American Motorcyclist May 2024

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8 PERSPECTIVES Editorial Director Mitch Boehm on his LA lane-sharing experiences 10 FROM THE PRESIDENT AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman on e-motocross bikes in professional racing 12 AMA INSIDER AMA Director of Marketing and Communications Joy Burgess on the power of AMA members 14 BACKFIRES Membership feedback on recent issues 16 BACK IN THE DAY Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear! 20 LANE FILTERING: GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS Lane-filtering update in Colorado and Oklahoma 28 COVER STORY: GREEN WITH ENVY After 53 years, AMA member Thad Wolff finally gets his Penton 125 Six-Day 38 THE 50s The boom of the 1950s set the stage for massive motorcycle industry growth going forward 48 THE PILGRIMAGE, PART II Harley-Davidson’s 120th Homecoming and trek home 72 AMA GARAGE Tips, tweaks, fixes and facts: The motorcycle ownership experience, explained 74 AMA BEHIND THE SCENES Meet Charlie Kline, an AMA member with a knack for Husky tank restoration AmericanMotorcyclist.com Published by the American Motorcyclist Association ON THE COVER: AMA member and Ex-AMA Superbike racer Thad Wolff waited over a half-century to get his hands on an early, steel-tank Penton 125 Six-Day, and once he did, he got to work to restore the bike to its former glory. Read all about the legendary bike’s dramatic transformation starting on page 28. Cover photo by Kevin Wing. 48 38 28 MAY 2024 VOLUME 78, NUMBER 5

AMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Contact any member of the AMA Board of Directors at americanmotorcyclist.com/ama-board-of-directors

Russ Ehnes Chair

Great Falls, Mont.

Gary Pontius Vice Chair

Westfield, Ind.

Brad Baumert Assistant Treasurer

Louisville, Ky.

Mark Hosbach Executive Committee Member

Franklin, Tenn.

Hub Brennan

E. Greenwich, R.I.

Christopher Cox

Greenville, Ohio

Steve Drewlo

Bismarck, N.D.

Clif Koontz

Moab, Utah

Maggie McNally

Albany, N.Y.

Shae Petersen

Greenville, S.C.

Tom Umphress

Jordan, Minn.

Faisel Zaman

Dallas, Texas

AMA STAFF

EXECUTIVE

Rob

James Holter Chief Operating Officer

Jeff

Donna Perry Executive Assistant to President/CEO

Danielle Smith Human Resources Manager/Assistant to COO

RACING AND ORGANIZER SERVICES

Mike Pelletier Director of Racing

Bill Cumbow Director of International Competition

Michael Burkeen Deputy Director of Racing

Ken Saillant Track Racing Manager

Michael Jolly Racing Manager

Jeff Canfield Racing Manager

Connie Fleming Supercross/FIM Coordinator

Olivia Schlabach Racing Program Manager

Jensen Burkeen Sanctioned Activity Specialist

Michael Galiher Sanctioned Activity Coordinator

MUSEUM

Paula Schremser Program Manager

Ricky Shultz Museum Clerk

Kobe Stone Museum Clerk

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Nick Haris Government Relations Director/ Western States Rep.

Zach Farmer Government Relations, Washington Rep.

Nick Sands Government Relations, Central States Rep.

Bob Davis Grassroots Manager

Jeremy Robinson Legislative Affairs Coordinator

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Joy Burgess Marketing & Communications Director

Joe Bromley Program Development Manager

Makenzi Martin Membership Event and Program Manager

Lauren Kropf Marketing and Communications Specialist

Jack Emerson Communications Manager

MEMBER SERVICES

Amanda Donchess Director of Membership

Tiffany Pound Member Services Manager

Pam Albright Member Fulfillment Coordinator

Carolyn Vaughan Member Fulfillment Representative

Madison Sims Member Services Team Lead

Zoe Anders Member Services Representative

Vickie Park Member Services Representative

Charles Moore Member Services Representative

Kelly Anders Member Services Representative

Sarah Lockhart Member Services Representative

John Bricker Mailroom Manager

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Shaun Holloway Director of Information Technology

Jarrod Gilliland Application Developer

Ed Madden Systems and Database Analyst

Leah Mattas Web Manager

Rob Baughman Support Technician

MAXIMUM PROTECTION T H R O U G H P R E M I U M F I L T R A T I O N Premium Air & Oil Filter Products www ProFilter com P R E M I U M & R E A DY-TO - U S E A I R F I LT E R S APPLICATIONS FOR MOST MODELS H U S QVA R N A , K T M , G A S G A S , YA M A H A , H O N DA , K AWA S A K I , S U Z U K I & M O R E PARKER ROSS - SLR HONDA MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS FUTURES 24PF_AFR_MX_AMA_MAY-JUL_Third.qxp_Layout 1 4 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 EDITORIAL Mitch Boehm Editorial Director Todd Westover Chief Creative Consultant Keaton Maisano Managing Editor Kerry Hardin Senior Graphic Designer John Burns Contributing Editor Aaron Frank Contributing Editor Contact the Editorial Team at: submissions@ama-cycle.org Michael Kula Business Development Manager (949) 466-7833, mkula@ama-cycle.org Alex Boehm Sales and Events Specialist (614) 729-7949, aboehm@ama-cycle.org All trademarks used herein (unless otherwise noted) are owned by the AMA
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American Motorcyclist magazine (ISSN 0277-9358) is published monthly (12 issues) by the American Motorcyclist Association, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147. Copyright by the American Motorcyclist Association/American Motorcyclist 2021. Printed in USA. Subscription rate: Magazine subscription fee of $39.95 covered in membership dues. Postmaster: Mail form 3579 to 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147. Periodical postage paid at Pickerington, Ohio, and at additional mailing offices.
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It was a rude awakening, for sure.

My old friend and colleague Nick Ienatsch and I were headed back to Motorcyclist magazine’s Hollywood/Sunset Blvd. offices on Interstate 405 one afternoon in mid 1985 from Dennis Smith’s Cycle Tune shop on a pair of Honda Gold Wings (where we’d changed tires for a touring-tire test we’d do the following week, riding to Salt Lake City and back three times), when I suddenly found myself in a bit of a lane-splitting pickle.

Not only was I brand new to the magazine and LA traffic, having started just a week or so earlier, I was new to the whole lane-splitting thing, too…and aboard a Queen Mary-sized motorcycle, with wide luggage and an even wider fairing with giant mirrors — mounted at car-mirror height — complicating the clearance issue.

Cutting and dodging like a deranged boxer trying to keep clear of a Mike Tyson roundhouse, I had to be a silly sight as I tried to keep Ienatsch (pronounced “eye notch”) in sight, as he was gliding smoothly through the gap thanks to his extra months of LA experience.

Of course, it didn’t take long to realize how wonderful California-style lane splitting – done correctly and carefully – really was, not only to one’s sanity and the ability to actually get somewhere for work or pleasure even when the freeways or surface streets were at — or close to — a standstill (which was often); but also to one’s literal skin and bones, as getting mashed into a rear bumper or tailgate from behind would be an ugly way to see one’s maker. (And it’s worse today, with info screens and cell phones…)

Nick and I pretty much lived on test

PERSPECTIVES SPLITSVILLE

bikes back then (I didn’t own a car or truck until a couple years later), and talked constantly about how much the ability to lane split — which was neither legal nor illegal at the time, just allowed if done responsibly — made living, working and riding in LA bearable.

When traffic moved we mostly went with the flow, but as soon as things tightened up we’d meander through the barely moving lines a tick faster than everyone else, all the way to the stoplight or until things loosened up. Even if we were only moving at 15 or 20 mph, at least we were moving, and not sitting there, waiting to get crushed.

Over time we became experts at reading traffic, as well as drivers’ head and arm movements; a lurch to the left into another lane — which could put us down and get us run over — was almost always proceeded by a head turn, and we got to the point where we could almost read minds. This daily lane splitting went on for 20-plus years, and I can say — knock on wood — that I never ended up on the ground despite some narrow misses.

Have folks abused the practice over the years, and pissed off the general public by blowing past stopped cars and trucks on the freeway at 40 and 50 mph? You betcha, and that sorta thing has led to a lot of road rage among drivers, not to mention tickets, gruesome injuries and even death among riders; I’ve had car doors opened right in front of me; had burning cigarettes tossed at me; been spit on; and been challenged to a fight in traffic.

Still, it’s been worth it, especially when studies have shown that lane splitting — also called lane sharing these days — is considerably safer than staying in line. That alone should make the practice more acceptable to more states.

Lane splitting was tolerated in much of California for decades by CHP and police, especially if done sanely. The practice made living and commuting there tolerable despite the legendary traffic.

Fortunately, things are moving in our direction across the country. California formalized a slightly more limited version of traditional lane splitting/sharing in 2017, and since then Arizona, Montana and Utah have enacted limited versions of a practice commonly called lane filtering, which allows motorcycles to filter between four wheelers when they are stopped or moving very slowly.

Other states are considering lane-filtering legislation as well (see this issue’s Up to Speed section), and while these latter regulations aren’t the more liberal (and optimal) California version, they’re a start, and better than nothing. Want to help? Call or write your representatives and let them know how you feel.

The AMA, of course, strongly supports these efforts, and will continue to do so for as long as we’re drawing breaths. After all, getting where you need to go and being safe while doing so is key to our mission — even if you’re on a Queen Mary-sized motorcycle.

8 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
Mitch Boehm is the Editorial Director of the AMA and a long-time member.

It’s been more than a decade since I covered the topic of electric motorcycles in this space after sampling a Zero-built machine with then-Zero Marketing Vice President and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scot Harden.

I wrote that I didn’t know what the future held for electric motorcycles, and that I didn’t expect e-motorcycles to replace their gas-powered predecessors anytime soon. But I did think electric motorcycles were here to stay.

Well, that future is upon us, and despite the fact that electric cars are losing rather than gaining popularity, government mandates continue a push away from internal combustion engines and toward electric vehicles. While the federal government is intent on putting an end to the purchase of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035, California already will require that 35% of new vehicles sold be zero-emission by 2026, and that percentage is increased to 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. Rhode Island, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, and the District of Columbia have all adopted the same rules.

Most of the e-motorcycle activity of late has been on the racing front. With the introduction last year of the Stark VARG electric dirt bike and its ensuing popularity, the Spain-based company with Swedish roots is making a push to race in various disciplines, and at all levels. While the company will be allowed to race in other countries against their internal-combustion counterparts, we in the U.S. are taking a more measured approach.

When its bike was introduced several years ago, the now-defunct Alta company demanded to be allowed to show up at Anaheim 1 and race AMA

From the President and CEO IT’S ELECTRIC

Supercross against the 250cc bikes. At the time there was no comparative data available, and there were important safety considerations that had to be explored, as well.

Stark has taken a more collaborative approach, and seems to want to work with the AMA and other sanctioning bodies around the world to develop rules and safety protocols that make racing safe and fair. This is an effective model that worked in the development of rules for the electric micro classes currently in the AMA amateur rulebook. Both Cobra and KTM came to us during the development of their respective electric minis, and worked with us to develop the rules.

Competition rules aside, protocols to ensure the safety of race officials and crews that are unique to electric machines must also be in place. Things like the use of rubber gloves to avoid electrocution, and specialized fire extinguishers designed to put out chemical fires caused by lithium batteries, are good examples.

Although electric bike manufacturers will tell you their bikes won’t catch fire, it will inevitably happen, and we must be prepared. Since chemical fires aren’t easily extinguished, they may be required to burn out. And while it may be possible to plan for this outdoors on a track or in a wide-open area, this is not something easily accommodated in an indoor AMA Supercross or Arenacross venue. Imagine the impact this would have on a live broadcast.

At the AIMExpo convention in Las Vegas earlier this year, for instance, an electric bike caught fire…and when it couldn’t be extinguished quickly, it caused the entire convention hall to be evacuated.

We have recently issued guidance to AMA amateur event organizers

While e-MXers like the $12,900 Stark VARG offer impressive performance, they include some challenges and unknowns that need to be addressed.

regarding e-motorcycles that requires any non-micro classes allowing e-motorcycles (micro classes are already in the AMA rulebook) to be approved by the AMA at least two weeks prior to the event. The guidance encourages organizers to create stand-alone electric classes through supplemental rules where appropriate demand exists. Such rules must include electric bike-specific safety protocols that will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and require pre-approval.

Unless addressed and approved in supplemental rules, organizers are prohibited from combining internal-combustion engine motorcycles and electric motorcycles on track together in either the same or separate classes in motocross.

The intent here is to allow organizers to meet demand without sacrificing necessary safety protocols. Hopefully, this limited activity will provide valuable data that will inform our rules-making process going forward.

E-motorcycles present an exciting new facet of motorcycling. We are embracing them and will provide opportunities for them to compete.

10 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
Rob Dingman is the President and CEO of the AMA, and a Charter Life Member

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It’s become a bit cliché, the whole Power to the People thing, since it was first used culturally and politically in the 1960s and, a bit later, musically, in a John Lennon recording of 1971. And it’s making a sort of ironic comeback in today’s populist movement.

But whatever the cultural and political history, the saying rings especially true today in motorcycling.

See, people (that’d be you, the average motorcyclist) only have power against the establishment (that’d be government entities and well-meaning bureaucrats who’d like to restrict what we motorcyclists do and how we do it) if we have sufficient numbers

And while we — the AMA, the industry and motorcyclists themselves — have had sufficient numbers at times over the years as we’ve rallied to battle destructive initiatives like the “Lead Law” of the early 2000s, the Danforth/ IIHS effort to restrict “superbikes” of the late 1980s, and a whole host of restrictive legislation and regulations over the last 100 years (see Up To Speed these last few months for a taste), we can always use more of you to step up and help battle the anti-freedom/Big Brother weenies of our world. And there are plenty.

All of which means, more than ever, the AMA wants needs you!

It sounds a bit trite, I know. But it’s real, and it reminds me of a line from the AMA’s 100-Year Anniversary video (check it out on our YouTube channel), which gives me goosebumps every time I hear it:

“…it’s never really been about us… it’s about you.”

Again, there’s power in numbers and in membership, and in you…and we need all of you we can get.

INSIDER Power to the people

This passion and diversity-ofthought (and -deed) has yielded some incredible things over the years because, as former AMA President Rob Rasor said back in 2002, “When someone attacks one element of motorcycling, we can mobilize riders of all types to battle the threat.”

Need a few examples?

• In the mid-1970s over 80,000 of you sent letters and telegrams to Washington, D.C., to help us fight the attempts to eliminate ORV use on public lands. It worked!

• In 1979, you helped us fight the EPA’s noise-reduction plan that would have cost buyers $200-400 per motorcycle with the “largest outpouring of citizen response in the entire history of the [EPA].”

• Through the years your support has helped us fight motorcycle bans, stand against unrealistic regulations, and champion motorcyclist-friendly legislation.

Those are just a few examples of how your support and voices have helped us accomplish our mission

to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling.

Digging through old magazines, I also came across articles and ads for membership drives. “There’s strength in numbers,” one read. Another, “If you are already a member, get a friend to join.”

Right now, we have around 215,000 members. That’s a great number. But imagine how much bigger and more powerful our voice could be if we had even more.

Just a few of the current issues that impact motorcyclists include Right to Repair, autonomous vehicles, public land access, safe and reliable fuels, and engine choice. Imagine…States actually have to pass laws to protect your right to choose an internal-combustion engine these days. Amazing. And sad.

Yes, the AMA and its members have accomplished a lot over the past 100 years. But today, I’m concerned about the next 100 years. There are more battles to win.

Once again — as we always have — we need you! You, our members, are the key to growing the organization, and we’re asking for your help.

Tell your riding buddies about the AMA. Encourage them to see the larger picture, and how their voice helps support a vigorous and growing motorcycle community. And let them know they can easily join at AMAJoin.com or by calling 1-800-AMA-JOIN.

Heading to a riding event with non-members? Feel free to contact me at jburgess@ama-cycle.org and I’ll be happy to send you some AMA materials to hand out.

Once again, we are stronger together!

12 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024

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BACKFIRES

BATTLE OF THE LEGENDS…ON BAGGERS!

I read with interest your recent column in the March edition about the King of the Baggers series and the Indian and H-D riders drawn to the spectacle. I must admit, those are some exciting races to watch. Years ago, early 1990s perhaps, I took my sons to their first motorcycle race at Mid-Ohio, and the day featured a BMW Battle of the Legends race on BMW R1100RS twins ridden by such famous riders as AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers Yvon Duhamel, Gary Nixon and Jay Springsteen. It would be interesting and exciting to see BMW enter the King

of the Baggers with the race-prepped R1250RS bagger. Might even make those Indians and H-Ds look slow! Yes, I ride a BMW R1250RT — guilty as charged.

In our minds the more bike brands the merrier, Blair, and if BMW, then why not some of the Japanese OEs, or Triumph, or Moto Guzzi, or…? The KOTB class doesn’t allow OEs besides H-D and Indian at this point, but the other series, the Bagger Racing League (which will bring bagger racing to VMD this year), has talked about alternate classes, and you never know. – Ed.

LETTER OF THE MONTH

It was 1972 and I had already begged my parents for years to get a minibike. I would have been happy with a pull-start mini from Sears, but much to my surprise they got me a Honda Z50…and my life changed instantly. You see, most kids have to go off to college, the military, or turn 18 before they really enjoy true independence. Not me! The second this 10-year-old kid kick-started that Honda I had already moved out. My neighborhood was full of kids with bigger bikes like SL70s and SL100s, and one big kid even had an SL350. Being on a small bike I had to hustle to keep up as we traversed from one neighborhood to another, all connected by an integrated trail system we created ourselves. It was truly one of the best times of my life. I dreamed of being a motocross star and rode that little Z50 as hard as

MINI TRAIL MEMORIES

THE 1930s

Great article about motorcycling in the 1930s in the March edition. Lots of great photographs and information. Not trying to be one of “those people” who points out errors, but here goes. On page 41 the photo on the bottom half of the page indicated by “1930” is a Harley EL Knucklehead. The EL wasn’t introduced until 1936 (as I’m sure you know), and this appears to be a 1938 model by the stripe on the tank. Still a very cool photo. On the next page you describe a 1932 Indian Chief, though the photo below shows what looks like a 1933 Indian Monoplane. A

I could every single day, and I knew motocross would be my life forever. As I grew older the Z50 turned into an XR75, then a 125 Elsinore, and by 1981 I’d earned my AMA professional license. I have never stopped racing motocross, and at 62 years old I have now returned to my roots. Today, I am the current AMA Vintage 200cc National Champion racing a

1974 CR125 Elsinore named “Clunker.” So thank you, AMA, Honda and that little Z50, for molding me into who I am today.

14 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
Letters to the editor are the opinions of the AMA members who write them. Inclusion here does not imply they reflect the positions of the AMA, its staff or board. Agree? Disagree? Let us know. Send letters to submissions@ama-cycle.org or mail to American Motorcyclist Association,13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity.

very rare and interesting motorcycle to be sure, but not a Chief. I know it’s a bit nit-picky, but being around antique motorcycles all my life I can’t help but notice things like this. Love what you folks do for our hobby!

Owensboro, Ky.

Thanks, Scott, for the guidance here, but you realize, of course, that we’re just checking to see if y’all are paying attention, right? Lol. – Ed.

