Cycle Connections

Ride Safe & Stay Cool!!!!

Cover Design By: Lisa Bonta

In This Issue:

Cycle Connections will be going through a “transitional” period, and as we do so, we will be loosing some of our contributing writers. We have enjoyed seeing things through their eyes for over 10 years, now we will be looking toward you the readers to share your bike adventures, benefit/fundraising efforts, Rally experiences etc.

You are already attending these events and no doubt taking some awesome pictures along the way. We would like for you to share that with us and EVERYONE else!

Also, we would like to help advertise your event in our “Upcoming Events” at NO charge to you, just drop us a note with the information.

If you are interested, or if you would like to submit event information, Please contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We appreciate all of you for your interest in Cycle Connections and look forward to sharing in your up coming adventures!

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I’m excited to start the New Year off with a big announcement! My business partner Dennis and I have decided to hand off the Cycle Connections baton to our good friends and longtime staff members Lynn Reynolds and Leigh Lilly. As many of you know, Lynn and Leigh have been with the magazine for years, and have covered numerous events for us in and around the Birmingham, Alabama area. Being down south also enables them to take advantage of pretty much year-round riding when it comes to event coverage. Super jealous!

  July the 9th, 2018, marked the start of the Motor Maid convention, where hundreds (final count of 423 plus 150 guests) of women from all over the country converged on to the city of Montgomery, Alabama. Motor Maid membership currently stands at 1323.

Daredevil Extraordinaire Travis Pastrana recreated 3 of Evel Knievel’s most memorable jumps.

The jumps recreated were:

• Evel jumped 50 smashed cars-Travis attempts to jump 52 smashed cars.
• Evel jumped 15 Greyhound buses-Travis attempts to jump 16 Greyhound buses.
• Evel jumped the Fountains at Caesar’s Palace- Travis attempts to jump the Fountains with 200 feet less take and landing room.

On Saturday, July the 7^th, 2018, riders gathered at Jack's on Gadsden Hwy in Birmingham, Alabama to ride over to the Lakeview Country Club just below McCalla, Alabama to join up with others to ride in memory of Kelsey Hunnicutt.

  On Saturday, July the 7th, 2018, a group from the Birmingham H.O.G jumped on their bikes and headed out for the Blue Ridge mountains in north Georgia, encountering rain along the way, but hey, they needed to rinse the bikes anyway! 

This poker run was a non-escorted ride using the 50/50 split format, where the winner took 50% and the remaining 50% went to The Autism Society of Alabama.

On June the 16^th, 2018, the Saints of Cullman County and friends of the Miracle League hosted the 2nd Annual Miracle League Benefit Ride.

Close to 4000 H.O.G members converged on the city of Maryville, Tennessee on May the 31^st for the Great Smokey Mountain H.O.G Rally.

Source

Motorcycling is definitely an adrenaline rushing experience for every rider. Being a rider by myself, the scenario is exactly the same for me. Just like my motorbike, I have been always fond of the latest gears in the market even. Recently, I came across the new concept of MIPS which is taking the world of Motorcycle accessorieshttps://www.dealslands.co.uk   by storm.

Austin, TX – Locally owned Top Dawg Electronics announced today that it will be releasing the latest technology in motorcycle camera systems.

President and CEO Jared Jolly expects this dual camera system to revolutionize the safety of motorcyclists and disrupt the Moto Vloging world. The MotoPro system will deliver high quality videos for either day or night time riding.

             In 2008, the small town of Grady, Alabama awoke to the rumble of Harleys roaring through their township. Marvin Askew had opened the gates to the local bikers to come and do what they do best, which is to-PARTY! Add live music and games to the mix and they did just that. With people showing in the hundreds; Shine in LaPine Bike Rally quickly grew to be known as the “Best Little rally in Alabama".

Just thought we would share a few shots from the Run For The Wall, the Southern Route!

***HARLEY-DAVIDSON TO MOVE SOME OF THEIR MOTORCYCLE MAUFACTORING TO OTHER COUNTRIES DUE TO E.U TARRIFS.

On June the 9^th, 2018, Homestead Hollow in Springville, Alabama played host to the Lowdown Crawfish Boil, Car, Truck & Bike Show benefiting Black Tie and sponsored by Sparkle Detail.

