AMA Go Ride For A Cause! week, sponsored by the American Motorcyclist Association, begins today. The weeklong campaign during AMA Go Ride! Month brings attention to the generosity of motorcyclists nationwide. 

"AMA Go Ride For A Cause! week honors the millions of caring, warm-hearted riders who work in their communities to make life better for others and support causes near and dear to motorcycling," said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman.

Now in its third week, AMA Go Ride! Month celebrates the motorcycle lifestyle and provides motorcyclists nationwide with information, contests and prizes from Helmet House, Shoei, HelmetLok, Choice Hotels and Bikebandit.com. For details, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com/riding/goride and the AMA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/americanmotorcyclist.

Dingman noted that events like the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation's Ride for Kids, the March of Dimes' Bikers for Babies rides as well as local holiday toy rides exemplify the willingness of motorcyclists to roll up their sleeves to help those less fortunate.

"We are also extremely grateful to the thousands of donors and volunteers who have stepped up in support of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame so that we can preserve the history of motorcycling's legends for generations to come," Dingman said.

An example of that support is the annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, held each July at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Tens of thousands of motorcyclists attend and proceeds benefit the non-profit Hall of Fame located on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio. The dates for this year's AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days are July 19-21 and more information can be found at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/events/AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.

Throughout AMA Go Ride! Month, AMA members are encourage to enter photo contests to win prizes. The AMA Up, Down, All-Around Flash Tour, a contest for street and dirt riders, invites participants to photograph a trip to the highest, lowest or most remote part of their state, or an historical or cultural landmark unique to the state. Each week a winner will be selected to receive a Helmetlok next-generation lock and cable set.

Another weekly contest, Freedom Friday, alerts riders to important issues that pose threats to motorcycling freedoms. This week's focus is access discrimination, which can be illustrated with a photo of a "No Motorcycles Allowed" sign, a "Wilderness" sign or any subject that illustrates motorcyclists' concerns for freedom. To enter the contest, AMA members are encouraged to send in photos near trailheads and longtime riding areas to illustrate their concern. The best photos will earn two lucky AMA members an AMA gift bag and a BikeBandit.com gift card.

Qualifying AMA members on both photo contests will also be entered into a month-end drawing for great prizes from longtime AMA partner Helmet House, including a Shoei helmet, Tour Master Intake jacket and Cortech tank bags. Contest details can be viewed at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/riding/goride/contestdetails.

AMA Go Ride! Month encourages motorcyclists everywhere to enjoy the thrill of riding in the dirt and on the street. Be sure to visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com/riding/goride and www.facebook.com/americanmotorcyclist for breaking news and announcements about 2013 AMA Go Ride! Month.

Klock Werks' striking green bagger has a 5-page spread in the May issue of Road Iron (not appearing on the cover). Look for Road Iron at your newsstand or go here to leaf through a few more virtual pages of this magazine and subscribe.

At Bikernet, we've always supported the printed press and believe that both media are valid and compliment one another.

Hit the banner at the end of the post to visit the Klock Werks website and support a Bikernet sponsor.

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Orion Custom Car + Motorcycle Show, curated by METALLICA frontman James Hetfield, was part of the inaugural edition of Orion Music + More, the two-day festival created by METALLICA, which took place June 23-24, 2012 at Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Over 300 of the best customs, hot rods, muscle cars and custom motorcycles were on display at the Orion Custom Car + Motorcycle Show inside the festival grounds throughout the weekend. Orion ticket holders were able to check out incredible machines from across the world, including celebrity cars in the Primo Palace like James Hetfield's 1936 Auburn Roadster Slow Burn Kustom and 1937 Lincoln Zephyr Voodoo Priest Kustom by styler and builder Rick Dore. Awards were given out for Best in Show for each category: Customs, Hot Rods, Muscle Cars, and Custom Motorcycles. Plus, festival goers could cast their votes for the Fan Favorite.

The second annual Orion Music + More is scheduled for June 8-9 at Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan.

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This discovery is thanks to Charles Plueddeman, who works for Harley-Davidson as a freelance public relations specialist. He also loves to collect old publications, and he turned Bikernet onto a batch of old do-it-yourself mags from the ’50s and ’60s. This particular issue contained a couple exciting stories for the Bikernet staff.

If it’s fun ad thrills you’re after, try motorizing your bike. Trips you wouldn’t have dreamed of via pedal-power are a cinch when you let gasoline do the work. Creep along at a rubber-necking pace if you like, or open her up. You can do better than 30 mph. Mileage? Over 100 to a gallon. Economy-wise this baby’s hard to beat–and no parking problems, either.