THE PILGRIMAGE

I usually try to take my time reading American Motorcyclist, and enjoy it instead of reading it cover-to-cover the day it arrives. The March issue was a bit of an exception, though, with Rick Kamrath’s “The Pilgrimage” piece being the highlight for me. While I’ve enjoyed many similar rides as his, the way he documented his trek was a joy to read. I wish I’d done the same over the years, as then I wouldn’t just be “remembering” bits and pieces as time goes by. Can’t wait for Part 2! By the way, I’ve

been that lonely guy on the Victory going cross-country in a sea of Harleys. It’s all good.

Your wish is our command, Doug, as you’ll find Part II of Rick’s pilgrimage beginning on page 48. Enjoy! – Ed.

MORE MINI TRAIL MANIA

Here you see the luckiest 8-year-old ever on Christmas morning in 1968. I could finally be like my hero…my dad! I’d been watching him race D37 desert since before I could remember, so following in his tracks was about to become a reality. What great experiences I’ve had on motorcycles, all of which started out that glorious morning. Thank you for your March-edition feature on the Mighty Honda Z50!

Greg Brown

This would be the summer of 1970, and I had just turned 5 years old. My dad had just gotten me my first minibike, a second- or third-year Z50. At first my legs wouldn’t touch the ground, and I had to start and stop next to a rock in the backyard. My dad, my grandma and grandpa, and my uncle all worked at Les Smith Motors in Muncie, Ind. They sold Hondas and Pentons at the time. For my first ride, Dad had me in the parking lot and was running behind me…and when I got to the end of the parking lot and turned around, I was shocked to see my dad — along with everybody else — standing back by the building! I wish I still had that bike, though I do still have the Yamaha YZ80 my dad bought for me new in ’74.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST
N20037 N20038 N20039

BACK IN THE DAY

Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear!

This was taken during a summer of ’73 surf trip (hard to believe it’s been 50 years!). There I am in the foreground with my brother and friend Huddy. My dad welded these up to hold our boards. He got the idea from the way cowboys holstered up their rifles on their trusty steeds. Hidden from view are our backpacks. We looked like a side show in a carnival cruising up Florida’s U.S. Highway 1! It was a 175-mile trip to New Smyrna Beach. Good times for sure!

5

Here is my first bike, a 1972 Yamaha Mini Enduro competition model purchased at Duke’s Yamaha in Fairfield, Iowa. The photo is of me around the age of 6 in about 1972 at the Knowler Family Farms near Sigourney, Iowa. We had a wonderful childhood growing up there, and were fortunate to have an uncle and aunt that also owned an old rock quarry where many family rides took place. Such good times with family and friends. I have often said, a morning, afternoon, or day or two on a bike is the best way to reset a person’s soul. (If you ride, you know what I mean.) My wife, Lisa, and I still ride today. It’s a family deal!

3After learning to ride on a Honda CT90 and years of riding different Kawasakis, I bought my first Harley-Davidson, an AMF 1200cc FLH Shovelhead in 1978. I put 80,000 miles on it with minimal problems, including a 5,000-plusmile trip that included Sturgis in 1980. I sold that Harley in 1986 and went 20 years without a motorcycle while we were raising our three sons. I purchased a 1100cc Honda Shadow ACE in 2006 to get back in the saddle, and have since had another Shadow, a Harley Electra Glide, and my current GL1800 Goldwing. Every time I ride I give thanks to the man upstairs for the joy of riding and the safety he has afforded me in my 300,000-plus miles.

16 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
Submit your Back in the Day photos and stories to
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6Because we were girls in the 1960s, riding a motorcycle was out of the question. If you didn’t have a brother or father that rode, there was no way to learn. The best my sister and I could do was to ride two-up on our grandfather’s lawn mower in Dana, Ind. Fast forward 40 years, and my sister (on the back of the mower) bought a Harley-Davidson. Four years after my husband died of cancer, I finally learned how to ride at age 51. In high school I’d always admired the Huskys, Bultacos and Kawasaki 175s the neighborhood boys rode and raced at Indian Dunes, so my first bike was a used Honda CRF230, which I was able to have plated per an old California law. Every day I’d ride 85 miles of dirt in the Volcanic Tablelands, north of Bishop, now part of the BDR. After six months on the 230 I bought a used BMW F650GS with the dream of riding to Alaska. Ten months after learning to ride, I rode my 49.6-hp single 11,000 miles to the Arctic Circle on the Dalton Highway (main image), more than 1,000 miles of it in mud and dirt. One day I looked at my odometer and realized I was about to hit 100,000. When I did, I submitted my paperwork and received the BMW Motorrad High Mileage Award and my AMA LongRider award. I’ve only ridden for 15 years, mostly solo, but between the rides and the community, they have been the best years of my life. Thanks to the AMA for protecting our rights as riders and for providing all the benefits that come with membership.

4Here’s me wearing an open face helmet that was too small. Right before this picture was taken, the water had been rushing over the gas tank. Another 30 feet to the right and the water was much deeper.

Hmmm…We’re thinking two things, Barry. One, that the helmet was squeezing your brain, causing you to do silly things on that Honda. And two, the extra facial surface open to the wind might well have allowed you to wear a scuba mask. – Ed

5This is my son Craig from Cleves, Ohio, in 1979. His first bike was a Honda XR80, and he rode it over the hills in Southwestern Ohio at 12 years old. When we moved to Southern California in 1981, the bike came with us, and he rode the hills of Irvine. Today, he lives in Northern California with a Buell Ulysses and a Buell Blast. The Blast is easily trailered when he goes drag racing throughout the state. Someday he will inherit my 1975 Honda CB400F, currently with 4,300 original miles! He enjoys four wheels when drag racing, and is the first NHRA street-legal EV national champion!

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 17

BACK IN THE DAY

3I grew up in New Hampshire on an old dairy farm surrounded by fields, dirt roads and logging roads. My father was passionate about motorcycles and set up trials courses in the fields with blue and red sticks to define the route. He had an Ossa 250. He bought me my first motorcycle — a Cotton 175 from England — and my brother rode a Honda XR75. We had a blast riding in the fields, crossing brooks, scouting old trails (despite the mosquitos and black flies) and learning how to fix and ride the bikes. I even once sank the Cotton when I rode across a mostly thawed brook behind the barn. After lifting the waterlogged bike from the frigid water, I pushed it up the hill to the barn…largely to avoid hypothermia. That’s when I learned about getting water out of engine…what a lesson! In this picture (circa 1980) I’m riding the old Ossa, about to go down a steep drop off the rock. Today my father has largely given up riding due to age, but back in the day we made some magical memories together, and they’re ones I will always cherish.

Families and motorcycles do indeed go together pretty well, Erik. Good stuff. – Ed.

6This photo was taken around 1960 in Canby, Ore., just in our front yard. This Matchless motorcycle had a 500cc engine, I think, and was bought by my brother Paul who is sitting on it. I’m on the left and my brother Norris is on the right. I never was allowed to ride it, and I know Norris crashed on it once or twice.

Stan Satter

Thanks for the memory nudge, Genevieve, as I remember those WERA 24-hour races at Willow Springs well, having helped the Vance & Hines team win the overall three times in the late ’80s on GSX-R750 machinery. One night in particular stood out for me. While ripping into 130-mph turn eight at about 2 a.m., I saw the track to my left brighten suddenly, and AMA Hall of Famer Wes Cooley drifted by me, wagging his left leg and foot as he did so to mess with me. Great times, and I definitely remember the Arclight folks. – Ed.

3

My dad (Ben Roeder) with his Arclight Racing team during/after the 1990 WERA 24Hour West at Willow Springs Raceway. The team got second place, with my dad riding his Honda CBR600F2. Dad is fourth from the left. He made and applied all the vinyl graphics and painting on the team’s bikes, and would repair the bodywork after crashes. He raced the 24-Hour in ’89, ’90 and ’91 — the last two years with Arclight Racing.

Genevieve Roeder-Hensley

18 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024

Lane Filtering: Good News, Bad News

Colorado filtering bill maintains momentum, while Oklahoma bill meets abrupt end

ane filtering bills faced two state legislatures to begin 2024, and despite similar language, they met far different receptions.

LColorado SB24-079 — a motorcycle lane filtering and passing bill — passed the Colorado Senate and the Colorado House of Representatives. The bill awaits the governor’s signature.

While the Colorado bill continued its positive momentum, Oklahoma HB3582 — which would allow lane filtering under certain conditions — failed in the Oklahoma House of Representatives by a vote of 33-62.

“The AMA has supported Colorado SB24-079 from its early stages, and

it’s promising to see the bill’s progression,” AMA Government Relations Central States Representative Nick Sands said. “The failure of Oklahoma HB3582 is disappointing, but the AMA Government Relations Department remains steadfast in its support of lane filtering bills in Oklahoma and throughout the country.”

The Colorado bill faced resistance from law enforcement advocacy groups such as the Colorado State Patrol Association, County Sheriffs of Colorado and the Association of Chiefs of Police, along with local cities and municipalities. After productive negotiations between the Colorado State Patrol Association and bill sponsors, three amendments were

made for it to pass a Feb. 7 hearing of the Colorado Senate Transportation and Energy Committee.

The amendments included a reduction in motorcyclist speed from 20 to 15 mph while passing; the requirement for vehicles in the lane to be completely stopped before overtaking; and the need for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to gather traffic-accident data and report to the legislature no later than January 2027 about the efficacy of the proposed law.

A required review of a lane-filtering law after 2–3 years of data collection is not uncommon, as similar provisions were required in Montana and Utah. Both states went on to fully adopt the policy after initial data showed promis-

20 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
up to speed News, notes, insight and more from the motorcycling universe

ing traffic safety trends.

During the bill’s review in the House Transportation, Housing & Local Government Committee, the bill met passionate opposition from several stakeholders anxious about negative traffic-safety behavior that could be incentivized by the policy. To ease some of those concerns, an amendment clarifying the definition of lane-filtering, and that traffic being passed must be fully stopped, was added. And CDOT’s role was amended to analyze data collected by the Department of Revenue, to match current legislative authority granted to each agency.

Senators Nick Hinrichsen (D-Pueblo) and Jim Smallwood (R-Douglas) served as prime sponsors of the bill when it started in the Colorado Senate, and Rep. Ron Weinberg (R-Larimer) joined Rep. Javier Mabrey (D-Denver, Jefferson) as the other prime sponsor upon the bill’s introduction in the Colorado House of Representatives.

“The bill was bipartisan throughout the whole process,” Sen. Hinrichsen said. “The more our colleagues understood the issue, the more likely they were to support the bill. We had great testimony from members of the motorcycle community, and that really helped. Legislators got to hear directly from passionate and responsible motorcyclists, and that really contrasted with the arguments from the opposition, who tried to cast the entire community as irresponsible and reckless.”

As of publication, SB24-079 has three paths to becoming a law: a) the governor signs the bill into effect; b) the governor doesn’t sign the bill and it is not petitioned, thus going into effect 90 days after the last legislative session; or c) the bill is not signed into effect by the governor, it is petitioned and put on the ballot, and the people of Colorado vote to approve the bill during the general election in November.

If SB24-079 becomes law, Colorado would become the fifth state to enact a law in favor of lane filtering.

In Oklahoma, the promising HB3582 bill failed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 33–62. The disappointing result came on the heels of positive momentum and efforts by the AMA Government Relations Department, but the bill was put to a vote without given time for debate or talks surrounding any additional amendments.

As it stood, the Oklahoma lane filtering bill would allow a motorcycle to overtake completely stopped traffic at a speed of 10 mph or less. Furthermore, lane filtering could only take place on a road that had lanes wide enough for passing and a posted speed limit of 45 mph or less.

Stay tuned for further updates on SB24-079 and other lane-filtering bills throughout the country. Want to get involved? Call your state representatives and let them know your thoughts on lane filtering and other motorcycle issues.

HOUSE MOTORCYCLE CAUCUS ENTERS NEW ERA

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) assumes caucus responsibilities ahead of Rep. Burgess’ (R-TX) impending retirement

ith the impending retirement of Co-Chair Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), the House Motorcycle Caucus — “caucus” defined loosely as group of members that meet to pursue common legislative objectives — saw a shuffle in its leadership in recent weeks.

WRep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), an AMA Life Member, will fill the void left by Burgess as a co-chair of the House Motorcycle Caucus, joining Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH) and Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) in the role of co-chair.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) will also assume a leadership role as the vice-chair of the caucus.

“Michigan has a strong and vibrant riding community, myself included, that use motorcycles as a source of recreation and transportation,” Walberg said. “As I talk with my fellow motorcyclists, I often hear about the need to bring increased awareness to the issues facing our community. The bipartisan House Motorcycle Caucus is an important part of finding solutions, so riders are free to enjoy the open road. I am pleased to continue working on these topics

with caucus leadership, Co-Chairs Balderson and Norcross and Vice Chair Van Orden.”

The bipartisan structure of the House Motorcycle Caucus benefits all riders, as issues involving motorcycling typically extend beyond traditional party lines. In that vein, the AMA supports the overall mission of the caucus and its efforts to protect the motorcycle lifestyle.

As threats to motorcycling are ever-present in legislation, it is important to encourage your local representatives and senators to join the caucus and fight for your rights as a motorcyclist.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 21

100 Years OF Historic AMA Rights Wins PART FOUR

hile the 1960s and ’70s found the AMA’s Government Relations Department fighting a plethora of government regulations and un-elected bureaucracy — such as the EPA and the IRS — the early days of the Reagan administration in 1980 led to a decline in federal regulatory actions, allowing the AMA to focus more attention on its own agenda.

WAMA PERSUADES NHTSA TO REFINE STAT-COLLECTING PROCEDURES

In the late 1970s, every time the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put out motorcycle accident and fatality statistics, they all showed doom and gloom for the motorcycle industry. NHTSA used its slanted statistics all throughout the ’70s to drive their narrative on mandatory helmet laws, something the AMA opposed then, and continues to oppose today.

AMA and Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) staffers were able

to work together in the early ’80s to persuade NHTSA — and states around the country — to refine their procedures for tabulating motorcycle accident and fatality statistics.

Surprise! The new figures showed that accident and fatality numbers had dropped significantly.

AMA/MSF HELP ESTABLISH SELF-FUNDED RIDER EDUCATION COURSES

While NHTSA was pushing mandatory helmet laws, the AMA and the MSF were looking at real solutions to help reduce motorcycle accidents, injuries and fatalities. One of their proposed solutions was more rider education programs, which they viewed as a powerful countermeasure to motorcyclist accidents and injuries.

First, a little history on why getting states to finally enact rider education programs in the ’80s was

such a big deal.

According to the October 1982 issue of American Motorcyclist, in 1975 a group of Ohio riders convinced then-State Representative Casey Jones to introduce legislation taking a novel approach to rider education. Under Jones’ bill, $1.50 of every annual motorcycle registration would have gone into a fund designated to rider training.

While the legislation was introduced in three consecutive Ohio legislative sessions, it never got past the Senate. “Some legislators were leery of giving riders the freedom to practice accident prevention themselves, and believed that since Ohio riders were already ‘protected’ by a helmet law,

22 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
up to speed Rights ROUNDUP

no further action was needed,” American Motorcyclist reported.

The government’s zeal — at the state and federal level — for helmet laws was standing in the way of rider education programs, but the overall political climate changed with Reagan’s arrival in Washington, with NHTSA dropping motorcycle safety from its list of priorities…ultimately a good thing for motorcyclists.

In 1981, with the backing of motorcyclists and the help of the state legislature, Arizona became the first state to

enact a law like the one proposed in Ohio back in ’75. It took a small fee from motorcycle registrations, put the money in a fund, and then spent it primarily on rider training. By October of 1982, 12 states had enacted rider education programs, and that trend continued throughout the ’80s.

MORE 1980S WINS

• The California Air Resource Board (CARB) considered requiring catalytic converters on all 1984 and later motorcycles. The AMA and Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) expressed their opposition based on anticipated cost increases for consumers and rider safety concerns, and AMA-supported legislation ultimately delayed implementation of CARB’s plan. The proposal was

eventually dropped completely.

• The AMA organized riders to help fight a bike ban statute in Springfield, Ill. It took a two-year legal battle, but the statute was struck down.

• Proposed amendments to the Clean Air Act would have put significant restrictions on motorcycle emissions. After consultation with the AMA’s GRD staff, those amendments were revised.

• The AMA’s government relations team brought a suit against the Brockton Park Commission (Brockton, Mass.) for a bike ban imposed in 1987. While the AMA lost in the lower court and the appellate level, the association appealed to the state supreme court — and won!

Remember, you are an important part of the AMA’s fight for motorcyclists’ rights. Sign up for action alerts from the AMA at AmericanMotorcyclist.com/ action-center/.

Donate to the AMA’s Government Relations Efforts!

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 23

Uup to speed riding ROUNDUP

Holy toledo!

nlike in the comics, no caped crusader — accompanied by a “Holy Toledo” quipping sidekick — swooped in to save the day when tragedy struck the Maumee State Forest All Purpose Vehicle area near Toledo, Ohio…so Matt Bucher felt called to step up.

Bucher, who grew up riding in the Maumee State Forest, started the Toledo Trail Riders to help better the forest’s public riding area after his dad witnessed the deaths of two riders involved in a high-speed collision.

“I saw the effect of what those incidents and tragedies did to my dad,” Bucher said. “In 2008, I said maybe we can do something about this.”

Bucher met with Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Forest Manager Donald Schmenk in December 2008 to discuss ways to help improve the APV area. The

meeting sparked the creation of the ODNR-certified Toledo Trail Riders in spring 2009 to act as a strategic partner to address the well-being of the Maumee APV area.

In June 2009, the club held its first volunteer day, and four showed up to

pick up litter, prune vegetation and clean trail markers. Today, the club has grown to around 75 members, with a third of the members being extremely active.

The dirt bike and ATV club has also hosted several events over the years, including family enduros, charity events and its first District 14 hare scramble in 2017.

“We’re kind of unique in that we do the trail advocacy work at the Maumee State Forest, and we promote our own races,” Bucher said. “Most clubs, from my experience, are kind of one or the other.”

As the club has proven itself to be responsible over the years, its responsibilities and influence have grown. Bucher stressed the importance of building relationships and gaining trust to open the door to make a greater impact.

“That takes time, and you have to

24 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
Toledo Trail Riders step up to improve safety at local state forest APV area Above: Matt Bucher (left) with his oldest son Max (right) after the Treaty City Family Enduro in 2023. Right: Some young riders breaking in the youth loop at the Maumee State Forest.

have patience,” Bucher said, “and if you don’t have that you’re just going to give up and walk away from it and accomplish nothing. That’s not in the spirit of off-road riding. In off-road riding, you just keep going…You can’t give up, and if you surround yourself with people that don’t want to give up either, I think a lot of great things can happen.”

It is through networking that Bucher suggested to Schmenk that a kids loop in the riding area would be a huge benefit, as it would allow parents to supervise their kids without having to ride alongside them. Schmenk and ODNR took the suggestion and got to work, opening a youth loop in early 2024.

“What an opportunity for youth and even beginner riders,” Bucher said. “It’s another opportunity to get people into the sport.”

While the club’s progress and improvements to the riding area are points of pride, Bucher is most proud of the safe environment that has been created at the Maumee State Forest.

“Nobody else has perished at the state forest, and that’s why we started,” Bucher said. “Two people died and they shouldn’t have…I’m most proud of getting involved so nobody else would have to feel that pain or see that tragedy.”

Now 15 years since the club picked up its first piece of trash at the Maumee State Forest APV area, TTR is going strong and steadfast in helping the trails community.

