The American Motorcyclist Association is pleased to announce the 2014 dates for the country’s premier annual celebration of vintage motorcycling. AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days will take place on July 18-20 at the world-class Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

“There’s nothing quite like AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, and we know that it’s a must-do highlight on the summer motorcycling calendar for riders from throughout the region and beyond,” said AMA Vice President of Operations Jeff Massey. “When the gates open at Mid-Ohio on July 18-20, riders, fans and racers know they’ll find racing in all vintage disciplines, North America’s largest motorcycle swap meet, seminars, demo rides, special exhibits and much more — with all riders and types of motorcycles welcome. We’ll be announcing more details soon, so make your plans now.”

A fundraiser for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days features classic motorcycles of all makes and styles, and honors the riders who made them famous. Activities include the AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championship, which features road racing, motocross, hare scrambles, trials and dirt-track; North America’s largest motorcycle swap meet; bike shows and awards; stunt shows; demo rides of current production bikes; and seminars on a number of topics by noted motorcycling experts.

All proceeds from AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days benefit the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. The goal of the Hall of Fame, located on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, is to tell the stories and preserve the history of motorcycling’s legends and heroes. For more information, call (614) 856-2222, or visit the Hall of Fame’s website at www.motorcyclemuseum.org.

Now include the “Best of Brazil” tours based around the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Compass Expeditions just enhanced their South American tour packages for 2014, which now include tours around the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil in June and July. Two Best of Brazil tours of 14 days each (June 8-21 and July 2-15) will enable guests to ride and watch matches/finals depending on their chosen itineraries. They join these previously announced exceptional itineraries:

Southern Lakes Explorer (9 days; January 1 2014 – January 9 2014)
Highlights of Peru (15 Days; August 28 2014 – September 11 2014)
Atacama to Machu Picchu (16 days; April 1 2014 – April 16 2014)
Agua y Salares (17 Days; July 12 2014 – July 28 2014)
Patagonia Explorer (18 days; November 10 2013 – November 27 2013)
Los Andes (23 days; April 30 2014 – May 22 2014)Andean Discovery (23 Days; September 29 2014 – October 21 2014)
Atlantic to Altiplano (27 Days; July 2 2014 – July 28 2014)
South America Coast to Coast (42 days; July 2 2014 – August 12 2014)
South America 360 (128 Days; February 21 2015 – June 28 2015)

With 2.4 million FIFA World Cup Brazil tickets sold within the first 24 hours of sales and the United States within the top 3 countries requesting tickets, potential guests should book early to reserve space (Note: these packages do not include World Cup Tickets – tickets can be purchased here.) Compass Expeditions now offers Brazil tours for individuals, groups of friends, riding clubs, and business associates who wish to ride one of its late model BMW F700 GS models around Brazil and be in proximity of the World Cup events.

When it comes to creating outstanding motorcycle adventure memories – no one comes close to Compass Expeditions. Learn why National Geographic awarded Compass Expeditions “Tours of a Lifetime” and experience why Adventure Motorcycle Riders Charley Boorman, Simon Pavey, and Lois Pryce lead some of its exciting tours.

To arrange a tour with Compass Expeditions, contact www.compassexpeditions.com

CRUISE-MATE operates in less than 1/2 turn, simply flip the lever forward (toward front of bike) to turn it on and set your throttle where ever you wish. Flip the lever back (toward rear of bike) to turn it off and return your throttle to normal operation. All CRUISE-MATE components are manufactured from solid 303 stainless steel. The polished 303 stainless handle will never corrode, chip, tarnish or peel. SEE INSTALL STORY

From the Archives: Rally Special Editions

For many years, the local Sturgis newspaper (Meade County Times) put out a special edition newspaper after each Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Looking through the archives at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame, we found a stack of these special editions from various years starting in 1984. Each edition was a full newspaper with as many as five sections. They all boast full color covers on each section, and plenty of advertising from local and regional businesses. If you were around any of the years prior to 1988, you could snag one for only $1. From 1988 through the last edition we’ve found in our archives (1999), you could get your copy for $2.

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Andy Zsinko has 25 years of expertise in aftermarket painting. One day, he set out to craft a glow-in-the-dark paint for a custom bike, and with equal ease applied the paint job to it. The problem, however, is that the glow effect was extremely short-lived and could not be controlled. But this was the first step to developing what is now known as LumiLor, the world’s first and only sprayable electroluminescent (EL) coating system.

