Cycle Connections

Hope you all have a Heartfelt, Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Wishing You Fun, Safe Adventures, And Invite You To Share Them with Us!

Cover Design By: Lisa Bonta

In This Issue:

  Wow! It’s hard it’s hard to believe that we’re already starting another year!

2019 had its ups and downs, that's for sure. The highlight for us had to be the Zoo Run Safari for Children’s event. We had more Star families this year and hope to increase that again in 2020.

We’ve once again, been happy to have all of you on board with us. We enjoyed sharing stories and adventures with you and having some of you share your adventures with all of us!

We appreciate each and everyone of you and hope that you all have a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year and that you will continue to share your adventures with us!.

Footnote:

We’re very grateful to our Graphics Artist and friend, Lisa Bonta, for continuing to bring us some awesome covers and event fliers, and just generally grateful for your friendship girl, that goes way beyond all that!!!

Motorcycle Custom Paint Specialist!

Custom Paint That Rocks!

Kansas, City, Mo

(816) 916-4995

  The Chattanooga Convention Center was host to the 52nd annual O'Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels Custom Auto show, starting on Friday, January the 10th and ran through the 12th, 2020. The show is produced by, MotorSports Production, Inc. The specialty vehicles attending this year included Hot-Rod's, Race Cars, Custom Imports, Antique and Classic Cars, and Motorcycles, plus , Special Feature Cars. This event is the largest Chattanooga indoor custom car show and enjoys the participation of many of the local enthusiasts who proudly exhibit the vehicles they have invested lots of time and love in, and for some that is a "years long investment". Along with the locals are many exhibitors that come from across the country to show their vehicles and compete for plaques and cash awards on a local , regional and national level. The quality and workmanship shown on these awesome vehicles is truly a work of art.

  Representatives from the "Ride for the Fallen 7 Foundation" presented officials from the Department of Safety and the Department of Transportation with a custom- made, wooden United States flag, etched with the names of the Fallen 7. The flag will be displayed permanently in the Incident planning and operations Center; a state building that houses agencies from both the Department of Safety and the Department of Transportation.

  On January the 23rd, 2020, the Ride for the Fallen 7 Foundation president, Brian DeSimone, made the presentation to Department of Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn, Department of Transportation Commissioner Victoria Sheehan, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Jennifer Harper, NH State Police Colonel Christopher Wagner, DOT Director of Operations David Rodrigue, and other State Agency Officials at the Incident Planning and Operations Center, in Concord, NH.

FIRST HARLEY-DAVIDSON EDITION GMC PICKUP IN HISTORY INTRODUCED

Harley-Davidson and Tuscany Motor Co. collaborate to forge new GM Truck Model

Milwaukee – Jan. 10, 2020 –Harley-Davidson Motor Company (NYSE:HOG) and Tuscany Motor Co. will introduce the first Harley-Davidson edition GMC pickup in history at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 11, 2020. Only 250 Harley-Davidson branded GMC® Sierra® trucks will be available through select authorized GMC/Tuscany dealers in North America.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – January 2, 2019 – HawgWilde Cosmetics, LLC’s (HWC)

online late 2018, was a very exciting milestone for Andrea Bates,

CEO/Co-Founder and Shari Weisman, COO/Co-Founder of HawgWilde

Cosmetics,

  Well its official, with the completion of the Raffle/Booze Raffle, the last portion of the 2019 Zoo Run Safari For Children's event is complete, this years Raffle was graciously hosted by the folks at the Veterans Brotherhood.

    Thought we would share some shots from this years Fall Thunder Beach Rally, courtesy of Mrs. Cindy Marsh.

   Chow Call at the Veterans Brotherhood calls in bikers from around the area to come together over a meal. The members have spent the better part of the day preparing for company, cooking food, cleaning house, and making everything nice for the arriving guest.