“Once you get to this level, you kind of have an obligation,” Bucher said. “You also have motivation to keep growing.”

To learn more about the Toledo Trail Riders, go to toledotrailriders.org.

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For the fourth year in a row we’re heading back to the Alps in August with the folks from Edelweiss Bike Travel for a few weeks of truly epic motorcycle touring in Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France — and we’re inviting you to come along.

We call these treks the AMA Alps Challenge tours, and the name fits like well-worn deerskin, as they’re nothing if not challenging. Tour 1 begins in Munich and covers the Alps

up to speed trekking ROUNDUP

2024 ALPS CHALLENGE TOURS ARE ON!

and passes of southern Germany, the Dolomites of northern Italy, and a nice slice of Switzerland. Tour 2 launches from Milan, and winds its way through the Dolomites, Switzerland and into eastern France. And Tour 3 spends most of its time in the amazing French Alps.

Each of the three features a dizzying array of curvy roads, amazing sights and geography, scrumptious food and drink, interesting people and epic history, and if you come along we can

guarantee you’ll never, ever forget it. We’re planning to attend all three August tours, which run Aug. 8-16, Aug. 17-25 and Aug. 26-Sept. 3. Tour 1 is nearly full, but tours 2 and 3 have plenty of availability. (Edelweiss is also offering the same three tours in June/July, though we won’t be on that trio; a person can only take so much nirvana, right?!)

See edelweissbike.com for the skinny, and hope to see you there!

TRIUMPH NAMED ADV SERIES PARTNER

Triumph Motorcycles and the Tiger nameplate go back a long way (to the late 1930s, actually), and its current line of Tiger ADV bikes — headlined by the Tiger 1200 and brand-new Tiger 900 ranges — is truly world-class.

All of which makes Triumph’s 2024 title sponsorship of the AMA’s National Adventure Riding Series a perfect fit.

The series will span 12 two-day events across the U.S. and treat participants and local clubs to a wide range of backcountry exploration, with camping, bonfires, food and prizes capping off what is sure to be some amazing backroad and two-track riding.

Learn more about Triumph motorcycles at triumphmotorcycles.com, and more about the Triumph AMA National Adventure Riding Series at AmericanMotorcyclist.com.

26 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024

YAMAHA SUPPORTS VMD 2024

Yamaha knows a good thing when it sees it and has stepped up big-time by becoming the presenting sponsor of the 2024 Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days event at Mid-Ohio, July 26-28.

There’s a lot to celebrate, too. Not only will we be highlighting the AMA’s 100th anniversary at Mid-Ohio in a major way, we’ll also be celebrating — right along with the Yamaha folks — the 50th anniversary of the marque’s legendary YZ250, arguably one of the most iconic dirt bikes in history.

To make VMD 2024 extra special we’re planning to host AMA Hall of Famer Gary Jones (who, along with his late father Don and brother Dewayne, are the literal fathers of the YZ250) to tell the backstory of the YZ. We’ve also invited longtime Yamaha factory pilot and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Broc Glover to be Grand Marshal, and you can bet Broc will have plenty of stories to tell over the weekend.

A big thank you, then, to Yamaha for supporting what’s the grandest motorcycle weekend of them all each year!

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 27

with GREEn envy

IT TOOK 53 YEARS, BUT AMA MEMBER AND EX-AMA SUPERBIKE RACER THAD WOLFF FINALLY GOT THE PENTON HE LUSTED AFTER AS A KID

Back in the spring of 2022, and totally out of the blue, my buddy Bill asked me if I’d be interested in an old — and very early — Penton motorcycle.

As most veteran enthusiasts would, I blurted out an immediate “Yes!” before the adrenaline could even reach my bloodstream, then asked — with crossed fingers — the pivotal question: “What model? Is it an early steel tanker?”

His answer was a similarly enthusiastic “Yes,” which of course turned the adrenaline leakage into a river.

As it turned out, Bill’s friend Chris bought the bike from the original owner back in the early 1970s, raced it in the desert on occasion, blessed it with the nickname “Fred” (which he painted on the tank), and then parked it in his Pasadena, Calif., garage for the next 47 years…until it made its way to Bill’s garage, and eventually to mine.

It wasn’t exactly pretty. The 1969/’70-spec Penton 125 Six-Day had been repainted a garish yellow and looked as if it’d been ridden Mojave-hard and put away wet half a century ago. But it was mostly there, a rare thing with offroad race bikes, and I was glad to have it.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 29
30 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
Clockwise from upper left: Early Six-Day 125 models lacked the sunburst cylinder head of later bikes. Thad with his brother, who’s astride the Penton of Thad’s dreams. AMA HOFers John Penton and Malcolm Smith during ISDT week. Wolff with J.P. (left) and fellow HOFer Dick Klamfoth during construction of the Daytona 200 monument.
“Husqvarna wasn’t interested in building smaller-displacement machines, so I dropped into the KTM factory in Austria.”
JOHN PENTON

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

My relationship with Penton motorcycles and this particular model went back a ways, to the early 1970s, in fact, when I moved up from a Honda Mini Trail 50 to a Scrambler 90. I purchased that CL90 from my brother, who in turn stepped up big-time to a used and early “steel tank” Penton 125.

We’d all just seen Bruce Brown’s life-changing motodocumentary On Any Sunday, and I remember staring at this big bike with its oversized sunburst cylinder head and ear-popping, open-ended expansion chamber and thinking, “Now this is a real motorcycle!”

Immediately after learning to use a clutch I began bugging my brother incessantly, asking if I could ride his bike. The answer was always a resounding “No!” I know he thought I would crash and hurt his pride and joy, and I suppose he was probably right, so I never got my big chance to ride that awesome modern 125cc motocrosser and enduro racer.

At the time, you had your all-conquering European machines like Husqvarnas, Maicos, Bultacos and CZs, but I do remember the day in early 1973 at a local MX track when I laid eyes on a brand spanking new Honda 250 Elsinore. With that beautiful aluminum gas tank and the smoothly shaped expansion chamber with its shapely “pickle” silencer, the Elsie looked like nothing I had ever seen…and that front fender with the “CR” mudflap flapping in the wind? Whoa

well on their Pentons. Apparently, this bike was pretty good at this enduro thing.

PENTON ROOTS

Most people probably know that Penton motorcycles originated in the mind of the aforementioned Mr. Penton, and that the very first models were built to his basic specifications by none other than KTM, which, prior to accepting the job of building the first handful of units, was known more for mopeds and bicycles than regular motorcycles.

Here’s what the late AMA Hall of Famer Tom White wrote for Motocross Action several years ago:

John Penton was the East Coast Husqvarna distributor, and in 1966 he tried to convince Husqvarna to build 100cc and 125cc dirt bikes for the American market. “Husqvarna wasn’t interested in building smaller-displacement machines,” says John, “so I dropped into the KTM factory in Austria. Unfortunately, the president of KTM, Erich Trunkenpolz, was in Milan for a motorcycle show, so I came back in two weeks.

At the time, KTM was big into scooters and bicycles, but there were a couple of guys in R&D who were building their own ISDT machines from available parts. KTM didn’t have any interest in building dirt bikes.” But John persevered, and Mr. Trunkenpolz agreed to build the first 10 prototypes. “I agreed to pay $6,000 for them,” Penton said, “and Mr. Trunkenpolz said, ‘Good luck. We’ll build them; you sell them!’”

The Japanese were obviously getting serious about motocross bikes, and even though Penton had improved their bike with a chrome-moly frame, fiberglass gas tank and other small tweaks, I could tell Pentons were now going to have a tough time at the top.

But what did I see when I happened to pick up a copy of Cycle News that featured some international enduro races called the International Six Days Trial? Well, there was future AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer John Penton and his sons (and others), all doing quite

In the spring of 1968 the first 10 prototypes arrived stateside, and John Penton took them immediately to the Stone Mountain and Alligator Enduros. The machines were a major success, and Penton Motorcycles was off and running in America. John recalls that the deal with Mr. Trunkenpolz was based on a handshake and a promise to pay for the bikes when they were sold.

In 1968, more than 400 machines were sold, and by the end of Penton production in 1978, over 25,000 Pentons had been sold in America. In later years, the Penton logo was joined with a KTM logo, and eventually KTM took over the

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 31
You have to remember that, when KTM was building those first-generation bikes, John and his crew were suggesting changes and modifications all the time, so I was like Sherlock Holmes.

reins to sell its own branded models. John closed Penton Imports when the exchange rate and increased competition from the Japanese made the business unsustainable.

In 1968, Penton offered the Berkshire 100 and 125 Six-Day. For around $100, an enduro kit was available that included lights and an odometer. Suggested retail in 1968 was $695, about $200 more than the other tiddlers on the market.

Today, clean Penton 125 Six-Day bikes are quite rare, especially the early steel-tank machines, which are valued at over $10,000 if clean and complete. It’s interesting to consider how history would have turned out if Husky had said yes, isn’t it?

THE DAYTONA/J.P. CONNECTION

Fast forward to 2008. I had been helping three-time Daytona race winner, AMA Hall of Famer and second father to me Dick Klamfoth build the Daytona 200 monument right there on the beachfront just north of the Main Street pier.

granite to do the job.

I spent a couple weeks that year helping build the structure, and for my efforts Dick blessed me with my own 12-inch square plaque, which makes me very proud to this day. John came down to help, too, and we three spent several days working side-by-side. We stayed at Dick’s timeshare, had three meals a day together, and I got to know John quite well.

All the stories and back-and-forth banter between those two Ohio farm boys and ex-racers were priceless.

STEEL-TANK RESTO

Sitting there nursing a beer after taking possession of the ratty-looking-but-mostly-original Penton, I flashed back to 1970 and my brother’s Penton…and knew I wanted to restore this bike to its former green glory.

I was lucky the bike was pretty much all there. The only items not original were the yellow Preston Petty fenders (which I’d replace with proper aluminum ones), a Webco throttle (which I’d replace with a proper trap-door Magura unit), period Boge shocks (which I planned to keep cuz they were orange and soooo cool), and the E.C. Birt expansion chamber, which I’d also keep because it looked sano with its straight stinger, and the fact that Birt was a literal 2-stroke tuning genius in his day.

I was lucky to get the original shop manual with the bike, so I studied it page by page and scoped out everything I could on the internet. I joined the Penton Owners Group and got to know some of the “Penton guys” back in Amherst, Ohio, and the surrounding areas. Those guys are just crazy about Penton motorcycles, and John, too, of course.

You have to remember that, when KTM was building those firstgeneration bikes, John and his crew were suggesting changes and modifications all the time, so I was like Sherlock Holmes investigating my bike and, in turn, the whole progression of Pentons. It almost seemed like no two were alike.

FINDING GOOD HELP

I did most of the restoration work myself, but had some help from key individuals. One was Arthur, who has rented my parents’ body shop (which was a Texaco service station back in the day) for decades, and who laid down the period green paint. The pinstriping and lettering was done by my buddy Gary Berg, who’s been striping and lettering my bikes, including my GS1000 AMA Superbike

32 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
John Penton and Dick were close friends, both hailing from the state of Ohio, and both wanted to see the monument finished while they were still alive…so they got together with fellow off-road racer and AMA Hall of Famer Dave Mungenast and purchased pallet after pallet of brick and tons of The author with “Fred.” Right: During the restoration process, the “breather frame” — which boosted intake efficiency — taking center stage.
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 33

it’s hard to describe the satisfaction I get from restoring old motorcycles. There’s something very special about bringing certain bikes back to the condition they enjoyed when they were new and sitting in someone’s garage.

and Formula 1 Suzuki RG500, since the late ’70s.

Dan Miller is my upholstery expert, and he replicated the stock seat to a “T.” Bill Oberman, the guy who asked if I wanted the bike in the first place, has a shop with a great sandblast cabinet and the all-important Vapor hone, which makes aluminum parts look better than they did in 1970.

Some parts needed a lot of help, the aftermarket-but-period E.C. Birt exhaust being one of the worst offenders. It was dented and bent in several places, and the all-important E.C. stamping was crumpled, as well.

To get it back to mostly original condition I had to basically cut it into pieces, hammer, bend and re-form it from front to back, then re-braze and re-weld the entire thing back together before sanding and painting it. It was a ton of work, but having a real-deal E.C. Birt pipe on my Penton was worth the effort. The centerstand and skid plate needed more than help; they didn’t exist , which meant I had to fabricate these impossible-toget stock parts from scratch based on photos and info from some of the POG folks. Like the exhaust, it took a ton of work to get them just right, but again, it was worth it.

Other bits that needed big-time restoration were the trashed footpegs, bent rear frame rail and shifter, and wheels that featured rusty, non-stock rims – which I replaced with original Akronts, laced up with re-plated spokes.

The engine, thankfully, was in decent shape, especially the bottom end, which meant I didn’t need to split the cases. The top end got a fresh bore and piston, and I spent a good amount of time refinishing the outer surfaces of the radial

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 35
36 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 For more information on Penton motorcycles, please check out the Penton Owners Group at pentonusa.org.

THIS MOTORCYCLE, AND THE PENTON BIKES THAT CAME LATER, WERE SO GOOD THEY LITERALLY CHANGED THE SPORT OF OFF-ROAD COMPETITION, AND IN DOING SO HELPED BRING KTM BACK INTO THE CONVENTIONAL MOTORCYCLE FOLD.

head, cylinder, crankcases and carburetor so it looked like it did back in 1970. It runs nicely, though I’m not going to be riding it in the dirt anytime soon; there’s just no need, as it’s too much of an emotional time machine for me.

DEAR JOHN

Whether it’s my old Panhead Harley, Editor Mitch’s Suzuki GS1000S, this Penton, or any of the 100 or so other projects I’m working on or have worked on, it’s hard to describe the satisfaction I get from restoring old motorcycles. There’s something very special about bringing certain bikes back to the condition they enjoyed when they were new and sitting in someone’s garage… and providing all those smiles, miles and goosebumps.

But for me, this one meant more than that. Sure, it whisked me back to the early 1970s and my brother and my early days of motorcycling, when things were new and fresh and exciting, and pretty much all I thought about.

But this one had John Penton written all over it, and I don’t mean just the six letters on the fuel tank.

This was John Penton’s first motorcycle, the bike he’d thought about and designed, the one he fought and cajoled to have built, first with Husqvarna, who turned him down, and then KTM.

This motorcycle, and the Penton bikes that came later, were so good they literally changed the sport of off-road competition, and in doing so helped bring KTM back into the conventional motorcycle fold from its two-wheeled beginning in the 1950s…and we can all see what the brand has accomplished since.

Knowing John as I do, and knowing he’s living out his twilight years back in Northern Ohio, it meant a lot to me to have restored this motorcycle, and to know that he knows I did it in large part to honor him and our friendship.

So thanks, J.P. I hope this story makes you smile as much as I have over the last couple of years. AMA

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 37

100 YEARS OF THE AMA

PHOTOS: AMA ARCHIVE

ith the end of WWII in the mid 1940s, the U.S. experienced truly booming times during the 1950s. Aside from being the planet’s preeminent superpower, the U.S. economy was the envy of the world, with the country’s gross national product more than doubling between 1946 and 1960, and the rise of a massive middle class allowing more people than ever to enjoy all manner of niceties — new cars, television, suburban homes, etc.

WOf course, not all was Candyland in America. The Korean and Cold wars took up right where WWII left off, followed by great societal conflicts in the areas of civil rights and the crusade against communism.

Still, the country mostly prospered, and it showed in the “baby boom,” which began in 1946 with a record number of births — 3.4 million — and roughly four million more every year during the 1950s. By the time the trend tapered off circa 1964, the U.S. contained almost 77 million boomers, and those new Americans would have a huge effect on every aspect of American life through the decades — motorcycling included.

With the move to the suburbs, many owned homes surrounded by open areas that proved ideal for moto-exploration (even if the signs said “No Trespassing”), instilling in their riders an early enthusiasm for light civil disobedience. That same restlessness regarding the status quo reared its pompadoured head when Marlon Brando roared onto the big screen in The Wild One in 1953.

The AMA was busier than ever as it dealt with more and bigger events, more racing on the professional and amateur levels, the increasingly sticky PR battle, and its burgeoning governmentrelations efforts.

Things in the motorcycling world were definitely heating up…

Despite the Korean and Cold wars, baby boomers and a booming economy in the 1950s set the stage for massive motorcycle INDUSTRY growth

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50 s the

1950 NORTON MANX

Norton had been building single-cylinder motorcycles successfully since 1927, but 1950 was the year the Featherbed frame arrived: A pair of Reynold’s finest steel tubes led down from the steering head, looped under the engine, swung back up behind the transmission and then led around forward again to the steering head. At the rear, a swingarm and a pair of shocks; in front, a Norton Roadholder fork. “It rides like a featherbed,” proclaimed test rider Harold Daniell, who rode the new bike in the 1949 Isle of Man Senior TT to become the first-ever 500cc GP race winner.

ARTHUR DAVIDSON PASSES

The decade kicked off with the tragic passing of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Arthur Davidson, who died at age 69 in an auto accident alongside his wife on Dec. 30, 1950. The January 1951 edition of American Motorcycling wrote, “Kindly, affable Arthur Davidson…has received the checkered flag.” Davidson was one of the four developers of the original Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and also served as president of the Motorcycle and Allied Trades Association after 32 years in the role of M&ATA treasurer. “Arthur Davidson has passed on, but he has left his spirit of clean competition and good sportsmanship deeply imprinted on our sport,” American Motorcycling wrote in its conclusion.

1950

TELEVISION

In 1946, 7,000 TV sets were sold; in 1948, 172,000 were sold; and in 1950, 5 million sets were sold, says Encyclopedia. com. In 1950, just under 20 percent of American homes contained a TV set. Do we detect a trend?

AMA GYPSY TOUR

AMA AND THE KOREAN CONFLICT

While the Korean War (1950–1953) raged across the Pacific, American Motorcycle Association Secretary and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer E.C. Smith urged AMA membership to support the war and devote time to Civil Defense and Red Cross activities, just as he had during the Second World War. Following the war, the AMA launched “Operation Motorcycle” in 1959, which urged members to support the Red Cross by donating blood to build up America’s blood banks.

WE LIKE IKE.. AND ELIZABETH, TOO

Seven years after leading the Allies to victory in WWII, General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected POTUS. Meanwhile, in England, Junior Commander Elizabeth Alexandra Mary became Queen Elizabeth II of England.

1952 Harley-Davidson KR

Expensive racing motorcycles were a hard sell during the Depression, so the AMA — in collaboration with Indian and H-D — invented Class C racing. Over-the-counter 750cc motorcycles could be used for flat track and road racing, and amateur racers would have access to all the same parts as the factory racing teams…supposedly. Class C remained popular after WWII, and when Harley needed something to compete with the rapid influx of British twins, the KR750 was born. The old side-valve 750 was nearly obsolete even when it was new, but AMA rules gave the KR a 250cc advantage over the OHV machines and it competitive. The KR was also stone-axe simple and cheap to keep. KRs dominated flat-track racing until the mid ’60s, and faired KRTTs cleaned up in U.S. roadracing, too.