David and I, along with our son, Matt and good friends, Brenda and Michael Strickland, left Argo, Alabama on May 3, 2018 heading to Maggie Valley, North Carolina to attend the 2018 Thunder in the Smokies Motorcycle Rally.  It was the perfect morning to be heading to the mountains.  Our first stop was at White Lightning Harley Davidson dealership in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  We always stop at as many of the local HD dealers as possible during our travels.  Leaving Chattanooga we headed north to Cleveland, Tennessee and on through the beautiful scenic winding roads along the Ocoee River.  This is one of my favorite rides and I always enjoy watching the groups of whitewater rafters along this stretch of road. 

The Indy guys rolled back into Alabama April 20-22, 2018

Kicking things off Friday night at the beautiful Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum was the 8^th annual “Racing for Kids” dinner, presented by: Medical Properties Trust and benefiting Children’s of Alabama, Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders. Where they are committed to a Cure!

We woke Saturday morning, March the 24^th, 2018, to an absolutely beautiful day for riding.

There was one stop we needed to make along the way, then it was off to the Moody Ball Park to meet up with the ride that Larry Hardeman had pulled together along with support from several of the clubs like the CMA, the Saints and the Veterans Brotherhood, just to name a few.

This ride was to benefit the Moody Miracle League, where they believe that “Every Player Deserves a Chance To Play Ball”

The spring Thunder Beach Rally rolled into Panama City Beach, Florida, May 2^nd thru the 6^th, 2018.

The weather was awesome for the whole weekend so there were a lot of folks that headed down the first of the week to get some extra soak time in with that special beach sunshine!

  While it’s true that just about any motorcycle can be taken out of the city and into the wide open road, touring bikes do have their perks. They make long road trips much more comfortable and safe, whilst your street bike might leave your muscles cramped and your whole body burned-out. 

  Most people who own a motorbike use it for road trips, which is one of the main reasons why motorcycle touring has been gaining so much popularity over the past years. There are many choices out there, with plenty of key features that will help you get the most out of your motorcycle tour; from fast and furious sport bikes to classy tourers and laid-back cruisers, there’s something for every free spirit out there looking to embark on a long, adventure-packed journey.

Wisconsin has been called the Winter Wonderland. With good reason; you have to wonder what will happen next. In recent years, the weather has been more than a little unexpected at times, leaving us to wonder. Of course, we have long used the old saying, “Don’t like the weather? Wait five minutes—it’ll change.”

   On October the 13th, 2017, The Barber Motorsports Park hosted the 13th annual Vintage Festival, filled with Road Racing, Cross Country Trails Motocross, Thrill Shows, Fan Zone and one of the biggest, Best Swap Meets in the country.

“People don’t take trips, trips take people.” – John Steinbeck 

The endless road in front of you, the stunning scenery on each side, wind in your hair; that’s what motorcycle road trips are all about! 

       By: Octavia Drughi July 26^th, 2017

BookMotorcycleTours.com is the best source for booking your motorcycle travel experience. We are the largest motorcycle travel website with 190 organizers in 264 destinations in the world.

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The World of Wheels show, sponsored by O’Reilly Auto Parts, rolled into Birmingham, Alabama on Friday February the 9th, 2018, well actually, the party started the Thursday before for those who had some beauties to show off, as that was the “move in day” for all of them, and that always creates quite a buzz of excitement, and after hours-PARTY TIME!

There was no shortage this year of really awesome vehicles and bikes to tickle everyone’s fancy!

On Saturday March the 3rd, Ash and Nick with the Alabama Speed Club brought out one of the first outdoor shows of the 2018 season at Hooters in Trussville, Alabama.

We brought Harley Jane (our bulldog) so we could show off my Harley while Leigh was showing off his. She draws almost as much attention as the bike does!

The British Biker Cooperative (BBC) has enthusiastically and very successfully promoted the rich heritage of the British motorcycle in the United States for over three decades. Their membership enjoy all facets of British motorcycling past and present through their active participation in motorcycle events throughout the U.S and beyond. The BBC is most recognized for their annual Rally that has drawn thousands of motorcyclists over the years into the unique experience of British motorcycling in the U.S.