  The Eldridge Children's Home run is always done on the first Saturday of December and for 9 year's now, the Gintown Lowlife Society has happily participated and generally just made a day out of it, starting at the Club House with breakfast. They also do a "Mayor's Run" that they take the proceeds from along with tips collected throughout the year, and take a substantial donation with them. They never know just how much they will be taking with them until the week before the ride when the council members get together and count all the proceeds and go to the bank for a cashiers check.

  This year's Breakfast with Santa had another visitor, and unlike last year, it wasn't the rain! Larry Moore, better known as the Magic Man, joined us to do some balloon creations for the kids, and the Chic-Fil-A cow was also there to entertain the kids, he even hung out with Santa.

The day started out cool and sunny on the morning of August 31^st. One by one the bikes rolled in with a thunder and anticipation of a ride to help those who have left us. The bikes lined up in staggered formation until all you could see was chrome, rubber and patriotism. A total of 153 bikes were in attendance, some single riders, some double, ready to hit the pavement and get some “wind therapy”.

  On October the 4th, 2019, old bikes, old parts and old "Farts" :-) started to roll into the Barber Motorsports Park for the 15th annual Vintage Festival, Presented By: BMW Motorrad.

The Iron Warriors Motorcycle Club (IWMC) Beartooth chapter in Billings Montana held its 14th annual poker run on Saturday, August 24th with a turnout of about 60 motorcycles and a few classic cars. The poker run is in honor of fallen officer Kevin Unruh, a 25-year veteran of the Billings Police Department. Kevin served our community with great distinction but sadly lost his courageous battle with cancer in 2015, Kevin will forever be missed by our members and our community.

What a beautiful, but HOT, race weekend as the young guns with the MotoAmerica Championship rolled into Alabama on Friday, September the 20th, 2019, at the Barber Motorsports Park.

  On Saturday, August the 31st, 2019, rider's with the American Legion, Bikers Helping Hand Inc. and other veteran supporters, gathered at the American Legion Club, Post# 214 in Rossville, Georgia to ride and raise money to help combat the war against Veteran PTSD Suicide. They partnered with Mission 22 and Reboot Alliance to be the beneficiaries of all proceeds collected. Both organizations had representatives on hand to answer questions about their organizations and as to what they do to help our veterans.

Another successful "Zoo Run Safari For Children's" event in the books! On Saturday, September the 28th, 2019, Rider's, Stars and Star families started rolling in early for the ride leaving the Barber Motorsports Museum to the Birmingham Zoo, before registration was even in place and sign ups were ready, bike after bike rolled into the parking lot, then cars carrying our Stars started rolling in.

  On Sunday, September the 8th, 2019, well over 100 bikes rolled out of the newest American Legion SSG Michael W. Hosey Post # 205 out of Clay, Alabama for the annual 911-memorial ride. Several of the American Legion Post’s shared in & contributed to this event.

  This year's ride started at the "Bent Horn Saloon in Pinson as the old gathering location, the Thunder Inn, which had been the gathering location for this and many other events for as long as we can remember, had been closed, so a new spot for everyone to start the ride from was born.

’67 Triumph 500 tracker:  Ray Sterns’ knock-out beautiful 1967 Triumph T100 Tracker was voted best competition bike in the show.  Winners were all people’s choice on votes by those in attendance.

The British Biker Cooperative (BBC) www.britishbiker.net/ is headquartered in the ancestral home of Harley-Davidson, but it is Limey bikes they love above all others.

For 39 years, the BBC faithful have been having an annual Rally and Bike Show, but the past twenty in a row have been held at Blue River, Wisconsin’s spectacular Eagle Cave Resort www.eaglecave.net.

It’s no wonder—the Eagle Cave Resort is high on a ridge over the Lower Wisconsin River valley, smack-dab in the midst of some of the most beautiful, technical, well-paved back roads for cruising in the world. Small towns, friendly folks, and a well-run event combine to make the BBC Rally and Ride-in Show one event that many people look forward to every July. While the BBC requires that a person own a British-brand bike, the Rally and Bike Show welcome riders of any brand; even folks who don’t ride at all!