You’ll be the center of attraction in the Cycle Queen jacket, advertised Harley-Davidson. Warm and comfortable, too, thanks to the form-fitting weatherproof steer hide and nylon lining. Just $25.95…but to really wow the crowd you’ll want the $3.75 detachable fur collar. 1951

The biker jacket

1952 Ducati 98

Some call it Ducati’s first sportbike, the one that bridged the gap between the Cucciolo strap-onmotor types and the first desmodromic Ducs. With its open-cradle pressed-steel frame offering for display a 98cc four-stroke single and a tiny carburetor, well, six horsepower would at least outrun a Vespa. The ’53 98S grew faster, sportier, and sold well enough to give Ducati brass the idea to hire one Dr. Fabio Taglioni to lead its new racing program.

1953

THE INDIAN WRECKING CREW

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers Bobby Hill, Bill Tuman and Ernie Beckman won three AMA National Championships in a row from 1951-1953, racking up 14 National wins. Hill won the winner-take-all national championship Springfield Mile in 1951 and ’52, and Tuman won in ’53. Beckman was the last rider to win a national on an Indian, winning the 8-Mile AMA National Championship on the Williams Grove (Pennsylvania) Half-Mile in October of ’53. Indian folded up its tent that same year — sad — but 64 years later Jared Mees rode the new-generation Indian FTR750 to victory at the Daytona TT in 2017.

AMA GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ESTABLISHED

The AMA GNC series required you to be good at five different types of racing: Mile, Half-mile, TT, and Short Tracks on dirt, as well as roadracing. The demise of Indian made the timing of Harley’s new KR fortuitous: H-D factory rider and AMA HOFer Joe Leonard won three of the first four GNCs. Carroll Resweber won four more consecutive titles for Harley-Davidson from 1958 to 1961. A kid named Kenny Roberts — future AMA HOFer — won the last two GNCs on Yamahas (the first Japanese winner) in 1973 and ’74, before dirt track and road racing went their separate ways. At the end of each season, the highest point earner would earn the Grand National Championship and be assigned the No. 1 plate for the following season. The champion would also be “given a fine award in recognition of his achievements.”

1954 VINCENT BLACK PRINCE

The final progression of the original Rapide of 1936, the fully enclosed Black Prince used the existing suspension and 998cc V-twin engine, but sported an aerodynamic body kit with leg shields and a fairing to give the idea that the successful businessman could ride it to work in suit and tie. Tragically, Vincent quit producing its prestigious motorcycles the year after the Prince debuted.

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STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA

Last of the Indians

Even with the Indian Wrecking Crew on the warpath, the general public had made up its mind. With a big boost from WWII, Harley-Davidson had become the dominating force in American motorcycles, outselling Indian five to one at war’s end. Sadly, what had been the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world in the 1910s (and winner of the top three places in the 1911 Isle of Man TT) ceased producing its

1954

BIG BEAR RUN

AMA AND SAFER MACHINES

In 1951, the AMA introduced a program to establish dealerships as official motorcycle inspection stations, roughly 20 years before mandatory safety inspection laws became widespread across the United States. A year later, the AMA started Motorcycle Inspection Week — running April 14-19 — urging all riders to take their bikes to dealerships for thorough checkups before beginning another season of riding. Furthering its commitment to expanding the national motorcycle dealer network, the AMA in 1953 began presenting awards to dealerships that sold the most AMA memberships throughout the year.

1955 Yamaha YA-1

Yamaha’s first motorcycle broke the boring-black mold with a chestnut red and cream paint job. The “red dragonfly” was powered by a derivation of the same basic 125cc two-stroke single used in the Harley Hummer, BSA Bantam and others, which had been purloined from DKW after WWII. At a time when there were a lot of fledgling motorcycle makers in Japan, the dragonfly distinguished itself by winning the ’55 Mt. Fuji Ascent Race and finishing 1-2-3 in the ultra-light class at the Asama Highlands race later that year. Yamaha was literally off to the races.

That would be Big Bear Lake, Calif., which sits atop a 6,752-foot mountain just east of Los Angeles. The first Big Bear Run happened in 1921, and riders could choose their own route from the Saugus Cafe to the top of the mountain. By the 1950s it had grown into a big deal packed with racers and Hollywood celebs. AMA HOFer Bud Ekins won the Run three times in the 1950s. In 1959 he completed the 153-mile course half an hour ahead of second place, despite a flat tire and broken wheel.

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Daytona International Speedway

NASCAR founder William France Sr. began looking for a way to get his “stock cars” off the beach around 1953. By 1959 he’d located a 447-acre plot of land near Daytona’s airport and had excavated over a million square yards of dirt to form 2.5 miles of 31-degree banked tri-oval – along with the 44acre Lake Lloyd, which was promptly stocked with 65,000 fish. (After a few cars wound up in it, the lake was shrunk to 29 acres; one early racer reputedly carried scuba gear in his car just in case.) On February 22, 1959, 42,000 people saw Richard Petty’s dad, Lee, win the first Daytona 500. Bill France would need another couple of years to convince the AMA to move its first race of the season from the beach to the Speedway and create an international motorcycle event. More on that next month…

THE WILD ONE

The original outlaw biker film starred Marlon Brando and his trusty Triumph Thunderbird T6 as the leader of the Black Rebels MC, who gets into an altercation with Lee Marvin and his scruffy, Harley-Davidson-mounted minions. The movie was based on the sensationalized-by-Life-magazine events of a 1947 motorcycle rally in Hollister, Calif., which put motorcycling and motorcyclists in a negative light. In response to the rally, American Motorcycling wrote this in its August ,1947 issue: “Motorcycling has come a long way over the years, and with thousands of riders who respect their chosen sport, we have a big majority on the right side of the picture…The future is bright…the sport is too big and too popular to permit a few to hinder its further progress.”

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AMA FIGHTS FOR THE FREEWAY

When West Virginia state officials aimed to prohibit motorcycles on the newly constructed West Virginia Turnpike, the AMA stepped in on behalf of motorcyclists across the state. Ultimately, the AMA helped convince state officials to reconsider their stance and reverse the proposed ban.

1955

CATALINA GP

1954 TRIUMPH TIGER T110

The Bonneville might be the most famous vintage Triumph, but would it have existed if Johnny Allen hadn’t ridden his Tiger T110 streamliner at an amazing 214.17 mph at the Utah Salt Flats in 1956? Not only did the standard T110’s 649cc twin receive a bunch of engine hop-ups compared to the T100, but it was also the first production Triumph with a swingarm rear suspension system and Triumph’s first centerstand. It was cool enough that James Dean’s first move upon moving to LA (to star in East of Eden) was to buy a Tiger T110.

steib sidecar

Steib Metalworks of Nuremberg, Germany, began making sidecars in 1928 for now-extinct Ardie motorcycles. During the 1950s, Steib really hit its stride; it claimed to have manufactured 92% of all sidecars sold in Germany, and a Steib was what you got if you ordered your BMW mit beiwagen.

In 1951, a few California-based race promoters thought bringing an Isle of Man-style race to the U.S. would be a good idea. Just 29 miles from Long Beach, Catalina Island seemed a perfect, slightly exotic place to hold the 10-lap 100-mile race through the city of Avalon and the island’s mountain fire roads and trails. Motorcycles were shipped over via barge, and participants and spectators took a short ferry ride from LA to reach the island. The Catalina GP was a big hit during its eight-year run, which ended, reportedly, with the mayor of Avalon being mugged in ’58. But not before Yamaha entered a few 250cc two-stroke twins in the lightweight class that year — Yamaha’s first official U.S. race effort. After that, the writing was on the wall for the British scramblers that ruled the ’50s. Crazily, the CGP did manage to return once more, in 2010.

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HONDA AND THE ISLE OF MAN TT

After a Honda managed to finish its first international race, in Brazil at what’s now the Interlagos circuit, AMA HOFer Soichiro Honda declared that he had been thinking “like a frog in a well that knows nothing of the sea.” Honda had no products to export to advanced countries yet, but racing suddenly seemed like an opportunity to compete with the rest of the world. That summer, Honda traveled to the Isle of Man TT, at the time the world’s biggest racing event, to eyeball his competition. “We were astonished that the motorcycles were so much more powerful than we had imagined,” he wrote years later. Honda returned to Japan to develop a motorcycle fast enough to compete at the TT. Five years later he sent a small team of riders and engineers back to the Isle, a first for Japan, where Honda’s RC142 finished sixth, seventh, eighth and 11th in the 125cc lightweight class and won the Manufacturers’ Team Award.

AMA PUBLIC RELATIONS EFFORTS

1955 BMW R69

A good idea is a good idea; BMW built its first boxer, the R32, in 1923. After a long period of postwar recovery (its Munich factory was destroyed in WWII) the Bavarian factory began cranking out this modern 594cc, 35 hp, shaftdriven gentlemen’s express. In June 1959, AMA HOFer John Penton (yes, that John Penton) set a new coast-to-coast record, riding 3,051 miles from New York City to Los Angeles in 52 hours and 11 minutes on an R69. Of the sportier R69S version, Cycle World wrote: “Whatever the BMW’s merits in a contest of speed, it is still the smoothest, best finished, quietest and cleanest motorcycle it has ever been our pleasure to ride. To be honest, we think that anyone who would worry much over its performance-potential is a bit of a booby.”

Much of E.C. Smith’s tenure as AMA secretary involved a dedicated effort to improve the perception of motorcyclists and motorcycling. In line with Smith’s work, a poll in the ’50s revealed that 51 percent of AMA members believed the most important way individuals and the organization could help the sport of motorcycling was by generating favorable publicity. One of the AMA’s most successful public relations efforts came during the fight against polio. Smith had close relationships with the officials of the March of Dimes — a nonprofit founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to combat polio — and the AMA was annually involved in the ceremony to name the poster child for the year’s fundraising drive. Many times the young child chosen was given a motorcycle ride, and local AMA clubs collected funds for the cause. On the December 1956 cover of American Motorcycling, racers Dick Bowman and Paul “Red” Allen were seen posing with poster child Marlene Olsen. Thirteen months later on the cover of the January 1958 issue, the AMA displayed its award of merit given by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis for the AMA’s outstanding service in the fight against polio.

GYPSY TOURS ON HOLD

Although Gypsy Tours reached the height of their popularity during the 1950s, they began to attract the attention of motorcycling’s bad elements. One instance stood out in particular, when outlaw gangs flooded an AMA Gypsy Tour event in Angels Camp, Calif., causing a general disturbance to AMA members and the town’s public. As newspaper outlets rushed to pass blame upon all motorcyclists, the July 1957 edition of American Motorcycling stated that “had it not been for the organized efforts of AMA members, AMA officials and law officers, this handful of outlaws would have activated another Hollister.” As a result, the AMA decided to cease Gypsy Tour operations. Instead, a series of alternate programs were introduced, which ultimately led to the wide range of road and off-road events currently offered by the AMA.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 45
1956
E.C. SMITH

1956 Matchless Scrambler

Associated Motor Cycles (AMC) established a formidable reputation in off-road competition with its Matchless and AJS brands in the 1950s, winning the British 500cc Motocross Championship four times. Desert racing victories in the U.S. by riders like Walt Fulton and Bud Ekins meant AMC’s Matchless G80CS and AJS 18CS competition scramblers were an easy sell in the era of the “desert sled.” In fact, one of the guys who was sold was Hall of Fame Legend Malcolm Smith, who cut his teeth on a ’49 Matchless 500 – primitive compared to this ’56.

SPUTNIK 1

The Sputnik launch marked the start of the space age and the US/USSR space race, which led to the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Never has a polished metal sphere 23 inches in diameter caused a bigger stir.

THE LACONIA CLASSIC

1957 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SPORTSTER

Where to begin? Descended from the Model K of 1952, the original XL received a powerful 54 cubic-inch (883cc) overhead-valve V-twin; the “Ironhead” would power Harley’s new lightweight hot rod all the way to 1985, blowing past the English imports then encroaching on the U.S. market along the way. At first, anyway. Performance became less and less of a selling point as the Sportster evolved, but Harley’s original air-cooled bad boy lived on in various guises until 2022, with its upstart attitude intact right up until the end.

The Laconia Classic (later called the Loudon Classic) is one of the oldest rallies/races in the U.S. thanks to the area’s excellent riding and the New Hampshire Lakes region’s proximity to major East-coast cities. The AMA first sanctioned a race there in 1934, a 200-mile dirt track TT on partially paved and gravel roads. In the late ’30s the race moved to the 1-mile Belknap circuit; in 1940, the track got actual pavement and AMA reclassification from TT national to road race national. The race soon grew into Laconia Motorcycle Week, the largest (and rowdiest) annual gathering of North American motorcyclists until Sturgis outgrew it in the ’70s.

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1957

Moto Guzzi V8 Otto

Before 2012, your 500cc GP bike could have as many cylinders as you wanted. In 1955, Moto Guzzi decided on eight, building a 499cc, liquid-cooled 90-degree DOHC V8 with bore and stroke of 44mm x 41mm: 78 hp at 12,000 rpm could send the 326-pound Otto to 178 mph thanks to the magnesium dustbin fairing. Unfortunately, MG’s earlier racing success did not translate to the Otto, which frightened its riders when it wasn’t experiencing mechanical failures. MG withdrew from racing in 1957.

BSA SUNBEAM / TRIUMPH TIGRESS II

Who knew Triumph built scooters? BSA bought Triumph in 1950, but they both kept building their own machines; the scooter collaboration was intended to take advantage of both makers’ distribution networks. The Triumph Tigress was identical to the BSA Sunbeam all but cosmetically.

1958

E.C. SMITH RETIRES

After 30 years of service as executive secretary of the American Motorcycle Association, E.C. Smith announced his retirement — capping off an illustrious career of motorcycle involvement. Filling the mammoth void left by Smith was Linton A. Kuchler, who brought 26 years of his own motorcycle experience to the position. Growing up in Milwaukee, Kuchler was an avid rider and worked as a production layout and management planner for Harley-Davidson. Kuchler, a 2003 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer, later owned a Harley dealership of his own in Ann Arbor, Mich.

1958 HONDA SUPER CUB

While they were scouting the Isle of Man, Soichiro Honda and partner Takeo Fujisawa couldn’t help noticing all the mopeds and small motorcycles buzzing all around Europe. Their own small-capacity scooter was introduced in 1958 and has been keeping the world moving ever since. The Super Cub was the motorcycle that spawned the famous slogan “You meet the nicest people on a Honda,” and as of 2017, more than 100 million Cubs have been sold worldwide — making it the highest volume motor vehicle in history.

LIFE MEMBERS RECOGNIZED

Effective Jan. 1, 1958, the AMA announced that “every member who renews his AMA membership after 24 or more years of continuous membership will be presented with a fully paid up membership card with his Life membership pin.” Life Members would receive most of the regular AMA privileges without any further membership fee required. American Motorcycling wrote, “We feel that this gives deserved recognition for the outstanding and whole-hearted support the AMA has received from so many of its active and loyal members.”

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED

American musicians

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper) died when their Beechcraft Bonanza crashed into a cornfield near Clear Lake, Iowa; Waylon Jennings and other band members were on the tour bus. Don McLean’s subsequent “American Pie” became a huge hit in 1971. AMA

1959

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EXPERIENCING HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S 120TH HOMECOMING CELEBRATION, AND THE LONG ROAD HOME

It’d been a day of hell. Without much of a heaven.

Still, I’d made it to Milwaukee in one piece, the shiny side still up, and was betting the next few days at Harley-Davidson’s 120th Homecoming — and the trip home along a more southern route — would make up for this not-so-fine day.

For a “Harley guy” like myself, enjoying the Homecoming festivities was never going to be an issue, regardless of how ugly the weather had been on my way into Milwaukee the day before. There was simply way too much cool Motor PART two

Company stuff to see and do in the few days I’d be there, and I’d planned to make the most of it.

But before I waded into the scene, I had clothes to dry. I had wet stuff hanging from every available fixture in my hotel room, but I needed help. Seven quarters bought me an

48 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024

After total HarleyDavidson immersion during the day, the evening concerts were a crazy and welcome way to unwind. Left: Hanging with new friends from the HDCI — the Harley-Davidson Club Indonesia.

hour with a laundromat dryer, which did the trick despite a pair of stillsoaked shoes thumping around in the basket. Different story for my tent and sleeping bag; they’d need three days to dry completely. Luckily, I had a few to spare.

Well before the H-D museum doors

opened, the grounds there were packed, with motorcycles flowing in continuously and being parked up and down streets in different directions. Lines of people hundreds long were forming at the H-D Shop, Factory Outlet, New Product Showroom, the LiveWire (e-bike) demo area,

on-site bars and restaurants, and tents with various vendors. Musical entertainment flowed from a stage, as it would throughout the day.

Riders came from all over the country, and the world, too. I encountered folks from China, other areas of Asia, Europe, the Middle

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 49
IT WASN’T MY FIRST TIME THERE, BUT THE H-D MUSEUM NEVER GETS OLD. IT’S A SHRINE TO HARLEY’S – AND IN MANY WAYS MOTORCYCLING’S – HISTORY.

East, and from Mexico and South America, as well. One group had fun flaunting their Mexican heritage by wearing large sombreros. I enjoyed it all, but it was time to get into the museum itself.

MUSEUM TIME

It wasn’t my first time there, but the H-D museum never gets old. It’s a shrine to Harley’s — and in many ways motorcycling’s — history, with samples of its very first bikes (including 1903 Serial Number One, presented in a display reminiscent of a religious icon), a wall featuring every single engine design ever built,

fuel tank examples through the years, cutaway engines, police bike displays, a military bike section, motorcycles in cinema and in comics, bikes in pop culture, significant models through the decades, and much more.

And then there’s the Vault, more properly named the “Harley-Davidson Archives,” which was created in 1919 to hold and preserve the models the

company would produce through the years. There are 500 or so production bikes and prototypes there, all stored in a climatecontrolled space and kept in pristine condition, and all guarded so well that visitors only get to view the racks of bikes from behind a fenced viewing area.

There were more than just bikes there, too. Memorabilia, original plans and blueprints, and documents are all carefully documented. But like the bikes, these aren’t set up for display, except for an occasional special exhibit. The best we could see during the Homecoming were the racks of bikes, with explanations of some of it coming from helpful museum staff.

ROCKIN’ AND ROLLIN’

With my head spinning from all that, I ventured over into the new-bike showcase, mostly to see the new limited-edition CVO Road Glide and Street Glide. At around $50,000 per, they were impressive in more ways than one.

I would have loved to kick tires a bit more, but I had a headlight to fix, something I’d noticed earlier when I saw no reflection on the back of a car I was following. So before heading to Veterans Park (where the live music would soon be kicking off) I set up in the hotel’s back parking lot, which was a gathering spot for riders from

all over, and got to work. And that’s where I met a guy tearing his fairing apart to hook up a charging jack for his cell phone. His tool bag looked a lot like mine…an old quart-sized Ziplock, his patched with a strip of duct tape.

He was from Vancouver, British Columbia, and had been on the road for a month by the time we met, having ridden all the way down to

Florida. As he was heading north again he mentioned to somebody he was planning on going through Chicago.

“You know,” they told him, “Harley is celebrating its 120th in Milwaukee when you’ll be up near there.”

“Guess I’m going to Milwaukee, then,” he quipped.

After fixing my headlight I finally made my way to the Veterans Park venue, where the bigger concerts were to be held. When I arrived, there were hundreds of bikes already parked throughout the streets and the large grass areas.

