Americade Rally Adds New Activities

’09 Rally Defies Recession

While several annual motorcycle rallies have been canceled or had to be scaled down in ’09, the Americade Rally organizers have instead announced a newer and bigger activities calendar for this year’s rally. The ’09 Americade Rally, scheduled for June 1-6, 2009, will be the 26th Americade Rally to be held in the scenic Lake George, NY, area.  In ’08, the Americade Rally attracted over 50,000 motorcyclists, and they are hoping for a similar turnout for this year’s rally as well. Residents of the Lake George area actually look forward to the annual return of  motorcyclists that will undoubtedly give their economy a welcoming boost.  As rallies go, the Americade is known as being tamer than some of the other scheduled rallies, so it’s unlikely that overly loud, lewd, or destructive behavior would be the manner of the day at this family-friendly-type rally. Rally organizers suggest that visiting riders should become informed and abide by state helmet and pipe laws. There is a FAQ section on the Americade Rally website that discusses these.    

New Activities Added to ’09 Americade Rally Calendar of Events

Since this is one of the larger of the annual motorcycle rallies, there is already an unbelievable amount of activities scheduled that should keep you entertained.  The new activities that have been added for the ’09 Americade Rally include:

• Mardi Gras Boat Cruise that will include a Cajun menu and music. What recession? Les Bon Temps Roulez!
• Country music and line dancing with a 3-course dinner.
• Guided "Luxo Lunch" tour.
• Activities: Fuel Economy Run, Adirondack Adventures (Whitewater Rafting, Horseback riding, and ADK Dual-Sport), Bowling Thunder, and more.
• 7 Lake Loop MiniTour on Tuesday and Thursday and more for Trike riders.

Those are just some of the newly-added events for ’09. There are lots more activities scheduled, not to mention some spectacular riding in the nearby Adirondack Park. Visit the Americade Rally website for further information. 

 

Ricky Carmichael Top Rookie

 

Carmichael Still Racing - Trucks This Time

After enjoying perhaps the most successful career in motocross history and dominating the sport for nearly ten years, Ricky Carmichael semi-retired from motocross in 2007, and has now begun capturing the attention of four-wheeled racing fans. His incredible career in motocross earned him the nickname "The GOAT" (Greatest of All Time).  This past weekend, Carmichael’s performance at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Auto Club Speedway in San Bernardino County 200, earned him the Raybestos "Rookie of the Race" award. Driving the No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet, retaining the same number he wore in motocross, Carmichael finished the race in eighth place, making him the only rookie driver to finish in the top 10. That will move him up 9 spots in the 2009 NCWTS point standings. Not bad, considering this was only Carmichael’s second race.

Most beginners of any sport would be estactic with that kind of showing, but comments he made after the race indicate Carmichael likes to be in the lead. In one interview, he said, "I’m super pumped, and I learned a lot. I wish we could have done better for KHI but personally, I’m happy." It will be interesting to see how he performs in upcoming races. On April 25th at the Kansas Speedway, Carmichael will get his next opportunity. He’s really missed by his fans at motocross, but glad we at least get to follow him with NASCAR.

 

Electric Motorcycles

Tree Huggin’ Motorcycles

The motorcycle industry, like the auto industry, has been delegating some of its R & D dollars to the design of innovative fossil-fuel alternative bikes. While motorcycles are known for their excellent fuel economy, few people are aware that hydrocarbon emissions on some bikes and scooters may be up to 90 times more than an SUV.  The reason for this is that while motorcycles and scooters have better fuel efficiency than cars, their engines are able to convert fuel into energy at a faster rate than autos thereby producing more nitrogen oxides, which is one of the primary ingredients of smog. Adding catalytic converters to motorcycles has been proposed by some, but motorcyclists are generally opposed to these  power-robbing and fuel-efficiency destroying devices that are mandated for automobiles.

However,  some have been experimenting with alternative ideas for "green" bikes and currently the most common approach is the electric motorcycle. Electric vehicles have been around for long enough in the automobile industry for us to know that the primary shortcomings are their limited range between recharges and puny acceleration capabilities.  For most motorcyclists these are both non-starters.  But as we all know, motorcycles and cars are completely different animals, and while range is still an issue, the speed and acceleration problem seems to have been conquered.

