Meet the future of moto: Yamaha’s 2022 lineup of off-road competition bikes. Featuring new
6 PERSPECTIVES
Editorial Director Mitch Boehm on being lucky
10 FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman on surviving the COVID-19 storm
14 BACK IN THE DAY
Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear!
16 VMD PREVIEW
Everything you need to know about the year’s best motorcycle gathering!
26 MALCOLM’S MOMENTS
Matchless! Malcolm’s first real motorcycle
28 COVER STORY: SCHWANTZ GETS BACK!
HOFer and 1993 500cc GP World Champ Kevin Schwantz reunites with his very first AMA Superbike
44 OH, WHAT HAVE I DONE?
AMA staffer Pete Stockus learns the downside of a swap-meet motorcycle purchase
52 IT’S ABOUT TIME
A short history of digital enduro timekeeping
70 AMA GARAGE
Tips, tweaks, fixes and facts: The motorcycle ownership experience, explained
74 LAST PAGE MOMBA memories, part deux
ON THE COVER:
When Kevin Schwantz burst onto the AMA Superbike scene in early ’85, no one knew how much a force the Texan would have on U.S. and, later, GP road racing. But it wouldn’t take long, which is why being reunited with his #289 Suzuki — his first AMA Superbike — is so cool.
by Lars Frazer.
Photo
COMMUNICATIONS AND EDITORIAL
Mitch Boehm Editorial Director
Todd Westover Creative Director
Joy Burgess Managing Editor
Kali Kotoski Editor-at-Large
Keaton Maisano Communications Associate
Chad Fulton Graphic Designer
Alice Sexton Graphic Designer submissions@ama-cycle.org
Steve Gotoski Director of Industry Relations and Business Memberships (951) 491-1910, sgotoski@ama-cycle.org
Tiffany Cipoletti Government Relations Manager, On-Highway
Peter Stockus Government Relations Manager, Off-Highway
Erin Reda Grassroots Coordinator
MARKETING AND MEMBER SERVICES
Amanda Donchess Director of Membership Marketing and Services
Serena Van Dyke Marketing and Volunteer Coordinator
Lauren Kropf Marketing and Advertising Coordinator
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Stephanie McCormick Member Services Representative
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Shaun Holloway Director of Information Technology
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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 $19.95 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.
Igot lucky last month… dodged a bullet, really. I fell while skiing with my son and badly dislocated my shoulder, and I have to say, the pain during that hour from crash to clinic was worse than any I’ve endured. And between a dozen broken bones, five knee surgeries and the chest tube I got after blowing up a handful of ribs and puncturing a lung on my CR480 vintage bike, I’ve endured a bit.
It was so bad that, when it happened, and during the bumpy toboggan ride to the clinic (shiver the thought), I was absolutely positive I’d literally destroyed my shoulder. I guess that’s what happens when the humerus (the big bone between your elbow and shoulder) gets evicted from its warm and cozy rotator-cuff home to the tune of two inches.
Sitting (and whimpering) in the clinic after X-rays (all while pleading for a morphine shot) I was thinking surgery and months of rehab — and, worse, no spring skiing or riding for a while. Luckily it was just a dislocation, and while I did tear my Labrum and badly traumatize the joint, and then had to endure the whole “popping it back into place” thing (omg, don’t even ask), the shoulder is better a month later, enough so that I’ve been able to ski and ride my ZRX1200R in the last few days.
The whole experience got me thinking yesterday while riding the ZRX up Little Cottonwood Canyon how lucky I was. And that led, of course, to thoughts of how lucky I’ve been at various times in my motorcycling career — and how luck (or a lack of it) figures into our lives.
One of my most vivid luck-outs happened at Willow Springs during
PERSPECTIVES
Riding with Lady Luck
BY MITCH BOEHM
one of the WERA 24-Hour endurance races I participated in. After putting the team together for the American Honda RC30 effort and telling everyone involved in the weeks leading up to the race that the one thing we could not do was crash (cuz you gotta be there at the end to have a chance of winning, and as a riding member of the Vance & Hines endurance team we’d won the previous three WERA 24-hour races using that exact strategy), I lost the front in 130-mph turn eight and figured I’d soon be dead — as cartwheeling through sand and sagebrush at over 100 mph is never good for bodily integrity.
Somehow, though, I saved it, the bike popping back up on two wheels after scraping along the tarmac long and hard enough to badly scar the leather on my boot upper and the outer knee area of my suit. The reason for the mishap was a badly worn front slick thanks to the efforts of the late Randy Renfrow and 250GP champ Rich Oliver, who did stints on the bike right before I did. Why the crew didn’t change the tire is still a mystery, but to this day I have no idea why the bike popped back up. I often joke that the adrenaline jolt (or the butt-cheek flex) from losing the front at that speed forced my knee into the ground hard enough to right the bike, but whatever made it happen I’m pretty happy about it, as was my dad, who was watching from the grandstand.
Another close call happened on a busy LA freeway during a group ride I was leading. An econobox right in front of me blew a rear tire at about 80 mph and immediately spun and began flipping, with other cars in the vicinity (most of them in close
proximity to our group) taking all sorts of evasive maneuvers. Somehow, we all got stopped before being crushed, but man…that was scary.
Another happened on a mostly empty backroad as I came upon a car (or cars) I deemed safe to pass. Looking into the morning sunlight I saw what I thought was one of the cars passing the other and pulled out into the oncoming lane to follow and do the same thing. Problem was, the car I thought was passing the other car was actually coming right at me from the opposite direction, which I didn’t realize with all the morning glare. I swerved at the very last minute (the combined closing speed was probably 100 mph) and somehow missed being disintegrated on the spot. The adrenaline nearly made me throw up.
“Riding with Lady Luck…” — as Tom Waits wrote in ’Ol 55 — is a great thing, but you sure can’t rely on it. So be safe out there!
Mitch Boehm is the editorial director of the AMA
After my recent ski accident and dislocated shoulder I’m feeling darn lucky to be riding again.
2022 MEMBER
MONTHLY DRAWINGS
• Liberty Sport Eyewear
• Nelson Rigg Choice: Cover, Luggage
• Mimi & Moto Children’s Books
• Motion Pro: Pro Fill Airchuck
• Warm & Safe 12V USB Adapter
• Bohn Armor Skull Cap
• AMA T-Shirt
QUARTERLY DRAWINGS
• Bohn Armor Pant & Shirt Set
• Motool Slacker & Street Kit
Members who join or renew their AMA membership from Jan. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022 are automatically entered to win one of these awesome motorcycling prizes!
SWEEPSTAKES
It’s probably more a demonstration of my skill at procrastination than something that would be considered useful preparation, but when I sit down to write a column I often review those I’d written the same month in past years.
In a May-issue column from two years ago, for example, I wrote about the impact of the global pandemic on the AMA. At that time we had no way of knowing what the impact to our organization would be. It was still early in the crisis when I wrote that column in March of 2020, and many thought the situation would be resolved within a couple of months. We didn’t have the luxury of hoping the setback would be short-lived; we had to plan for the worst-case scenario and be prepared for whatever came next.
From the President and CEO SURVIVING THE STORM
BY ROB DINGMAN
events that took place in 2020, we were ultimately able to get back to riding and racing, as well as growing membership.
One positive to come out of the pandemic was a forced reevaluation of everything we do and how we do it. That initial lack of events negated the need for much of our staff travel. Once events got back underway, travel restrictions and crowd-size limitations forced continued curtailment of such travel. Additionally, more meetings were done via Zoom and other telecommunications platforms, further limiting the need for travel, which saved the AMA a significant amount of money.
Our cost savings were not limited to travel. We curtailed spending everywhere possible without diminishing service to AMA members.
“We curtailed spending everywhere possible without diminishing service to AMA members. In fact, we invested in things that best serve our membership...”
In keeping with state and local directives the AMA offices were closed for a significant period of time, and those early months saw the cancellation of numerous events upon which the AMA relies to grow our membership. It was unclear how long this would last and, therefore, how much impact it would have on membership dues, our primary revenue stream. A reduction in the size of the AMA staff was prudent and unavoidable, and remaining staff was placed on a reduced work schedule. Fortunately, the hiatus from AMAsanctioned events didn’t last too long, and although there were fewer
In fact, we invested in things that best serve our membership, including dramatically upgrading this magazine, and improving our Racing and Organizer Services, Government Relations, Information Technology and Accounting Departments.
Over the last several months, due in no small part to our Marketing and Member Services Department, AMA membership has increased and has exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
We finished Fiscal Year 2021 with contributions and revenues of $12.5 million, an increase of $940,177 over FY2020. Although our functional expenses increased slightly as
restrictions lifted, we still finished FY2021 with an increase in net assets from operations of $867,802. This follows a cost-savings-driven increase of $378,652 in FY2020. These two strong years helped position us well to navigate the uncertainties beginning to ripple through the economy in the postpandemic era.
The motorcycle industry has thrived through the pandemic. You’re aware of this if you have tried to buy a new motorcycle recently; sales are brisk and product availability is scarce. It is likely we’ll see a cooling off of the economy as inflation rises along with interest rates.
As I pointed out in that 2020 column, there was no way to know what things would look like on the other side of the global health crisis. As we appear to be emerging on the other side, however, there is still no way to know what the future holds.
One thing is certain, however… the threats to motorcycling are not going away. We’ve got overzealous bureaucrats, unsafe enthanolblended fuels, autonomous vehicles on our roads that have not been adequately proven to be able to detect motorcycles, and a lot more.
The AMA could not begin to address issues like these without you. I always say, if the AMA did not exist, we would have to invent it to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and help protect the future of motorcycling.
So thank you for your membership and your support of the AMA!
Rob Dingman is the President and CEO of the AMA, and a Charter Life Member
BACKFIRES
2-STROKE SUPERBIKES OF THE ’70s
I want to thank you for highlighting several of the exciting bikes we had back in the 1970s. I had them all at one point or another to test my fairings. We had three Mach III/H1 Kawasakis, and I rode them all over the States, putting around 30,000 miles on each, and always watching for other riders to race! Then we got an H2/Mach 4, but I didn’t want to ride it much, so I let one of my employees, Loyal Truesdale, ride it to California and back from Illinois, and he had no problems except for a few small parts falling off…and no big deal there. Then I got a couple of comfortable and reliable Suzuki GT750 triples, and they were my favorite. Another employee, Henry Tate, had a sandcast Honda CB750 and we had a bet: Who could go the farthest in a year? I went 90,000 miles on my Suzuki triple, but he won with 100,000 miles, and won a dollar from me. Then I got a Yamaha 350 to go roadracing on and had a little problem at the Atlanta track where I had my first motorcycle accident at 100 mph... A story for another time,
that one. Anyway, you are spending time on the bikes that the old-timers like me rode, and it makes me feel great. Thank you!
Craig Vetter Carmel, Calif.
I believe that Boehm will be reminded by many that one of the main reasons for the H2’s “Widowmaker” moniker was due to the kickstand not folding up in a lefthander if forgotten prior to launch. Anyway, love the new mag format!
Andy Trexler #437905
You are the first, Andy! Thanks much. —Ed
I know it came out in the ’60s and not the ’70s, but I would love to have seen your article include something on Suzuki’s X-6 Hustler, a tiny bike that surprised many riders of muchlarger British twins. The little sucker could go!
Peter Swanson Cambria, Calif. Life Member #419751
How funny you mention that, Peter! Stay tuned… —Ed.
Your histories of the 50-year-old H1and H2 reminded me of the great motorcycles I worked with while working at Kawasaki in the 1970s. I was hired as the first racing team manager and tasked with building a road race team to contest AMA road races starting in
THE SCAN
itch, if I may add a point to your “The Scan” Piece in the March issue’s Garage section… Add a second or two to your scan to occasionally look back over each shoulder, as a car (or truck, or motorcycle) may be in your blind spot. Great article from Kali about the perils at the pump, too.
Paul Snyder Lawndale, Calif.
Yes you may, Paul, and thanks very much for the reminder! The over-theshoulder glance is something I have done instinctively since I began riding streetbikes in the very late 1970s, and I neglected to recognize it when I wrote the piece. Ride safely out there in SoCal!
—Ed.
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.
The
RBACK IN THE DAY
Where the photos are blurry but the memories are clear!
ed Honda Trail 70, threespeed auto. When we were buying it I had the choice of the CT70 or the SL70. Being my first bike – and since my older sister had to be able to ride it – the CT ended up being the choice. What I really wanted was the new XR75 that’d just arrived in the showroom, but Mom said, “No! That’s a race bike!” Many years later I was racing a CRF450.
—Todd R. Schuh
My bonus dad brought this bike home when I was around 11 or 12. I rode it ’til it quit running, which was for at least a few years. Fast forward to 2020 and, sadly, my bonus dad passed away, but he still had my old bike. We brought it home and it got restored.
Here I’m 13 years old aboard my first bike, a
—Ed Bewick
my
—Kelly Appleton
—Lacey Walker
Loved
Honda QA50. It was my green machine!
Yamaha IT175.
Me on my little Yamaha 60 – my first bike – at 11 years old.
—Dave Brown
Back in 1976 on my first bike, a Yamaha TY80, at 9 years of age.
