Rider Files

Jack Morris, a motorcycle collector and amateur historian who documented Akron-area motorcycle-related history, died at his home in Akron on Saturday, May 18.

Jack Morris

Jack retired from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. after 32 years to be a loving care giver to his wife of 41 years, Ruth, who passed away in 1989. He was a faithful member of Green Valley United Methodist Church, a charter member of the Akron Model T Club, and a lifetime honorary member of the Lake Erie Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America.

I had the opportunity to meet Jack in 2009 after I came across his unpublished history of Akron motorcycling that was held in the collection of the Akron-Summit County Public Library. The book was a hidden gem that I spent a few days scanning. Later the book was published online here.

Jack had a great personality and he was more than happy to share his motorcycle collection to anyone who was interested. He would also regale you with his stories of motorcycling during an earlier era. I thank Larry Barnes for introducing me to Jack and for sending me the news of his passing.

Here is Jack’s obituary.

(NEWS RELEASE)

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association is pleased to welcome support from Wellard Group Holdings for the U.S. national team’s effort at the International Six Days Enduro in Sardinia, Italy, Sept. 30-Oct. 5. Wellard will also be the title sponsor of a U.S. club team at the event.

“Racing for the ISDE World Trophy is one of the biggest financial and logistical commitments in the sport,” said AMA Off-Road Racing Manager Chuck Weir. “Wellard’s backing helps provide some of the crucial resources that we need to support our racers at this world championship event.”

In addition to buying multiple team jerseys for each U.S. national team rider at the ISDE, the riders on the Wellard Club Team will receive direct financial support to help cover their expenses. Competitors who are interested in riding for the Wellard team must qualify through the U.S. ISDE qualifier program and must pre-register with Wellard here: www.wellard.com.au/589.

Wellard Managing Director Mauro Balzarini has been involved with off-road racing for many years and was a multi-time national enduro champion in his earlier riding career. Balzarini has competed in six ISDEs himself.

Italy will be the seventh appearance of a Wellard Team at the ISDE. In that time, they have taken three Australian teams, including the first Australian Women’s ISDE team that earned a podium finish in Portugal. They’ve also fielded two New Zealand teams, one that was second in the World Club Team Cup in Mexico and one that was third in Finland. This will be the second consecutive year the company has backed a U.S. team.

Wellard is a global leader in the production and distribution of livestock and grain. It includes Wellard Rural Exports, Australia’s largest livestock exporter and ship owner and Wellard Agri, a large mixed farming landowner and operator specializing in the production of grains, legumes and livestock.

In addition to several three-rider club teams, including the Wellard-backed team, the United States will be represented by the World Trophy Team, the Junior World Trophy Team and the Women’s World Trophy Team at the ISDE.

The club teams are selected based on rider performance in two ISDE qualifiers. U.S. ISDE qualifiers are being organized by the Appalachian Dirt Riders May 25-26 in Wellston, Ohio, and the Boise Ridge Riders June 1-2 in Idaho City, Idaho. Details for the Ohio event are at www.adrohio.org. More information about the Idaho event can be found at www.boiseridgeriders.com.

More information about the U.S. ISDE effort can be found at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/racing.

About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.

(NEWS RELEASE)

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — A bill to block a U.S. Marine Corps takeover of California’s Johnson Valley off-highway vehicle recreation area was approved by the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources on May 15, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

The bill, H.R. 1676, introduced by Rep. Paul Cook (R-Calif.), now goes to the full House for consideration.

The measure would designate Johnson Valley as a national off-highway vehicle recreation area, protecting it from a takeover, but would authorize limited military use of the area.

Several years ago, the U.S. Department of the Navy began the formal process to take over some 365,906 acres of public land near San Bernardino to use for live-fire training for the Marines.

The move threatens the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Riding area, a long-standing and popular area that is across the San Bernardino Mountains from Los Angeles.

The Navy filed an application with the U.S. Interior Department seeking control of the public land in question, which is now under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The Navy also is seeking to control some 72,186 acres of non-federal land in case one day it is acquired by the federal government.

The land, which equals about 658 square miles, borders the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, and includes a large portion of land in the 189,000-acre Johnson Valley area.

Ultimately, Congress will decide whether the Navy should get control of the land.

About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.

(NEWS RELEASE)

RED HOOK, N.Y. (May 16, 2013) — To avoid any confusion with an existing motorcycle riding school that uses “PRO” in its name, Chicken Hawk Racing today has changed the name of its recently announced rider-training program to Performance Rider Training, and will immediately be using “PRT” as its new abbreviation.

Chicken Hawk Racing wishes all track-day clubs and riding schools around America the very best in their mission to help produce better, safer motorcyclists.

The Chicken Hawk Racing Performance Rider Training school will be taught exclusively on New York Safety Track’s new 2.1-mile roadcourse, located in Harpersfield, New York. The PRT program will be run only four times this year: June 7, July 19, August 9 and September 27. By mastering the curriculum, graduates qualify to get their WERA and CCS competition licenses. Additional information is available at NewYorkSafetyTrack.com or by calling 866-HOT-TIRE.

BLUE GRASS, Va. – Moto-Electra, a developer of electric motorcycle racing technology, aims to challenge the world record for electric vehicles in a cross-continent ride that is planned to cover 2,500 miles in three days. Read more.

Read about Peter Sagal’s new PBS Series on the Constitution and you’ll find out that the host of NPR’s “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” once worked as an intern for Cycle when he was on summer break from Harvard. Read more.

(NEWS RELEASE)

The school' s lead instructor, David Podolsky, is a championship-winning roadracer and founder of Chicken Hawk Racing, which designs and the manufactures tire warmers used by most AMA Pro Road Racing teams.