Green Means Go

Just to show you how much progress has been made in terms of acceleration, one of the newer motorcycles that recently made history in the drag racing world is the KillaCycle. On October 23rd, 2008, the KillaCycle, ridden by Scotty Pollacheck, did 7.89 seconds @ 168 mph, becoming the new official NEDRA (National Electric Drag Racing Association) record holder. This amazing time was the quickest quarter-mile time for any electric vehicle in the world. The KillaCycle will accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than a second and has over 500 hp. What makes this bike so powerful is the A123 Systems nano-phosphate battery cells. This is the same type battery used in the  DeWalt cordless hand tools. Not a bad speed for an electric screwdriver with wheels.

Another electric motorcycle that has been introduced in 2009 as a street version is the Zero S, which sells for just under $10,000.  The Zero S has a top speed of 70 mph and a range of 60 miles before needing to be recharged.  While we don’t envision cruising along the highway like George Jetson on this thing, it could make a 20-mile each way commute a lot cheaper when gas prices go back up.  I would expect to see a lot of these hitting the city streets as soon as OPEC tightens the thumb screws on us again. 

Zero Motorcycles, the company that makes the Zero S, also has a dirt bike version called the Zero X which accelerates from 0-30 mph in less than 2 seconds.  Award winning designer Neal Saiki came up with the Zero design, and we found it interesting that the frame of the Zero X, being made of aluminum, weighs only 18 lbs. The total weight for the entire motorcycle is only 140 pounds.  The Zero power pack uses a non-toxic lithium-ion technology and contains no toxic metals whatsoever, meaning these batteries are rated for land-fill disposal in the US, Canada, and Europe. Several celebrities, including Jay Leno and James Denton, own one of the Zero X bikes. Jay Leno has done a YouTube video about the bike in his private garage and James Denton did a video with him doing a demo ride at his cabin property in Montana.

In the recent TED Conference (Technology, Entertain, Design), there was yet another of the green bikes to be unveiled. To purchase one of these beauties, you’d better have plenty of the spending kind of green. Scheduled to release a limited 50 bikes in 2010, the new Mission One bike will cost $68,995. Not an economical solution if you’re looking for a commuter bike that will save money at the pump. There will be a more affordable model announced at a later date. The Mission One bike is a design of Mission Motors and is going to show its power ride reaching a top speed of 150 MPH with 100-foot  pounds of torque between 0 and 6,500 RPM. The lithium-ion battery energy source will have a charge time of under 2 hours at 240 V and 8 hours at 120 V, with a running distance of 150 miles. The bike design is truly a beauty, and we’re hoping Tarantino will come up with another Kill Something movie, so Uma can show us what one of these babies can do.

There are other alternative-fueled scooters and bikes available, with more still in the labs. As stated earlier, we don’t expect these newer bikes to replace all gas-powered motorcycles. They will be an alternative to some, and an addition to others. Doubt tattoo artists will be inking these brand names into anybody’s arms in the near future though.

 

 

Jeremy Lusk Fatally Injured

Jeremy Lusk, "The Pitbull" in Fatal Crash

Jeremy Lusk, nicknamed "The Pitbull," known for his daredevil performances in the sport of freestyle motocross, suffered a fatal head injury on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009, while performing at a competition in San Jose, Costa Rica. Born in San Diego in 1984, Lusk began riding motorcycles at the age of 3 and turned pro at 19. Of the brief number of years since turning pro, 2008 had been his most successful and his future with the sport looked bright. At the ’08 XGames freestyle motocross competition, Lusk came away with a gold and silver medal for the FMX best-trick doing a double-grab Hart Attack backflip. That same year, Lusk also entered the X Games Mexico competition and won two gold medals there, as well as a bronze helmet in Freestyle at the Moto X World Championships.  The General Manager and VP of the X Games franchise, Chris Stiepock, stated that Lusk "had emerged as one of the world’s best freestyle moto riders." 