—Mike Diesburg
In the early 1970s I was stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M. Many military bases at that time had motorcycle clubs, and as space allowed, land would often be set aside for the club to use for dirt biking. When I was later stationed at Ramey AFB in Puerto Rico, we had a full-blown motocross course on base. I suppose the brass thought it might be better to keep us on base in a controlled environment rather than raising hell off base. In 1971, our Kirtland AFB Roadrunner Motorcycle Club sponsored a 4-mile loop hare scramble in the foothills of the Manzano Mountains, open to all riders in the region. I cherish this photo because it was the only time I can remember getting the holeshot in a race! The bike was a Husky 250 8-speed.
—Jack Gittinger
my ’81
Here’s my 1973 XR75…my first bike. One of the best memories of my childhood was riding it on my grandmother’s land, as we lived next door to her.
—Ed Hughes
Here’s
Suzuki GS550 running on three cylinders with a green duct tape seat.
—Ken Steciw
Got a 1975 Honda MR50 from College Bike Shop in Lansing, Mich.
—Steve Bradley
up to speed AMA VMD Preview
News, notes, insight and more from the motorcycling universe
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is coming in July folks, the biggest and best vintage event in the country! Here are key details you need to know.
BY KALI KOTOSKI AND KEATON MAISANO
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is the preeminent — and longest-running — vintage motorcycle event in the country, with off-road and road racing, dirt track racing at Ashland County Fairgrounds, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame attractions and displays, bike shows, demo rides, the country’s largest and coolest swap meet, the gravity-defying Wall of Death, and more than 40,000 of your soon-to-be best friends in attendance. Even better, proceeds support the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and Museum!
ADates & Location
Held on the beautiful Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, VMD will take place from July 22-24. Expect warm weather, and if it’s like last year, hopefully not a bit of rain. But do pack rain gear…or not!
Themes & Grand Marshal
VMD celebrates its 30th anniversary this year! Hard to imagine it started off from humble beginnings on the old Westerville, Ohio, grounds, only to become the center of the vintage universe each July.
AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz will be Grand Marshal for the 2022 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.
Schwantz won three AMA Superbike nationals in 1985 and would
win many more in the coming three years before heading to Europe fulltime in 1989 to contest the 500cc Grand Prix wars.
Schwantz won the 500cc World Championship in 1993 and retired two years later, his legacy of 25 Grand Prix wins, 21 lap records, 29 pole positions — along with his daring and dynamic personality on and off the bike — cemented in motorsports history forever. Schwantz was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
A special highlight of Schwantz’s Grand Marshal appearance — where he’ll sign autographs, speak to
enthusiasts from the AMA Soundstage, participate in a Lap For History each day at noon (and lead event attendees around the legendary Mid-Ohio circuit) — will be an exclusive showing of his 1985 Yoshimura-Suzuki GS700ES AMA Superbike (this issue’s cover bike), which launched his career and which Schwantz recently acquired for his collection.
Gates Open
Gates open for Swap Meet vendor load-in Thursday, July 21 at 7 a.m. With so many collectors and vendors entering, you’ll need to stay patient while in line… but it will be so worth it!
Gates open for Friday-through-Sunday general admission at 7 a.m. AMA staff will be on hand to welcome you.
Tickets
For AMA members, discounted tickets will be available online until May 30. So
30th ANNIVERSARY
act fast and purchase here: https:// form.jotform.com/212106616405041.
Unfortunately, all RV reserved tickets have already been sold out, but there are still some motorhome spots available. For camping spots and tickets purchased after May 30, they must be bought through Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at MidOhio.com.
Discount pricing:
Weekend Event: $45
Friday: $25
Saturday: $25
Sunday: $20
Camping: $75
After May 30 pricing:
Weekend Event: $60
Friday: $40
Saturday: $40
Sunday: $35
Gate pricing:
Weekend Event: $70
Friday: $50
Saturday: $50
Sunday: $45
AMA Hall of Fame
Infield Activities
There will be an AMA Hall of Fame display honoring the legends of the sport, as well as 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz and his 1985 Yoshimura-Suzuki GS700ES Superbike. We also plan to feature AMA Superbikes from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s to highlight the golden era of American roadracing.
The infield zone will also feature AMA Gear Sales, membership sales and renewals, the AMA Soundstage, AMA Kids Zone, Food Trucks, Wall of Death, Pit Bike Racing, a display
by the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club and the always-exciting AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Bike Show. It’s truly difficult to fit everything into one weekend, but the attempt is seriously fun! Mid-Ohio is a big place, so if you can, bring a vintage bike to get you from place to place and your feet will thank you!
Demo Rides
If vintage machinery 24/7 isn’t quite enough for you, various manufacturers — including KTM — will have demo rides all weekend long in the upper paddock lot. Come try out the latest and greatest.
Swap Meet
Welcome to motorcycle nirvana, where just about anything and everything in the vintage motorcycle world can be found — and then haggled over! It is easy to get lost here, but even easier to get inspired.
Regular (20x20) spaces:
• $125 for active AMA members
• $150 for non-members
Prime (20x30) spaces:
• $200 for active AMA members
• $225 for non-members
Swap Meet spots are first come, first served. Vendor-specific camping is $75. Registration can be found at https://services.americanmotorcyclist. com/vmd-swap-meet.
Camping
Tent camping, aka where the party is, is $75 and can be purchased with general admission tickets until the end of May at https://form.jotform. com/212106616405041. After May 30, tent camping spots must be purchased through Mid-Ohio.
Weekend/Motorhome passes are available at MidOhio.com When camping, feel free to partake in many of the, ahhhh, unsanctioned events that pop up randomly and grow like weeds in a dust cloud. And there is always the possibility for live music!
Racing
Come bear witness to, or participate in, the challenges to claim the 2022 AMA Vintage Grand Championship! Folks spend a fair amount of time prepping for the races, fine tuning their machines through the winter and spring. From motocross to hare scrambles and trials riding, the action is always on tap.
For details on everything racing and necessary registration links — and all things AMA VMD — check out VintageMotorcycleDays.com
change for niceties; there’s a cable-actuated clutch with a heavy-ish pull, the turn-signals are not self-cancelling and the rear shock isn’t as responsive as the excellent fork on bumpier routes. But that’s nit-picking, really. The upright ergos, wide and comfortable seat, and nicely angled handlebar offer a neutral riding position that lifts weight off your arms and hands at highway speeds. This is a bike with a 170-mile fuel range, and the ergonomics to comfortably drain the tank.
Suzuki managed to integrate a whole lot of new technology into the right places on its latest S-model to elevate performance and a rider’s access to it. Yet it still hit a price point — suggested retail is $11,299 — that covers a pretty broad audience.
Sounds a bit like the do-it-all formula Suzuki’s S-model had back in 1979 and 1980 with the original blue-andwhite GS1000S. And that works just fine for us.
up to speed
The GSX-S1000 has a lower center of mass, features a full-suite of electronics reflected in the detailed instrumentation, and adjustable front and rear suspension that provides a comfortable highway ride and let’s the big S1000 scamper through canyons with ease.
THE NEW 2022 INDIAN PURSUIT. THERE’S NO SOONER OR LATER. THERE’S ONLY NOW. THE NEXT GENERATION OF AMERICAN TOURING PERFORMANCE.
up to speed
RIGHTS Roundup
What’s trending in government relations and legislative affairs
COMPILED BY KALI KOTOSKI
FIM Condemns Russia Invasion of Ukraine
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Board of Directors have condemned the senseless invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military, and in doing so has suspended FIM licenses for Motorcycle Federation of Russia and Belarusian Federation of Motorcycle Sport. The March 5 decision bans Russian and Belarusian riders, teams and officials from taking part in any FIM Events or activities.
“The FIM family is watching the developments in Ukraine with great sadness and hope for a prompt and peaceful resolution,” said FIM President Jorge Viegas.
FIM North America, which includes the American Motorcyclist Association and the Canadian Motorcycle Association, echoed FIM’s recrimination and have banned Russian and Belarusians from any North America events.
Lane Filtering Legalized in Arizona
ABATE of Arizona has achieved a major victory for Arizona’s motorcyclists. On March 23, Governor Doug Ducery signed the lane-filtering bill that was sent to his desk after it easily cleared the House and earned unanimous approval in the Senate. SB 1273 amends existing laws that bar riders from overtaking and passing other vehicles in the same lane; current laws also don’t allow riders to operate a motorcycle between traffic lanes or between adjacent rows of vehicles going in the same direction, as at a stop light.
Billed as “not California-style” lane splitting, the legislation is more akin to the Utah and Montana model. The Arizona bill allows riders to filter on roads posted at 45 mph or less — meaning it would not be practiced on congested freeways — and it would let motorcyclists filter at no more than 15 mph. The law will take effect 90 days after the legislature has adjourned.
The AMA publicly called for the legislation’s success, and it shows the grassroots power of ABATE of Arizona in making the state’s roads safer and reducing the chance of rear end collisions.
NHSTA Makes Moves to Ensure Autonomous Safety
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is embarking on long overdue changes to rules governing the safety of automobiles — most specifically those that deal with semi-autonomous vehicles — all while laying the framework for standards as we move to the future when fully autonomous will likely become a reality.
A first-of-its-kind rule issued in March basically outlines that fully automated vehicles, when they arrive, must include the same features seen in today’s vehicles, like steering wheels. While it seems like a no brainer, manufacturers have been
filling the airwaves with concepts that include no pedals or manual controls. The AMA welcomes this move by the NHTSA working to get ahead of the technology.
Another rule allows automakers to install adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlights on new automobiles. These types of headlights have been common in Europe for a few years. The technology makes it so the headlights shine less on occupied areas of the road, and more on unoccupied areas of the road. The lights can illuminate cyclists, pedestrians and animals, while hopefully mitigating the need (or urge) to “beam check” an oncoming car that hasn’t dimmed their brights.
ABATE OF Illinois Poised to Get EV Motorcycle Rebate
ABATE of Illinois played a crucial role in drafting legislation that if passed would make highway-legal EV motorcycles eligible for the state’s $1,500 electric vehicle rebate.
up to speed RACING Roundup
What’s what in the world of AMA racing competition
COMPILED BY JOY BURGESS
AMA Charter Makes Instant Impact
rowing up a local rider and the grandson of a motorcycle dealer, Dave Grear has been a part of the motorcycling community in Zanesville, Ohio, for as long as he can remember. And in 2019, Grear set out to make his own impact on the community he grew up in by buying the land that would become Grear’s Motorsports Park — an AMA chartered promoter.
Right off I-70, the motorsports park consists of four tracks, ranging from a pee-wee circuit to the main track, and is open Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
While Grear hoped to host races five years from the motorsports park’s inception, his expectations were exceeded when AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scott Plessinger reached out
and selected his park to host Buckeye Series motocross races starting in 2021. In 2022, Grear’s Motorsports Park is set to host Buckeye Series races along with several other events.
“I told my wife, ‘It’s like me being at recess and the bell never rings,’” Grear said about having the park. “To have a motocross track in your front yard is hard to beat.” What enthusiast could argue with that?
—Keaton Maisano
Cook, Christian Capture Ice Race Honors
ven on a frozen racetrack, Dustin Cook and Hunter Christian were on fire at the 2022 AMA Ice Race Grand Championship, held Feb. 12 in Sumner, Mich. AMA recognized the pair of Michigan ice racers by naming Cook the Amateur Ice Racer of the
Year and Christian the Youth Ice Racer of the Year.
“Both Dustin [Cook] and Hunter [Christian] proved to be very deserving of their respective awards this year,” AMA Track Racing Manager Ken Saillant said. “Dustin was incredibly impressive and dominant at the championship in Michigan, and Hunter showed that he is one of the brightest young stars in ice racing.”
The 32-year-old Cook claimed first in the Rubber Solo Shootout, 250
Rubber Solo, Rubber Solo Open and Quad Open B (studded) classes. Christian, who’s only 7 years old, won the 50 Open class.
The AMA selected Cook and Christian with input from race promoters and referees. Race results were also considered in the AMA’s selection process.
—Keaton Maisano
Paasch Triumphs Again
The Daytona 200 has a truly storied history, one that connects the sandy beach competition of the pre- and post-war years to the glory years of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s with names like Nixon, Mann, Romero, Roberts, Lawson, Spencer, Rainey, Russell and many more.
TOBC Racing’s Brandon Paasch (No. 96) added to that history on Saturday, March 12, when he took his second straight win in the 200-miler at Daytona International Speedway.
Aboard his Triumph Speed Triple RS, the 20-year-old had just enough to grab the victory. While he exited the chicane in fourth place, he made all the right moves during that final mile of racetrack, with a dramatic,
To be featured in the AMA Racer Spotlight, send your AMA racing photos and information to submissions@ama-cycle.org
HUNTER CHRISTIAN
DUSTIN COOK
JACK DILL
MARIAH LACY ASHLEY MYERS
double-draft pass on both Cameron Petersen and Sheridan Morais right at the stripe, winning by a mere 0.007 of a second.
“[I knew I was] in a prime spot,” Paasch said after the race. “I [was] behind the front two boys. Once they went, it was ‘game time.’ The Triumph pulls really hard when you get on the
gas, so I knew I was going to have a chance at picking up a mile per hour or so a bit quicker than the front guys. It was just perfect…just like last year!”