When the gates opened folks flowed into the venue toward food concessions,

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The H-D museum (far left, above and below) is more than simply a collection of key pieces of Harley-Davidson history; it’s in many ways a shrine to motorcycling’s history. The wall-o’-tanks exhibit is a veritable time machine of its own.
THE BIG MUSICAL HEADLINERS WERE GREEN DAY, DAVE GROHL AND THE FOO FIGHTERS, JOAN JETT AND OTHERS, AND OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS I GOT PLENTY OF THAT LIVE-SHOW VIBE.

an H-D souvenir tent, a band merch tent, beer stands and a cigar bar. But mostly, people took their blankets to claim spots close to the stage for the music, even if the headliners wouldn’t be on for several hours.

The Nitro Circus freestyle folks were there, as were the Wall of Death and Ball of Steel exhibitions. The Wall of Death is a fan-favorite that recalls the old board track days, while the Ball of Steel had bikes running inside a caged globe, narrowly avoiding collisions with clockwork accuracy. Impressive.

The big musical headliners were Green Day, Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, Joan Jett and others, and over the next couple of days I got plenty of that live-show vibe. After my first day of that, I pulled my bike into the motel parking/social area…and ran into Juntak, along with some of

his club members. He started talking about the license plates in the lot from all over the country.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I even see some flags over there from a foreign country.”

“That’s my country!” Juntak said with a smile.

He rode from the East Coast with 20 other riders in the club, and along the way they’d met up with other members, some from the West Coast. “Look for us around the rally,” he said.

“You can’t miss us. We’re really loud.”

The shows — and heck, the entire four days, really — were just amazing, and while sorting everything out the morning I was to leave (most of my stuff had dried by then), I met a couple of well-inked guys who were packing up to head back home to the Nashville, Tenn., area. Will owned

a tattoo shop in Lebanon, Tenn. They were planning to be back home in one day…or maybe two. I liked their attitude. He promised me that if I was ever in Music City, I should come by the shop, and he’d always have a couch available overnight.

After finding my way through the beautiful blocks of old Milwaukee, I hopped on 94 South and rode out of

the city toward Illinois. In the end, it was reported that more than 130,000 people attended the celebration, with almost 75,000 motorcycles coming into the Milwaukee downtown area, which welcomed them with open arms.

THE LONG ROAD HOME

As that first hour or so of the ride home morphed from industrial landscapes to suburban areas to farmland, things settled down a bit, mentally and physically. And after the intensity of the Homecoming celebration, it was a welcome change.

Even the rain I encountered was just normal summer rain. As drops started

coming down, I checked the horizon to guess how long it’d take to outrun or sidestep the dark clouds and got through it in a few minutes.

After pulling out my camping gear at Sangchris Lake in Illinois, I headed south to Missouri, where rural advertising featured lots of farming equipment. But all that changed as I got close to St. Louis, and I wondered if my route would allow me a glimpse of the city’s famous Gateway Arch. Sure enough, Interstate 55 went right past it, and Busch Stadium, the home of the Cardinals, was almost close enough to touch as I flew by.

Without a phone mount on my bike, I developed a bit of a hillbilly navigation system. I’d get my info from my MapQuest app, scribble the directions on a slip of paper, and then tape it to the inside of my windshield.

It worked to help me find my old friend Jack, a superb comic illustrator who relocated to the St. Louis suburbs years ago. We talked about life over Guinness and the best burgers in town at a 100-year-old pub, which was a trip highlight for me because there aren’t any old pubs around L.A., pubs there, in general, being practically nonexistent.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 53
Harley’s brand might be solidly all-American, but its international appeal (left) is undeniable. Stacked bikes, some 500 or so (near left), in the “archive”…impressive. Nitro Circus put on a great show, too. Above: An early morning liftoff.

Another night, another campground, this one in St. Francois, Mo. The heat wave through the Midwest had me sleeping on top of the bag, not in it.

I entered Little Rock, Ark., by early afternoon, and I’m not sure if I’ve ever experienced humidity like I did that day. The Weather Channel indicated it was only 93 degrees Fahrenheit, but it felt like 123. I needed to distract my discomfort and did a quick Google search for barbecue joints… and found Sims BarB-Que, established in 1937. It may have had the original sign, because I passed it three times without finding it. But it was wonderful… brisket, links and sides. The charm of the place was that it was just a barbecue place, which had been doing that and that only for over 80 years without trying to make it charming.

A coffee afterward sounded perfect, but in the five minutes

it took to get to Starbucks, I-30 had stopped. After 20 minutes the situation hadn’t changed, so I checked Google Maps to see if there was a bypass route. There wasn’t, so I resorted to MapQuest to see my options, and this is where my backwoods navigation system broke down.

The route took me down smaller and smaller roads until I saw a sign warning “No Outlet.” I chose to believe MapQuest. The road turned to dirt. I was in the woods. But I believed MapQuest. The road split off. There had to be a bridge over the river up ahead. But the road was muddy and more suited for a Jeep.

I spied a wooden structure with a plastic tarp tacked to it. I began to hear the first few chords to Deliverance in my mind, and turned around and rode all the way back to the freeway. By then the cars were moving, and soon I was

cruising along again. Deliverance averted. But it made me wonder how MapQuest makes its maps. I’d wonder again in a couple of days.

HEADING WEST

I visited family and friends in the Dallas area on Day 12, then headed back up the long hot highway to Interstate 40 at Amarillo. Although several interesting little barbecue spots were scattered along the

The ride from Milwaukee to Los Angeles would follow much of Route 66 and I-40; it’s a common traveler’s route, for sure, but historically interesting nonetheless. Top: Long-time friends the Schmidts offered rest and conversation in the Dallas area.

54 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024

300-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 287, I was not deterred. The meal I’d looked forward to ever since I planned going through Amarillo, Texas, was at Tyler’s Barbecue, a few blocks south of the interstate.

There may be other contenders in town for the title of Amarillo’s Finest Q, but by the time I finished the day’s pulled pork, brisket, mac ’n’ cheese and beans, I knew I’d never learn about any of them.

After dinner I had another state line to cross, and another few hours of riding. Then I had to remember the

way to Santa Rosa State Park, which was yet another MapQuest story. The app showed two possible routes. I picked one. Wish I’d picked the other.

The first couple of miles were on old asphalt, but in a couple of miles it all turned to dirt. A truck drove by, and I waved…and the bearded driver looked the other way. “Hey, I just want to borrow your road,” I thought to myself.

After a few more miles I questioned if these dirt roads actually connected

somewhere, let alone via a route to the lake. MapQuest said they did, though a Google map said they didn’t…and since I didn’t feel like gambling any further, I turned around and got on Old Route 66 to find the other one.

The campsite I had reserved didn’t have my name on it. I dug out my confirmation from a saddlebag...

which was from before I’d modified my schedule, pre-trip. My mistake. But I’d remembered a sign a couple of miles back that pointed to “Primitive Camping,” which seemed alright since I was in a primitive mood and didn’t feel like being around others.

Clockwise from above: After weeks on the road, the Schmidt’s garage was a dry refuge. Camping in Arkansas the night before. Tyler’s BBQ in Amarillo, Texas; pretty hard to beat. MapQuest’s idea of the best road to take to Santa Rosa State Park was picturesque, but clearly not.

Those primitive sites were barely sites at all. But there was an outhouse and a drinking water pump, so I found a flat rock and pitched camp. I awoke at around 2 a.m. and, unable to get back to sleep, took a walk. The moon had set, and the heat of the day was still in the air. The Milky Way spanned the sky, and I saw a couple shooting stars, one so bright it reminded me of the fireworks I’d seen on the Fourth of July.

I realized that the experience I’d missed in the Badlands was revisiting me here in New Mexico.

On Day 14, I packed up at dawn and headed for Albuquerque, N.M., two hours west. I hadn’t tried every Huevos Rancheros plate there, but I’d tried a couple of the best-known, and I preferred Little Anita’s in the Old Town area.

A couple of years back I’d tried a contender, “El Camino Diner,” north

of the interstate, near the river. It was closed…at 9 a.m. on a Saturday. I looked inside and everything was perfectly set up. The sign said they opened two hours earlier. No note, no nothing.

The mystery was solved when I watched an episode of Better Call Saul a few months later. Saul used the iconic ’50s diner as his temporary office, and the real-life owners decided not to advertise the fact that

they’d leased the restaurant to the show’s producers. Okay. Forgiven.

“Don’t do this to the last days of your ride. You waited for this. Enjoy it. Enjoy everything.”

The voice was right. Besides, the humidity was behind me as I climbed into the Flagstaff, Ariz., area. Even with dark clouds threatening rain, I’d gladly take a change in weather.

There are several Route 66

Anita’s was amazing, and I ended breakfast with a sopapilla, which is puffy fried dough covered with honey. Then I headed off for the iconic Route 66 towns of New Mexico.

It was another hot day, and I was starting to think of how to blast through the last couple of days as quickly as possible, as if the whole thing was all work and no play. But then a voice came to me, and said,

museums along the Mother Road, but Williams, Ariz., seems to celebrate its spirit more than any other place along the way. Touristy? Yeah, but I’m not sure there’s a building on the main drag that was built after the ’50s, and most way before that.

There are actually two main drags, as Route 66 splits into two one-way streets a block from each other. In fact, cruising “the loop” seems to be an activity still popular right from scenes from American Graffiti

A lot gets written and spoken about Route 66, also known as the “Old Road,” or the “Mother Road,” as John Steinbeck christened it in The Grapes of Wrath, for its ability to provide some refuge — and opportunity — for those escaping the Great Depression. Above:

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 57
With my old friend — and comic illustrator — Jack Dickason.

Left page, clockwise from top left: Seligman, Ariz., is clearly proud of its historic Route 66 roots. Once home, I spied my trusty old boots in the garage, and immediately regretted leaving them there. A quickie rest stop on the Old Road.

Right page: Finally home! My funky plywood duffle support system worked well despite its rookie look; the tools helped, too.

I LIKE THAT IF I COULD SEE THE EARTH FROM SPACE, I COULD SAY I WENT FROM THAT EDGE OF THE CONTINENT TO THAT GREAT LAKE… AND BACK AGAIN. [IT ALL] SEEMS LIKE SOME KIND OF MIRACLE.

58 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024

The other claim to fame Williams is proud of is that it’s the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon.” Vintage trains shuttle visitors from all over the world on rails originally laid back in 1901.

The downtown area was bustling, but tonight I was there to get some early rest.

CLOSING IN

By 3:45 a.m. on my final day of the trek, I’d strapped everything down on the bike one last time and quietly rolled out of town. The desert along I-40 between Needles and Barstow, Calif., gets hot early in the summer; if something goes south on a vehicle, it’s a long, hot wait for help. So taking off early is a necessity.

The temperature was pushing 100 even at 6:30 a.m. Still, I was fortunate to cruise with high cloud cover between me and the sun.

Back before the days of Route 66, the stops along the Mother Road route started with the Santa Fe Railroad in the 1800s. And the stops, often too small to be called “towns,” were named in alphabetical order. From east to west, there was Amboy,

These days you’ll find only Essex, Cadiz, Ludlow, Newberry Springs and Dagger, but even those are only the remnants of some of the originals from the Old Road if one wants to explore the whole thing. But that won’t be me. Not in the summer. Not today.

A couple hours west of Needles, Barstow offers plenty of food and gas stops where travelers can cool off before heading south on I-15 into L.A. proper. And there’s always Victorville, Calif., a half hour further if you missed Barstow.

THE END OF THE ROAD

It’s always a rude welcome riding down the Cajon Pass just south of Victorville. The cars and trucks are traveling faster and more aggressively and pelting me with rocks and debris. As serenely as these trips start, they can end in tumultuous fashion.

Riding toward home, I thought about all the times I’d been one of those drivers in the cars I was now passing. I’d go by a guy all hunkered down on his bike and wonder, “Who is that guy? Where’s he going? What’s he thinking about?”

On this day I am that guy. It’s just me and the bike, the wind, the road, and, unfortunately, the traffic and debris.

But in my mind, it’s early morning on the day I left. Dark and mysterious, and quieter, too, without the traffic or the freeway detritus. I’m heading out, alone, for an adventure, and the unknown awaits.

Before I left, I wondered about this: People can’t believe people like us do this…us being folks like you and me, and this being long distance tours from one end of the country to the other — or at least to the middle of the U.S. and back

The thing is, I like who I am when I do this. I like that if I could see the Earth from space, I could say I went from that edge of the continent to that Great Lake to all the way down near that Gulf…and back again. All of that seems like some kind of miracle.

I like that if 300 miles are hard work in hell, then 50 beautiful miles can turn everything into heaven.

I think thoughts I’m not able to usually think. I hear lyrics on my stereo to a song I’ve known for 30 years, but finally hear more meaning.

Sure, when I get home, the experience is over. But it isn’t really gone; everything that happened is a wonderful part of me and who I am.

And I think about that question again: “Why do you do what you do?”

And this is why. This is why we do what we do. AMA

Harley-Davidson’s Homecoming events are annual now, and on July 25-28, 2024, the Motor Company will celebrate the legacy of Willie G. Davidson. Harley-Davidson.com.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 59
Bristol, Chambless, Danny, Essex, Fenner, Goffs, Homer, Ibis, Java, and Klinefelter.

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SANCTIONED COMING EVENTS

Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.

Trail Ride May 18 - 19. Collinsville. Blueberry Hill Poker Run / Night Ride, Stump Jumpers Motorcycle Club, 205337-2477, stumpjumpersmcclub@gmail.com

AMA ARIZONA

Road Ride/Run May 11. Scottsdale. Ride to the Rim, AZRATPack, 505-620-7119, board@azratpack.com, https://azratpack.com/events

Observed Trials May 19. Prescott. ALTO PIT, Central Arizona Trials Inc, https://www.centralarizonatrials.org/

AMA ARKANSAS

Road Ride/Run May 19. Greenbrier. Horseshoe Mountain Rendevous, Concours Owners Group, 979-320-7516, diamondj304@msn.com

AMA CALIFORNIA

Road Ride/Run May 2 - 4. Moorpark. 8th Annual Why

We Ride to The Quail, MOTOvational, Inc., 805-5315067, bc@whyweride.com, https://www.facebook.com/ events/819598726600519/

Desert Scrambles May 4. Red Mountain. Badgers Dual European Scramble Race #1, Badgers Motorcycle Club

Desert Scrambles May 4. Red Mountain. Badgers Dual European Scramble Race #2, Badgers Motorcycle Club

Dual Sport May 4. Ventucopa. CCMA Leapin Lizard 100, Central Coast Trail Riders Association, 805-440-7830, hadleyosran@gmail.com, www.pozpriders.com

Motocross May 5. Rancho Cordova. Road to Mammoth Round 5, 2X Promotions LLC, 559-500-5360, www.2xpromotions.com

Motocross May 12. Pala Road to Mammoth Round 6 LCQ, 2X Promotions LLC, 559-500-5360, www.2xpromotions.com

Off-Road/Trail Riding School May 18. San Jose. FirstRides Kids Beginner Class, First Rides, 408-226-5223, parkinfo@prk.sccgov.org, https://parks.sccgov.org/santaclara-county-parks/metcalf-motorcycle-county-park

Dual Sport May 18. Nevada City. 2024 NCWR Dual Sport, Nevada County Woods Riders, Inc., President@ woodsriders.org, www.woodsriders.org

Dual Sport May 18 - 19. Stonyford. Sheetiron 300 Dualsport, Oakland Motorcycle Club, 510-534-6222, snyderbt@comcast.net, oaklandmc.org/sheetiron-300

Enduro May 18. Ridgecrest. Viewfinder Sprint Enduro, Viewfinders MC Inc., 661-433-6643, deannamjv2@aol.net

Enduro May 19. Omo Ranch. 49er Sprint Enduro, Polka Dots Motorcycle Club, 916-701-7687, tustinmbc@ concast.net, https://ama-d36.org/

Motocross May 24. Pala. Fox National Amateur Day, 2X Promotions LLC, 559-500-5360, www.2xpromotions.com

Motocross May 30 - 31. Rancho Cordova. Hangtown Motocross Classic, Dirt Diggers North M.C. Inc, info@ hangtownmx.com, hangtownmx.com

AMA COLORADO

Road Race May 6 - 7. Deer Trail. Motorcycle RoadRacing Association (MRA), Motorcycle Roadracing Association, 970-215-6040, trackmanager@highplainsraceway.com, www.highplainsraceway.com

Motocross May 11. Brighton. Supercross at Adams County Fairgrounds, Twisted Grip Productions LLC, twistedgrippro@gmail.com

Observed Trials May 18 - 19. Cotopaxi. RMTA Series Event #3 & 4, Rocky Mountain Trials Association, rockymountaintrials.org

Motocross May 26 - 27. Brush. RMRA - AMA Plate Series, Cactus Promotions LLC, 970-768-0518, sweneymx@gmail.com, brushmx.com

AMA CONNECTICUT

Adventure Ride May 18 - 19. Colebrook. Berkshire Big Adventure, Berkshire Trail Riders Association, 203725-8439, djboiano@gmail.com, https://mudslinger.org/ bba-2024

Dual Sport May 19. Colebrook. Berkshire Big Adventure Dual Sport, Berkshire Trail Riders Association, 203725-8439, djboiano@gmail.com, https://mudslinger.org/ bba-2024

Road Race May 20. Thompson. United States Classic Racing Association Roadrace, United States Classic Racing Association, 603-321-7271, raceuscra@yahoo.com

AMA DELAWARE

Flat Track - Short Track May 25. New Castle. Racers Helping Racers, Heart and Soul Racing

AMA FLORIDA

Hare Scrambles/Cross Country May 11 - 12. Lake Butler. Fox Squirrel Hare Scramble, BSTR, Inc., 352-3395644, allen.pearce17@gmail.com

Observed Trials May 18. Center Hill. Round #6 Florida Trials Association, Don Buckner Promise Ranch Trials, 717-398-4314, 7mdw27@gmail.com, www.floridatrialsassociation.com

AMA GEORGIA

Motocross May 4. Union Point. Durhamtown MX Series, Durhamtown Off Road Park, 706-486-0091, robin@ durhamtown.com, www.durhamtown.com

Motocross May 4. Dalton. SE Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, LRMX, Inc., 706-278-2868, teamsyd@aol.com, lazyrivermx.com

Road Race May 4 - 5. Bloomingdale. 2024 WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc., https://www.wera.com/

Motocross May 5. Dalton. SE Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, LRMX, Inc., 706-278-2868, teamsyd@aol.com, lazyrivermx.com

Road Race May 24 - 26. Braselton. 2024 WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc., https://www.wera.com/

AMA IDAHO

Motocross May 4 - 5. Kunda. NW Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Skyline MX Park and Event Center, 208-4078006, skylineparkidaho@gmail.com, www.skylineparkidaho.com

Road Ride/Run May 18. Kamiah. Annual Bun Cooler, Concours Owners Group, 979-320-7516, jimsher70@ gmail.com

AMA ILLINOIS

Road Rally May 2 - 4. Crystal Lake. Midwest Women Riders GYGO 2024, Midwest Women Riders NRP, 815566-9192, mwriders@aol.com, https://midwestwomenriders.com/events

Observed Trials May 4. Lorain. Lorain Trials Event Day 1, NITRO-Northern Illinois Trials Riders Organization, 815-703-6555, warrenlange@yahoo.com, www.nitrotrials. com

Observed Trials May 5. Loran. Lorain Trials Event Day 2, NITRO-Northern Illinois Trials Riders Organization, 815703-6555, warrenlange@yahoo.com, www.nitrotrials.com Trail Ride May 5. Ottawa. Egg Hunt, Variety Riders Motorcycle Club Inc, 815-434-3669, varietyriders@yahoo. com, varietyriders.com