On Saturday, while attempting to land after doing a back-flip trick over a 100-foot jump, Lusk was unable to complete the maneuveur and landed headfirst on the landing ramp. This is a trick that Lusk had done successfully many times before. While performing in 2007 at the X Games in Carson, Lusk had experienced a similar crash. He was able to walk away from the that crash,  in San Jose there would be no such happy ending. After the accident, Lusk was rushed to Calderon Guardia Hospital in San Jose, where he was put into a medically-induced coma as a protective measure because of severe brain swelling.  Jorge Ramirez, chief of intensive care at Calderon Hospital stated that Lusk had suffered severe damage to his brain and possibly spinal cord injury.  About his condition at the time of death, Ramirez stated, "…the medicine was being reduced to see how his body responded. That didn’t mean he was going to wake up. He was in shock and that got worse last night, until he stopped responding and entered into cardiac and respiratory failure."

Loss to Freestyle Motocross Community

For anyone who’s a fan and has watched any of the freestyle motocross tricks, it is something to watch and evident that there is substantial risk involved for the rider. X Games Senior VP Rick Alessandri stated, "When a professional athlete takes the field of play, whether they’re a bull rider, motocross rider or equestrian, they understand that (death) can happen on any given day to any athlete."  Interesting to note is that while there are frequent injuries sustained by these talented riders, Jeremy Lusk is the first known death to take place in either the Dew Tour or the X Games.

Upon being notified of the accident, Lusk’s wife, in-laws, and parents immediately flew to Costa Rica and were at his side when he died on Tuesday, January, 11, 2009. Lusk was only 24. Below is a tribute video:

 

 

Youth Motorcycles Endangered

 

Future Sale of Youth Cycles Uncertain

Most parents are thrilled when they can interest their children away from the television or video games long enough to participate in an outdoor sport. Youth sports like dirt biking can teach independence, safety awareness, sportsmanship, mechanical know-how, and can build self confidence, not to mention the benefits of getting outdoors for fresh air and exercise. Aside from these things, time spent at the dirt tracks is usually excellent family bonding time and an opportunity to meet and develop lifelong friendships with some really nice people. So why would a sport that offers so much to our youth be in jeopardy?  

Flawed Attempt by Congress to Get the Lead Out

In August of 2008, Congress enacted what is called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 that will ban all products for children under the age of 12 that may contain lead beyond a specified amount. This Act was drawn up in reaction to the toys and other products made in China that contained known harmful levels of lead. With the wording of the Act as it currently stands, motorcycles and ATVs geared toward use by children will also be affected, and a motorcycle industry already suffering under the hard-hit economy will take an even more damaging blow.  The Specialty Vehicle Institute of America and the Motorcycle Industry Council, including independently-owned shops, are pleading for a common sense revision to the Act, so that halt to the sale of youth motorcycles or ATVs, which began on February 10, 2009, will be reversed. Imagine motorcycle showrooms without Honda CRF50s, 70s, 80s, 100s, Kawasaki KX 65 or the KLX110 that your children are so anxious to check out? Visit a Honda showroom after the 10th, and you won’t have to imagine. They’re gone. And if your child already rides and owns one of these bikes, forget about getting replacement parts, either.

Don’t Chew That

While it’s true that oversight may be needed for the production of children’s toys to ensure a lowered risk of lead exposure, it seems that once again poorly and hastily written legislation may unnecessarily harm an already suffering industry. The Act (CPSIA) states that consumer products are not allowed to have greater than 600 parts per million of lead in any accessible part for a product intended for sale to children under the age of 12.  The Specialty Vehicle Institute of America and the Motorcycle Industry Council are requesting emergency relief from the provisions of this Act which went into effect on February 10, 2009. They are seeking an exemption for ATV and motorcycle parts, which is where the largest concern lies.  It’s not so much the bike, but the parts that may contain lead in higher amounts than allowed by the Act. To most reasonable-minded people, it would be safe to assume that except for the rarest of rare circumstances, none of these motorcycle parts would ever get anywhere near the mouth of a child much less be ingested.