Paasch’s win gave Triumph its fourth Daytona 200 victory and was the first for the brand since TOBC Triumph’s Danny Eslick won back in 2014. —Joy Burgess
Jordan Jarvis
RRACER SPOTLIGHT
iding On The Edge Racing team’s Jordan Jarvis literally grew up in the AMA amateur racing ranks, winning nine AMA National Championships and 2018 AMA Female Rider of the Year along the way. Back in 2020, she did something as a woman that hadn’t been done since back in ’83 by Doreen Payne…she qualified for an outdoor Pro Motorcross main event. But in 2022 she took on a different challenge — lining up alongside the boys at Daytona to try to qualify for her first AMA Supercross.
Jarvis earned the points for her AMA Supercross license after winning every 2019 and 2020 AMA Supercross Futures Women’s race, but sat out the 2021 AMA Supercross season after a head injury sidelined her. In preparation for — hopefully — racing a full 250SX West season in 2023, Jarvis lined up at the Daytona round in March.
“Daytona is known for not being a normal AMA Supercross track,” Jarvis told American Motorcyclist. “It’s got an outdoor feel to it, which made me more comfortable. I went into it with just a few days of practice, so I felt pretty unprepared, but I got to ride on Press Day — that was scary! — and then I felt a lot more comfortable in my practice the following day.”
“I had some goals,” she continued. “I wanted to go in, ride smart, not get hurt and not be last. I accomplished all of them, too. It was a great experience, and I learned what I need to work on before racing a full season. I did crash coming outta the sand section, but a couple bruises never hurt anyone, and I had so much fun.”
While Jarvis won’t line up again in AMA Supercross until next season, she will be racing outdoor Pro Motocross this summer.
“I love the long motos,” she told us, “and I’m most comfortable out there on a motocross track. I’m the only female racing a full season in the 250s, and my personal goal throughout my career is to bring more women to the sport. I grew up watching Ashely Fiolek and other women race at Nationals, but little girls don’t have that anymore. Hopefully by doing Pro Motocross and AMA Supercross — and maybe bringing WMX back someday — little girls will have something to look up to and watch!”
—Joy Burgess
malcolm’s moments
MATCHLESS!
Making the move from Italian
scooter to “bigthump” British single
at themalcolmbook.com.
BY MALCOLM SMITH
f that Lambretta scooter opened my eyes to a whole new world, the 500cc Matchless I saw one day chained to a nearby tree with a For Sale sign on it made the earth — and my skinny legs — absolutely shake.
II loved the look of it: big fuel tank, buckhorn handlebar, chrome muffler, the aggressive 21-inch front wheel, knobby tires…It was a real motorcycle. First, though, I had
to sell the Lambretta — and that was causing this ninth grader some anxiety. I loved that scooter, as it had been my life for the last two years, and I’d probably ridden it every single day during that time.
But the Matchless was the real thing…bigger, faster, cooler. I could see myself riding all over town, maybe with a girl on the back, James Dean-like, with my white t-shirt, jeans and leather high-top engineer boots — the uniform
My first real motorcycle made me very happy. You can get the full story
of cool kids in our corner of the world.
So I knocked on the door and talked to the owner, who was asking $175. He even offered me a test ride. So I swing the kick starter into position and, knowing this big 500cc thumper would require a Big Kick, gave it everything I had, all 110 pounds of me. Not only did the engine fail to start, the lever did not move. For all I could tell it’d had been welded to the frame. Fortunately, the owner lived on a hill, so we bump-started it and away I went, the Matchless feeling totally different from the Lambretta. Each time the piston moved, the bike moved. I loved that. Soon, all thoughts of keeping the Lambretta were gone.
First, though, I had to sell it, which didn’t take more than a few days, and I even got $175 for it, just enough for the Matchless. Still, I worried the whole time that someone would buy the big single out from under me. I remember coming around the corner the following day and hoping, praying, the bike would be there, chained up and still for sale. It was. A day later we made the deal, and I soon found I was the only kid out of Pacific High’s 3,000-some students who rode a motorcycle to school — a pretty cool thing for a shy kid like myself. Very quickly, I learned to be really good with the clutch. Being sloppy meant an engine stall, and if that happened on flat ground, I was in trouble. More than once I had to hike back from wherever I was and grab a friend or two to help me bump-start the thing, and whenever I stopped, it had to be on a hill, or we’d be pushing. Luckily, there were plenty of hills nearby.
The bike had lights front and rear, and was street-legal. But the front knobby, rear semiknobby, fork boots, the lack of a front fender and the dirttrack-style handlebar gave the bike a pretty serious off-road look…which I loved. I’d ridden the scooter quite a ways from home at times, but the Matchless opened up a whole new world of exploration for me, and it wasn’t long before I was taking full advantage. Places like Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake had been a stretch on the scooter, but they were suddenly much easier to visit on the larger and faster Matchless. Even the high desert beyond the mountains was within easy reach now. If the Lambretta had been a distraction during my high school classes, the Matchless was like fireworks going off inside my head. I simply couldn’t focus on Math or English knowing the bike was sitting in the parking lot. I’d be on the bike as soon as I could after school, usually heading to some miles-away place to explore, and often one deep
into the mountains. And if I was headed home, I took the longest route possible.
I remember heading to Big Bear that winter to watch the finish of the legendary Big Bear Run, which began in the desert far north of town and ended near Big Bear proper, next to the lake in a little village called Fawnskin. The 150mile point-to-point race was a big deal in the 1950s, with 700-800 riders entered, and incredibly competitive.
I was there mostly to see Bud Ekins, a hero of mine and one of the very best riders going. Ekins would grab three Big Bear Run wins by the time the race ended in 1960 and would go on to become a five-time Six Days medalist. (Ironically, I’d end up rooming with him in his final ISDT event in Poland in 1967, my
first gold medal year.) It was cold the day I rode up to see the finish, with ice on the roads, and I froze my butt off. But seeing Ekins ride into Fawnskin for the race’s finish at full speed and in the lead, sliding all the corners like he did, was a thrill. It made me think more and more about racing, though I knew I wasn’t anywhere near good enough to be a real racer at that point.
Exploring Southern California was always exciting. I rode anywhere and everywhere I could, rode it until the tires were bald, and then rode it some more. There was a shooting range nearby that had a winding road leading to it, and when they’d wet down the road to keep the dust down I’d ride it for hours, power-sliding the corners, sharpening my throttle control and balance.
Trouble was, the Matchless wasn’t very reliable. It had a bazillion miles on it, and I’d had no clue how worn out it actually was when I bought it. I once rode out to Rattlesnake Canyon (where the Big Bear run was routed) by myself, which was unfortunate as the Matchless broke a primary chain that afternoon. It was either fix it or spend the night, so I tore off the primary case and patched things together using the busted link and a rock to rivet the chain together well enough to be able to ride home.
It was a lesson that’d help me tremendously in the years to come.
FULL CIRCLE
World Champ and AMA HOFer Kevin Schwantz finally takes possession of the Superbike that launched his career — the #289 Yoshimura Suzuki GS700
BY MITCH BOEHM
PHOTOS: LARS FRAZER AND KEVIN WING
and they’ll end up being displayed in the house I’m building on our family’s ranch in central Texas along with my ’93 championship machine.”
That #289 bike has quite a storied past, before, during and after Schwantz’s skinny Texas posterior was in the seat. The Yoshimura-built Suzuki GS700ES (700cc being a result of the Reagan-imposed tariff on Japanese motorcycles with engines larger than 700cc, a move to protect Harley-Davidson) had been the late AMA Hall of Famer Wes Cooley’s ride prior to Kevin showing up at Willow in late 1984 for an AMA Superbike tryout with Team Yoshimura.
The tale of Kevin Schwantz’s rise to professional prominence has been well-told over the years: A young and unbelievably talented club racer is noticed by an industry
expert and ends up getting a tryout with a historically successful team on the verge of reigniting its bonds with a major manufacturer and the AMA Superbike series. The expert in question? Motojournalist, racer and team owner John Ulrich, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology — who also had roots at Cycle, Cycle World and Cycle News, the publication he worked for when he first noticed Schwantz.
“I remember coming up behind the guy during a 24-hour endurance race at Nelson Ledges in ’84,” Ulrich told me, “and I couldn’t pass him. The Yamaha FJ600 he was riding was swapping and sliding and spinning, and his throttle hand never left the pinned position. I’d seen a lot of racers over the years, and I knew this
THAT #289 BIKE HAS QUITE A STORIED PAST, BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER SCHWANTZ’S SKINNY TEXAS POSTERIOR WAS IN THE SEAT.
Schwantz on the family ranch in Texas with the machine that launched his AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and World Championship career.
guy was good.”
“Yoshimura was looking to return to AMA roadracing at the time,” Ulrich added, “so I told ’Nabe [Suehiro Watanabe, Yoshimura’s main man at the time] he should take a look at this kid. ‘You won’t believe how good he is,’ I told him.”
“So ’Nabe says, ‘OK, we’ll do a test,’ but I knew how that was gonna go…it’d be difficult — three or four laps on an unfamiliar bike and racetrack, and boom we’re done.
So I invited Kevin to come to Willow Springs [where the test would be held] the day before to ride my Team Hammer endurance bike so he could learn the track and learn to ride a big, fast bike with slicks. I called Jimmy Allen [Dunlop’s head tire honcho at the time], got some fresh Dunlops for the test, and got Kevin up to speed.”
Schwantz’s test the following weekend is now the stuff of legend, but suffice it to say he rode well, beating all the So Cal Experts handily
in Sunday’s AFM featured event and breaking the AMA Superbike lap record in the process, even after stalling the bike on the line.
“I was pumped for the opportunity,” Schwantz told me recently, “so I’m in my leathers at 7 a.m., just waiting. The Yosh guys show up just before 9 a.m., and pretty quickly I’m being pushed out into practice. I get one lap and see the checkered flag! No fast laps at all, but still, somehow, I’m fairly calm. I mean, I’d been
“I remember coming up behind the guy during a 24-hour endurance race at Nelson Ledges in ’84 and I couldn’t pass him. The Yamaha FJ600 he was riding was swapping and sliding and spinning, and his throttle hand never left the pinned position.”
JOHN ULRICH
at speed at the
AMA National in ’85, where he jumped out to a commanding lead early-on only to blow an engine. But the message had been sent.
Schwantz
Laguna Seca
riding an FJ600, and here I am on a real-deal AMA Superbike!”
“Anyway,” Schwantz added, “the thing’s got a grabby clutch, and I dump it at the start and stall the bike. [Local So Cal fast guy] Doug Toland runs out to help me push it and I get moving, and as I’m tipping into turn one I see the pack heading into turn three, about a half mile in front of me. It took me about four laps to get the feel of the bike, and then four more to catch and pass the leaders and break the lap record.”
“When I got to the truck the Yosh guys’ jaws were on the ground. They
time that was pretty good.”
After some pre-season testing, Schwantz and the Yosh team showed up at Daytona in March of ’85, practicing well and garnering a spot on the front row of the 200-miler with AMA HOFers Freddie Spencer and Fred Merkel. Both were on factoryspec VF750F Honda Interceptors, a far cry from Schwantz’s air-cooled, three-year-old, tube-framed GS700.
“Daytona didn’t go well,” Schwantz remembers. “Freddie had some sort of helmet-shield problem at the start, and we all waited for what felt like 30 seconds while he fixed it, some
redemption a month or so later at Round 2 at Willow Springs, which was run in two 100-mile segments, with the lowest overall point total — as in motocross — taking the overall win. Schwantz battled briefly for the lead with VF750-mounted Wes Cooley in both races but pulled away in both legs and won by comfortable margins, scoring his very first AMA Superbike victory in just his second outing. The fist pumps while standing on the #289 GS’s footpegs on the cool-off lap were just a hint of the excitement he felt that weekend.
Schwantz and the Yosh team did
were all saying ‘What did we just see?’ Don [Sakakura, Yosh crew member at the time] said to me, ‘Kevin, you can’t drag the cases like that through [turns] Eight and Nine… your gonna run out of metal!’”
Schwantz’s performance that weekend earned him a semi-factory ride in ’85 with Yoshimura, who’d inked a limited deal with Suzuki for the season. “I signed for expenses and prize money,” he said, “and at the
of us with our clutches in.” A number of riders in the front rows fried their clutches in the 200’s early laps, Schwantz included.
“I think something like six or seven of the top-ten qualifiers didn’t finish because of clutch issues,” Schwantz told me. “When I took off it just went ‘wuuuaaaaaaaaa,’ and when I stopped I just leaned it up against the rail.”
But Schwantz would earn
Schwantz carried #289 to the 1985 Superbikers event at Carlsbad on a Yamaha YZ490 sponsored by his uncle — and Yamaha dealer — Daryl Hurst. Right: Schwantz exiting Laguna’s Corkscrew during that 1985 AMA National.
shockingly well during that shortened — for them — ’85 season, winning three West coast races — Willow Springs, Seattle and Sears Point — and garnering enough points to take seventh in the series. “I blew an engine while leading the Laguna Seca round,” Schwantz remembers. “I had four or five seconds on the pack after only a couple of laps, so we clearly established ourselves as a force.”
“When I got to the truck the Yosh guys’ jaws were on the ground. Don [Sakakura, Yosh crew member at the time] said to me, ‘Kevin, you can’t drag the cases like that through [turns] Eight and Nine your gonna run out of metal!’”
KEVIN SCHWANTZ
Honda, you wanted to be on a Yosh Suzuki. I can’t believe it’s been 24 years since I first threw a leg over this thing. Big fun! Thanks for making it happen!”