This discovery is thanks to Charles Plueddeman, who works for Harley-Davidson as a freelance public relations specialist. He also loves to collect old publications, and he turned Bikernet onto a batch of old do-it-yourself mags from the ’50s and ’60s. This particular issue contained a couple exciting stories for the Bikernet staff.

If it’s fun ad thrills you’re after, try motorizing your bike. Trips you wouldn’t have dreamed of via pedal-power are a cinch when you let gasoline do the work. Creep along at a rubber-necking pace if you like, or open her up. You can do better than 30 mph. Mileage? Over 100 to a gallon. Economy-wise this baby’s hard to beat–and no parking problems, either.

When the NHRA returns to zMAX Dragway for the Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals fueled by Full Throttle, April 19-21, fans will be treated to a four-wide assault from all four of the sport’s top categories, including Pro Stock Motorcycles, which haven’t raced four-wide since 2010.

Pro Stock Motorcycles, which in recent years have only raced at "the Bellagio of dragstrips’ " traditional two-wide fall event, will take to the track with Pro Stock, Funny Car, and Top Fuel dragsters for the greatest spectacle in drag racing.

Matt Smith, who won the Four-Wide event in 2010, called it a great accomplishment for his team, which is based in nearby Winston-Salem, N.C.

“To be able to be the only one that’s won that race to date is a great accomplish for me and my team,” said Smith. “I really adapted to the four-wide thing right away. A lot of people struggled with, but I adapted to it right away.”

What does Smith think of his chances to repeat as champion?

“I think we have as good a shot as anybody to win that event again,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s one person you’re running against or if it’s 30 people. You have to focus on your own deal. If you have all the right stuff and you do all the right things, then you should turn that last win light on.”

In order to repeat, Smith will have to beat a loaded field of Pro Stock Motorcycle talent, including Hector Arana Jr., who won the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville. The win, Arana said, gives him a lot of confidence heading into the Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.

“Any time you get a win, it brings confidence. It's a big motivator. It's going to really help morale inside our team and in the shop,” said Arana. “Drag racing is all mental, and when you get a win, it helps mentally. I'm going to try to use that to my advantage and hopefully keep doing well and keep that No. 1 spot all year.”

Arana said he knows keeping the No. 1 position will be a big challenge when the Pro Stock Motorcycles line up four-wide, but he doesn’t expect the format change to alter his approach to racing.

“I don't think I'm going to approach it any differently,” he said. “I'm going to go up there and do my thing and do like I always do before I even pre-stage. I'll pay attention to the lights and make sure everybody pre-stages and stages. I'll be staying focused on the yellow bulb, and as soon as it drops, I'm ready to go.”

Andrew Hines is the defending champion at zMAX Dragway, having won the NHRA Nationals there last September. Hines said he hopes to build on his recent success at zMAX, a track where he has struggled in the past.

“My confidence is definitely higher having won the race last fall there,” Hines said. “The racetrack was kind of a nemesis for me when we first started going there. I had a lot of red-lights; I couldn’t get my bike to leave the starting line well. Going to the final a couple of years ago and ultimately winning last year have done a lot of good for my feelings going into that racetrack, whether it’s the beginning of the year or the end of the year.”

Eddie Krawiec said the return to four-wide racing is sure to ramp up the drama for competitors who are used to the traditional two-wide format.

“As a driver, the one thing you need to take into consideration for Charlotte is you're now out of your element,” said Krawiec, who won the fall event at zMAX in 2011. “You’re not going to have just two lanes. Now you’ve got to worry about four lanes. You’ve got to worry about three other people staging, pre-staging, going through your whole starting-line routine. You can be caught off guard very easy. You have to really be on your game at all times.”

To purchase tickets to the 4th annual Dollar General NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway, April 19-21, visit www.4widedrags.com or call 800-455-FANS (3267). Fans who buy three East Grandstand tickets to any day will receive a fourth ticket free. Every ticket is a pit pass, so fans can walk through the pits and see their favorite drivers and teams as they prepare to take to the track.

In Laconia…We Ride…. And to celebrate this legacy of riding, the Laconia Motorcycle Week® Association has released the ALL NEW, FREE Laconia Mobile Guide ™ (LMG) is the OFFICIAL mobile guide of Laconia Motorcycle Week®. The Laconia Mobile Guide is the key unlocking all the latest and greatest information for events and activities in and around the Lakes Region and State of NH. For the 90th anniversary, Laconia Motorcycle Week® has gone mobile and will provide access to everything Laconia Motorcycle Week® has to offer. With over hundreds of thousands of attendees, hundreds of activities and events, and vendors from t-shirts to motorcycles there is much to do and see throughout the region.