Motocross May 11 - 12. Casey. Thor Showdown Series, Lincoln Trail Motosports, 217-932-2041, info@ridelincolntrail.com, ridelincolntrail.com

Motocross May 11. Mendota. Megacross Shootout

Series, Moto Pro Inc., 815-539-9021, wardy@mtco.com, megacross.com

Motocross May 18. Walnut. Race-X Vet Race, 4P Promotions, Inc., 815-379-9534, jan@sunsetridgemx.com, www.sunsetridgemx.com

Motocross May 18 - 19. DuQuoin. NC Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Indian Hills MX LLC, 618-571-0348, indianhillsmx55@gmail.com

Grand Prix May 18. Wedron. Fox Valley Off Road Series, Moto Pro Inc., 815-884-9361, megatraxs.com

Hare Scrambles/Cross Country May 19. Wedron. Fox Valley Off Road Series, Moto Pro Inc., 815-884-9361, megatraxs.com

Flat Track - TT May 25. Neoga. Classic 75 TT, Central Illinois M/C, 217-246-7154, hopper54p@yahoo.com

Flat Track - Short Track May 25. Neoga. Classic 75 ST, Central Illinois M/C, 217-246-7154, hopper54p@yahoo. com

Motocross May 25. Mendota. Megacross Shootout Series, Moto Pro Inc., 815-539-9021, wardy@mtco.com, megacross.com

Flat Track - TT May 26. Neoga. Classic 75 TT, Central Illinois M/C, 217-246-7154, hopper54p@yahoo.com

Motocross May 26 - 27. Casey. The Abe w/ Motoplayground, Lincoln Trail Motosports, 217-932-2041, info@ ridelincolntrail.com, ridelincolntrail.com

Flat Track - TT May 27. Neoga. Classic 75 TT, Central Illinois M/C, 217-246-7154, hopper54p@yahoo.com

AMA INDIANA

Motocross May 4 - 5. Crawfordsville. ATVMX National Championship, MX Sports, Inc., 304-248-0084, info@ atvmotocross.com, www.atvmotocross.com

Hillclimb May 19. Middlebury. Spring Hill Climb, Goshen Iron Horsemen, 574-825-3399, jdcole15@yahoo.com, Facebook.com/Goshen Ironhorsemen

Road Ride/Run May 19. Columbia City. Safe Place

Charity Event, Old Fort Motorcycle Club, 260-504-6388, francerichard@netscape.net

Hare Scrambles/Cross Country May 26. Columbus. Stoney Series Race #1, Stoney Lonesome Motorcycle Club, 812-350-5732, StoneyLonesomeMC.com

AMA IOWA

Motocross May 5. Shell Rock. New Hartford Racing MX, New Hartford Racing Association, Inc., 319-885-6469, newhartfordracing@gmail.com, newhartfordracing.com

Family Enduro May 11. Fremont. Fremont Family Fun Day, Turkey Scratch Enduro Riders, 641-660-1326, lokaloosafirechief@gmail.com, https://iera22.com/

Enduro May 12. Fremont. Skunk River Enduro, Turkey Scratch Enduro Riders, 641-660-1326

Motocross May 25. Lynnville. Iowa Moto Series - Round 3 - Double Points Sully MX, DPMX Tracks & Training, 515-422-2015, dpmxtandt@gmail.com, https://www. facebook.com/sullymxiowa

AMA KANSAS

Drag Race - Asphalt May 4. Girard. ABATE of Kansas District 3 Rally and Races, ABATE of Kansas, 913-7049233, harleytower@aol.com, abateks.org

Grand Prix May 26. Florence. Florence Kansas Grand Prix, Flint Hills Bent Rims MC, 620-382-6759, bruce@ fhbr.com, flinthillsbentrims.com

AMA KENTUCKY

Motocross May 18 - 19. Leitchfield. ME Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, NXT LVL Sports LLC South Fork Motoplex, 270-230-2005, nxtlvlsports@yahoo.com

62 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024

AMA MARYLAND

Adventure Ride May 5. Little Orleans. Wild Bill Memorial Ride 2024, Western Maryland Motorcycle Association, 443-605-2938, westernmarylandmotorcycles@gmail.com

AMA MICHIGAN

Trail Ride May 4. Vermontville. Vermontville, Vintage,Fun Observed Trials, Michigan Ontario Trials Association, 574386-4061, mont@jeffersondentalcenter.com, motatrials. com

Motocross May 4 - 5. Stanton. ME Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Valley Motocross, 517-881-8756, nightowlsrevenge@gmail.com, valleymotocross.com

Road Race May 4 - 5. Belding. 2024 WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc., https:// www.wera.com/

Motocross May 12. Millington. D14 Motocross, Bulldog Riders Motorcycle Club, Inc., 810-919-9821, bulldogs_ mc@yahoo.com, bulldogsmx.com

Family Enduro May 18. Lake City. Knotty Pine, Lansing Motorcycle Club, barclays@michigan.gov, LansingMotorcycleClub.org

Motocross May 18 - 19. Midland. D14 Motocross, Polka Dots M/C, 989-832-8284, correycolthorp@yahoo.com, polkadotsmc.net

Motocross May 18. Buchanan. Redbud MX, RedBud Recreation, Inc., 269-695-6405, info@redbudmx.com, www.redbudmx.com

Motocross May 19. Buchanan. Redbud MX, RedBud Recreation, Inc., 269-695-6405, info@redbudmx.com, www.redbudmx.com

Flat Track - TT May 31. Deford. TT Scrambles, Lucky Thumb Motorcycle Club, Inc., 810-710-7778, luckythumbsignup@gmail.com, www.luckythumbmotorcycleclub.com

Motocross May 31 - June 2. Buchanan. Mid-East Amateur Regional, RedBud Recreation, Inc., 269-695-6405, info@redbudmx.com, www.redbudmx.com

AMA MINNESOTA

Observed Trials May 4. Lake Crystal. UMTA 2024 Events, Upper Midwest Trials Association, 651-261-5977, bobbywarner@gmail.com, umta.org

Motocross May 5. Millville. FXR Super Series Rd 2 sponsored by HotKote, Hi-Winders, 507-753-2779, springcreekmxoffice@gmail.com, www.springcreekmotocross.com

Observed Trials May 5. Lake Crystal. UMTA 2024 Events, Upper Midwest Trials Association, 651-261-5977, bobbywarner@gmail.com, umta.org

Motocross May 11 - 12. Little Falls. NC Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, MotoCity Raceway & Recreation, Inc., 218-894-2826, motocity-RNR@hotmail.com

Hare Scrambles/Cross Country May 12. Millville. D23 Larson’s Cycle/KTM/Spring Creek Hare Scramble, Hi-Winders, 507-753-2779, springcreekmxoffice@gmail. com, www.springcreekmotocross.com

Flat Track - Short Track May 18. New Ulm. Flat Track Race, Flying Dutchmen Cycle Club, 507-388-1671, dutchman65.as@gmail.com, flyingdutchmenmotorcycleclub. com

Motocross May 18. Little Falls. District 23 ATV, MotoCity Raceway & Recreation, Inc., 218-894-2826, motocityRNR@hotmail.com, motocityraceway.com

Motocross May 19. Brook Park. Berm Benders Raceway Gold Cup Series, Berm Benders Incorporated, 320279-2238, bermbendersraceway@outlook.com, www. bermbendersraceway.com

Flat Track - Short Track May 19. New Ulm. Flat Track Race, Flying Dutchmen Cycle Club, 507-388-1671, dutchman65.as@gmail.com, flyingdutchmenmotorcycleclub. com

Motocross May 19. Mankato. Kato Cycle MX, Kato Cycle Club, 507-381-1951, katocycleclub@gmail.com, katocycleclub.com

Motocross May 19. Little Falls. District 23 ATV, MotoCity Raceway & Recreation, Inc., 218-894-2826, motocityRNR@hotmail.com, motocityraceway.com

Motocross May 26. Millville. FXR Super Series Rd 3 Donny Schmit Memorial sponsored by ProKart Indoors & Meehan’s Juice Plus, Hi-Winders, 507-753-2779, springcreekmxoffice@gmail.com, www.springcreekmx.com

Motocross May 27. Millville. FTX Super Series Rd 4 sponsored by Hotkote, Hi-Winders, 507-753-2779, springcreekmxoffice@gmail.com, www.springcreekmotocross.com

AMA MISSOURI

Dual Sport May 18 - 19. Bixby. Show Me 200 National Dual Sport, Midwest Trail Riders Association, 314-4096936, sktmcr@att.net, ridemtra.com

Adventure Ride May 18 - 19. Bixby. Show Me 500 National Adventure Ride, Midwest Trail Riders Association, 314-409-6936, sktmcr@att.net, Ridemtra.com

AMA MISSISSIPPI

Trail Ride May 18. Water Valley. Talbot House Charity Buddy Race, Miller Motorsports LLC, 662-603-3045

AMA MONTANA

Motocross May 11 - 12. Shepherd. NW Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Dream Chasers Racing, 406-598-3943, dreamchasersracing@gmail.com, dreamchasersmt.com

AMA NEW HAMPSHIRE

Motocross May 25 - 26.Winchester. New Hampshire State Championship, WSP Racing LLC, dba Winchester Speedpark, 978-877-6526, info@winchesterspeedpark. com

AMA NEW JERSEY

Hare Scrambles/Cross Country May 4 - 5. Millville. Ormond Farms Hare Scramble, Competition Dirt Riders, davebostrom@comcast.net, http://eceacompetitiondirtriders.com

Road Ride/Run May 4. Rochelle Park. International Female Ride Day-East Coast Rally, Garden State Girls

READY FOR THE ALPS?

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 63 Discounted tickets on sale now for AMA Members Visit VintageMotorcycleDays.com/tickets!
www.edelweissbike.com SCAN ME JOIN THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY ALPS CHALLENGE PART 3: 15.07. - 23.07.2024 | 26.08. - 03.09.2024

SANCTIONED COMING EVENTS

Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.

NJ, 973-922-3377, gardenstategirlsNJ@gmail.com, www. gardenstategirlsnj.com

Adventure (600cc and above) School May 4 - 5. Millville. Dirt 101 May 4-5, 2024, Pine Barrens Adventure Camp LLC, 856-297-1981, pinebaronsenduro@yahoo. com, https://www.pinebarrensadventures.com/

Motocross May 5. Millville. D2 / D6 Shootout, Field of Dreams MX, LLC, www.njmpfod.com

Motocross May 11. Englishtown. Raceway Park Saturday Night Lites, Raceway Park, 732-446-7800, racewaypark1965@gmail.com, www.Etownracewaypark.com

Motocross May 12. Englishtown. Raceway Park / D2 MX Points Series & AMA ProAm, Raceway Park, 732-4467800, racewaypark1965@gmail.com, www.Etownracewaypark.com

Adventure (600cc and above) School May 18 - 19. Port Elizabeth. Dirt 102 May 18-29, 2024, Pine Barrens Adventure Camp LLC, 856-297-1981, pinebaronsenduro@ yahoo.com, https://www.pinebarrensadventures.com/

Hare Scrambles/Cross Country May 18 - 19. West Creek. Stump Jumper Harescramble/ECEA Harescramble Series, Motorcycle Competition Incorporated, 732-3316348, rideMCI.info@gmail.com, www.ride-mci.com

Road Ride/Run May 18 - 19. Medford. New Sweden 450, New Sweden BMW Riders, Inc., 609-221-3329, Itarapilli@comcast.net, 450.nsbmwr.com

AMA NEW MEXICO

Road Race May 3 - 5. Deming. ASMA Roadracing, Arroyo Seco Motorcyclist Association, 575-494-4794, roger@ asmaracing.com, asmaracing.com

Motocross May 19. Moriarty. SW Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, J-Land MX, LLC, 505-306-7269, moriartymx@ yahoo.com

AMA NEW YORK

Motocross May 4 - 5. Wallkill. NE Loretta Lynn’s Area Qualifier, Walden MX, 845-851-6030, waldenplayboysmx@gmail.com, mxwalden.com

Motocross May 5. Middletown. Orange County Fair Motocross Pro-Am Showdown, Metropolitan Sports Committee, 845-342-2573, kreed@ocfsracing.com, www. mscmotocross.com

Motocross May 11 - 12. Carlisle. NE Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Metropolitan Sports Committee, 845-554-8717, info@diamondback-motocross.com, www.diamondbackmotocross.com

Trail Ride May 17 - 19. Hancock. Family Fun Ride, Bear Creek Sportsmen, 908-334-1637, bearcreeksportsmen@ yahoo.com, www.bearcreeksportsmen.com

Observed Trials May 19. Beaver Dams. D4 Observed Trials, District 4 Trials Committee, 607-742-6648, difasi@ gmail.com, d4mototrials.weebly.com

Motocross May 19. Greig. High Voltage Hills MX, High Voltage Hills MX, 315-725-0368, nzielinski74@gmail.com, highvoltagehillsmx.com

Road Rally May 29 - June 1. Lake George. Americade, Americade, 518-798-7888, kim@americade.com, www. americade.com

AMA NORTH CAROLINA

Motocross May 5. Statesville. NCMX, Farm 40 MX, LLC, 704-880-3301, farm40mx@gmail.com

Motocross May 24 - 26. Henderson. Southeast Youth Regional, Krusty Riders Association, Inc., 252-7676671,ncmp@ncmp.net, www.ncmp.net

AMA OHIO

Motocross May 11 - 12. Nashport. ME Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Briarcliff Motocross, LLC, 740-763-2047, josborn@briarcliffmx.com

Hare Scrambles/Cross Country May 11 - 12. St. Clairsville. Powerline Park - GNCC Series Rnd 7, Racer Productions, Inc., 304-284-0084, info@gnccracing.com, www.gnccracing.com

Observed Trials May 18. Tippecanoe. Trials Inc, Trials Inc, trav99ss@gmail.com, www.trialsinc.org

Observed Trials May 19. Tippecanoe. Trials Inc, Trials Inc, trav99ss@gmail.com, www.trialsinc.org

AMA OKLAHOMA

Motocross May 4 - 5. Wellston. SC Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Reynard Raceway, 405-793-1049, reynardraceway@gmail.com

AMA OREGON

Trail Ride May 4. Bend. Joker Poker Run, Central Oregon Motorcycle & ATV Club, 541-408-1304, dobhigh@ bendbroadband.com

Road Enduro/Reliability Run May 11. Tigard. Rose City Oregon 500, Rose City Motorcycle Club, 503-8603658, rskyba@hotmail.com, rosecitymotorcycleclub.org

Trail Ride May 16 - 19. Jacksonville. The Main Event, Dirtastic, LLC, 503-781-7777, Braap@dirtastic.com, https://www.dirtastic.com/themainevent24

AMA PENNSYLVANIA

Motocross May 4 - 5. Seward. NE Loretta Lynn Qualifier, Pleasure Valley Raceway, 814-317-6686, jeffcernic@gmail.com, pvrmx.com

Flat Track - Short Track May 4. York Haven. District 6 ST, Shippensburg MC, 717-503-8030, Candybaer@ comcast.net, Baermotorsports.com

Flat Track - Short Track May 5. York Haven. Vintage National, Shippensburg MC, 717-503-8030, Candybaer@comcast.net, Baermotorsports.com

Motocross May 11. Quarryville. Elite East Coast Supercross Race, Shippensburg MC, 717-669-3968, zane@ buckmotorsports.com, www.buckmotorsports.com

Motocross May 12. Shippensburg. Doublin GapMDRA, Doublin Gap Motocross, Inc., 717-571-5824, doublingap@gmail.com, doublingap.com

Flat Track - TT May 12. Parkesburg. Mothers Day Race, E PA Piston Poppers MC Inc, 610-656-0315, pistonpoppers@hotmail.com, www.pistonpoppersmc.com

Motogiro May 17 - 18. Tannersville. MOTOGIRO USA, United States Classic Racing Association, raceusa@ yahoo.com

Motocross May 18 - 19. Seward. Dylan Slusser Memorial ProAm, Pleasure Valley Raceway, 814-317-6686, jeffcernic@gmail.com, pvrmx.com

Motocross May 18 - 19. Mt Morris. ATVMX National Championship, Racer Productions, Inc., 304-284-0084, info@atvmotocross.com, www.atvmotocross.com

Motocross May 25 - 26. Mt Morris. Northeast Amateur Regional, Racer Productions, Inc., 304-284-0084, info@ racerproductions.com, www.highpointmx.com

Extreme Off-Road May 25 - 26. Tamaqua. Tough Like RORR/US Hard Enduro Series, Reading Off Road Riders, 844-440-7677, jim.grafius@gmail.com, www. rorr.com

Extreme Off-Road May 25 - 26. Tamaqua. Tough Like RORR/US Hard Enduro Series, Reading Off Road Riders, 844-440-7677, jim.grafius@gmail.com, www. rorr.com

AMA TENNESSEE

Motocross May 19. Blountville. Thor Mega Series, Victory Sports Inc, 423-323-5497, jane@victory-sports. com, victory-sports.com

Motocross May 25. Altamont. Dirty South Motocross Tour, Fast Farms MX Park, 931-409-4453, fast-

farmsmx@yahoo.com, fastfarmsmxpark.com

AMA TEXAS

Motocross May 31 - June 2. Alvord. South Central Youth Regional, MX Racer, LLC dba Oak Hill Raceway, 940577-2225, admin@oakhillmx.net, www.oakhillmx.com

AMA UTAH

Hare and Hound May 4. Jericho. Firebirds Hare & Hound, Firebirds MC, 801-550-5758, tony.atherley@ riotinto.com, www.raceumora.com

Motocross May 11. Salt Lake City. Supercross Futures AMA National Championship, Feld Motorsports, 309-3144879, sxfinfo@feldinc.com, www.supercrossfutures.com

AMA VIRGINIA

Motocross May 11. Sutherlin. District 13 SX, Birch Creek Promotions LLC, 434-253-0505, birchcreekmx@gmail. com, birchcreekmotorsportspark.com

Motocross May 12. Sutherli. District 13 MX & NCMX MX, Birch Creek Promotions LLC, 434-253-0505, birchcreekmx@gmail.com, birchcreekmotorsportspark.com

Road Ride/Run May 18. Springfield. First Annual Fundraiser Ride, Baggers For Mental Health, 703-987-8981, baggersformentalhealth@gmail.com, www.baggersformentalhealth.com

AMA WASHINGTON

Trail Ride May 17 - 18. Waitsburg. Sunset Cruise and Karen’s Ride, Waitsburg Celebration Days Association, 701-269-1133, waitsburgcd@gmail.com, www. waitsburgcd.com

Motocross May 25 - 26. Washougal. Northwest Youth/ Amateur Regional, Washougal MX Park, LLC, 360-6015347, rh112@washougalmxpk.com, washougalmxpk.com

AMA WEST VIRGINIA

Motocross May 19. Hedgesville. D2 & Capitol Cup, Tomahawk MX, LLC, info@tomahawkmx.com, www. tomahawkmx.com

Motocross May 31 - June 2. Hedgesville. Northeast Youth Regional, Tomahawk MX, LLC, 304-582-8185, tomahawkmotocross@gmail.com, www.tomahawkmx.com

AMA WISCONSIN

Motocross May 4 - 5. Tigerton. NC Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier, Fantasy Moto LLC, 920-419-2863, scottyb@ fantasymoto.com

Grand Prix May 11. Hillpoint. Sugar Maple MX, Sugar Maple MX Park LLC, 608-425-8643, sugarmaplemxpark@gmail.com, www.sugarmaplemx.com

Motocross May 12. Lake Mills. Aztalan MX Race, Aztalan Cycle Club, Inc., 608-728-4305, www.aztalanmx.com

Flat Track - Short Track May 18. Burnett. District 16 ST, Beaver Cycle Club, Inc., 920-319-6889, Facebook/Beaver Cycle Club

Hare Scrambles/Cross Country May 18. Adams. Logs in the Bogs 3.0, EWB Offroad, 608-574-5408, ewboffroad@ gmail.com, www.ewboffroad.com

Observed Trials May 18. Wauzeka. Wauzeka Moto Trials, Wisconsin Observed Trials Association, 608-3793045, trialswisconsin@gmail.com, wisconsintrials.org

Observed Trials May 19. Wauzeka. Wauzeka Moto Trials, Wisconsin Observed Trials Association, 608-3793045, trialswisconsin@gmail.com, wisconsintrials.org

Flat Track - Short Track May 31. Plymouth. Dairyland Classic, Southeastern Short Trackers, LTD, 262-339-7430, bertsumner@hotmail.com, www.dairylandclassic.com

SUPERCROSS

2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship supercrosslive.com

Round 16: May 4. Denver, Colo. Empower Field at Mile High

64 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024

Round 17: May 11. Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium

Supercross Futures AMA National Championship

May 11. Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium

MOTOCROSS

Pro Motocross Championship Series promotocross.com

Round 1: May 25. Pala, Calif. Fox Raceway

Round 2: Jun 1. Sacramento, Calif. Prairie City OHV Park

Round 3: Jun 8. Lakewood, Colo. Thunder Valley Motocross Park

Round 4: Jun 15. Mount Morris, Pa. High Point Raceway

Round 5: Jun 29. Southwick, Mass. The Wick 338

Round 6: Jul 6. Buchanan, Mich. RedBud MX

Round 7: Jul 13. Millville, Minn. Spring Creek MX Park

Round 8: Jul 20. Washougal, Wash. Washougal MX Park

Round 9: Aug 10. New Berlin, N.Y. Unadilla MX

Round 10: Aug 17. Mechanicsville, Md. Budds Creek Raceway

Round 11: Aug 24. Crawfordsville, Ind. Ironman Raceway

SUPERMOTOCROSS

2024 SuperMotocross Championship supermotocross.com

Sept. 7. Concord, N.C. zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Sept. 14. Fort Worth, Texas. Texas Motor Speedway

Sept. 21. Las Vegas, N.V. The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series atvmotocross.com

Round 4: May 4-5. Crawfordsville, In. Ironman Raceway.