Hearing the GS engine’s wail echo off the trees and reverberate through the paddock as Schwantz ripped down the back straight took us all back to a time when AMA Superbike was changing in a big way, especially for Suzuki. In ’85 the air-cooled GS was on its last legs, already surpassed mechanically by the Honda Interceptor and Yamaha FZ750 and about to be replaced by the GSX-R, which had already debuted in Europe and Canada that year.
“That thing was really good in ’85,” Schwantz told me. “It was fast, because the Yosh guys always built fast engines,
but the chassis was also amazing. It felt light and narrow and was really stable at speed. I don’t know if they did anything to the frame, and looking at it now it doesn’t look like it, but that thing was on rails, even at really fast and really demanding tracks like Willow and Sears Point and Laguna. And I loved riding it, too! Once, after I’d hurt myself somehow, Scott Gray rode it and crashed it at Sears, and I remember thinking, ‘Damn, that’s my favorite bike!’”
When the #289 bike showed up at Schwantz’s Texas ranch in a crate a couple years ago after a successful purchase from collector Wheatman, Schwantz noticed a bit of corrosion on some of the magnesium parts, but otherwise the bike was in good shape. Internally it was in even better shape, as Wheatman had a guy with serious inline-4 engine building expertise go through the motor while Wheatman owned it, which means it will run whenever Schwantz feels the need to take it to
Before the Schwantz GS was shipped to Road Atlanta for the 2007 reunion it went to Yoshimura HQ in Chino, Calif., where it got a tune-up and a period (and custom) exhaust. Schwantz (left), Yosh boss Don Sakakura (middle) and O’Shea discuss.
Hearing the GS Engine’s wail echo off the trees and reverberate through the paddock as Schwantz ripped down the back straight took us all back to a time when AMA superbike was changing in a big way, Especially for Suzuki.
an event (such as 2022 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, where Schwantz will be Grand Marshal, June 22-24) or a track day. And he says he definitely wants to do that.
And the plan for ol’ #289 going forward between now and whenever he decides to fire it up at an event?
“I’m gonna display it alongside my GP bikes and the Norton Manx I got for my dad upstairs in the new house we’re building,” he told me. “I have my ’93 world championship bike, a ’94 version, the square-four RG I rode a little in ’86, and the Manx, which has a 4-valve head on it, which makes it really rare. I might get the GS running at some point so I can ride it, and just like that day at Road Atlanta, it’s
Clockwise, from left: Schwantz and O’Shea at Road Atlanta. The champ tending to hungry longhorns (and multitasking!) recently at the ranch. Schwantz at Road Atlanta in 2007, posing for Kevin Wing’s Brownie camera. Far left: Tucked in on RA’s long back straight.
nice to feel and hear it, and refresh all those great memories.”
Being in the right place at the right time really can make all the difference. And for AMA Hall of Famer Kevin Schwantz, and the AMA Superbike he began his professional career aboard 37 years ago, being home in Texas — coming full circle, if you will — seems just about perfect. AMA
Oh,
Done? have What
AMA Government Relations Manager Pete Stockus’ tale of Joy, sadness and hope after an AMA VMD swap meet purchase turns troublesome
Ior anyone with a soft spot for vintage bikes, the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days swap meet can seem like a big ol’ slice of paradise.
FBY JOY BURGESS WITH PETE STOCKUS
PHOTOS BY AMA GRD STAFF
Each July at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, the VMD swap meet stretches
beyond what your eyes can see, with acre upon acre of vintage bikes — dirtbikes, streetbikes, racebikes and minis from the ‘60s through the ‘90s — plus bike parts, memorabilia strange stuff and more.
Plenty of cash changes hands during the three-day event (which takes place
this year July 22-24), with bulging wallets quickly emptied and serious searches often turning to big-ol’ grins with the purchase of some longneeded bike or part.
For AMA Government Relations Off-Highway Manager Pete Stockus, 2021 was his very first time
“I got up to about 70 mph on the front straight, which was great, but maybe 30 seconds later the bike was like, ‘nope!’ and just putzed out...”
PETE STOCKUS
at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, and as a guy with a soft spot for vintage bikes — he’s owned at least a dozen through the years, including some classic 2-strokes — seeing the country’s largest motorcycle swap meet was what he was most excited about.
“I was so excited,” he told us, “I was like a kid in a candy store.”
But was he planning to buy a bike there? “I knew it was a possibility,” he said. “I’m kinda bad with money,
so I knew if I saw something I liked, I was gonna try to make it work. Mostly I was looking for older 2-stroke stuff…expansion chambers, an RD400 crank, etc.”
“And then I saw this gaudy purple Yamaha CS5 [think of it as sort of a piston-port — and not reed-valve — preRD200 in many ways] from across the way and ran to it,” Stockus continued. “I really like small-displacement, 2-stroke vintage street bikes, especially since moving to Washington D.C. and commuting. I love having
something kinda tiny and nimble in traffic, but with enough get up and go that if I have to blast an exit or two on a highway, I can without being absolutely terrified.”
The “goofy and purple” ’72 CS/RD fit the bill perfectly, and it even ran! “I rode it around the swap meet,” Stockus remembered, “and told the guy who owned it I’d be back in a few hours with cash. He was asking $1,200, but I talked him down to $1,050, which was
a pretty good deal.”
Getting cash was a nightmare in itself. “The ATMs at VMD only gave out $200 at a time, and in $20 bills,” Stockus mentioned with a laugh. “I had to do six separate transactions before making my way back to the seller’s spot with pockets bulging with 20s, all the while feeling scared I’d drop the money somewhere.”
Leaving the swap meet on his little slice of purple passion, Stockus began to notice the bike’s quirks and
foibles — always part of the deal with an old vintage bike like this. It idled rough, had its ignition switch gouged out, didn’t have a key and was missing its airbox.
Still, it ran. Sorta. “It was running well enough to ride around VMD after I topped it off with oil and gas,” Stockus said, “and it did okay if you goosed the throttle, but it didn’t love to idle, which made me think it needed a carb clean, and fast. I wasn’t worried about riding it there, because if it broke down, it’s probably the best place in the world to have a mechanical issue.”
“I was totally willing to overlook the imperfections,” he continued. “I figured with a week in the workshop I could make it a reliable commuter.”
With the ignition switch gouged out, just about anything could be used to start the bike, something Stockus — mistakenly, it turned out — shared with AMA staff. When it came time to leave for the
hotel that night, Stockus stashed the bike at AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman’s RV to, ahem, “keep it safe.”
“The next morning,” Stockus told me between laughs, “I heard right away that Rob and [AMA COO] James [Holter] had been ripping around on it! People were telling me, ‘Rob and James had a bunch of fun on your bike last night,’ which I found pretty funny.” All in good fun.
After the executive joy rides, Stockus planned to take the RD on the Lap For History on the roadrace circuit that forms the centerpiece of MidOhio.
“I got up to about 70 mph on the front straight,” Stockus told us, “which was great, but maybe 30 seconds later the bike was like, ‘nope!’ and just putzed out, and I merged over and got myself off the track to keep myself and the other riders safe.”
“I didn’t see any smoke,” said AMA
Director of Government Relations — and Stockus’ boss — Mike Sayre, “but I do remember coming around the next lap and seeing Pete and the bike sitting on the side of the track. Once we pulled off, [AMA Director of Racing] Mike [Pelletier] was on the radio telling the marshals that the problem bike was
Far left: AMA Director of Government Relations Mike Sayre checks out the bike. Pretty sure he’s documenting the gouged out ignition here, and we’re glad he did since he’s responsible for most of the photos in this story. Thanks, Mike! Left: Stockus’ swap meet find was missing an air box when he bought it, but AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman (pictured) lent a hand. “It meant a lot that Rob found a pair of air filters for the carbs and threw them on the bike for me. Totally rad!”
actually a staff member’s.”
“So I ended up on the trailer of shame,” Stockus added with a laugh. “The trailer folks were nice. I think they were the roadracing crew, and we talked motorcycles, and they got a good laugh outta it, and it was a pleasant 45-second ride back to the pits.”
Stockus hitched a trailer to his vintage Volvo 240, which is nearly as clapped out as the CS5, and picked up the Yamaha from the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in late December. Both car and bike made it back to Washington D.C. safely. Now the fun part begins.
Despite the bike’s shortlived life during the Lap For History, Stockus and others were genuinely surprised at all the purchase offers he got on the bike that weekend. “Within an hour or so of Pete buying the bike,” Sayre said, “a guy offered him more than he paid for it.”
“It was pretty funny,” Stockus chuckled. “So many people stopped me and tried to buy the bike for more than I paid for it, and I had the whole Government Relations department telling me to sell it. People were offering me $1,500, and everyone said, ‘Go make that $450!’ But I was like, ‘nah...I’ve already made a bad decision and I think I’m gonna ride it out.’”
Things didn’t improve much when it came time to get the bike back to Washington D.C., either. That’s often a conundrum for VMD swap-meet goers whose eyes are bigger than their cars, trucks or trailers — though the spectacle of folks trying to haul a bike home in the trunk of their car (sometimes in pieces) is not an uncommon one.
Lucky for Stockus, the bike hitched a ride back to AMA Headquarters, where it was to live a quiet life until Christmas, when he’d be coming back through town in his nearly-as-broken Volvo. “Somehow,” he said, “I managed to tow a broken motorcycle with an almost broken car a third of the way across the country, getting it back to D.C. in January.”
The plan now, of course, is the beginning of the payoff part of the whole
“So many people stopped me and tried to buy the bike for more than I paid for it. But I was like, ‘nah...I’ve already made a bad decision and I think I’m gonna ride it out.’”
STOCKUS
PETE
endeavor…getting the thing sorted and running.
“I’ve been ordering parts and planning what I need to do,” he told us recently, “and it all starts with an engine teardown and a re-seal. Not sure what shape the cylinders and pistons are in — gotta measure everything — and of course the bottom
end will need crank seals and such. And while it’s probably pretty worn out, rebuilding these simple 2-strokes isn’t a big deal, and it’ll be fun, to boot.”
“Once that’s done I’ll add an electronic ignition,” he added, “and fix the charging system, which I found out this weekend
wasn’t working. Then a new ignition switch and key, fork seals for sure, new tires, and probably a funky rear rack for the commuting duty it’ll be doing.”
Will it be ready for a repeat performance during the Lap For History at this year’s AMA
Vintage Motorcycle Days?
“Well, I’m pretty sure it’ll be fixed by then” Stockus said with a grin, “but I don’t know if I’ll ride it that far. I mean, who knows…I just might have to buy another bike at the swap meet this year!”
Always a possibility for those of us with a love of all things vintage. AMA
The plan now, of course, is the beginning of the payoff part of the whole endeavor,… getting the thing sorted and running.
IT’S ABOUT
ABOUT TIME
A History of Digital Enduro Timekeeping
BY DAVID HILL PHOTOS: ERIC HILL
nduros, originally referred to as endurance runs, are one of the oldest forms of offroad motorcycle competition. Although the AMA has recognized national enduro champions since the association’s founding in 1924, the modern era of enduro competition began in 1961 when the AMA Grand National Enduro Championship Series was created.
EThese national enduros tested the durability of a specially prepared motorcycle, a rider’s technical skill and physical stamina, and their ability to master complex timekeeping in their head. Being able to ride fast was not enough; the rider had to stay on the required pace, sometimes for more than 100 miles, or be penalized at various checkpoints. You had to ride fast and ride smart.
In the early years, enduro timekeeping tools were primarily limited to a traditional roll chart and a simple analog watch, preferably one with a highly legible face. The rider would rely on either a wristwatch or handlebar-mounted pocket watch to compute mileage targets related
to event-specified average speeds in their head and compare them to actual odometer readings. All of this was done on the fly...and not easy to do while dodging trees, roots and rocks at speed.
A less mathematically-inclined rider might have added a roll chart
to the mix with pre-prepared tapes indicating event times and relevant mileage targets. It removed the riders need for computation but required a lot of prep work. It was also still challenging to advance (or read) the tape, check your watch and do the odometer comparison while riding.
Previous page: Well-worn Enduro Clock prototypes with the production Enduro Clock III.
Above: Street with his ’70 Husqvarna 250 Cross 8-Speed, which he piloted to a first overall at the Stillwater, Okla., National Enduro.
His seemingly simple idea was to create a digital timer that would continuously count off and display mileage at the prescribed event average speed allowing the rider to compare it to their actual odometer reading.
In the early 1970s, Vern Street, an AMA Life Member and a highly-skilled enduro rider from Oklahoma, thought there was a better way. Vern was no stranger to motorcycle competition; he won a national enduro in 1971, competed in the infamous Mint 400, placed sixth in the grueling 1972 Baja 1000, was a 1973 ISDT qualifier gold medalist, and was the Black Jack Enduro Circuit overall champion in 1975 and 1977. In addition to this impressive motorcycle resume, he was also an accomplished electrical engineer and owned a Radio Shack store. This was a winning combination that would ultimately lead to a digital revolution in enduro timekeeping.
compare the numbers to their actual progress. Sounds like a great way to unexpectedly hit a tree and head home disappointed — or worse. His seemingly simple idea was to create a digital timer that would continuously count off and display mileage at the prescribed event average speed allowing the rider to compare it to
taped a cheat sheet to the device’s face to help tune for speed averages commonly used in enduros. He lashed it to his handlebar and used it in several enduros with good results. It wasn’t perfect, but he actually won a few enduros using it.
their actual odometer reading.
