Body and Machine

It’s official!  A new motorcycle racing competition will throw dirt June 4 during the inaugural Harley-Davidson® Flat-Track Racing at ESPN’s X Games Austin. Harley-Davidson sponsored two flat-track exhibitions last year, and thousands of fans took to social media to express their excitement for the sport.

“This June, fans in Austin will experience a new kind of action sport as they watch top athletes in flat- track race for gold,” said Dino Bernacchi, Director U.S. Marketing, Harley-Davidson Motor Company. “Words can’t explain the rush of watching these athletes riding within inches of each other, kicking up dirt and carving through corners. It’s pure adrenaline-charge action.”
The inaugural race is an invitational format, with athletes from around the world receiving the opportunity to be part of the action. The Harley-Davidson XR 750 also joins the field of motorcycles battling for the top podium position at Circuit of The Americas. The gold medalist will be awarded a brand-new Harley-Davidson Street™ 750 motorcycle.
“This is great for our sport,” said Brad Baker, Harley-Davidson Factory Flat-Track team rider, “X Games is about performance, and flat-track racing is the perfect addition to this competition, allowing athletes from around the world to showcase just how they push the boundaries in their sport.”
The Harley-Davidson Flat-Track Racing competition is scheduled to air on ESPN at 9 p.m. (EST), June 4. For details on the race and a list of invited flat-track athletes, visit xgames.com. PLEASE NOTE: This information is subject to change. Tickets for Harley-Davidson Flat-Track Racing are available for purchase starting April 15 at www.ticketmaster.com/xgames.

Whether you have been to Sturgis before or this is your first time,
this year’s Rally is going to be “too big for guesswork”! With record crowds going to Sturgis, there is no time for backups and delays and choosing a location or event that is a dud. Biker Incite has made it easy to find the “best of the best” during the 75th, all easy to download direct to your mobile devise or desktop platform.

Check out this cool E-Guide from Biker Incite and when you place your order you will receive an Official Exclusive 75th Anniversary patch.

Don’t forget to stay updated with all things Sturgis on the Biker Incite FaceBook Page. 

Why We Ride Films, the production team that brought you Why We Ride, the most critically acclaimed motorcycle movie of all time, is launching a Kickstarter campaign to help fund its new film www.IAmSturgis.com.

“We’ve received thousands of letters from fans telling us that after seeing Why We Ride they decided to ‘throw their leg over two-wheels’ and become motorcyclists,” says James Walker, producer of Why We Ride. “We cannot stop with just one movie. This is now a movement, and we would love to have the community help us continue telling these inspiring stories about our motorcycle culture.”
The impetus for the new movie stems partly from this year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally being the 75th Anniversary of that motorcycling institution. In recent years, the Sturgis rally has drawn half a million participants, but attendance estimates for this year’s anniversary rally exceed one million riders. There may never be a better time to capture the passion, dedication and camaraderie of the motorcycling community, and there certainly is no better place than the iconic Sturgis gathering.

When making Why We Ride, Sturgis was the first filming location, and it had an immediate emotional effect on the filmmakers. “There is a spirit there that enters you and grabs your heart,” says Bryan H. Carroll, producer/director. “The beauty of the Black Hills is God given. You put your hand on a boulder and you feel this energy; you can feel it in the air. It’s easy to understand why American Indians hold this place sacred.”
“Sturgis is not just a place–it’s who we are,” continues Carroll. “When you say, ‘I am an American,’ it’s not about your address or even where you were born. It’s in your DNA, your spirit. It’s why people from all over the world have been coming to this country for the past 250 years. It was always in them–they just needed a place to gather and be around like-minded people. This is the same story as Sturgis. There are many of us out there who are still venturing, still seeking out that next journey.”
To launch the project, Why We Ride Films hopes to raise $350,000 of the production budget for I AM STURGIS through their Kickstarter campaign. There are many contribution levels, starting with “The Wave,” a $5 donation that gets you a digital version of the movie poster. A $15 “First Ride” donation earns an early digital download of the film. Increasing donations up to $75 are rewarded with patches, pins, stickers, T-shirts and limited edition Blu-Ray/DVD film combo packs. Large-dollar (ranging from $125 to $10,000) donators receive Sturgis 75th Anniversary Club Rewards, movie premiere passes, and they can even get production credits (up to “associate producer” and “co-executive producer”) and private theatrical screenings in their hometowns.
“We made www.whyweride.com about a community,” says producer James Walker. “Now, we want to invite the community to help make our next film: I AM STURGIS!”

A campaign trailer for I AM STURGIS is viewable at www.IAmSturgis.com.

Why We Ride Films urges those with a passion for motorcycling to join them in bringing I AM STURGIS to the big screen. This is a collective endeavor, made by and for people with a fervor for riding. Anyone can pledge support and be a part of the movie. Those wanting to participate in crowdfunding this project can do so at www.IAmSturgis.com.

Harley-Davidson and the city of Sturgis traded-in gilded shovels and ceremonial hard hats for revving motorcycles and open-face helmets to break ground, or more accurately, tear it up to start construction of The Harley-Davidson Rally Point, the city’s new permanent year-round space for riders. “Sturgis is a mecca for riders around the world. The Harley-Davidson Rally Point establishes a new site in downtown Sturgis for people to gather year round,” said Bill Davidson, great-grandson of Harley-Davidson founder William A. Davidson and vice president of the Harley-Davidson Museum. “The renaming of 2nd Street to Harley-Davidson Way honors the legacy of our company’s founders along with all the extraordinary men and women who ride our motorcycles.”
Building on the 75-year agreement that makes Harley-Davidson the rally’s official motorcycle, The Rally Point – at the corner of Main Street and Harley-Davidson Way – will include a stage for events, concerts and weddings. An elevated area for riders to take pictures on their motorcycles with the iconic STURGIS sign as the backdrop is also part of the plan.
Harley-Davidson fans across the country suggested dozens of names for the new Main Street presence. The Rally Point – an enduring term for a ride-starting meeting place – rose to the top. Riders on three Harley-Davidson® motorcycles: a 1978 Super Glide with a Shovelhead engine, a 2015 Street™ 750, and a Project LiveWire motorcycle broke ground today on the new space, which will be open in time for the 75th Sturgis® Motorcycle Rally™.