Round 5: May 18-19. Mount Morris, Pa. High Point Raceway.

Round 6: June 8-9. Mechanicsville, Md. Budds Creek Raceway.

Round 7: June 22-23. Walnut, Ill. Sunset Ridge MX.

Round 8: July 6-7. Seward, Pa. Pleasure Valley Raceway.

Round 9: July 27-28. Nashport, Ohio. Briarcliff MX.

Round 10: Aug. 10-11. Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Loretta Lynn Ranch

Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship

July 29-Aug 3. Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

North-East Area Qualifiers

May 4-5. Pleasure Valley Raceway. Seward, Pa.

May 11-12. Diamond Back MX. Carlisle, N.Y.

May 18-19. Walden Motocross. Wallkill, N.Y.

North-East Regionals

May 24-26. High Point Raceway – Amateur Regional. Mount Morris, Pa.

May 31-June 2. Tomahawk MX – Youth Regional. Hedgesville, W.Va.

South-East Area Qualifiers

May 4-5. Lazy River MX. Dalton, Ga.

South-East Regionals

May 24-26. North Carolina Motorsports Park – Youth Regional. Henderson, N.C.

June 7-9. Echeconnee MX – Amateur Regional. Lizella, Ga.

Mid-East Area Qualifier

May 4-5. Valley MX. Stanton, Mich.

May 11-12. Briarcliff MX. Nashport, Ohio

May 18-19. South Fork. Leitchfield, Ky.

Mid-East Regionals

May 31-June 2. RedBud MX – Amateur Regional. Buchanan, Mich.

June 14-16. ChilliTown MX – Youth Regional. Chillicothe, Ohio

North-Central Area Qualifiers

May 4-5. Tigerton MX. Tigerton, Wisc.

May 11-12. Little Falls Raceway. Little Falls, Minn.

May 18-19. Indian Hills MX Park. DuQuoin, Ill.

North-Central Regionals

June 7-9. Bar 2 Bar MX – Youth Regional. Maize, Kans.

June 14-16. Sunset Ridge MX – Amateur Regional. Walnut, IL

South-Central Area Qualifiers

April 6-7. 3 Palms Action Sports Park. Conroe, Texas

April 6-7. Sweney Cycle Ranch. Brush, Colo.

April 13-14. Freestone Raceway. Wortham, Texas

May 4-5. Reynard Raceway. Wellston, Okla.

South-Central Regionals

COMING EVENTS

Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.

May 31- June 2. Oak Hill Raceway – Youth Regional. Alvord, Tex.

June 21-23. Thunder Valley Motocross Park – Amateur Regional. Lakewood, Colo.

North-West Area Qualifiers

May 4-5. Skyline MX Park. Kuna, Ind.

May 11-12. Dream Chasers. Shepherd, Mont.

North-West Regional

May 23-26. Washougal MX Park – Youth/Amateur Regional. Washougal, Wash.

Mid-West Regional

June 7-9. Prairie City OHV – Ywouth/Amateur Regional. Rancho Cordova, Calif.

South-West Area Qualifiers

May 18-19. Moriarty MX. Moriarty, N.Mex.

South-West Regional

May 31- June 2. Fox Raceway – Youth/Amateur Regional. Pala, Calif.

MAJOR EVENTS

Mammoth Motocross

June 14-23. Mammoth Mountain. Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (559) 500-5360. 2xpromotions.com

PRO-AM EVENTS

SE Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier: May 4-5. LRMX. Dalton, Ga.

Orange County Fair Motocross Pro-Am Showdown: May 5. Orange County Fair MX. Middleton, N.Y.

Raceway Park / D2 MX Points Series & ProAm: May 12. Raceway Park. Englishtown, N.J.

Dylan Slusser Memorial Pro Am: May 18-19. Pleasure Valley Raceway. Seward, Penn. (814) 317-6686. pvrmx. com

Oak Ridge MX ProAm: June 2. Oak Ridge MX. Garwin, Iowa.

Mid Minnesota Challenge: June 9. BCMX. Cambridge, Minn.

MAMA MX Series: June 29-30. Promised Land. Oldtown, Md. (443) 669-3007. mamamx.com

RedBud Amateur Day: July 7. RedBud MX. Buchanan, Mich. (269) 695-6405. redbudmx.com

Aztalan Cycle Club Pro-Am: July 14. Aztalan Cycle Club. Lake Mills, Wis. aztalanmx.com

AMA Tennessee State Championship/Mega Series: July 13-14. Muddy Creek Raceway. Blountville, Tenn. (423) 323-5497. victory-sports.com

X-Mas ProAm: July 20-21. X-Mas Motorsports Park. Christmas, Mich.

Megacross Shootout Series: Sept. 28. Megacross. Mendota, Ill.

AMA Georgia State Championship **Double Points**: Sept. 29. Lazy River MX. Dalton, Ga.

District 17 Motocross Series: Sept. 29. Sunset Ridge MX. Walnut, Ill. (815) 379-9534. sunsetridgemx.com

48th Annual GNC International Finals: Oct. 11-13. Oak Hill Raceway. Alvord, Texas. (940) 577-2225. oakhillmx. com

Pagoda MC Big Bucks ProAm: Oct. 13. Pagoda MC. Birdsboro, Pa.

D6 Henrietta Series: Oct. 20. Dutchmen MX. Pine Grove, Pa.

Walden MX Annual Halloween Bash: Oct 26-27. Walden MX. Wallkill, N.Y.

Tony Miller Memorial Race: Oct. 26-27. Freestone County Raceway LLC. Wortham, Texas. (713) 962-3386. freestonemx.com

AMA South Carolina State Championship/Mega Series: Nov. 9-10. South of the Border MX. Hamer, S.C. (423) 3235497. victory-sports.com

Come and Take It – 4th Annual: Nov. 10. Irondog MX. New Ulm, Texas. (979) 992-3161. irondogmx.com

Annual USA MX Championship: Nov 22- Dec 1. Cycle Ranch Events. Floresville, Texas. (323) 484-6686. www. cycleranchmx.com

Underground Fall Classic: Dec. 6-8. Kemp, Texas. Underground MX Park. (903) 498-4659. www.ugmxpark. com

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Raceway Park / D2 MX Points Series & AMA ProAm: May 12. Raceway Park. Englishtown, N.J.

AMA Tennessee State Championship: July 13-14. Muddy Creek Raceway. Blountville, Tenn.

New Hampshire State Championship: May 25-26.

66 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024

Winchester Speedpark. Winchester, N.H.

D14 Motocross: July 13-14. Polka Dots MC. Midland, Mich.

AMA New Jersey State Championship: Aug 18. Raceway Park. Englishtown, N.J.

AMA Pennsylvania State Championship: Aug. 25. Doublin Gap Motocross. Shippensburg, Penn. (717) 2496036. doublingap.com

Virginia State Championship D13 SX: Aug. 31. Birch Creek. Lynchburg, Va.

Virginia State Championship MX: Sep. 1. Birch Creek. Lynchburg, Va.

AMA Kentucky State Championship: Sept. 8. Nxt Lvl Sports LLC South Fork Motoplex. Leitchfield, Ky. southforkmotoplex.com

Redbud MX: Sep 8. Redbud MX. Buchanan, Mich.

AMA Maryland State Championship: Sep 15. Budds Creek MX. Mechanicsville, Md.

AMA Nebraska State Championship Race: Sept. 15. Lincoln Sports Foundation MX Track. Lincoln, Ne. lsfmxtrack.com

AMA Michigan State Championship Series: Sept. 15. Portland Trail Riders. Portland, Mich. portlandtrailriders. com

AMA Kansas State Championship: Sept. 21-22. Bar 2 Bar MX Park. Maize, Kansas. bar2barmx.com

Illinois State Championship: Sep. 21-22. Lincoln Trail Motorsports. Casey, Il.

Georgia State Championship: Sep. 29. LRMX. Dalton, Ga.

Civil War “WV State Championship”: Oct 19-20. Tomahawk MX. Hedgesville, W.V.

AMA Pennsylvania State Championship: Oct. 27. Shippensburg, Penn. (717) 249-6036. doublingap.com

AMA South Carolina State Championship: Nov 9-10. SOBMX. Hamer, S.C.

AMA California State Championship Series, 2xpromotions.com

Road to Mammoth Round 5: May 5. Prairie City OHV. Rancho Cordova, Calif.

Road to Mammoth Round 6 LCQ: May 12. Fox Raceway. Pala, Calif.

FEATURED EVENTS

The Abe with Motoplayground

May 26-27. Lincoln Trail Motosports. Casey, Ill. (217) 932-2041. ridelincolntrail.com

Maine Event

AUG. 24-25. MX 207. Lyman, Maine. (781) 831-2207. mx207.com

Baja Brawl

Aug. 31-Sept 2. Baja Acres. Millington, Mich. (989) 8713356. bajaacres.com

Yamaha All Star ProAm/Cobra Cup/MDRA Series

Sept. 7-8. Doublin Gap MX Park. Shippensburg, Penn. (717) 249-6036. doublingap.com

Travis Pastrana Pro-Am Challenge

Sept. 28-29. Pleasure Valley Raceway. Seward, Penn. (814) 317-6686. pvrmx.com

The Motoplayground Race at Ponca City

Oct. 3-6. Ponca City MX. Ponca City, Okla. (816) 5824113. poncamx.com

Top Gun Showdown/Mega Series

Oct. 12-13. Muddy Creek Raceway. Blountville, Tenn. (423) 323-5497. victory-sports.com

GREAT ROUTES, MAPPED OUT BY LOCAL EXPERTS A GREAT CHALLENGE WITH LIKE-MINDED RIDERS A WEEKEND OF ACTIVITIVES, WITH CAMPING, FOOD AND PRIZES

THE triumph
AMA NATIONAL ADVENTURE-RIDING SERIES
AMERICANMOTORCYCLIST.COM/NATIONal-ADVENTURE-RIDING #AMAADV

THE BETA AMA NATIONAL DUAL-SPORT SERIES

SOME OF THE COUNTRY’S BEST DUAL-SPORT RIDES, INCLUDING MILES OF CHALLENGING, WELL-MARKED TRAILS CONNECTED BY SCENIC BACK-COUNTRY ROADS AMERICANMOTORCYCLIST.COM/NATIONal-DUAL-SPORT

Halloween Bash

Oct. 24-27. Lake Sugar Tree Motorsports Park. Axton, Va. (276) 650-1158. lakesugartree.com

TRACK RACING

2024 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship Motoamerica.com

Round 2: May 17-19. Birmingham, Ala. Barber Motorsports Park

Round 3: May 31-June 2. Elkhart Lake, Wisc. Road

America

Round 4: June 14-16. Brainerd, Minn. Brainerd International Raceway

Round 5: June 28-30. Shelton, Wash. The Ridge Motorsports Park

Round 6: July 12-14. Monterey, Calif. Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca

Round 7: August 16-18. Lexington, Ohio. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Round 8: Sept. 13-15. Austin, Texas. Circuit of the Americas

Round 9: Sep. 27-29. Millville, N.J. New Jersey Motorsports Park

2024 Progressive American Flat Track americanflattrack.com

Round 5: May 4. Chico, Calif. Silver Dollar Speedway, Short Track

Round 6: May 11. Ventura, Calif. Ventura Raceway. Short Track

Round 7: June 15. Middletown, N.Y. Orange County Fairgrounds. Half-mile

Round 8: June 22. Swedesboro, N.J. Bridgeport Speedway. Half-mile

Round 9: June 29. Lima, Ohio. Allen County Fairgrounds. Half-mile

Round 10: July 6. Du Quoin, Ill. Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. Mile

Round 11: July 28. Peoria, Ill. Peoria Motorcycle Club. TT

Round 12: Aug. 6. Rapid City, S.D. Black Hills Speedway. Half-mile

Round 13: Aug. 11. Sturgis, S.D. Streets of Downtown Sturgis. TT

Round 14: Aug. 31. Springfield, Ill. Illinois State Fairgrounds. Mile I

Round 15: Sep. 1. Springfield, Ill. Illinois State Fairgrounds. Mile II

Round 16: Sep. 6. Half-mile

2024 American Hillclimb West Schedule

www.americanhillclimb.com

Round 1: May 18. Sunnyside, Wa. Washington Nitro National I

Round 2: May 19. Sunnyside, Wa. Washington Nitro

National II

Round 3: June 29. Preston, Idaho. Lloyd’s Performance

Nitro National I

Round 4: June 30. Preston, Idaho. Lloyd’s Performance

Nitro National II

Round 5: Sept. 14. New Plymouth, Idaho. Nitro National I

Round 6: Sept. 15. New Plymouth, Idaho. Nitro National II

2024 American Hillclimb East Schedule

www.americanhillclimb.com

Round 1: May 25. Wathena, Kan. Over The Hill National

Round 2: June 2. Jefferson, Pa. White Rose I. White Rose Motorcycle Club

Round 3: June 9. Freemansburg, Pa. Freemansburg I. Bushkill Valley Motorcycle Club

#AMADUALSPORT

Round 4: July 28. Muskegon, Mich. Mount Garfield National. Muskegon Motorcycle Club

Round 5: August 17. Red Wing, Minn. Indianhead National

Round 6: September 21. Jefferson, Pa. White Rose II. White Rose Motorcycle Club

Round 7: September 22. Freemansburg, Pa.

Freemansburg II. Bushkill Valley Motorcycle Club

2024 AMA Pro Racing American Hillclimb National Championship (East/West)

Oct. 12. Oregonia, Ohio. Devil’s Staircase. Dayton Motorcycle Club.

Oct. 13. Oregonia, Ohio. Devil’s Staircase. Dayton Motorcycle Club.

2024 AMA Pro Racing American Hillclimb National Championship (East/West) www.americanhillclimb.com

Round 1: Oct. 12. Oregonia, Ohio. Devil’s Staircase, Dayton Motorcycle Club

Round 2: Oct. 13. Oregonia, Ohio. Devil’s Staircase, Dayton Motorcycle Club

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

2024 Mission Foods AMA Flat Track Grand Championship americanmotorcyclist.com/flat-track-racing

June 30-July 6. Du Quoin, Ill. Du Quoin State Fairground

AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship imc.clubexpress.com

Aug. 2-4. Red Wing, Minn.

RSD Super Hooligan AMA National Championship superhooligan.com

Rounds 3-4: June 28-30. Shelton, Wa.

Rounds 5-6: July 12-14. Monterey, Calif.

Rounds 7-8: Aug. 16-18. Lexington, Ohio.

Rounds 9-10: Sept. 13-15. Austin, Texas.

AMA Speedway National Championship Series

Round 1: June 22. Bakersfield, Calif. Kern County Raceway Park.

Round 2: Aug. 3. City of Industry, Calif. Industry Racing.

Round 3: Sept. 21. Auburn, Calif. Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway.

AMA Land Speed Grand Championship bonnevillemst. com

Aug. 24-29. Tooele, Utah.

AMA Vintage Flat Track National Championship Series

Round 5: May 5. York Haven, Pa. BAPS Speedway (Short Track). (717) 503-8030. baermotorsports.com.

Round 6: May 11. Ballston Spa, N.Y. Albany-Saratoga Speedway (4/10 Mile - Day). (518) 727-0311. albanysaratogaspeedway.com.

Round 7: May 11. Ballston Spa, N.Y. Albany-Saratoga Speedway (4/10 Mile - Night). (518) 727-0311. albanysaratogaspeedway.com.

Round 8: June 14. Harpursville, N.Y. Square Deal Riders Track (Short Track). (607) 725-3069. squaredealriders.com.

Round 9: June 15. Harpursville, N.Y. Square Deal Riders Track (Short Track). (607) 725-3069. squaredealriders.com.

Round 10: July 14. Gettysburg, Pa. Hunterstown Speedway (Short Track). (717) 503-8030. baermotorsports. com.

Round 11: July 27. Ashland, Ohio. Ashland County Fairgrounds (Half Mile). (614) 856-1900. americanmotorcyclist.com/flat-track-racing.

Round 12: Aug. 10. Salem, Ohio. Western Reserve Motorcycle Club Grounds (Short Track). (330) 332-0818. westernreservemc.com.

Info: Kristi at (951) 704-6370.