As a seasoned competitor, Vern recognized the need for a simpler way to do enduro timekeeping. Why should a fast rider be penalized if he was not a skilled timekeeper? Conversely, the less technically skilled rider had much more to worry about than trying to read a watch, compute ideal event mileage and
Creating such a device in those days required electrical engineering skills, access to various components, proof of principle prototypes and inspired gumption. His first attempt, housed in a relatively crude metal box, featured a battery, mechanical counter, power switch, a handful of electronics and a potentiometer to regulate the “speed.” Vern even
His next prototype, called the Enduro Clock II, was smaller than the first version and was starting to look more like a real product. Its main flaw was primarily the difficulty associated with setting event speed. A potentiometer requires fine adjustment, and the knob could accidently be bumped in a crash or while riding…not a good thing. He needed to rethink the controls and displays required to make his idea into more than a prototype.
The final product rolled out in 1975 as the Enduro Clock III. It addressed earlier shortcomings by adding a multi-position selector to the face for power on/off and to easily adjust the display/counter speed. The rider could now rotate the selector until the numbers clicked into place
Above: Street worked a deal with John Penton’s Hi-Point for Enduro Clock distributing, but also sold this one under his own Vern Street Products banner, figuring that if Preston Petty Products could do it, so could he.
corresponding to the prescribed speed. No more potentiometer twiddling or guesswork was required. The numeric selector was easy to understand and was nicely protected from accidental movement. Speed changes, common in some events, were also possible during the ride by simply resetting the selector dials.
The electronics were housed in a compact/rugged polycarbonate enclosure sourced from a company called Polycase and were available in either black or orange. A vacuumformed clear plastic cover protected the face from moisture and was hinged to the case using good old duct tape. I believe this to be a great “enduro rider” solution, as a more conventional plastic hinge would be more likely to fail anyway, and then you’d be back to duct tape. The clear covers were initially formed in his wife’s oven over a homemade mold.
Eventually he had them injection molded as production volumes increased. He also developed a simple L-shaped steel bracket for mounting the clock. Rubber bands, cut from inner tubes, held the clock to the bracket, and riders were on their own for mounting the assembly to the bike. Makes sense.
Previously complex timekeeping tasks were now transformed into a simple comparison between the enduro clock’s continuously advancing display and the rider’s odometer reading. Vern had successfully made the jump from prototype to a production product that allowed top-flight riders to increase their chances of winning and lesser riders to focus more on improving riding skills
Below: Vern Street synchronizing the Enduro Clock III on his Penton 400 prior to start of the R.M. Wheeler Ranch National Enduro, which was held southwest of Tulsa, Okla., in the late 1970s. The ranch, over 11,000 acres of woods, rocks and trails, and was a fitting reliability test man and machine — and clocks! Above: Typical Penton set-up of the Enduro Clock III paired with a VDO speedometer.
Functioning Enduro Clock III mounted on the handlebar of the author’s restored ’79 Husqvarna 250WR. The engineering, build quality and component selection stood the test of time. Left: Vern and Malcolm Smith at an off-road race in the 1980s.
while navigating a challenging course.
Retailing for $125, the Enduro Clock III was sold directly through Vern Street Products in Tulsa, Okla., and also through Penton’s Hi-Point branded accessories. Vern showed an intrigued AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer John Penton the clock at a national enduro and a distribution deal was quickly struck. Those clocks were labelled with the HiPoint trademark. All production units were carefully hand assembled in the back room of his Radio Shack store by some of his most trusted employees. The Enduro Clock III worked well and quickly became the hot set-up for enduro timekeeping. When production ultimately ceased in 1980, primarily due to the influx of fully programmable solutions, about 1700 total units had been sold.
Following Vern’s retirement from motorcycle competition he was named the President of the 1994 ISDE, which was organized by the Tulsa Trail Riders and held at the storied Zink Ranch. In addition to other duties, he invented and ran a successful computerized/digital scoring system for 600 riders over the six days of competition. Although team USA did not win the ’94 ISDE, the scoring system worked flawlessly. He had come full circle.
Today’s popular start control/ reset enduro format has made traditional timekeeping, and thus Vern’s Enduro Clock III, obsolete. Modern enduros are run much more like special tests at ISDE events. The focus is on speed through a controlled section rather than the ability to maintain an average over a lengthy course.
All these changes, however, don’t diminish the significance of Vern’s invention. He identified an opportunity for innovation, created a wonderful solution for enduro riders, and revolutionized “staying on your minute.”
The old adage is true…Time marches on. AMA
Top: Vern restoring an Enduro Clock III, with his 1976 Black Jack Enduro Championship helmet in the background. Above: One of 12 digital checkpoint clocks designed and built by Vern for scoring the 1994 ISDE; the clocks were connected to a small printer that would directly record times on a rider’s timecard. This eliminated human error created by handwriting times on the cards with a pen.
Historic AMA Gypsy Tours…
…got their start more than 100 years ago at places like Weirs Beach near Laconia, NH, and Harley-Davidson Motor Co. in Milwaukee, Wisc., and have always been about riding and sharing the camaraderie of two wheels with like-minded enthusiasts at great destinations.
And that continues with the 2022 Gypsy Tour schedule, where riders can meet, share experiences and even grab their collectible AMA National Gypsy Tour pin dated with the year.
Remaining events include:
• The Americade Rally (June 7-11)
• Laconia Motorcycle Week (June 11-19)
• Thunder in the Valley (June 23-26)
• AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days (July 22-24)
• Four Corners Motorcycle Rally (Sept. 2-4)
MAKE IT YOURS
The AMA offers a variety of card types and designs for members. In addition to our standard card, we offer a number of themed cards that identify you as belonging to a specific group or speak to your passion as a motorcyclist.
Call (800) AMA-JOIN (2625646) to request an affinity card at any time, at no additional cost.
DEALS AND DISCOUNTS
THE ESSENTIALS
Lodging
Save 15% at participating Choice Hotels Properties.
Up to 10% off at Motel 6. Use code: M64AMA
20% discount off available rates, call (800) REDROOF and use the code VP+ 503343. To make reservations online use code: VP+ 503343 in the field labeled “VP+/ID#”
PRODUCT DISCOUNTS
ADVMoto
20% discount. Use code AMADV20
AMA Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Free admission to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio.
AMA Supercross Tickets
10% discount on tickets at supercrosslive.com Use code 5AMASX
Anthony’s Leatherworks 10% discount. Use code AMADISCOUNT
Blendzall
AMA members can save 20% at blendzall.com. Use code AMA20 at checkout.
Bohn Body Armor
10% AMA Member Exclusive Discount. Visit bohnarmor. com and use code AMA18 at checkout.
Butler Maps
AMA members receive a 20% discount at butlermaps.com. Use code AMAMEMBER
Cardo Systems
20% discount online with valid AMA membership card.
Colorado Motorcycle Adventures 10% discount with valid AMA membership card.
The Dirt Bike Academy 10% exclusive discount on instruction. Learn more at thedirtbikeacademy.com
Dowco Powersports 20% discount. Use code AMA20
EagleRider For Club EagleRider AMA members receive 2 free rental credits
AMA Roadside Assistance Roadside assistance coverage for eligible members.
Car Rentals
Up to 25% off at any Avis or Budget. Avis Code: D388100 Budget Code: Z942000 Motorcycle Shipping Call
AMA Gear Find patches, pins, T-shirts, hats and more.
Edelweiss
AMA members save on standard bike tour. Use code 21AMA-EBT03 at checkout.
Evans Cooling System 25% discount on Evans Coolants and Prep Fluid. Use code AMAFUN at evanscoolant.com.
EVS Sports 10% discount and free shipping on all orders. Use code AMAEVS20
Haynes
Save an additional 15% on all Haynes & Clymer print and online repair manuals. Use code AMA15
Heli Bars
Use code AMAM2020 for a 10% AMA Member Exclusive Discount at helibars.com.
Helite Moto AMA members get 15% off every order at helitemoto.com. Use code HELITEAMA
International Motorcycle Shows
Save on advanced adult oneday general admission. Use code AMA20
Legacy Track Dayz 15% discount on Legacy Track Dayz events. Use code AMARideLTD
Liberty Sport Eyewear 30% discount on all “motorcycle collection” frames. Discount code AMA30.
MAD Maps
Save 15%. Use code AMA15
Matrix Concepts
AMA members receive a 25% discount on most products for shop, garage & track necessities at matrixracingproducts.com Use code AMA25
Motorcycle Shippers AMA
Medjet
Air medical transport and travel security protection – visit Medjet.com/AMACycle or call 1.800.527.7478, referring to American Motorcyclist Association.Annual rates are reduced by 20% and start at $235.
MotoAmerica 20% off 2-day and 3-day passes at select MotoAmerica events. Use discount code AMA20
Motool AMA members can save 10% at motool.co. Use code AMAVIP at checkout.
MX Boot Repair 10% discount. Use code AMADISCOUNT
MX Mounts 10% off on our mounts Use AMADiscount at checkout
MYLAPS 20% discount off MSRP or current sales price on weborders or orders coordinated by the AMA. Use code AMA-789HJK
Nelson Rigg 20% AMA Member Exclusive Discount on all products! Use promo code AMA-NR20
The Quail MC Gathering
AMA members recieve a discount on tickets using the code QL22AMA
Quin Design Helmets 10% off crash detection, SOS beacon, Bluetooth communication & more with your new intelligent helmet.
Rider Magazine
AMA member exclusive discount: $19.99 for 2 years (24 issues) + 2 extra free issues.
Risk Racing 15% off products at riskracing.com. Use code AMA15
Rlink
Rlink offers AMA Members 25% off industry leading GPS Security Systems. Use code ama2020rl
Rockwell Time
Save 20% on select products. Rockwelltime. com. Use code AMA20
Spot LLC Exclusive service credit on SPOT Gen3, SPOT Trace or SPOT X device
STKR Concepts 15% off products at stkrconcepts.com. Use code AMA15
Street Skills 10% discount on online courses at StreetSkills.net. Use code AMACCOC.
Third Eye Design $25 discount on inView, a wireless brake and signal light. Use code AMA at thirdeyedesigninc.com
US Chrome $30 discount on cylinder plating and dealer pricing on Wiseco, Wossner, ProX and Vertex piston kits.
Warm & Safe 20% discount. Use code AMA
ARIZIONA
COMING EVENTS
Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.
COLORADO
Road Race: May 14-15. Chandler. ASMA Championship Series, Arroyo Seco Motorcyclist Association, Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, roger@asmaracing.com, asmaracing.com.
CALIFORNIA
Enduro: May 1. Fools Gold Enduro, California Enduro Riders Association, 925-413-2434, cerarider@gmail.com, cera.org. Desert Scrambles: May 1. Red Mountain. Dirt Diggers Dual European Scrambles, Southern California Dirt Diggers, Teagle Wash, 310-502-9931, jbrown@willdan.com, www. dirtdiggersmc.com.
Desert Scrambles: May 7. Red Mountain. Badgers CopOut Dual European Scramble Desert Race #1, Badgers Motorcycle Club, Spangler Hills OHV - Wagon Wheel Campground, www.blm.gov.
Desert Scrambles: May 7. Red Mountain. Badgers CopOut Dual European Scramble Desert Race #2, Badgers Motorcycle Club, Spangler Hills OHV - Wagon Wheel Campground, www.blm.gov.
Flat Track - Short Track: May 7. Lodi. 2022 D36 Dirt Track Championship, Lodi Motorcycle Club, Lodi Cycle Bowl, 209368-7182, lodimcemail@gmail.com, www.lodicyclebowl.com. Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: May 7-8. Chrome. Richmond Ramblers MC, Burrows Ranch, 510-761-6115, stonyford70@sbcglobal.net.
Motocross: May 8. Marysville. Road to Mammoth Round 5, 2X Promotions LLC., Riverfront MX Park, 559-500-5360, www.2xpromotions.com.
Motocross: May 14. Pala. Fox Raceway Southwest Area Qualifier, 2X Promotions LLC., Fox Raceway, 559-500-5360, www.2xpromotions.com.
Flat Track - Short Track: May 14. Lake Elsinore. Slippin’ Sideways, DRT Racing, Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park, 909-714-7470, info@drtracinginc.com, drtracinginc.com.
Flat Track – TT: May 14. Lodi. 2022 D36 Dirt Track Championship,Lodi Motorcycle Club, Lodi Cycle Bowl, 209368-7182, lodimcemail@gmail.com, www.lodicyclebowl.com.
Flat Track - Short Track: May 21. Lodi. 2022 D36 Dirt Track Championship, Lodi Motorcycle Club, Lodi Cycle Bowl, 209368-7182, lodimcemail@gmail.com, www.lodicyclebowl.com. Dual Sport: May 21. Nevada City. Nevada County Woods Riders, Inc., Tahoe National Forest, 530-274-9943, jdpellizer@ymail.com, www.woodsriders.clubexpress.com. Desert Scrambles: May 21-22. Johnson Valley. RUTS Meltdown, Racers Under the Son, Inc., South Anderson Dry Lake, 949-689-5078, scott@ruts.org.
Motocross: May 27. Pala. Pro National Amateur Day, 2X Promotions LLC., Fox Raceway, 559-500-5360, www.2xpromotions.com.
Road Rally: May 27-29. Quincy. 49er Rally, BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California, Plumas County Fairgrounds, 925-890-8449, president@bmwnorcal.org, bmwnorcal.com.