Show Support to the Sport and the Industry

We urge you to contact your Senators and Congressman ASAP and tell them to fix this broken law, so that motorcycle stores might return their inventory to their salesfloors and our children may continue to enjoy the sport of dirt biking. You can also visit the website of Missouri State Representative Tom Self, at www.tomself.com, who is actively working to resolve this matter. Let him know you support and appreciate his grassroots efforts.

Motorcycle Rallies Rock

 

Motorcycle Rallies & Rock’N Roll

Most people have certain word associations that come to mind for almost any given topic. Mention the word beach, and within seconds similar words might come to mind such as ocean, followed by a sequence of other words like seagulls, bikini, or sunset. Try the same thing with the word biker, and some of the words that might pop into mind would be Harley, leather, tattoo, or open road. Similarly, with the mention of a motorcycle rally, one of the word combos that immediately comes to mind is Rock ‘N Roll, followed, of course, by biker contests and games, tasty Bar-B-Que, and checking out all the cool bikes and people that will show. 

2009 Motorcycle Rally Scheduled Entertainment

Over the years, there have been lots of top-name bands that have performed to the thousands of bikers that annually attend some of these motorcycle rallies. The larger rallies such as the Sturgis Rally will offer several headliner bands, while the smaller rallies may attract just a few. Some of the much smaller rallies may feature local bands or tribute bands known for playing tunes of some of the greats like Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top. The budgets of the smaller rallies may not afford having the superstars appear at their events, but there will still be lots of great music to be enjoyed. Count on it.

While many of the 2009 rallies are still finalizing their entertainment schedules and some of their websites mention that schedules are still tentative, here is a sampling of the musical talent that you might find should you be looking forward to attending one or more of this year’s motorcycle rallies. Got to say, it’s looking like a great 2009 motorcycle rally year.

• Arizona Bike Week - Gin Blossoms, Blackfoot, Eddie Money, & Cheap Trick
• Bikelahoma - David Allan Coe, Jackyl, Texas Hippie Coalition, Crooked X
• Cherokee Survivors - 38 Special, Shooter Jennings, The Nighthawks, Big Engine
• Laughlin River Run - Eric Burdon & The Animals, The Charlie Daniels Band, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Skynnyn Lynnyrd
• Thunder Beach Rally - Geneva, Eli, Mustang Sally, King Cotton, Grip, JB Walker Band, Relix, New Fangled Theory
• Delmarva Bike Week - Stone Throw, Bobby Friss Band, Great Train Robbery, Laura Lee and Trip Fabulous
• Ohio Bike Week - Travis Tritt, Jimmie Van Zant, Ekoostik Hookah, and more TBA
• Carlisle Bike Week - Torn From Red, The Underwater, Nate Myers and the Aces, Kilego Vert, Ledbetter Heights, Sarari So Good, Cyphor, The CCL, Right as Rain, Mitch Hood
• East Coast Sturgis - 65 Fastback, Ronnie Ray and the Coolers, Blues Unchained, The 69 Band, Nighthawks, Great Train Robbery, Gatorhead,
• Lightning in the Highlands - Fran Cosmo - former Boston lead singer, Jimmie Van Zant Band, Pat Travers, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, and more
• Sturgis - Aerosmith, Toby Keith, Judge Jackson, Aultimate Ozzy, Jackyl, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, and lots more TBA

This is just a small sample of the great rock ‘n roll lineup the 2009 rally organizers are putting together to make for a great rally year. Got a rock ‘n roll rally story you’d like to share?

Dakar 2009!

The Paris-Dakar Rally is really not a rally in the conventional sense of the word, but instead the most brutal and dangerous off-road endurance race ever conceived.  It is comprised of about 80% amateur and 20% professional lunatics prepared to absorb incredible punishment, constant pain and the ever-present chance of sudden death. Better known simply as "The Dakar," this race was first held in 1979 and ran from Paris to Dakar in Senegal.  Open to off-road vehicles including motorcycles, cars, trucks, and quads, the Dakar is  the most demanding race in the world.   The terrain these riders  face includes dunes, mud, rocks, camel grass, erg, and more.  The race is divided into stages which has them travel distances up to 500-560 excruciatingly exhausting and perilous miles in a day. It’s not only the dangers of the routes that have become a concern for Dakar participants, there have been increasing threats from political unrest and terrorism, particularly the last few years.  Finally, last year (’08)  the race had to be canceled as a result of threats of terrorist attacks.  This year, the race was moved to another continent altogether and for the first time since the Dakar began, Argentina and Chile hosted the 2009 races.