  Roger and William, two members of the "Faith Rider's group, a faith based riding club based out of Cedar Grove Baptist Church in Leeds, Alabama, set out Saturday, on the morning of August the 2nd, 2019, for a journey across the country to Sturgis South Dakota for Sturgis bike week, to bring the word of God to the bikers attending the rally.

It may seem unusual for a Motorcycle Riding Club and Law Enforcement to join forces for the community good. But that is exactly what brought hundreds of people out to the 5^th Annual Jack Aces RC & Branham Accessories Bike & Car Show in Cullman, Alabama. Saturday, August 10^th was an extremely hot day at the Festhalle Farmers Market but that didn’t slow the crowds from showing up to view some spectacular custom bikes and antique cars and trucks. The cause for the day was Cullman Police Department Shop with A Cop. This Charity gives Christmas gifts to children who wouldn’t be able to have Christmas. On the day of the event (Shop with a Cop), officers and volunteers ride with kids to shop for Christmas gifts on their lists. The kids are then provided a delicious lunch. The entire experience builds the positive bond between Law Enforcement and the children.

  I know we are never promised tomorrow, but when 7 bikers set out on June 21st, headed to a charity event, I'm sure that there was no one who ever dreamed that they would not only not make it to the event but not make it back home that day.

  On June 21st, a group of motorcyclists, who were members, wives or supporters of the "Jarheads" MC (for honorably discharged corpsmen) from New England, headed out to a charity event, traveling west on route 2 in Randolph, New Hampshire had their ride & their lives cut short in a tragic, senseless accident as a pickup truck hauling a flatbed trailer crossed over into their lane from the opposite direction, and slammed into the group killing 7 of them.

We're on the road again, for a weekend trip, with great friends and family!  This time we took a trip on the bikes to Chattanooga, Tennessee where we visited the Tennessee Aquarium on Friday, July 5th.  There was so much to see there, including multiple types of fish (including piranha!), sharks, turtles, alligators, penguins and many more exciting things, but my favorites were the lemurs, the butterflies and the jellyfish.  We spent a lot of the afternoon there and afterwards, we had dinner at the Lakeshore Marina Grill, and the food was excellent! We ate on the water and watched the sun set.  You can't get much better than that!

  On a beautiful Saturday morning on the 1st of June, riders rolled into the Eden Westside Baptist Church in Pell City, Alabama in support of a little princess named Laie ("LuLu") Harding.

   Being the avid motorcycle riders that we are, we are always looking for new places to ride. We have ridden all over Alabama and have seen so many interesting places, but we really have been looking to branch out and find some new and different places to visit. We had tossed around the idea about riding to Lynchburg, Tennessee to tour the Jack Daniel’s distillery for a while, but had never gotten around to it until this past weekend. So, our group of 8 riders and 4 motorcycles, met on Saturday, May 25^th at the Shell gas station off of Highway 79 in Pinson, and traveled up Hwy 79 North to 231 North. We followed 231 North though Blountsville, Arab, Huntsville and then onto Highway 431 North and followed it through Hazel Green, Alabama into Fayetteville, Tennessee. We then took State Rd 50 into Lynchburg, Tennessee, where we stopped into the Lynchburg Downtown Square, to stretch our legs and look around. Some of our group visited Lynchburg Harley-Davidson apparel shop, while others did a little shopping at the local stores in the square.

CULLMAN, Ala. – More than 120 bikes with more than 200 riders participated in A Ride to Honor the Fallen Saturday morning according to Derrick Barton, president of the Jack Aces Riding Club, which organized the ride. Proceeds from the ride will benefit the local nonprofit Saving Forgotten Warriors.

First annual One Eighty church "Cruising for Christ" motorcycle ride on Saturday 5/18/19 was a great success.

  On Saturday, June the 15th, the Saint's MC/Cullman County, and the friends of the Miracle League came together to host the 3rd annual Miracle League Poker Run benefiting the Cullman Park and Recreation Miracle League to help the special needs athletes.