Road Race: May 7- 8. Deer Trail. North America Talent Cup, Rise Moto LLC., High Plains Raceway, 717-495-7265, info@ northamericatalentcup.com, northamericatalentcup.com.
Adventure Ride: May 21. Berkshire Big Adventure, Berkshire Trail Riders Association, 203-725-8439, berksberg@gmail.com, https://mudsliger.org/bba-2022.
FLORIDA
Motocross: May 28-29. Jacksonville. WW Ranch Motocross Park Southeast Youth Regional Championship, WW Motocross Park, 904-318-4096, www.wwmotox.com.
GEORGIA
Motocross: May 7. Dalton. Lazy River MX Southeast Area Qualifier/MEGA/SAS/BIG Series LRMX, Inc., Lazy River MX, 706-278-2868, teamsyd@aol.com, www.lazyrivermx.com
Motocross: May 8. Dalton. Lazy River MX Southeast Area Qualifier/MEGA/SAS/BIG Series Pro-Am LRMX, Inc., Lazy River MX, 706-278-2868, teamsyd@aol.com, www. lazyrivermx.com.
Motocross: May 14. Union Point. Family MX Series, Durhamtown Off Road Park, Pee Wee Track, 706-486-0091, robin@durhamtown.com, www.gaoffroadadventures.com. Dual Sport: May 28. Greensboro. Cherokee Dual Sport, Cherokee Cycle Club Inc., 404-456-2189, johnnytoobad@ mindspring.com.
IDAHO
Road Ride/Run: May 7. Boise. Motorcycle Awareness Rally, Idaho Coalition for Motorcycle Safety, Sandy Point Park, 208941-1689, rueco2@msn.com, idahobikernights.org.
ILLINOIS
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: May 1. Cuba. Canton Motorcycle Club Hare Scramble, CantonMotorcycle Club, Van Middlesworth Farm, facebook.com/cantonmc.racing. Motocross: May 1. Casey. Fly Racing Showdown Series, Lincoln Trail Motosports, Lincoln Trail Motosports, 217-9322041, www.lincolntrailmotosports.com.
Trail Ride: May 1. Ottawa. Egg Hunt, Variety Riders Motorcycle Club Inc., 815-434-3669, varietyriders@yahoo. com, varietyriders.com.
Motocross: May 8. Byron. Byron Motosports Park North Central Area Qualifier, Motosports Enterprises LTD., Motosports Park, 815-234-2271, motobyron@mac.com, www.motobyron.com.
Road Race: May 13-15. South Beloit. ASRA Team Challenge/CCS, American Sportbike Racing Association, Blackhawk Farms Raceway, 817-246-1127, info@asraracing. com, www.asraracing.com
Motocross: May 14-15. Walnut. Sunset Ridge MX North Central Area Qualifier, 4P Promotions, Inc., Sunset Ridge MX, 815-379-9534, jan@sunsetridgemx.com, www. sunsetridgemx.com.
Motocross: May 14. Mendota. Megacross Shootout Series, Moto Pro Inc., Megacross, 815-539-9021, wardy@mtco.com, www.megacross.com.
Off Road Grand Prix: May 21. Wedron. Ultimate Racer Challenge Series & Fox Valley Off Road Series, Moto Pro Inc., Fox Valley Off Road, 815-431-9913, wardy@mtco.com, foxvalleyoffroad.com.
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: May 22. Wedron. Ultimate Racer Challenge Series & Fox Valley Off Road Series, Moto Pro Inc., Fox Valley Off Road, 815-431-9913, wardy@mtco. com, foxvalleyoffroad.com.
Motocross: May 28- 29. Walnut. AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series, 4P Promotions, Inc., Sunset Ridge MX, 815-379-9534, jan@sunsetridgemx.com, www. sunsetridgemx.com.
Flat Track – TT: May 28. Mattoon. Central Illinois M/C, Central Illinois Motorcycle Club, 217-246-7154, hopper54p@yahoo.com.
Motocross: May 28. Mendota. Megacross Shootout Series, Moto Pro Inc., Megacross, 815-539-9021, wardy@mtco.com, www.megacross.com.
Flat Track – TT: May 29. Mattoon. Central Illinois M/C, Central Illinois Motorcycle Club, 217-246-7154, hopper54p@yahoo.com.
Motocross: May 29-30. Casey. Fly Racing Showdown Series, Lincoln Trail Motosports, Lincoln Trail Motosports, 217-932-2041, www.lincolntrailmotosports.com.
Flat Track – TT: May 30. Mattoon. Central Illinois Trail Riders (CITR), Central Illinois Motorcycle Club, 217-246-7154, hopper54p@yahoo.com.
INDIANA
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: May 1. Columbus. Stoney Lonesome MC RD 1, Stoney Lonesome M/C, Stoney Lonesome MC Club, www.stoneylonesomemc.com. Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: May 7-8. Crawfordsville. GNCC Hoosier/eMTB, Racer Productions, Inc., Ironman Raceway, 304-284-0084, www. gnccracing.com.
Motocross: May 14-15. Crawfordsville. AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series, MX Sports, Inc., Ironman Raceway, 304-284-0084, www.atvmotocross.com.
Hillclimb: May 15. Middlebury. Annual Spring Hillclimb, Goshen Iron Horsemen, 574-825-3399, jdcole15@yahoo. com, www.facebook.com/goshenironhorsemen.
Road Ride/Run: May 15. Columbia City. Charity Event, Old Fort Motorcycle Club Inc., 260-504-6388, francierichard@aim.com.
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: May 22. Columbus. Stoney Lonesome MC RD 2, Stoney Lonesome M/C, Stoney Lonesome MC Club, www.stoneylonesomemc.com
IOWA
Motocross: May 22. Garwin. Iowa Moto Series, Oak Ridge MX, 641-844-4849, www.oakridgemx.com.
KENTUCKY
Observed Trials: May 1. Taylorsville. Trials Inc., 814-795-4646, www.trialsinc.org.
Motocross: May 21-22. Sebree. Echo Valley MX Mid-East Area Qualifier, Echo Valley MX, LLC., 270-339-6704, evmxllc964@gmail.com, www.evmxllc.com.
MASSACHUSETTS
Motocross: May 29. Southwick. MSC Championship MX Series, Metropolitan Sports Committee, The Wick 338, 781582-5491, rick@thewick338.com, www.thewick338.com.
MICHIGAN
Motocross: May 1. Millington. District 14 Motocross Series, Bulldog Riders Motorcycle Club, Inc., Bulldog Riders Club, 810-241-7740.
Motocross: May 1. Bloomingdale. Dutch Sport Park
Mid-East Area Qualifier, Dutch Sport Park, 269-521-5712, dspmx@msn.com, www.dutchsportparkmx.com.
Enduro: May 1. Montello. D16 Montello Sprint Enduro, South Eastern Wisconsin Enduro Riders, 262-930-0358, tracksideoils@gmail.com.
Motocross: May 7-8. Millington. Baja Acres Mid-East Area Qualifier, Baja Acres, 989-871-3356, www.bajaacres.com.
MINNESOTA
Motocross: May 1. Millville. Fly Racing Super Series, Hi-Winders, Spring Creek MX Park, 507-753-2779, springcreekmxoffice@gmail.com, www.springcreekmx.com.
Motocross: May 8. Brookston. District 23 Motocross Series, Echo Valley Motopark, LLC., Echo Valley Motopark, 218-391-8422, echovalleymotopark@gmail.com, www. echovalleymotocross.com.
Motocross: May 15. Cambridge. BCMX Motocross, BCMX Adventure Park, 612-280-8939, bcmxadventurepark.com. Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: May 15. Millville. Spring Creek D23 Hare Scramble, Larson’s Cycle, HiWinders, Spring Creek Motocross Park, 507-753-2779, springcreekmxoffice@gmail.com, www.springcreekmx.com.
Flat Track - Short Track: May 21. New Ulm, Flying Dutchmen Cycle Club, Flying Dutchmen, 507-388-1671, flyingdutchmenmn@gmail.com, flyingdutchmenmotorcycleclub.com.
Motocross: May 21-22. Little Falls. Little Falls Raceway North Central Area Qualifier, RM Promotions, Little Falls Raceway, 218-894-2826, www.motocityraceway.com.
Flat Track - Short Track: May 22. New Ulm. Flying Dutchmen Cycle, Flying Dutchmen, 507-388-1671, flyingdutchmenmn@gmail.com, flyingdutchmenmotorcycleclub.com.
Motocross: May 29. Brookston. District 23 Motocross Series, Echo Valley Motopark, LLC., Echo Valley Motopark, 218-391-8422, echovalleymotopark@gmail.com. www.echovalleymotocross.com
Motocross: May 29. Millville. Fly Racing Super Series/ Donny Schmit Memorial Race, Hi-Winders, Spring Creek MX Park, 507-753-2779, www.springcreekmx.com.
Motocross: May 30. Brookston. District 23 Motocross Series, Echo Valley Motopark, LLC., Echo Valley Motopark, 218-391-8422, echovalleymotopark@gmail.com, www.echovalleymotocross.com.
Motocross: May 30. Millville. Fly Racing Super Series, Hi-Winders, Spring Creek MX Park, 507-753-2779, springcreekmxoffice@gmail.com, www.springcreekmx.com
MISSOURI
Enduro: May 15. Pak Hills. Leadbelt National Enduro, Missouri Mudders, St. Joe ORV Park, 636-639-6373, michael.silger@momudders.com, www.momudders.com.
NEW JERSEY
Motocross: May 1. Millville. Spring Fling/New Jersey Championship Series, Field of Dreams MX, LLC., NJ Field of Dreams, 856-765-3799, info@njmpfod.com, njmpfod.com. Motocross: May 7-8. Englishtown. Englishtown Northeast Area Qualifier, Raceway Park, 732-446-7800, rtrevelise@ racewaypark.com, www.etownraceway.com.
Adventure School: May 14-15. Millville. Dirt 101, Pine Barrens Adventures, LLC., Pine Barrens Adventure Camp Riding School LLC., 856-297-1981, pbacridingschool@gmail. com, www.pinebarrensadventures.com.
Motocross: May 21. Englishtown, Raceway Park Motocross - Saturday Night Lites Series, Raceway Park, 732-446-7800, rtrevelise@racewaypark.com, www.etownraceway.com.
Motocross: May 22. Englishtown. Raceway Park Motocross, Raceway Park, 732-446-7800, rtrevelise@racewaypark.com, www.etownraceway.com.
NEW YORK
Flat Track - Short Track: May 14-15. Duanesburg. AMA Vintage Flat Track National Championship, Echo Valley Riders Club/Steve Flach, Electric City Raceway, 518-727-0311, sflach@camppinnacle.org.
COMING EVENTS
Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.
Road Ride/Run: May 14. Peekskill. SmokeStack Run, 914-494-0939, sergfornelos@gmail.com.
Motocross: May 15. Middletown. MSC Championship MX Series, Metropolitan Sports Committee, Orange County Fair Motocross, 845-342-2573, info@orangecountyfairspeedway. net, www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net.
Motocross: May 22. Coeymans Hollow. MSC Championship MX Series, Metropolitan Sports Committee, Echo Valley Farm MX, 518-269-1962, chairman@mscmotocross.com, www.mscmotocross.com.
Road Ride/Run: May 28. Lend A Helping Hand, Sacred Thunder MC, 516-220-1138, sacredthundermc@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/SACREDTHINDERMC
NEVADA
Dual Sport: May 21. Nevada City. Nevada County Woods Riders, Inc., 530-274-9943, www.woodsriders.org.
NORTH CAROLINA
Motocross: May 28-29. Henderson. MAMA MX Series, Middle Atlantic Motocross Association, Inc., North Carolina Motorsports Park, www.mamamx.com.
OHIO
Flat Track - Half-Mile: May 7. Lebanon. The Ohio Valley Classic, Best of Ohio Summer Series, Lebanon Raceway, 513-616-3018.
Motocross: May 14- 15. Waynesburg. Malvern MX Mid-East Area Qualifier, Patriot Promotions, Malvern MX, 330-8061286, info@racemalvern.com, www.racemalvern.com. Observed Trials: May 14-15. Tippecanoe. Trials Inc., 740-229-1313, www.trialsinc.org.
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: May 21- 22. Millfield. GNCC The John Penton/eMTB, Racer Productions, Inc., Sunday Creek, 304-284-0084, gnccracing.com
Adventure Ride: May 22. Logan. Hocking Valley MC Adventure Ride, Hocking Valley Motorcycle Club, 740-3857695, rmyers807@gmail.com, www.hockingvalleymc.com.
OKLAHOMA
Motocross: May 14-15. Wellston. Reynard Raceway South Central Area Qualifier, Reynard Raceway, 405-793-1049, reynardraceway@gmail.com, www.reynardraceway.com
OREGON
Trail Ride: May 7. Joker Poker Run, Central Oregon Motorcycle & ATV Club, E Fort Rock Staging Area 25, 541-408-1304, dobhigh@bendbroadband.com
PENNSYLVANIA
Motocross: May 1. Shippensburg. Doublin Gap – MDRA, Doublin Gap Motocross, Inc., Doublin Gap MX Park, 717571-5824, doublingap@gmail.com, www.doublingap.com. Motocross: May 1. Seward. PAMX Spring Championship, Pleasure Valley Raceway, 814-317-6686, jeffcernic@gmail. com, www.pvrmx.com.
