Clarence “Pappy” Hoel, purchased an Indian motorcycle franchise in Sturgis, SD in 1936 and formed the Jackpine Gypsies MC Club. (love those uniforms!!!)

The first rally was held by Indian Motorcycle riders on August 14, 1938

 

This year, tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife as a rivalry older than the rally itself plays out right before your eyes. Presenting sponsor Indian Motorcycle will be tapping into the same spirit of competition with Harley-Davidson that sparked the first races between the Jackpine Gypsies and Rapid City Pioneer Motorcycle Club during the Sturgis motorcycle rally in back 1938.

Part of the Sturgis Rally Timeline

• 1936 Clarence “Pappy” Hoel purchased an Indian Motorcycle Franchise in Sturgis, SD. The Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club was formed.
• 1938 The Rally Begins…The first Sturgis® Rally, known as the Black Hills Classic was held on August 14th with a race of 9 participants and a small audience.
• Due to gas rationing in support of the war efforts the Rally did not take place from 1939-1941. 1942 was the return year of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Check out the rest of the timeline here:

http://sturgismotorcyclerally.com/timeline/

Our Rally is almost upon us and it may be a little late for this article, but interesting reading anyway.

Not a Camper? Prefer a Hotel?

I found a good article on Sound Rider:   10 Motorcycle Camping: Myths and Realities

• I don’t want to sleep on the hard ground
• Too hard to set up a tent
• No room for camping gear
• I want a clean/fresh bed at the end of the day (if you use that excuse, don’t read the article)

Click on this link  Myths & Realities and check out the entire article.

 

A neat Christmas Gift Idea for future members. Based on our current membership ages, maybe our grandkids?

Mimi and Moto are a pair of motorcycle monkeys created to help motorcycle riders everywhere start their little riders off right!

Designed for AGES 1 & UP and EARLY READERS, the lessons to be shared with children through Mimi and Moto are…

• Motorcycles are fun
• Safety is always first
• Girls and boys ride
• There are many kinds of motorcycles

Check their website for more information

Amazon as well

I think on the website you can get the Book & a Tee-Shirt!

 

It seems the major players in motorcycling are joining the “We, The Riders” campaign – call to action.

From the International Motorcycling Federation website

 

We, The Riders. We are a movement of motorcyclists from around the world. We share the joy of riding – and the fight against invisibility.

In 2018, it is still far more dangerous than it should be to ride on our roads. That needs to change – and it will only change if all motorcyclists come together as never before to demand it.

Dorna, FIM, ACEM, Red Bull and MotoGP Ambassadors Andrea Iannone (ITA), Marc Márquez (ESP), Jack Miller (AUS), Jorge Lorenzo (ESP), Johann Zarco (FRA) and many, many others are all onboard.

Who knows, maybe TVR will join the ranks ?

Read the full article from FIM here

Take a minute to check out the website, watch the video and take the 2 minute survey. It had some interesting questions.

http://wetheriders.com/

We will try and follow this and keep you updated!

Yes, it has been done. Most of us don’t remember or have ever seen one.

The Yamaha GTS1000 was introduced in 1993 with a single-sided front swingarm.

Here is a clip from the February 1993 issue of CycleWorld:

The GTS wasn’t designed to be the last word in handling, though, it was designed to be “technologically superior…the most sophisticated road-going Yamaha motorcycle ever produced.”

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Read the full article here. It is kinda neat!

https://www.cycleworld.com/was-1993-yamaha-gts1000-quantum-leap-in-motorcycle-design

 

A great article in the RoadRUNNER Magazine news feed this week titled “Ten Questions to Ask a Motorcyclist Before Becoming a Passenger”

It is more directed to the passenger, but if you are the pilot, these are good thoughts for us to consider as well before taking on the responsibility. Below is a little clip:

“Sometimes a rider may try to impress his or her passenger with aggressive speed and deep leaning in corners. This type of riding behavior may well ensure that the passenger never gets on a motorcycle again, and it might even terminate a friendship”.  Pretty good advice!

I haven’t ridden 2-up since I was teenager, screaming down a gravel road, barefoot and no helmets on a old rattle trap dirt bike. Yeah, we used to do that back then 🙁 . Currently I have no desire to ride 2-up, my wife will never get on the back of one,  and I am not sure I would feel comfortable with that responsibility anyway.

If you are thinking of taking on a passenger, Click Here and read the full article

Who says you can’t race a H-D 883 Sportster in the NORRA Mexican 1000. Don’t tell these guys that, cause they ‘did it!

Take a 2000 883 Sportster, bolt on a set of Honda 250 forks, beef-up some joints. Add a rear sprocket and rear disc the size of Medium Pepperoni Pizzas and go racing.

Of the 40 entrants, 32 finished and the Frijole came in 27^th. Not a bad showing at all.

I don’t follow Desert Racing, but I really found this Motorcyclist article interesting. Show up with one of these at your next DS ride and see who gets all the attention!

 

Interested in the “Frijole 883”? Read the Full article on Motorcyclist, and more info about Biltwell, Inc here.

 

I had never even given it a thought until 2012 when several TVR members attended the two day Reg Pridmore’s CLASS at VIR. I was nervous at first but by the second day the jitters wore off and I felt a lot more confident on the track and even later when riding on the street. It was a little pricey but I thought it was money well spent.

I have no desire to be a track racer or “drag a knee” and not sure if I would ever take the class again, but I really enjoyed it!. Don’t worry if you are a novice, you are separated in groups by skill level and take turns on the track and classroom.

Dan Netting @ LIFEatLEAN.com

has a good article on that here – CHECK IT OUT!

 

(Oh, BTW, that is me in the photo :-). Ride your own bike, no knee dragging, body just a little to the left as they instructed me to. No special racing gear was required, just good tires, proper street riding gear, a brief inspection and you are ready to go.)

The 650 Thumpers. Most of us have owned one, at one time or another, or we will.

So why are they still being made in this age of modern technology, fuel injection, heated seats, on-the-fly suspension adjustment and on and on? I guess riders are still buying them.

 Zack Courts @ Motorcyclist Online recently posted an excellent article on these time-proven standbys. Hard to believe, but did you know the Kawasaki KLR 650 was first introduced when Ronald Reagan was President!  Think about that time span ( Reagan, George H, Clinton, George W, Obama, Trump)

Here are a couple of snips I enjoyed from the article:

•  it’s easy to forget that uncomplicated machines still exist, but they do.
• No liquid-crystal displays, no light-emitting diodes, no fuel injection. They are uniquely unsophisticated in this day and age
• 650cc of tugboat thrust means there’s enough power to get out of the way of traffic
• All of these bikes are as simple as a hammer and just as reliable
• We never intended to rank these bikes, frankly. Because 35 horsepower and 30 pound-feet of torque is the same

 

Please continue reading the full article with the link below. I am sure you will enjoy it!

2018 Honda XR650L vs. Kawasaki KLR650 vs. Suzuki DR650S Comparison

 

 

An excellent article from Sound Rider busting common myths about hot weather riding

“Myth #3: When it’s really hot strip down to shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt”

You see it all the time, but this is a faster route to dehydration and sun stroke than number two, not to mention sun damage to your skin which you may have to deal with later in life at the skin cancer center. Keep as much of your skin covered when you ride to reduce sun damage and road rash and help stay cool. Some may ask – “How can that be?” ……   Keep reading.