Check it out.

“The principles of electroluminescence are fairly basic,” offered Zsinko about his night of revelation. “The trick to LumiLor was to turn a highly controlled process (that used to make EL panels) into something a professional painter can apply with current air gun technology. With a little research into advanced materials, some time perfecting techniques, and appropriate amounts of serendipity, I was able to unlock the secret.”

In June 2010, Zsinko pulled his 1976 Kawasaki Police 1000 into the parking lot of the Marriott in Berea, OH to show it to his fellow Cleveland Browns fans, who had gathered there for the evening. Painted on the rear box with one of LumiLor’s ancestral formulations was a crude rendering of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album cover. Inside the box, electronics, which when activated demonstrated Zsinko’s apparent madness to be a touch of genius: you can make paint that lights up.

Zsinko’s friend Shawn Mastrian was there in Berea to witness the first paint job that had ever lit up, an unveiling that Zsinko was not proud of, but one that convinced Mastrian to help his friend take his product to market. Shortly thereafter, the two of them teamed to form Darkside Scientific, LLC.“What Andy showed me in that parking lot was something I had never seen before,” said Mastrian. “I just thought the technology was cool, and wanted to help my friend be successful with it. I never dreamed of all the real-world applications we now believe the product to have.”     The real difference between LumiLor and other EL solutions in the marketplace is that LumiLor becomes one with the surface to which it is applied, unlike EL laminates, tapes, and wires. It is applied in less than 3 mils total thickness, and will conform to any surface and any shape, as it is a spray-on coating system. It is durable and bright, and able to be top coated, dip coated, and even chromed, and still provides illumination without the possibility of delamination. Essentially with LumiLor, any object can become a light.

Zsinko’s dream really came to light in Daytona this year as he drove his fully painted Cleveland CycleWerks Heist down the strip, brightly illuminated with LumiLor. For a crowd that believed that they had seen everything over the years, this was something definitively new. The bike had back fender and the gas tank fully illuminated, and had a dragon theme airbrushed on the vehicle. Zsinko’s helmet was even fully illuminated.

The possibilities LumiLor offers are remarkable to consider. Just from a motorcycle safety point of view, illuminating the helmet and/or bike provides an enhanced visibility and awareness for the rider, not to mention that it looks pretty cool too. Automobiles interiors and exteriors, watercraft, airplanes, commercial trucks, public safety vehicles, and signage are just a few applications that the team at Darkside are exploring. “LumiLor excites the imagination in people when they realize what they are seeing ” offered Scott Smith, Darkside’s VP of Sales and Marketing. “Artists have a whole new medium to work with now.”  According to Scott  “ the revolutionary capabilities of LumiLor will really develop when designers and engineers re-imagine what objects can be transformed into a lamp. It is mind boggling to consider the possibilities.”

Darkside Scientific is in the process of establishing its network of Certified LumiLor Laboratories, which will greatly expand their current production capability, but for those customers who want to be the first to benefit from this innovative product, now is the time to come and talk to them. http://lumilor.com

The Gray Ghost II project team of Warner Riley, Mike Witt and Jim “Jimbo” Fischer had a stellar year in 2013 showing the young pups how its done. Not only did the team tear up the track during the summer by setting records in Ohio and Loring, Maine; they then topped off the year by blistering the salt at the AMA/BUB Grand National Motorcycle Speed Trials at Bonneville while notching 2 more records. You can watch a couple of Jimbos record runs at BUB. You can watch more of the teams videos from Bonneville Stories here. “Jimbo” Fischer says the team is looking forward to the 2014 racing season.

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The song of the motor stills my thoughts. It mutes the chaos around me. I push forward, and with focused relaxation I eye the ground beneath me. The rumble of the wheels gliding across it feels like an act of love. Of silent connection.

All that matters at this moment are my tracks. I’ll just do one more round. Again. Then I’ll turn it off and rejoin society. Maybe two more rounds.

This pattern feels so familiar.

Oh, yes. This used to be the love story between my motorcycle and me. I called it “moving meditation.” She instantly thrust me into a perfect Zen state, where I was focused, yet not thinking; alert, yet not tense.

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