Flat Track - Half-Mile: May 1. Gratz. Vintage National, Shippensburg MC, Gratz Fairgrounds, 717-796-0294, candybaer@comcast.net, baermotorsports.com. Off-Road School: May 1. Spring Grove. MotoTrials, White Rose MC, Grounds, 717-229-2621
Trail Ride: May 7. Skippack. Spring Trail Ride, Blue Comet Motorcycle Club, 610-489-1240, bcmcnoad@verizon.net, www.bluecometmc.com.
Flat Track - Half-Mile: May 7. York Haven. Shippensburg MC, BAPS Motor Speedway, 717-796-0294, candybaer@ comcast.net, baermotorsports.com.
Motocross: May 8. Hanover. District 6 Henrietta Classic Series, Happy Ramblers MC, Happy Ramblers Motorcycle Club, 717-969-8089, happyramblersmx@gmail.com, www. happyramblersmx.com.
Motocross: May 14-15. Sugar Grove. Maple Shade MX Northeast Area Qualifier, Maple Shade MX, msmx@penn. com, www.mapleshademx.com.
Motocross: May 15. Pine Grove. MDRA Series, Dutchmen MX, 717-286-5416, amartin715@comcast.net, www. dutchmenmxpark.com.
Flat Track – TT: May 15. Parkesburg. EPA Piston Poppers
MC Inc., Piston Poppers Raceway, 484-336-9160, pistonpoppersmc@hotmail.com, www.pistonpoppersmc.com.
Road Ride/Run: May 15. Birdsboro. Round Robin Poker Run, Pagoda Motorcycle Club, 610-582-3717, pagodamc@gmail.com.
Road Ride/Run: May 21. Skippack. Spring Challenge Run, Blue Comet Motorcycle Club, 610-489-1240, bcmcnomad@ verizon.net, www.bluecometmc.com.
Motocross: May 22. Shippensburg. Doublin Gap - Regional Warm Up, Doublin Gap Motocross, Inc., Doublin Gap MX Park, 717-571-5824, www.doublingap.com.
Flat Track - Short Track: May 22. Hanover. D6 Short Track, Happy Ramblers MC, 717-969-8089, happyramblersmx@ gmail.com, happyramblersmx.com.
Motocross: May 22. Seward. Dylan Slusser Memorial ProAm, Pleasure Valley Raceway, 814-317-6686, jeffcernic@ gmail.com, www.pvrmx.com.
Road Ride/Run: May 22. York. Ride For Hope, Twin Rose Lady Riders, York Motorcycle Club, 717-682-8198, gnattrlr@gmail.com, www.twinroseladyriders.com.
Road Ride/Run: May 28. Hamburg. Fort Indiantown Gap Memorial Run, Blue Comet Motorcycle Club, Cabela’s, 610489-1240, www.bluecometmc.com.
Motocross: May 28-29. Mount Morris. High Point Raceway Northeast Amateur Regional Championship, Racer Productions, Inc., High Point Raceway. 304-284-0084 info@mxsports.com, www.highpointmx.com.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Motocross: May 1. Gray Court. Carolina Elite Series, Travelers Rest Motorsports Park, NXT LVL 101, 850-251-9698, www.sc-moto.com.
Motocross: May 14. Donalds. Carolina Elite Series, The Shoals MX, 864-230-5074, stewardbaylor514@gmail.com. Dual Sport: May 15. Chester. 18th Annual Armenia Dual Sport, Family Riders MTC, 803-385-8402, marvgrant@truvista.net.
TENNESSEE
Motocross: May 1. Livingston. Thor Mega Series, Thunder Valley Motocross, 931-498-6686, thundervalleymx761@ yahoo.com, www.thundervalleymotocross.com.
UTAH
Motocross: May 7. Salt Lake City. Supercross Futures, an AMA National Championship, Feld Entertainment, Inc., Rice-Eccles Stadium, www.supercrossfutures.com.
VIRGINIA
Motocross: May 7-8. Disputanta. MAMA MX Series, Middle Atlantic Motocross Association, Inc., South Fork, membership@mamamx.com, www.mamamx.com. Motocross: May 14-15. Wytheville. Pro Sport Motocross Southeast Area Qualifier, Victory Sports Inc., Pro Sport MX, 423-323-5497, jane@victory-sports.com, victory-sports.com.
WASHINGTON
Motocross: May 7- 8. Washougal. Washougal MX Park Northwest Area Qualifier, Washougal MX Park, LLC., Washougal MX Park, 360-837-3975, washougalmxpk.com. Motocross: May 28-29. Washougal. Washougal MX Park Northwest Youth/Amateur/Vet Regional Championship, Washougal MX Park, LLC., Washougal MX Park, 360-837-3975, www.washougalmxpk.com.
Motocross: May 7. Lake Mills. Twilight Series, Aztalan Cycle Club Inc., Aztalan Cycle Club, 414-265-1582, aztalancycle@ gmail.com, www.aztalanmx.com.
Motocross: May 8. Lake Mills. Aztalan Cycle Club Motocross, Aztalan Cycle Club Inc., Aztalan Cycle Club, 414265-1582, aztalancycle@gmail.com, www.aztalanmx.com. Flat Track - Short Track: May 21, Burnett. District 16 ST, Beaver Cycle Club, Inc., Atwater, 920-319-6889, mikeschwarzenbacher@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/ BeaverCycleClub.
Hare Scrambles/Cross Country: May 22. Adams. D16 Adams Hare Scramble, South Eastern Wisconsin Enduro Riders, 608-574-5408, hankcare@hotmail.com.
Motocross: May 28-29. Mountain. Motosplat, Fantasy Moto LLC., Motosplat, 920-419-2863, scottyb@fantasymoto.com, www.fantasymoto.com.
WEST VIRGINIA
Road Ride/Run: May 21. Glen Dale. Dawn to Dusk 500, Hoagy’s Heroes, Inc., 304-639-1863, hoagy@hoagysheroes. org, www.hoagysheroes.org.
Road Race: May 28- 30. Summit Point. ASRA Sprint Races/ CCS, American Sportbike Racing Association, Summit Point Motorsports Park, 817-246-1127, info@asraracing.com, www.asraracing.com.
Enduro: May 28-29. Surveyor. Full Gas Sprint Enduro RD 4: Hidden Valley Golf, Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series, Hidden Valley Golf Course, 919-238-1627, contact@ fullgasenduro.com, fullgasenduro.com.
SUPERCROSS
2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross supercrosslive.com
Round 17: May 7. Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Supercross Futures, an AMA National Championship supercrossfutures.com
May 7: Salt Lake City, Utah. Rice-Eccles Stadium
MOTOCROSS
2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship promotocross.com
Round 1: May 28. Pala, Calif. Fox Raceway
Round 2: June 4. Sacramento, Calif. Hangtown Motocross
Round 3: June 11. Lakewood, Colo. Thunder Valley Motocross Park
Round 4: June 18. Mount Morris, Pa. High Point Raceway
Round 5: July 2. Buchanan, Mich. RedBud MX
Round 6: July 9. Southwick, Mass. The Wick 338
Round 7: July 16. Millville, Minn. Spring Creek MX Park
Round 8: July 23. Washougal, Wash. Washougal MX Park
Round 9: Aug. 13. New Berlin, N.Y. Unadilla MX
Round 10: Aug. 20. Mechanicsville, Md. Budds Creek Motocross Park
Round 11: Aug. 27. Crawfordsville, Ind. Ironman Raceway
Round 12: Sept. 3. Pala, Calif. Fox Raceway
Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations redbudmx.com/mxon-2022
Sept. 24-25. Buchanan, Mich. RedBud MX.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship mxsports.com
Aug. 1-6. Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Loretta Lynn Ranch
Northeast Area Qualifiers
May 7-8. Englishtown, N.J. Englishtown.
May 14-15. Sugar Grove, Pa. Maple Shade MX. Northeast Regionals
Amateur: May 27-29. Mount Morris, Pa. High Point Raceway.
Youth: June 3-5. Shippensburg, Pa. Doublin Gap MX. Vet: June 10-12. Seward, Pa. Pleasure Valley Raceway.
Southeast Area Qualifiers
April 30-May 1. Henderson, N.C. North Carolina Motorsports Park.
May 7-8. Dalton, Ga. Lazy River MX. May 14-15. Wytheville, Va. Pro Sport Motocross.
Southeast Regionals
Youth: May 27-29. Jacksonville, Fla. WW Ranch Motocross Park.
Amateur: June 10-12. Reynolds, Ga. Silver Dollar Raceway.
Vet: June 17-19. Axton, Va. Lake Sugar Tree Motorsports Park.
Mid-East Area Qualifiers
April 30-May 1. Bloomingdale, Mich. Dutch Sport Park
May 7-8. Millington, Mich. Baja Acres.
May 14-15. Waynesburg, Ohio. Malvern MX. May 21-22. Sebree, Ky. Echo Valley MX.
Mid-East Regionals
Amateur: June 3-5. Rossville, Ind. Wildcat Creek MX.
Youth: June 10-12. Chillicothe, Ohio. ChilliTown MX.
Vet: June 24-26. Nashport, Ohio. Briarcliff MX. North Central Area Qualifiers
April 30-May 1. Mountain, Wis. Motosplat.
May 7-8. Byron, Ill. Byron Motorsports Park.
May 14-15. Walnut, Ill. Sunset Ridge MX.
May 21-22. Little Falls, Minn. Little Falls Raceway. North Central Regionals
Vet: June 10-12. Garwin, Iowa. Oak Ridge MX.
Youth: June 17-19. Tigerton, Wis. Motozone.
Amateur: June 24-26. Mount Carroll, Ill. MC Moto Park.
South Central Area Qualifiers
May 14-15. Wellston, Okla. Reynard Raceway.
South Central Regionals
Amateur: June 3-5. Conroe, Texas. 3 Palms Action Sports Park.
Vet: June 17-19. Alvord, Texas. Oak Hill Raceway.
Youth: June 24-26. Tyler, Texas. Swan MX Raceway Park.
Northwest Area Qualifiers
May 7-8. Washougal, Wash. Washougal MX Park.
Northwest Regional
Youth/Amateur/Vet: May 27-29. Washougal, Wash. Washougal MX Park.
Midwest Regional
Youth/Amateur/Vet: June 10-12. Delta, Utah. Bunker Hill. Southwest Area Qualifiers
May 14-15. Pala, Calif. Fox Raceway.
Southwest Regional
Youth/Amateur/Vet: June 3-5. Pala, Calif. Fox Raceway.
AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series atvmotocross.com
Round 4: April 30-May 1. Mount Morris, Pa. High Point Raceway.
Round 5: May 14-15. Crawfordsville, Ind. Ironman Raceway.
Round 6: May 28-29. Walnut, Ill. Sunset Ridge MX.
Round 7: June 11-12. Nashport, Ohio. Briarcliff MX.
Round 8: July 2-3. Seward, Pa. Pleasure Valley Raceway. Round 9: July 30-31. Buchanan, Mich. RedBud MX.
Round 10: Aug. 13-14. Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Loretta Lynn Ranch.
AMA Vintage Motocross Grand Championship amavintagemotorcycledays.com
July 23-24. Lexington, Ohio. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
MAJOR EVENTS
COMING EVENTS
Be sure to check the event website or call the organizer for the latest information, including postponements or cancellations.
Sept. 17-18. Yosemite Dual Sport Adventure. Groveland, Calif. Family Off-Road Adventures. (209) 993-7306. familyoffroadadventures.com
Sept. 24-25. Show Me 200. Bixby, Mo. Midwest Trail Riders Association. (314) 434-5095 ridemtra.com
Sept. 24-25. Big Woods 200. Wabeno, Wis. Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders. (920) 350-2030 widualsportriders.org
Oct. 1-2. Perry Mountain Tower Run. Stanton, Ala. Perry Mountain Motorcycle Club. (334) 327-5086 perrymountainmotorcycleclub.com
Oct. 1-2. Shenandoah 500. Natural Chimneys, Va. Washington Area Trail Riders. watr.us
Oct. 7-9. Eastern Sierra Dual Sport. Lone Pine, Calif. Family Off Road Adventures. (209) 993-7306. familyoffroadadventures.com
Nov. 5-6. The Hammer Run. Port Elizabeth, N.J. Tri-County Sportsmen M.C. Inc. teamhammer.org
Nov. 5-6. Howlin’ at the Moon. Payson, Ariz. Arizona Trail Riders. (602) 692-9382 arizonatrailriders.org
Nov. 25-26. L.A. – Barstow to Vegas. Palmdale, Calif. District 37 Dual Sport. (626) 446-7386 labarstowbegas.com
AMA National Gypsy Tour. americanmotorcyclist.com/ gypsytour
Escape to Americade June 7-11.
