Payne continued to be involved in racing through the '80s. He helped many young riders get their start in drag racing until his death from cancer on September 18, 1991.
Don't miss your chance to see this fantastic machine at the National Motorcycle Museum. The museum is open daily and is located just 20 minutes away from Cedar Rapids, IA, in downtown Anamosa. While you're there, check out the museum's extensive collection of more than 190 vintage motorcycles; thousands of photographs, posters, postcards, and pieces of motorcycle memorabilia; and a fabulous collection of antique toys. Come see for yourself why the museum was voted Iowa's Tourism Attraction of the Year in 2001. The National Motorcycle Museum is a not-for-profit corporation. For more information, contact the National Motorcycle Museum at (319) 462-3925, or go to www.nationalmcmuseum.org.
Herr's Snack Foods and Lancaster Harley-Davidson Announce the Fourth Annual Herr's Bike Night to Benefit MDAHerr's and Lancaster Harley-Davidson present an evening of motorcycle craftsmanship and great-tasting snacks. Herr's Bike Night features an impressive lineup of motorcycles, free food, and snack factory tours, and is expected to attract more than 5,000 people and 1,000 motorcycles. Favorites of the popular community event include a motorcycle raffle benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association, awards for bikes in four categories, freshly cooked potato chips on the Herr's Snack Factory tour, and Alex's Lemonade Stand.
Be sure to keep Thursday night, August 10, 2006, free. The bike night is scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to dusk at Herr's Snack Foods, which is located on 20 Herr Dr. (Route 272 and Route 1), Nottingham, PA. Enjoy games and door prizes, as well as motorcycle merchandise at discount prices. Participate in the bike raffle, where the winner chooses a Harley-Davidson motorcycle or $5,000 cash, and cast your votes in Best of Show in categories consisting of antique, custom, import, and women's. Enjoy free admission and parking, as well as Herr's snack factory tours and complimentary food and drinks.
For more information on Herr's Snack Factory Tour, call 800-63-SNACK, or visit www.herrs.com.
New Bikes and a New Facility for 2006After several years of building one-off customs, Dean Wilson of BackRoad Choppers announced plans for three new '06 models: a Bobber, a 200-rear-tire chopper (both old school), and a 300 RSD Pro Street.
Since he comes from a long background of manufacturing, Dean's goal has always been selling motorcycles through a select dealer network.
"My brother, Evan, has been with me from the very start, helping to design, fabricate, and build each and every bike," Dean said. "I recently hired Ron Sanchez. Ron brings more than 15 years of experience with him, having worked at both CMC and Indian."
The recent purchase of a new factory and showroom in Delhi, CA, totaling 3 acres allows plenty of space for the '06 production (currently scheduled at 100 units), as well as future plans of expansion that are definitely in store down the road. For more information, call (209) 669-3824, or visit BackRoad's website at www.backroadchoppers.com.
Picture ThisIf you've ever been to a motorcycle rally, chances are you've been immortalized by the camera of Jack McIntyre, founder of Bikerpics.org, home of thousands of rally picture-perfect moments. In the late '90s, Jack was just a regular biker fanatic who desperately wanted to be a part of the motorcycle industry any way he could. With a little personal inspiration (and a nudge from Michael Lichter), Jack picked up a camera and began hitting all of the biker conventions and rallies.
As with most other rally attendees, Jack had loads of images of the events by the time he came home. The only difference was that, while others might have had 50 or 60 pictures, he had roughly 3,000. With his massive collection of photographs, Jack launched Bikerpics.org with the help of his friend, Jim McKenna. It was a nice simple web space, nothing fancy, and no advertisers-just a fun space where Jack and his friends could share photos. It wasn't long before the traffic counter Jack installed started picking up speed, reaching numbers in the thousands.
In 2003, Jack made the decision to turn this into a serious business and purchased the best cameras and equipment he could afford. Together, he and Jim redesigned the website for a clean, professional look. The site has since grown exponentially, now featuring 300,000 hits each month and displaying advertising banners, which help support the cost of attending the events and covers system fees. This year, Jack will not only cover Daytona's Biketoberfest, which has always been a focus of his, but also the ROT Rally in Texas. He'll also be going to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Despite all the changes, Jack hasn't forgotten the reason for all this."Our goal is the same as when we started, which is to let the public view the biker world from the lens of my camera at almost no charge."
Be sure to visit Bikerpics.org-because, after all, it was created for you.
Bell Offers Discount Helmet Trade-in ProgramWith Bell's 2006 trade-in program, that old helmet collecting dust in the corner of your garage is worth money. Bring any brand of helmet in to a participating retailer and get a 20-percent discount off the purchase of any new Bell helmet between March 1 and September 1, 2006. And if you're sentimentally attached to that old helmet, don't worry-you won't have to give it up. Participants just need to bring in the helmet and fill out a log sheet to qualify for the program. On a helmet such as Bell's Moto-8, a 20-percent discount could equal $80 off the retail price.
Look for trade-in signage featuring Bell Rider Jeremy McGrath at retailers, or go to www.bellpowersports.com for a list of participating dealers and more information on the program.