kid Rock 
- The singer, who is from Detroit, will kick off his Rebel Soul Tour on Saturday in Kansas City, in partnership with Harley-Davidson. Kid Rock will complete the tour as one of three headliners at the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Party, Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 31st in Milwaukee.

Harley-Davidson will be offering fans a unique experience at each of the 60 concert stops across the USA, according to a company statement. One lucky concert fan will also win a factory-customized Harley-Davidson motorcycle and the opportunity to rock alongside Kid Rock at Marcus Amphitheater on the Summerfest grounds Labor Day Weekend at the Harley-Davidson’s 110th party. Ticket packages for the H-D 110th party are available on Ticketmaster, and ticket holders will be able to purchase tickets to the Rock show before they go on sale to the public.

25th Toys In The Sun Run, Dec. 9th

The 25th Annual Toys in The Sun Run - The world's largest toy run - gets underway at 9:45am on Sunday, December 9th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Two interstates are closed for this motorcycle toy run that draws 30,000 riders, including many of the top bike builders and more than 50,000 spectators.

Hosted by the South Florida Presidents Council to benefit the Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital and thousands of local needy children, the lineup begins at 6:45am at Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale, Florida.

The ride departs at 9:30 am for Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida.  Each rider will donate $20 or $10 plus one unwrapped toy. Cars and trucks are welcome but please go directly to the Park, where there will be over 100 vendors and an international food court.

No pets, no coolers, no outside food and drinks allowed.

Join MCs Mad Matt and Doc Reno to enjoy entertainment on three stages at Markham Park. Celebreties this year include "Leatherface" (R.A. Mihailoff) in the movie Texas Chainsaw Massacre III and new cult movie Hatchet 2. "Chickie" from Vagabond Chopper Co.  and "Gatorboys" from Animal Planet.

See "The Frictionator" monster jet truck, and the Jagermeister "Tap Machine" 3-wheeler built by a Boss Hoss crew in Connecticut and custom painted by world famous Chris Cruz.

Details: ToysinThe Sun Run.com

New Speed Record Set By Hi-Tech Bike

Lightning Motorcycles set a 189mph record with their new solar-powered motorcycle, Nov. 13, 2012 on the 1.3 mile El Mirage Lake course in the Mojave Desert in Southern California.  
 
Lightning Motorcycles also holds the record on the longer, five-mile Bonneville Salt Flats: Their bike achieved 173mph in 2010, then broke the record again in 2011 with a stunning 215mph. 

The motorcycle is powered by a portable solar array (created by DC Solar Solutions featuring Sunny Island inverters.)  This feeds into the motorcycle via a 48-kWh battery pack that attaches to and fuels the bike’s on-board batteries. From a usability point of view, this should enable the bike to stay ‘fueled’ even when far from the grid, potentially indefinitely.

Lightning Motorcycles will be launching a manufactured version of this bike early next year that is mechanically the exact same bike, excluding the aerodynamic body. This should bring down the price of a Lightning Motorcycle sports bike, which is currently custom built at a starting price of $38,888.
Source: Solar Plaza.com

2012 Trail of Tears Ride Saturday in Alabama

The Trail of Tears Rememberance Ride: More than 150,000 motorcycle riders now participate in the original 225 mile ride from historic Ross's Landing in Chattanooga, Tennessee to attend a Native American Festival PowWow at McFarland Park in Florence, Alabama that commemorates the forced relocation of American Indians in the 1830's from the Southeast to reservations in Oklahoma.



This is a pretty nice video of some of the bikes in the Trail of Tears Ride, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012.

Riders also start from Bridgeport, Alabama early Saturday and travel east along Highway 72 through Madison County, with a one-hour stop in Huntsville. The 19th annual Trail of Tears ride entered Madison County, Alabama on Highway 72 east at Gurley around 9:30 am. and  continued west into Huntsville between 9:45 and 10:15 a.m.


The riders were entertained at the Old Time Pottery shopping center on Madison Boulevard and continued the ride at 11:30 a.m, traveling west on Highway 72 to Athens and on to Florence and Waterloo.

In recent years, the ride has expanded to include an optional 4-day ride to the reservation in Oklahoma. For some American Indians it was a walk of 800 miles and a journey of three months without food or water. Many suffered from the elements, starvation and disease. More than 4,000 Cherokees and countless other Indians died along the way. Photographer Kelly Roper Gillespie joins many of her Native American family for this ride. "This truly is one event your soul feels clean leaving from," she said in a feature story interview.

 











The ride was started in 1994 by Bill Cason of Whitwell, Tennessee in an effort to have the historic route recognized. "It started out, I just wanted to make enough money to put a sign up on the highway," Cason said in a video interview.



Click map to enlarge for details.

The event has supported the placement of hundreds of signs marking the "Trail of Tears" along a 4-day ride route that traces the forced Indian relocation to Oklahoma. More than $230,000 has been donated to scholarships for Native Americans. Click here <-- Details.

Iconic Marlon Brando on 1950 Triumph Thunderbird

Marlon Brando on  his 1950 Triumph Thunderbird 6T valued at $20 million

Marlon Brando leaning on his 1950 Triumph Thunderbird 6T photographed during the filming of The Wild One in 1953, inspired Andy Warhol 13 years later to create a silkscreen print titled "Marlon." The legendary piece of motorcycle art is expected to sell for a cool $20 million when it is auctioned in November 2012 at Christie's in New York City.

Robbie Knievel Joins 2012 Sturgis Rally

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally -  Robbie Knievel will help kick off  the 72nd Sturgis Bike Week on Monday, August 6th, 2012. You can join him for the Fifth Annual Legends Ride, starting at the Silverado Franklin Hotel in Historic Deadwood. Robbie Knievel is among the stars that will be making the scenic ride through the winding roads of the Black Hills to attend a special reception at the Buffalo Chip.

100% of the proceeds from rider admissions will be donated to the Black Hills Special Olympics and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame. Join the ride.

Sturgis Buffalo Chip 2012 events include machine gun shooting at the shooting range, the Tattoo Café and Piercing area located in the amphitheater from 1 p.m to midnight Aug. 3-12, the two Buffalo Chip zip lines located at CrossRoads and in the amphitheater, the homemade bikini contest at Bikini Beach, Rolling Sturgis roller derby at the CrossRoads, and the Miss Buffalo Chip Beauty Pageant taking place between each concert. Also don’t miss the Wall of Death at the CrossRoads as daredevils perform dangerous stunts, the burnout bridge, and the Biker Lube Games taking place at the Bikini Beach at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily and in the Kinison Playground area at 5:30 p.m. World famous motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter will have his Motorcycles as Art exhibit “Come Together – The Spirit of Born-Free” on display as well.

Follow links below for more Sturgis Rally stories and August Motorcycle Events.

Bikes On The Streets Of Paris

We have been in Paris for six days and these are some of the bikes you will find on almost every street -- From Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower, to the French Pantheon and the Latin Quarter to the high winding streets of Montmartre.


Click images to enlarge.

This cool old Harley was along Rue Amber near the Paris Opera.

This National Motos Honda Varadaro was parked just outside the
 Justice Building in front of the French Pantheon.

This Yamaha was outside a neighborhood cafe near the Eiffel Tower.

It is really beautiful in Paris in May
with lots of spring flowers - 45 to 70 (F)

Photos (c) MJ Reynolds, MJR Media.