Lake George, New York
Laconia Motorcycle Week June 11-19. Laconia, New Hampshire Thunder in the Valley June 23-26. Johnstown, PA
AMA Vintage Motorcyle Days https://vintagemotorcycledays. com/page/racing
AMA Vintage Motorcyle Days July 22-24. Lexington, Ohio
AMA Grand Tours https://americanmotorcyclist. com/grandtours
Great Lakes Cabot Trail Tour. Jan.15 - Nov. 30. Southern California Motorcycling Association, 330-857-8131, cabottrail@sc-ma.com, sc-ma.com
USA Four Corners Tour. Jan.15 - Nov. 30. Southern California Motorcycling Association, 805-889-5220, usa4c@sc-ma.com, sc-ma.com
Best 15 US Roads Challenge. Jan.15 - Nov. 30. Southern California Motorcycling Association, 330-857-8131, best15us@sc-ma.com, sc-ma.com
California Adventure Series. Jan.15 - Nov. 30. Southern California Motorcycling Association, 330-857-8131, adventures@sc-ma.com, sc-ma.com
Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas. March 1-Nov. 15. MC Grand Tour of Texas, LLC, 210-777-1434, davidcanada@ mcgttx.com, www.mcgttx.com Tour of Honor. April 1- Nov. 30. Tour of Honor, 208-740-0899, admin@tourofhonor.com, tourofhonor.com.
Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. June 23-July 22. Medicine Show LLC. (605) 890-0386, beth.durham@ hokaheychallenge.com, hokaheychallenge.com
AMA Trademarks
The following represents active, registered trademarks, trademarks and service marks of American Motorcyclist Association, Inc. (AMA). Usage of any AMA trademark or registered trademark 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™ • AMA U.S. Motocross Team™ Amateur National Motocross Championships® • 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® • Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum® • Motorcyclist of the Year® • Motostars® • National Adventure Riding Series® • National Dual-Sport Series® National Enduro Championship Series® • Protect Your Right to Ride® • Protecting Your Right to Ride® • Ride Straight® • Rights. Riding. Racing.® • Road Race Grand Championships® • Vintage Grand Championships® • Vintage Motorcycle Days® • Vote Like A Motorcyclist®
G arage
Tips,Tweaks, Fixes and Facts: The two-wheeled ownership experience, explained
TALES OF THE TUMBLE
AMA members and enthusiasts recount their first spills…and what they learned from them
Amonth or so ago our intrepid social media maven Joy Burgess tossed out the following question on our social media channels: Tell us about your first tip-over or crash. What happened, and what did you learn? The response has been energetic, with both funny and informative tales adding up like Vince Friese holeshots. And since May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, we figured we’d share some to help keep you off the ground — or at least make you smile. So enjoy!
It was 15 feet from the start of my first motorcycle ride. I kept stalling it, so I gave it full wrist and dumped the clutch. Lesson: friction is actually a thing!
Matt James
I was riding in the riverbed and something in the sand stopped my front end faster than the back end, which caused the latter to go over the top of the former. I was grateful I was wearing a helmet, but the rubbing alcohol and Merthiolate bath I got when I got home was worse than the get-off!
Mike Hendershot
That last part might just be TMI, Mike! —Ed
When I was sixteen in 1971 I’d been riding my Honda SL125 for six months and had just replaced the worn “universal” knobbies with more dirt-oriented ones. I was riding to school one morning and while turning a street corner with a little dew on the pavement I quickly found out that tires designed to grab mud weren’t very good at grabbing slippery pavement. Just a little skin left on the road, but a quick lesson learned.
Bob Haddon
Thanks for the good general reminder about tires, Bob. Whether they’re just new (that mold-release stuff is slippery!) or the wrong tire for the environment (knobbies on pavement? C’mon!), new tires can definitely be tricky. —Ed.
Riding enduros as I do, I rarely have a day where the bike doesn’t end up on its side at least once. Just the nature of the beast. I’ve been down multiple times on the street, too, and each time I’ve crashed on asphalt it was preventable by slowing down. Just happens when you push things to the limit.
Nathan Sours
Well, what have you learned (or not learned!), Nathan?!—Ed
I stopped to get some gas. I thought the kickstand was down…but it wasn’t…
John Feldt
I had my Road King 22 years before it finally fell over when I was backing up in the sand! BTW, it still has the original paint, 34 years in May! Over 50 years and never a serious accident. I’m very blessed! John Brewer
Hurry and knock wood, JB! —Ed.
There have been a few on dirt and street over the years. The lesson is always ATGATT.
It doesn’t make you invincible by any means, but wearing the right gear can be the difference between standing up and brushing yourself off or a ride in an ambulance.
Adam Pierce
Can’t stress this enough, Adam, so thanks for the reminder. —Ed
First time a bee went up my shorts at 60 mph was the last time I wore shorts on my 1983 CB1100F.
Joe Stanton
Why do we feel you’ve left out some important details, Joe?! C’mon…ya gotta spill! —Ed.
Honda 50, about seven years old. Tearing down the back trail and hit a rut going perpendicular to trail. First introduction to the “over the bars” club.
Rusty Fenders
The first time is always extra special, ain’t it? —Ed.
My first three crashes were caused by cars around me, and I collected from their insurance. The first crash that was completely my fault happened on a highway in the Texas hill country, at night, in stormy weather. I crested a hill and there was an accident site in the road in front of me. I grabbed the front brake too hard and low-sided. Plain old speed — riding too fast for the conditions.
Mark Hunter
More great advice, Mark. Thanks for sharing.—Ed
Gravel is hard to see at night in poorly-lit intersections. I learned this the hard way.
Mitch Manthey
This little sketch explains my crash in 1996. The car coming out of the side street didn’t see me because of the van. Was his fault, and he also stopped in my lane because of traffic
coming from his right before he was able to turn left.
A drunk bartender ran a stop sign and hit me head on. I went over the top of the Corvair, the bike went underneath it, and he continued on for a full city block. My then-new Bell helmet saved my life, as I landed on my head. Only problem was, my foot went thru a headlight when I hit the car, and I was wearing sandals. Quite a job removing the glass! Jan Kaftanski
What’s that Nancy Sinatra lyric? “These boots are meant for ridin’.” —Ed
Cobra H Rhod
KEVIN WING
Garage
Gear Basics & ATGATT
If you fall, and you likely will at some point, it’s way better with the right gear. Trust us on this.
BY MITCH BOEHM
Igrew up reading motorcycle magazines and idolizing the racers and road testers in those pages, so the idea of riding without proper gear was, to me, very definitely uncool.
Obviously, some riders don’t see things that way, and whether it’s because of perceived discomfort, a lack of socalled “coolness,” restrictions on their liberty or whatever, they are risking plenty with the choice. Just ask someone who’s been down without; they’ll tell you — if they can still speak, that is.
Having crashed at speed on the racetrack and on the street, I know firsthand what it feels like to slide and tumble while wearing proper gear. And in most of those cases, I popped right up, sore and bruised, maybe, but reasonably intact — which is what you want when you go down.
With the month of May being Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, we wanted to share some hard-earned lessons about riding gear basics, and what’s called ATGATT — All The Gear, All The Time. It’s a concept that doesn’t need a lot of explanation; you either get it or you don’t.
Whenever we get into an altercation with a four-wheel friend, or when we simply lose control of our motorcycle and end up sliding or tumbling off the side of the road or racetrack (or worse), every part of our body is vulnerable — which is where the “All The Gear” part of the quip comes from. From head to toe and everything in between, protection from impact and abrasion is required if you’re gonna have a shot at walking away. And that is the goal, right?
Helmet
Might as well start at the top, then. Forgetting for a moment the longstanding debate on helmet laws (the AMA vigorously encourages helmet use, btw), one cannot argue the fact that a helmet will help protect your fragile skull and brain matter when you hit the ground (or a curb) at speed. Make it a full-face helmet and you’ll also be protecting your facial structure, and frontal neck area.
Helmets come in different shapes, sizes and constructions. You’ve got shells made of resin-fiber composite (such as fiberglass and carbon-fiber) and injection-molded thermoplastic (ABS and polycarbonate), all with an
energy-absorbing EPS (expanded polystyrene) liner that’s not all that much different than the stuff your cheap 7-11 beer cooler is made of. There is debate about how hard a helmet’s shell should be and how dense (or stiff) its EPS liner should be to optimally cover the widest possible range of impacts. The common refrain is this: “Tell us what sort of crash you’re having and we’ll give you the best possible helmet for it.”
But the bottom line is this: whether the helmet in question is built to the DOT or Snell or BSI or ECE standard, you are way better off wearing one than not — especially when you factor in the added comfort (less wind noise, warmth, etc.) and eye-protection helmets provide. (Let the letter-writing begin…)
Lastly, buy yourself a helmet that fits well and one you enjoy looking at, and you’ll likely wear it more often. Which is the goal here.
Jacket and Pants (OR ONE-PIECE SUIT)
Once south of the head and neck you’re into chest, arm and leg territory, and here’s where a combination of leather (or textile fabrics) and strategically placed armor in a jacket/pant combination — or one-piece suit such as the Aerostich Roadcrafter — is ideal.
With all the high-quality/high-tech ballistics/man-made fabrics out there it’s pretty amazing that good ol’ natural leather — cowhide, deerskin, etc. — is still the material of choice when it comes to abrasion protection, not to mention it being pretty darn good in terms of warmth, comfort and durability, too. Road racing suits aren’t built primarily of leather for nuthin’, you know.
good ol’ natural leather is still the material of choice when it comes to abrasion protection... Road racing suits aren’t built primarily of leather for nuthin’, you know.
Of course, quality armor (often a highdensity foam or plastic-armor/foam sandwich) in specific spots — shoulders, spine, elbows, chest, rump, hips, knees, etc. — is part two of the protection puzzle, and the combination of leather/textile outer garment with armor in all the right places is a powerful one in terms or both abrasion and impact protection.
Pulling on — or riding with — a jacket or pair of pants with armor can seem bulky and strange at first, but as anyone who’s crashed in such an outfit can attest, you are literally in another world of protection versus the guy in a windbreaker and jeans — or worse.
Jeans alone aren’t terrible, especially if they’re traditional in thickness and not artificially pre-worn or sliced open as many fashion jeans are, but the level of
abrasion protection they offer is miniscule compared to a proper pair of riding pants. There are, however, special riding jeans available out there, which offer much more protection than those year-old 501s in your closet.
GLOVES
When you fall off your motorcycle, your hands are some of the most exposed bits, not only because we tend to extend our arms when we crash, but because hands — made up of many fragile bones, ligaments and muscles — are, well, fragile in the extreme, not to mention oh-so important to daily life. So protecting them as much as possible is key.
Quality gloves can help, and like the aforementioned jacket and pant discussion above, a combination of leather and armor is the best way to protect those easily damaged paws. Used as a base, cowhide is durable and protective, but I’ve found that deerskin is a notch or two of an upgrade. It’s typically warmer and more pliable/ flexible than cowhide, and this softness makes deerskin gloves noticeably more comfortable than cowhide — and many feel its abrasion-resistance is a notch or two higher, as well.
Armor in the right places (knuckles, palm bases, along the outside of the pinkie, etc.) can increase protection even more, as can a gauntlet design, which also adds warmth and extra wrist and lower-forearm protection to the equation.
Boots
Like hands, your feet and ankles are also quite vulnerable, so a sturdy pair of boots that cover the ankles and calves are key to many years of future footsie-playing. Again, leather or a quality synthetic version of leather are prime base materials, as are a wide range of armor bits in exposed or easily damaged areas such as ankles. And as with jackets, pants, suits, gloves and boots, breathable waterproof membranes are also helpful in terms of waterproofing, warmth and comfort.
The Bottom Line?
Look, despite armored and leather (or textile) clothing being heavier and bulkier than the jeans, sneakers and windbreaker scenario (or worse), along with being considerably more expensive, you’ve got to think bigger picture here. You will get used to wearing the right sort of gear. Trust us. And the $1000 (or $3000) you’ll spend on this stuff might seem like a lot of money, especially to younger and/or newer riders. But when you factor in the cost of an ambulance ride and maybe surgery for a broken leg or skin grafts on your hands or arms or legs, or something far worse that affects your entire life going forward (the dark side is out there, never forget it!), it’s a drop in the bucket — and worth every penny.
LAST PAGE
MOMBA MEMORIES, PART DEUX
Last October I wrote about my outrageous MOMBA (Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Build Attempt) experience at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days in 2006. But like any really epic story — and MOMBA was very definitely that — it keeps resurfacing, just as it did while we assembled this very VMD-flavored edition of the magazine.
So rather than ignore the itch I scratched it…and boy does it bring back the smiles. Not that sourcing, buying, modifying and prepping a Middleweight Superbike-spec racer (one that had to pass AHRMA tech)
exclusively from the VMD swap meet was easy or all smiles for the gang of crazies — led by Wisconsin racer (and H-D engineer) Wes Orloff — that put the whole thing together. Just the opposite, in fact.
I mean, the seemingly 24/7 thrash to turn a Kawasaki KZ550 LTD Custom into a viable (and safe!) roadracer took the better part of three days. And while we came away from the weekend (after finishing 8th out of 12 entries) with great photos and memories, few do a better job of describing the insanity of MOMBA than this main image.
You’ve got consternation and hesitancy on the faces of crewmembers Andy Mauk and Rick Goldberg; you’ve got bloodshot-eyed action in the wee hours; you’ve got a motorcycle that simply should not be in a race paddock; and you’ve got all the grinding, welding and fabrication that took place that weekend on full display in the sparkthrowing spectacle being orchestrated by Mr. Orloff. Were you wearing eye protection, Wes?
Challenging as it was (for the crew, that is), we’d do it again in an instant. And that is one of the many allures of AMA VMD. —Mitch Boehm
Left: Orloff and now-wife Leah buttoning up the LTD motor at midnight. The LTD racer got through tech and made the race, and while it wobbled and smoked, it finished. Somehow.