The 2009 route for the Dakar Rally included some 3,700 miles of "specials" to be traversed in 15 days, or stages, starting on Jan 3, 2009. Out of those 15 days, only one day of rest (1/10/09) was scheduled. The race course began and ended in Buenos Aires and went to Patagonia, the Andes Mountains, and the Atacama Desert, which is the world’s driest desert. Tragically, only two days into the race, 49-year old French Yamaha rider Pascal Terry, who’d always dreamed of riding in the Dakar, ran out of petrol and sometime after receiving fuel from another rider suffered an as yet unidentified medical emergency, dying before help could reach him. This was the only fatality in the ’09 Dakar race, but a sad loss for the racing community. What was especially disturbing was that Terry had activated his distress beacon on January 4th and a lack of communication between the Paris HQ and field HQ delayed the rescue efforts which may have prevented this tragedy. 

Marc Coma, riding a KTM, ended up as the winner of the motorcycle division of 2009 Dakar. At the finish, Coma said: "I can’t describe the feeling - happy doesn’t even come close…" Coma was also the winner of the 2006 Dakar. Out of 235 riders that started the motorcycle division of the Dakar, there were 109 riders that made it across the finish line.

 

Economy Impacts Motorcycle Industry

 Economic Pains Affect Motorcycle Sales

It seems like every time we turn on the news, there’s another industry belting out the bad economy blues. The motorcycle industry, widely supported by recreational riders using discretionary income, is not the exception. High gasoline prices seen throughout much of 2008 caused an increase in scooter and dual sport bike sales, true, but off-road, street, and custom bikes numbers took a savage dive. Off-highway motorcycle sales and ATV sales were hardest hit,  showing around a 25% drop in sales over the previous year. Street bike sales were only down 2.1%, and scooters enjoyed a healthy 50.6% increase. These numbers are through 3rd quarter 2008.

Motorcycle Industry Reacts

Honda was one of the first companies to react to the economic downturn for the motorcycle industry. Early in 2008, Honda made an announcement that it would be halting U.S. production in 2009 and would be returning its Honda motorcycle production once again to Japan. This decision by Honda is expected to affect some 600 workers at their Marysville, OH, plant. While Honda assured these workers that they would be relocated into automobile plants in the area, one has to wonder whether Honda can make good on that claim, considering the condition of the auto industry.

In September, Big Dog Motorcycles, a high-end motorcycle company based out of Wichita, also announced layoffs of nearly 50 employees to occur by the end of ’08. Paul Hansen, Big Dog marketing director, says, "The layoffs are a consequence of economic problems, which no motorcycle company has been immune to this year (’08)."

Most recently, in reaction to poor sales in ’08 and plummeting stock numbers, Harley-Davidson made the announcement that it would be eliminating 1,100 jobs over two years, would consolidate several of its plants, and close some others.  Jim Ziemer, the chief executive for Harley-Davidson, also retiring in 2009, stated in an interview that about 650 of the jobs cut would be in Wisconsin, more than 400 would be made in the New York facility, and around 85 cuts will occur at the company’s Kansas City, MO, motorcycle plant.  Further turnover at the upper management level also is taking place as the CFO Tom Bergmann is temporarily replacing Sy Naqvi, formerly head of financial services.

Some Motorcycle Rallies Cancelled

One of the things motorcyclists look forward to each year as the icy roads thaw and riding season returns are the many motorcycle rallies, rides, shows, and other events. Thousands of bikers take to the road each year to attend these events, many of which have become biker tradition. No doubt riding a motorcycle is one of the most exhilarating of all ways to get from place to place, and spending a day or more at a rally with fellow riders who "know why dogs hang their heads out of car windows"  is worth the long winter’s wait. 

Over the years there have been increasing number of rallies added to the calendar. Some are small and last only a day, and some have grown into mega-events that last an entire week. These rallies take months of  planning, long days of preparation and, as one might expect, they take more than a little money. While the 2009 rally calendar has remained pretty full, there are a couple of well-known and highly anticipated rallies that have had to announce their cancellation.