AMA Trademarks

The following represents active, registered trademarks, trade-marks and service marks of American Motorcyclist Association, Inc. (AMA). Usage of any AMA trademark or registered trade- mark without our permission is prohibited. Please contact jholter@ama-cycle.org for more information or assistance, (800) AMA-JOIN®

• AMA Dragbike®

• AMA Endurocross®

• AMA Motorhead®

• AMA Pro Grand National Championship®

• AMA Pro Racing®

• AMA Race Center™

• AMA Racer®

• AMA Racing®

• AMA Racing Land Speed Grand Championships®

• AMA Supermoto®

• AMA Supercross® AMA SX Lites®

• AMA U.S. ISDE Team™

• AMA U.S. Jr. Motocross Team™

• Amateur National Motocross Championships®

• AMA U.S. Motocross Team™

• American Motorcyclist Association® Arenacross® • ATV Hare Scrambles National Championship Series®

• ATV Motocross National Championship Series®

• Flat Track Grand Championships™

• Grand National Enduro Championship®

• Gypsy Tour®

• Hare & Hound National Championship Series®

• Hare Scrambles Championship Series®

• Hare Scrambles National Championship Series®

• Kids Just Want To Ride®

• Motorcycle Hall of Fame®

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• Motorcyclist of the Year®

• Motostars®

• National Adventure Riding Series®

• National Dual-Sport Series®

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• Protect Your Right to Ride®

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Vintage Motorcycle Days®

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AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 69
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COMING EVENTS

Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.

Round 13: Sept. 21. Accord, N.Y. Accord Speedway (Short Track). (518) 727-0311. accordspeedway.com.

AMA Motoclimb Super Series motoclimbsuperseries.com

Round 2: June 1-2. Billings, Mont..

Round 3: June 14-15. Columbus, Mont..

Round 4: July 5. Walhalla, N.D.

Round 5: Sept. 1. Durango, Co.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

AMA California State Championship industryhillsspeedway.com.

Aug. 24. City of Industry, Calif. Industry Racing. (949) 274-0836.

AMA Michigan State Championship luckythumbmotorcycleclub.com

Sept. 13-14. Deford, Mich. Lucky Thumb Motorcycle Club Inc. (810) 710-7778.

OFF-ROAD

FEATURED EVENTS

AMA Florida Enduro Championship Series floridatrailriders.org

June 9. Greensboro, Ga.

New York Off-Road Racing Association Championship Series nyoa.net

Round 1: May 5. Newfield, N.J. Dream Riders.

Round 2: May 19. Berkshire, N.J. Berkshire Hills Round Up.

Round 3: May 26. Elmira, N.Y. Locomotive Mountain.

Round 4: June 16. Odessa, N.Y. Seneca Highlands.

Round 5: July 14. Homer, N.Y. Knobby Acres.

Round 6: July 28. Cortland, N.Y. Ditch Banger.

Round 7: Aug. 4. Harpursville, N.Y. The Punisher.

Round 8: Aug. 18. Lowman, N.Y. Baldwin Trail Riders.

Round 9: Sept. 1. Moravia, N.Y. Twisted Fence.

Round 10: Sept. 15. Berkshire, N.Y. Hemlock Hills at Brinks Farm.

Round 11: Sept. 29. Newark Valley, N.Y. Rolling Oaks at Spook Hill Farms.

AMA Mid East Racing Championship Series mideastracing.com

Round 6: May 4-5. Laurens, S.C. Chestnut Corner.

Round 7: May 18-19. Laurens, S.C. Stranges Ranch.

Round 8: May 25-26. Laurens, S.C. The Coyote.

Round 9: June 8-9. Union, S.C. Charer’s Run.

Round 10: June 15-16. Union, S.C. The Gobbler.

Round 11: June 29-30. Woodruff, S.C. Harris Bridge.

Round 12: Sept. 7-8. Boonville, N.C. Wellborn Farms.

Round 13: Sept. 21-22. Morganton, N.C. Hillbilly Smash 2.

Round 14: Oct. 5-6. Woodruff, S.C. Harris Bridge 2.

Round 15: Oct. 19-20. Shelby, N.C. Water Wheel.

Round 16: Nov. 2-3. Hickory, N.C. Wilson Memorial Airport. STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

AMA Arizona Off-Road State Championship Series amraracing.com

Round 6: May 18. Prescott Valley, Ariz

Round 7: June 1-2. Flagstaff. Ariz.

Round 8: TBD.

Round 9: Oct. 6. Flagstaff, Ariz.

Round 10: Oct. 26. TBD.

Round 11: Nov. 9-10. Laughlin, Nev.

AMA Florida State Hare Scrambles Championship Series floridatrailriders.org

May 11-12. Lake Butler, Fla.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

AMA National Grand Prix Championship Series ngpcseries.com

Round 6: May 24-26. TBD.

Round 7: Oct. 4-6. Ridgecrest, Calif.

Round 8: Oct. 25-27. Blythe, Calif.

Round 9: Nov. 8-10. Lake Havasu, Ariz.

Round 10: TBA

AMA National Enduro Championship Series nationalenduro.com

Round 3: May 5. Kingston, Ariz. (479)841-9174. wildernessrider.com

Round 4: June 9. Greensboro, Ga. (770)540-2891. cherokeeenduroriders.com

Round 5: June 30. Wellston, Ohio. (740)357-0350. adrohio.org

Round 6: July 28. Cross Fork, Pa. (610) 883-7607. ber.us

Round 7: Aug. 11. Chandlersville, Ohio. (614) 204-1438. ohiowoodsriders.com

Round 8: Sep. 8. Cherryville, Mo. (636)634-0188. flyingranchmo.com

Round 9: Sep. 22. Sand Springs, Okla. tulsatrailriders.com

70 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
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Round 10: Nov. 3. Stanton, Ala. (334)267-2463. perrymountainmotorcycleclub.com

AMA/NATC National MotoTrials Championship mototrials.com

Rounds 3-4: June 22-23. Sequatchie, Tenn.

Rounds 5-6: July 27-28. Truckee, Calif.

Rounds 7-8: Oct. 26-27. Center Hill, Fla.

AMA Hare and Hound National Championship Series nationalhareandhound.com

Round 5: Sept. 14. Caliente, Nev.

Round 6: Oct. 19-20. Lucerne Valley, Calif.

AMA Grand National Cross Country Series gnccracing.com

Round 7: May 11-12. St. Clairsville, Ohio. Powerline Park.

Round 8: June 1- 2. Mount Morris, Pa. Mathews Farm.

Round 9: June 22-23. Snowshoe, W.V. Snowshoe Mountain Resort.

Round 10: Aug. 31- Sept. 1. Newburg, W.V. CJ Raceway.

Round 11: Sept. 14-15. Beckley, W.V. Summit Bechtel Reserve.

Round 12: Sept. 28-29. Millfield, Ohio. Sunday Creek Raceway.

Round 13: Oct. 26-27. Crawfordsville, In. Ironman Raceway.

AMA Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro tennesseeknockoutenduro.com

Aug. 23-25. Sequatchie, Tenn. Trials Training Center.

AMA EnduroCross National Championship Series endurocross.com

Round 1: Oct. 12. Colorado Springs, Co. Broadmoor World Arena.

Round 2: Oct. 19. Prescott Valley, Ariz. Findlay Toyota Center.

Round 3: Oct. 25. Idaho Falls, Idaho. Mountain America Center.

Round 4: Oct. 26. Idaho Falls, Idaho. Mountain America Center.

Round 5: Nov. 9. Redmond, Oreg. First Interstate Bank Center.

Round 6: Nov. 16. Everett, Wa. Angel of the Winds Arena.

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

AMA East Extreme Off-Road Championship Series ushardenduro.com

Round 2: May 11. Glen Lyn, Va

Round 3: May 25-26. Tamaqua, Pa.

Round 4: May 27. Sugarloaf, Pa.

Round 5: Aug. 23-25. Sequatchie, Tenn.

Round 6: TBA

Round 7: TBA. Marquette, Mich.

Round 8: Nov. 3. Little Hocking, Ohio.

AMA West Extreme Off-Road Championship Series ushardenduro.com

Round 6: June 15-16. Norden, Calif.

AMA US Sprint Enduro Championship ussprintenduro.com

Round 5: May 25-26. Dilliner, Pa.

Round 6: June15-16. Newburg, W.V.

Round 7: Aug. 24-25. Masontown, W.V.

Round 8: Nov. 9-10. Ninety Six. S.C.

AMA East Hare Scramble Championship Series

Round 3: May 18-19. MCI. West Creek, N.J.

Round 4: June 16. Seneca Highlands. Odessa, N.Y. (607) 592-5138.

Round 5: July 28. Ditch Banger. Cortland, N.Y. (607) 280-8765.

Round 6: Aug. 24-25. Locust Gap. Locust Gap, Pa. (570) 759-2841.

Round 7: Sept. 7-8. Broome Tioga. Lisle, N.Y. (607) 206-2795.

AMA West Hare Scramble Championship Series westharescrambles.com

Round 3: May 11-12. Prineville, Or.

Round 4: June TBA. Shasta Ski Park, Calif.

Round 5: Sept. 7-8. Glen Helen, Calif.

Round 6: Sept. 28-29. Washougal, Wa.

Round 7: Nov. 23-24. Wilseyville, Calif.

AMA NATIONAL RECREATIONAL

2024 AMA National Adventure Riding Series americanmotorcyclist.com/national-adventure-riding

May 18-19. Show Me 500. Bixby, Mo. Midwest Trail Riders Assn. (314) 409-6936. ridemtra.com

June 1-2. Durty Dabbers Great Adventure Ride. Lock Haven, Pa. Durty Dabbers. (570) 748-9456. durtydabbers.com

June 8-9. Ride For Research. Wabeno, Wis. Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders. (920) 350-2030. widualsportriders.org

June 8-9. MVTR Adventure Bike Ride for Cystic Fibrosis. Belmont, N.H. Merrimack Valley Trail Riders. (603) 2351087.

June 22-23. Big Bear Run 2024. Big Bear Lake, Ca. Big Bear Trail Riders. (818) 391-3031. www.bigbeartrailriders. com

Sept. 14-15. Buffaloe 500. Columbus, Ind. Stoney Lonesome Motorcycle Club. (812) 342-4411. stoneylonesomemc.com

Sep. 28-29. Big Woods 200. Wabeno, Wis. Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders. (920) 350-2030. widualsportriders.org

Oct. 19-20. Green Ridge Moto Adventure. Little Orleans, Md. Maryland Competition Riders. (443) 244-5077. marylandcompriders.org

Oct. 26-27. Cross-Florida Adventure Ride. Daytona, Fla. Dixie Dual Sport. (727) 919-8299. dixiedualsport.com

Oct. 26-27. Scenic Adventure Ride. Morgan Hill, Calif. P&D Promotions. (408)249-4336.

Nov. 29-30. LA-Barstow to Vegas. Palmdale, Calif. AMA District 37 Dual Sport. (626) 684-2336. labarstowvegas. com

Dual Sport Riders. (920) 350-2030. widualsportriders.org

June 22-23. Baby Burr. New Plymouth, Ohio. Enduro Riders of Ohio. (740) 508-2547. enduroriders.com

June 22-23. Big Bear Run 2023. Big Bear Lake, Ca. Big Bear Trail Riders. (818) 391-3031 www.bigbeartrailriders. com.

June 22-23. Ozark 200. New Blaine, Ark. Arkansas Dirt Riders, Inc. arkansasdirtriders.net

Aug. 3-4. Copperhead Dual Sport. Logan, Ohio. Hocking Valley Motorcycle Club. (614) 679-5743. hockingvalleymc. com

Sept. 7-8. Mountain Madness. Flagstaff, Ariz. Coconino Trail Riders. (928) 310-6466. coconinotrailriders.org

Sep. 7-8. LBL 200. Golden Pond, Ky. KT Riders. (270) 350-6324. lbl200.com

Sept. 14-15. Buffaloe 500. Columbus, Ind. Stoney Lonesome Motorcycle Club. (812) 342-4411 ext. 1. stoneylonesomemc.com

Sep. 28-29. Big Woods 200. Wabeno, Wis. Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders. (920) 350-2030. widualsportriders.org

Oct. 5-6. Shenandoah 500. Mount Solon, Va. Washington Area Trail Riders. (619) 244-9630. watr.us

Oct. 26-27. Scenic Dual Sport Ride. Morgan Hill, Calif. P&D Promotions. (408)249-4336.

Nov. 2-3. Howlin at the Moon. Payson, Ariz. Arizona Trail Riders. (602) 692-9382. arizonatrailriders.com

Nov. 29-30. LA- Barstow to Vegas. Palmdale, Calif. AMA District 37 Dual Sport. (626) 684-2336. paulflanders37@ gmail.com. labarstowvegas.com

May 18-19. Show Me 200. Bixby, Mo. Midwest Trail Assn. (314) 409-6936. ridemtra.com

June 1-2. Durty Dabbers Great Adventure Dual Sport. Lock Haven, Pa. Durty Dabbers. (570) 748-9456. durtydabbers. com

June 8-9. Ride For Research. Wabeno, Wis. Wisconsin

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 71
2024 Beta AMA National Dual Sport Series americanmotorcyclist.com/nationaladventure-riding

Tips,Tweaks, Fixes and Facts: The two-wheeled ownership experience, explained Garage

LONG-TERM TESTBIKE TEASER

Beta 390 RS, SSR SR125, Yamaha Ténéré 700 and YZ250X: Charting the AMA loaner fleet for the remainder of 2024

We haven’t traditionally done a lot of new-bike coverage in our pages, as our industry media colleagues do a pretty good job of it (and there’s not much sense doing what everyone else is doing). But this year we’re changing things up a bit, at least on a small scale, and will keep a handful of longterm testbikes in our various garages to find out what’s what.

BETA 390 RS

Just as we went to press, we received a Beta 390 RS dual-sport, the fourth and final machine in a 2024 quiver that includes a Yamaha Ténéré 700 adventure bike, an SSR SR125 pitbike and, as a salute to the Yamaha YZ250’s 50th anniversary this year (which will be celebrated at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio July 26-28), a 2024 YZ250X off-roader.

AMA Chief Operating Officer James Holter will ride and manage the Beta 390 RS, and he’s already busy using it for transportation and local dual-sport/adventure treks. Adventure and dual-sport machines are a favorite around the AMA offices, with President and CEO Rob Dingman owning a Triumph Tiger 800, Holter a KTM Adventure 1090R, and the AMA itself owning a Kawasaki KLR650 and a pair of TW200s…so the Beta fits right in.

Holter admits the Beta 390 feels a lot like a full-on off-road bike with lights, mirrors and turn signals (which it basically is), but adds that it’s decent enough on backroads to get you to those wonderful jeep trails and two-track (or single-track) that you don’t really notice. He’s got a full slate of action planned for the Beta test this

summer, so stay tuned for more reports in coming issues.

YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ 700

As the T7 is a worldwide best-seller, and considering the minor upgrades it got for 2024, getting one made sense. I’ve spent some time on Harley-Davidson’s Pan America 1250, Triumph’s Tiger 1200 and KTM’s 1290 Adventure, and I own a Ducati Multistrada 1200S, so I’m reasonably familiar with what constitutes high-end functionality and performance in

72 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
SSR SR125 YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ 700 BETA 390 RS

the genre…and after just a few short rides on the T7, I can tell you it’s the real deal.

While it lacks some of the low-/midrange grunt and eye-widening, topend thrust of those open-class ADVs, the T7 makes up for it with maneuverability, a smooth and torquey engine, above-average suspension, lighter weight and serious affordability, which is key in these inflation-saddled days. I’m definitely looking forward to some Utah exploration this summer.

SSR SR125

There was plenty of excitement when the SSR SR125 pitbike arrived on the AMA campus, especially since the AMA now has its own pitbike track on site. AMA Director of Marketing & Communications

Joy Burgess and Events Manager

Makenzi Martin were the first to head out on the thing, and despite requiring a strong leg to kick start, the SSR proved to be an excellent,

fun machine for veteran riders, and an ideal beginner bike for some of the new riders on staff who wanted to give two wheels a try. Can’t beat that sort of all-around ability!

YAMAHA YZ250X

Sales and Event Specialist Alex Boehm has control over the other blue bike in our long-term fleet, Yamaha’s tried and true YZ250X,

and is looking forward to a first desert excursion in a week or two with some buddies.

Our family owned a standard, 2003-spec YZ250 motocrosser for several years, and while the new bike isn’t world’s different technically from that older-school two-stroke, it feels like it is.

“It’s still pretty simple,” he said, “which means I can actually work on it. And it feels considerably lighter for some reason, even though it scales only a few pounds less. I’m excited to see how the plusher suspension and gruntier engine works on desert trails, and I can still take it to the track if I want. I like that flexibility, so we’ll see how it goes.”

We will indeed, on all four of these things. Stay tuned.

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024 73
YAMAHA YZ250X

behind the scenes

CHARLIE AND THE HUSKY TANK FACTORY

AMA Charter Life Member

Charlie Kline donates time and talents to help the Hall of Fame

Throughout the story of the AMA, many members have contributed their skills to help the AMA, and for AMA Charter Life Member Charlie Kline, his specialty was restoring Husqvarna tanks.

A former racer, AMA Congress member and current member of the off-road commission, Kline has built quite a familiarity with the AMA since he first got involved in the mid 1980s. This close association with the organization and a background in motorcycle restoration — specifically when it comes to Husqvarnas — made Kline the perfect candidate to help with the Hall of Fame’s Annual Appeal, which in recent years had a top-level prize of restored Husqvarna tanks signed by AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Malcolm Smith. (Added later in the signed-tank series were signatures by HOFers and On Any Sunday stars David Aldana and Mert Lawwill.)

tank,’ because they are very rounded and not very angular. Those tanks tend to be the harder ones to find.”

Through the efforts of Kline and AMA staff, several tanks were acquired. Thanks to hard work and creative problem solving, Kline restored the tanks to match the reference photos he had of Malcolm’s Husqvarna 400 Cross.

The restored tanks, which Malcolm signed, were used to bring in donations for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, which relies on the support of others to carry out its mission to preserve the history of motorcycling.

“That’s stuff you need to preserve for our future generations and the future of the sport,” Kline said of the museum and the history it protects. “You get parents that take their kids there to see the motorcycles and they get enthused about them…It kind of creates the passion and keeps the passion going for future generations.”

Even after he has contributed to the sport for years and in various ways, Kline still is looking to help, even offering to get involved in future Hall of Fame Appeals. “I just have that passion and I’m trying to help keep that future going,” Kline said.

Kline described his relationship with the AMA as a “two-way street,” with the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum showing its appreciation to Kline for his efforts. In the lower level of the museum is a donor plaque dedicated on behalf of Kline to his friend Tom Scholl, who was a member of the same motorcycle club as Kline and owned his own Husqvarna shop.

“That was a really exciting project for me,” Kline said. “I was pretty flattered that they would think of me [to restore the tanks].”

“One of the challenges was to keep the tanks to the correct era of Malcolm’s bike, which I believe the one in the museum is a 1970,” Kline continued. “When you start getting ’71 and older, they have what we call a ‘peanut

“He kind of took me under his wing and gave me some encouragement with the aspects of working in a club and the behind-the-scenes operations of putting on racing,” Kline said. “[The plaque] was a really nice gesture I was able to share with his son Mike and myself.”

Next time you visit the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, check out Tom’s plaque and consider donating — your time or a financial contribution — to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. It is through the support of AMA members like yourself that the museum and the AMA is what it is today.

74 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • MAY 2024
Top: Restored Husky tanks ready to be signed by AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Malcolm Smith. Above: Charlie Kline, who owned his own body shop, working on a fuel tank.

Helmets, made by the dedicated hands of those who work at Arai, have shown examples of supreme protection for decades.

The numerous improvements by their experienced hands, and personal desire to further the protection of riders’ heads, are among the many unique reasons Arai helmets perform the way they do.

From our very first helmet to those we make today, rider protection remains our first priority, and we at Arai shall never forget the value of what we have been seeking to protect is priceless.

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