“Breaking ground on The Rally Point solidifies Harley-Davidson’s presence in Sturgis,” said Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen. “The Rally Point will be a hub for riders during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and it will serve as a gathering point for the citizens of Sturgis throughout the year.”

A Special Delivery from Milwaukee
To ensure the new multi-purpose space builds on the legacy of the brand and is pure Harley-Davidson, 74 bricks from the company’s Milwaukee headquarters, a building that once housed the company’s factory dating back more than 100 years, and one brick from the Harley-Davidson Museum will be integrated into The Rally Point’s final construction.
As part of the ceremonial groundbreaking, the bricks traveled 900 miles from Milwaukee on Harley-Davidson motorcycles and were delivered to Mayor Carstensen by members of the Harley Owners Group. Carey Hart, motocross star and 2015 Grand Marshall of the Sturgis City of Riders Mayor’s Ride, received the bricks with Mayor Carstensen.

Here is a quick Tasty treat to enjoy this Easter Holiday, it screams spring with the fresh berries!

Fresh Berry Bruschetta
Ingredients
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 8 ounce carton plain whipped cream cheese spread
2 tablespoons snipped fresh mint
12 1/4-inch-thick diagonally-cut baguette-style French bread slices
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries and/or blackberries

Directions
– Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In a medium bowl stir together whipped cream cheese spread and mint until well mixed; set aside.
– Arrange bread slices on prepared baking sheet; brush lightly with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar-cinnamon mixture evenly over bread slices. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven.
– While bread slices are still warm, spread cream cheese mixture over. Using a potato masher or fork, very lightly mash berries. Divide berries among bread slices. Serve immediately.

As we are anxiously getting ready to announce the 2015 Garage-Girls Ultimate Biker Makeover, last years winner, Chris Gibbany contacted us with an update to all of the exciting things that have been going on in her life since winning the 2014 Ultimate Biker Makeover!

“Since winning the Garage Girls Ultimate Biker Makeover last year, a lot of exciting changes have happened in my life.  I had a 1981 Corvette and a 1978 Z-28 that I owned 14 and 23 years respectively.  Well, I surprised everyone and sold BOTH of them!  I love making goals for myself and one of my latest goals was to own a MOPAR.  I ended up buying a 1974 Dodge Charger and shortly afterwards also bought a 1973 Dodge Rallye Challenger.  My Charger is home now after getting painted “Green Go” and the same day it came home, the Challenger was loaded up to come back “Plum Crazy Purple”.  
I am still riding my 1981 Ironhead after 5 years, but have also been riding my 1956 Panhead that I have been building in the living room for the last 6 years!  It has been in raw form (which I love) but I have decided to follow through with my original plan and the tins should be coming home this weekend painted.  I sold my Yamaha enduro that I had owned for over 8 years in order to have more Harley money.  I am also still working on my secret project that I bought over three years ago.

I have become a freelance writer, having articles published in Wrench Magazine, Thunderroads Oklahoma/Arkansas and have a bi-monthly column in Renegade Magazine.  I now get to use my photography skills to do something that involves bikes.  My life still revolves around motorcycles and hot rods!  I still have hedgehogs, but instead of 23 of them I have downsized to a mere nine.  

I was contacted by a company called Motorcycle House to see if I would be interested in testing and KEEPING motorcycle related items in exchange for doing reviews on my blog.  I of course, said YES!  In addition to all of the great prizes that I won through Garage-Girls, I am now getting to try out even more cool things.  

I have gotten to share my story and my continued life of frugality with tons of different people, including national magazines and popular blogs.  Everything that I have accomplished is because I have worked hard and kept my priorities straight.  I have only worked for minimum wage.  In the newest edition of Renegade Magazine, I talk about all the ways in which I am frugal in order to have what I do.  Some of it sounds extreme, but my motto has always been “Whatever it takes!”

It is my dedication that allows me to have the things I truly want.  It is also that determination that I would like to share in hope that it helps inspire others. 

Winning the Garage-Girls Ultimate Biker Makeover was truly a dream come true.  I would tell anyone who is thinking about entering to just do it! ” 

Chris Gibbany
Harrison, Arkansas

Brothers Cody and Kyle Ives have been thrilling crowds with the incredible Wall of Death motorcycle show for more than 12 years, and Avon Tyres will support the team this year as the official tire sponsor.

The Ives brothers will launch a 16-date tour beginning this month with their first stop in Naples, Fla. at the Collier County Fair. Cody, age 22, performs with both a 1960 Harley Davidson Hummer 165 and a 1974 Harley Davidson SX250. Kyle, age 21, performs with a 1953 Harley Davidson Hummer 165, a 1974 Harley Davidson SX175 and a 1984 Honda CB125. All of the Ives brothers’ bikes will be riding on the popular Avon Roadrider tires this season.

“These guys are just incredible at what they do, and we’re proud to support them as a tire sponsor this year,” said Ken Warner, Vice President of Marketing for Avon Tyres. “The Avon Roadrider has been specially designed with a large contact patch for excellent grip at lean angles – perfect for Cody and Kyle. We’re looking forward to a great season.”

Follow the Ives brothers Wall of Death schedule via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. For more information about Avon Tyres, visit http://www.avonmoto.com.