The Honda Hoot, which had been ongoing for 15 years and had some 16,000 attendees in ’08, has announced the ’09 rally will not take place this year.  And while the economy has sucker punched a number of rallies, this year both the The Hollister Rally, which has been ongoing (on and off) for over 60 years and drew a crowd of over 130,000, and  Myrtle Beach Bike Week were canceled after a series of vicious sissy-slaps delivered by the pantywaist members of these city councils.

Still there are lots of great rallies, races, runs and other events scheduled for ’09. Since their future depends on support from the motorcycle community, hopefully, those who are able to attend one or more of these events will. And for those city councils who’ve made the decision to turn away bikers in ’09,  we hope the millions of dollars that the bikers would have spent there will help the economies of the cities where bikers are welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Myrtle Beach Bike Week. On or Off?

 

The Myrtle Beach Bike Week motorcycle rally is scheduled for May 8 - 17, 2009 this year.  With all of the stories about how Myrtle Beach is rebuffing bikers, you might be wondering if the rally is on or off this year.  Well, the answer is it’s on — sort of.

First of all, there will be NO events held within the city of Myrtle Beach this year.  In fact, the people of Myrtle Beach have spoken clearly enough that they do not want the rally anwhere near their city.  To drive this fact home, they have amended their Public Nuisance ordinance to state:

The effects of an unpermitted special event, or rally are a public nuisance against public health, public decency, peace and order, public welfare and safety and the public economy and responsible parties to be held financially responsible for public cost that result from their promotion.  

If you have a motorcycle that is the least bit loud, they have enacted the following ordinance to deal with you and your kind: 

No loud mufflers; EPA labeling required, or maximum 89 decibels allowed at idle measurement.  (effective immediately)

So if your pipe’s aren’t brand new or aren’t stock, you can expect to get a ticket; and if they are, you can expect to get stopped so that they can measure the sound or make sure that your muffler has an EPA sticker on it.

Brief Version of Myrtle Beach Ordinances

• No loud mufflers. No straight pipes. No revving of engines or excessive noise.
• Everyone on a motorcycle must wear a safety helmet and protective eyewear (glasses, goggles, face shield, etc.) at all times while the cycle is moving.
• No more than two motorcycles allowed in a public parking space.
• Curfew is in effect from 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. for juveniles under age 18, with certain exceptions. Violators are detained and parents are called.
•  No alcohol sales allowed after 2:00 a.m., unless the bar applies for and receives exemption.
• No alcohol consumption or open container possession allowed in parking lots and garages of any business.
• It is a crime not to pay the restaurant or not to leave your name and address if you dispute the bill, service or food.
• No loitering allowed in posted parking lots of any business. No loitering allowed after hours in parking lots once the business is closed. Store parking is for customers, not parties.
• No use of parking lots or landscaped areas of any business next to road or street for chairs, coolers, parties, drinking or food service.
• Security standards are required for gas stations, convenience stores and stores with drive through service. No gathering or loitering is allowed in parking areas without contemporaneous commercial activity. Parking lots are for customers, not parties.
• Parties responsible for permitted or unpermitted special events that require an extraordinary public response may be held financially responsible for the cost of that response.
• No parking or storage of trailers and oversize vehicles is allowed on the street; parking for these vehicles is allowed only in approved parking or storage lots.
• Photo identification required for hotel check-in; minors (under 18) cannot check in without parent, legal guardian or chaperone present. All guests in a room must be identified. Parking hang tags required for all guest vehicles.

 

To read it straight from their website: Laws Designed to Keep Motorcycles Out of Myrtle Beach.

But, like I said, they ARE going to hold the rally — just not in Myrtle Beach.  Since it’s clear the City of Myrtle Beach does not want motorcyclists’ bar, restaurant or hotel business, perhaps this might be a good  year to sit this one out or go elsewhere.  If you’re still wanting to go, but want to steer clear of the city, here’s a link to a PDF map showing where the city limits of Myrtle Beach are located: Map of Myrtle Beach City Limits.