RED HOOK, N.Y. (April 10, 2013) — Chicken Hawk Racing and New York Safety Track today announced their collaboration on the CHR Performance Riding Option School (PRO). Its curriculum is designed to help motorcyclists of all experience levels take the next step up in their riding abilities.

The CHR PRO school will be taught exclusively on New York Safety Track’ s new 2.1-mile roadcourse, which is located in Harpersfield, New York. Just outside Oneonta and 2.5 hours from New York City, the course features 18 turns, 450 feet of elevation change and a 40-foot-wide front straightaway nearly a half-mile long. Chicken Hawk Racing will also manage the facility’ s member-only track-day events.

The school’ s lead instructor, David Podolsky, is a championship-winning roadracer and founder of Chicken Hawk Racing, which designs and the manufactures tire warmers used by most AMA Pro Road Racing teams.

Podolsky, who has won 12 National titles in AMA Sports and AHRMA competition, and the school’ s seasoned staff is ready to show students the latest riding techniques. The school is accredited by the WERA and CCS racing organizations, so PRO graduates qualify to get their competition licenses by mastering the curriculum.

“We’re really happy to be chosen to operate this fantastic track’s member-only days and the CHR PRO school,” said Podolsky. “New York Safety Track is the perfect roadcourse for teaching bike-handling skills. While running track days for a few years, we saw many riders who needed basic guidance in finding their lines around a new track, improving their riding position or understanding how to set up a pass. The idea behind the school is that NY Safety Track members can have access to an affordable, accessible school with a very direct approach to working on their skills. We’ re also glad to be able to provide certificates that graduates can use to obtain a CCS or WERA license.”

New York Safety Track is the perfect roadcourse for teaching bike-handling skills.

The CHR PRO School covers advanced body positioning optimized for each part of the track, as well as countersteering and braking and techniques that help get maximum drive off corners and set up passes. These skills will be learned during in-depth classroom sessions, on-track drills and one-on-one instruction aimed at identifying the factors that are holding each student back. Plenty of open practice time allows students to perfect these new techniques while progressing to the next level of their riding potential.

At just $360, Chicken Hawk Racing’s PRO school is an excellent value for any rider at every skill level. This exclusive program will be run only four times this year: June 7, July 19, August 9 and September 27. Additional information is available at NewYorkSafetyTrack.com or by calling 866-HOT-TIRE.

(NEWS RELEASE)

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — U.S. Reps. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) and Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) are serving as co-chairmen of the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus for the new 113th Congress, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

The bi-partisan caucus, which has existed for many years, was formally recognized by the House for the new Congress. Official caucuses must register and be recognized at the start of every two-year Congress.

The caucus is made up of members of Congress who are passionate about motorcycling and who work to promote the interests of motorcyclists.

“It’s wonderful to have Reps. Burgess and Griffin leading the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations and a former U.S. senator and representative from Colorado. “The Congressional Motorcycle Caucus is made up of dedicated members of Congress who ensure that motorcyclists aren’t forgotten on Capitol Hill. Reps. Burgess and Griffin have proven that they are true friends of motorcycling.

“We look forward to working with our old friends in the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus, as well as new members who join, to help protect and promote the motorcycling lifestyle,” Allard said.

Burgess said that he was looking forward to working with Griffin on the Caucus.

“We welcome the registration of the Motorcycle Caucus for the 113th Congress,” Burgess said. “Having previously served as the Caucus chair, I welcome Congressman Tim Griffin as co-chair. We, along with other congressional members, will once again provide a platform and a voice here in Washington for motorcycle enthusiasts and our safety.”

“I look forward to growing the Motorcycle Caucus as the voice in Congress for America’s more than 25 million motorcyclists,” Griffin said. “As a rider, I recognize that there are many important issues affecting us, such as unreasonable limits on trail riding areas, the need for additional safety awareness, and ethanol mandates that harm motorcycle engines.”

Caucus Member and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Vice Chairman John Duncan said, “Motorcycling is important to my district and to me personally. I look forward to continuing to work with the co-chairs and other members to highlight the need for motorcycle safety and to promote the use of motorcycles and scooters as fun, fuel efficient transportation options for many Americans.”

The CMC includes members of Congress from both sides of the aisle who are committed to advancing motorcycling and improving the safety of motorcyclists. At the start of each Congress, all caucuses must be reestablished and recognized formally by the House. This is the fourth consecutive congressional session that the CMC has been organized.

About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.

(NEWS RELEASE)

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Several lucky motorcyclists will receive new riding gear and other products from Helmet House, manufacturer of Cortech and Tour Master and exclusive distributor for Shoei Helmets, thanks to drawings held by the American Motorcyclist Association.

The AMA sponsored AMA Go Ride! Month in April to celebrate the motorcycling lifestyle with on- and off-highway motorcyclists across the country. The month-long event featured a number of contests that promoted the fun of riding, educated riders about threats facing motorcycling and encouraged motorcyclists to think about the extraordinary gas mileage their motorcycles achieve compared to their cars and trucks.

During AMA Go Ride! Month, qualifying AMA members in all the various contests were entered into a May 3 drawing for a Shoei helmet, a Tour Master Intake jacket and Cortech tank bags.

The winners, and what they won, are:

AMA Go Ride! Month was also a perfect way to lead into Motorcycle Awareness Month in May, when the AMA and scores of cities, states and organizations urge the motoring public to watch for motorcyclists on the nation’s roads and highways. Motorcyclists can also be prepared by taking rider training and wearing appropriate riding gear.

To learn more about Cortech, Tour Master and Shoei products, visit www.cortechperformance.com, www.tourmaster.com and www.shoei-helmets.com.

For more information about AMA Go Ride! Month, Motorcycle Awareness Month and membership in the AMA, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.

About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.