The Laconia Mobile Guide enables attendees an in-the-moment experience of the rally and region at an innovative level allowing them not only real-time access but also user to user interaction! Find points of interest, connect with other riders and attendees, map routes, and view a schedule of events all on your Apple or Android smartphone or I-Pad.

The Laconia Mobile Guide will keep riders updated and connected to all the Rally events as they happen.

With the Laconia Mobile Guide you can:

Instantly meet and connect with attendees in real- time.

Exchange messages, private and public, and share your experience.

Join interest groups and plan your day.

View a schedule of events throughout the region.

Get instant updates on Laconia events such as weather, schedule changes, and event updates.

Locate attractions and venues, and then map your routes.

Create and share points of interest with other attendees.

Check-in to attractions and events to let your friends know you’re here.

With so much to see and do in the State of NH and beyond the Laconia Mobile Guide will help to get the most out of the Laconia Motorcycle Week® experience. You can download the FREE app here.

For a complete schedule of the week’s events, visit http://www.laconiamcweek.com/Schedule/. The full schedule of bands performing at The Laconia Roadhouse can be found at http://www.laconiamcweek.com/Band-Schedule/. For complete lodging and camping options, visit http://www.laconiamcweek.com/Lodging-and-Camping/.

Available now, Avon Tyres has a great new Cobra tire combination for the popular Harley-Davidson Fat Boy (2007 model year and newer), Screamin’ Eagle® Fat Boy (2006 model year), and Fat Boy Lo® (2010 model year and newer). The new Cobra 140/75R17 Cobra AV71 (front) and 200/55R17 Cobra AV72 (rear) make the perfect combination for incredible handling and stability.

When compared to the stock tires, the Cobra provides the Fat Boy owner with nimble handling at lean angles and in a variety of conditions. Unlike many tires that have a center groove, this Cobra set features specially designed grooves called Force Following Grooves (FFG) that transmit energy from the road evenly across the surface of the tire to improve handling and reduce irregular wear. The snakeskin effect sidewall along with the Cobra logo and special tread design offer exceptional style as well as performance.

“At Avon Tyres, we know that Harley-Davidson customers want the right combination of style and performance in a replacement tire, so we use Lifetime Profile Engineering (LPE) to engineer the perfect combination that will offer consistent performance throughout the life of the tire,” stated Sukoshi Fahey, Sales and Marketing Manager, Avon Tyres. “Avon has developed a number of special Cobra fitments for Harley-Davidson motorcycles including fitments for the FL touring motorcycles, and now we’re expanding with great options for the Fat Boy that offer excellent mileage, comfort and grip.”

For more information about Avon Tyres, visit http://www.avonmoto.com. To find a dealer near you, visit http://www.avonmoto.com/where-to-buy. 

Your hands are the most important connection between you and your motorcycle, so you deserve the best fitting gloves available. Already well established in Europe, Racer Outdoor is now reaching out to the U.S. and Canada through exclusive North American importer/distributor Racer Gloves USA. The ultimate goal is to get the "best fitting gloves you can buy" message out to the masses, starting with a total revamp of the Racer Gloves USA website.

“We want the tactile online experience to match the reality of the motorcycle industry’s best fitting gloves,” says former roadracer Lee Block. Sold primarily in Northern California since 2006, Racer has gained a cult-like following among dealers and riders based on its outstanding and consistent comfort and fit. Recently, Racer distribution changed hands with motorcycle industry veteran Block re-launching the brand. “We want this relative secret to expand beyond NorCal and gain a national following,” adds Block.

“Creating a great fitting glove is not brain surgery… it’s harder! Design, materials, careful assembly of those materials, and above all else, pattern making result in a superior fitting glove,” explains Block. “Racer has been making gloves in the same factories with the same pattern makers for more than 20 years.” So confident is Block of the fit, that Racer USA guarantees these will be the best fitting gloves you have ever tried or your money back.

Check the new website out for all the money-back details and Racer USA’s free shipping program. The range of gloves encompasses something for virtually every rider, including Road Race, Sport Touring, Adventure/Dual Sport, Winter and Women's glove categories.

Visit Racer Gloves online at www.racerglovesusa.com, follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/racerglovesusa and Facebook at www.facebook/racerglovesusa

Here's the quirky tech of the week. You can eliminate chain slap and solid mount your rubber mounted late-model Sporty with this product from Hardtail Choppers. It's easy. 

Check it out: