News & Events

The Parts Unlimited exhibit area is always a very magnetic part of the Dealer Expo. The professionally created displays by Thor, Icon and other Parts house brands are crowded throughout the show.

housands of motorcycle retail store owners and employees from across the country convened at the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana the weekend of February 19th to 21st for the annual Dealernews Dealer Expo.
     There were over 800 exhibitors at this years show with products from every aspect of the Powersports industry. The show is divided up into various “zones’ throughout the Convention Center, the RCA Dome and even in locations across the street in the hotels.
     Parts Unlimited was well represented at the show this year with its impressive “compound” of race trucks and show displays in the center of the main hall for Parts Unlimited, house brands such as Thor, Moose Off-Road, Drag Specialties, Icon, Z1R and other key vendors such as Ohlins, Alpinestars, Memphis Shades and more.
     According to various exhibitors at this year’s event, show producer Advanstar has indicated that the ongoing growth and success of the show may force a move to a new location, possibly as soon as 2006. The event, which moved to Indianapolis from Cincinnati back in the late-1990s after outgrowing facilities there, may be heading south to one of the sites currently being looked at. Atlanta and Orlando are reportedly the most likely locations if or when a change is decided upon.
     Show attendees and exhibitors alike will surely be interested to know what the decision is regarding any location changes and we will report any news as we get it. Be sure to check out the PartsMag.com website (www.partsmag.com) for updates.

he Motorcycle Industry Council announced the results of its 2005 Board of Directors election at its annual meeting held at the Indy Show. The three open Director positions, representing the aftermarket/allied trades members, were filled on the first ballot. Re-elected to the board were Fred Fox, Chairman of Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties with Parts Magazine Publisher Don Emde newly elected to the board, replacing the late Tom Cates, former Vice President of the Powersports Division for K&N Engineering. Frank Esposito, President of Global Motorsports won the other board seat. The MIC Board of Directors has six Aftermarket seats in all, plus six other positions for maximum dues paying motorcycle manufacturers.

The Icon exhibit featured plenty of great looking gear for both male and female sportbike riders.

Icon also had famed stunt rider Jason Britton (second from left) on hand to talk about his world of Extreme motorcycle sportbike riding and how Icon products keep him safe.

FMF Founder/President Donnie Emler (left) and Doug Muellner brought one of Scott Summers’ FMF-sponsored 2005 Honda GNCC bikes to the show for display in the Parts Unlimited area.

Showing Travis Pastrana’s outfit in the proper setting isn’t always easy, but Thor seemed to have it right this year.

On Sunday, Parts Unlimited had the ESPN2 coverage of the previous night’s Supercross races from San Diego running on television sets in the compound. A big cheer went out when Thor-sponsored Chad Reed took the 250cc win over Ricky Carmichael.

LeMans Corporation held its second annual “Night of the Stars” awards banquet at the posh Indiana Rooftop Ballroom on the Thursday night of this year’s Indy trade show. The banquet honors the entire Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties sales force with special awards and recognition to the top performing sales reps.

With hundreds of sales reps from coast to coast, the annual banquet is a great opportunity for people within the company to get to know each other.

Let’s eat! The staff of the Indiana Rooftop Ballroom really know how to serve up dinner in an impressive manner.

Emcee Rob Buydos (right) introduced some special guests, including Moose-sponsored Ryan Hughes, the recent winner of the Endurocross championship in Las Vegas.

Steve Dickinson (second from left) was recognized for his outstanding performance in the past year. Parts Unlimited VP of Sales Greg Blackwell (left) with Lou Lopez and Jim Matchette on the right.

From left: Matchette, Blackwell and Lopez joined Parts Unlimited President/CEO Jeff Fox on stage with nine members of Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties Elite Sales Force: Steve Dickinson, Mike Ego, Fred McMahan, Tim Crowder, Gene Koch, Chuck Lindsay, Dale Strope, Terry Murphy and Rick Pence.

t’s a tradition now for Cobra Engineering to unveil some special custom project bike at each year’s Indy Dealer Expo. This year was no exception and at the designated time, Dustin Boyko, son of VP Ken Boyko, and Denny Berg, creator of the new machine, took the wraps off the 2005 project dubbed the “Knuckster.”
The Knuckster is a modern version of a 1950’s-era West Coast “Bobber” style motorcycle. Its genesis lies in the not-so distant past of American West Coast motorcycle and car hot-rodding, and recalls a topless 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster with Lakester pipes.
Though the Knuckster looks like a wonderful restoration of a ‘50s Bobber, it’s really all new, including the engine itself. The Knuckster’s engine is an S&S Buell engine using parts that make it look like a Knucklehead top end. It began life as a 51-cubic-inch engine and increased to 91-cubic-inches.

To learn more about the Knuckster and see it from virtually every angle, go online to www.cobrausa.com.

Dustin Boyko assists Denny Berg with the official unveiling of the Cobra Knuckster.

Denny Berg with his latest creation, the Knuckster.

Former AMA #1 Mert Lawwill (in light blue shirt near the center) watches his famous opening scene from “On Any Sunday” with the other breakfast attendees.

early five hundred powersports industry movers and shakers were treated to breakfast and some of the best bench racing stories ever at the BlueRibbon Coalition’s seventh annual BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS on Sunday morning, February 20, at the Indianapolis Powersports Expo.
     “Not just On Any Sunday, but this Sunday” was the theme for this year’s event. Every hair on the back of every neck in the room was standing on end as clips from the Bruce Brown movie classic were shown. The opening scene with Mert Lawwill the businessman transitioning to Lawwill the racer, sideways at 100 mph on the flat track, was all the more inspiring with Mert in the audience. It reminded us all of what a life changing event that movie was for many powersports enthusiasts.
     Motorcycling legends Malcolm Smith, Mert Lawwill, Bob Hannah, Scott Summers, Drew Smith, Dick Burleson, Scot Harden, Jeff Fredette, Jimmy Lewis, Mike Kidd, John Penton, Mike Bell, Dane Leimbach, Don Emde and Guy Cooper participated in the program. Our champions joined attendees at their breakfast tables and stayed after the program to sign autographs and visit.
     A live auction of motorcycle adventure tours and memorabilia items raised nearly $30,000 for BRC’s advocacy efforts. Additional information on the BlueRibbon Coalition and photos from this event are available online at http://www.sharetrails.org.

upertrapp gave members of the media a chance to discuss many different aspects of motorcycle racing, performance and customizing at a press round table at the Indy Show. In addition to attendance by various staff members, the event was hosted by company president Kevin Berger, who moderated a Q & A session with customizer Paul Yaffe, famed Dirt Track race tuner Bill Werner and current Dirt Track racers Jared Mees and Nicole Cheza.

From left: Eric Kindle (Supertrapp’s Engineering Manager), Paul Yaffe, Kevin Berger, Bill Werner and Jared Mees. Nicole Cheza is just out of view on the right.

n an effort to do their part to keep the spirits up of our troops in Iraq,
an autographed Maxxis Tire poster featuring female off-road racer
Heather Wilson recently made its way into the war-torn country.

his time it was a good thing for Pennsylvania’s Manheim Central Senior Josh Lingle. Being a third generation motorcycle enthusiast, he put his love of the sport to work for him and decided to make a boot out of steel in his sculpting class. Not just any boot, by the way, but an Alpinestars Tech 8. It took him approximately 25 hours to construct the boot, but when it was finished Josh’s teacher Mr. Wanamaker was so impressed that he entered it in the Scholastic Art show in Lancaster County. Josh received the Scholastic Art and Writing Silver Key Award on February 13th.
When Josh is not at school he is either working at the family business B&B Sales and Service, Inc. or tinkering on his KTM getting it ready for the next race. Josh has reportedly worn Alpinestars boots ever since he started riding at age 3.

Parts Magazine would like to congratulate Icon, Dynojet and Yoshimura on the “Brappies” received at the first annual Best Retail Aftermarket Product (BRAP) Awards presented February 21st at the Indianapolis Dealer Expo. The “Brappies” are awarded to companies displaying groundbreaking aftermarket product at the Dealer Expo, and are selected by the editors of 2Wheel Tuner Magazine.

Honored were:
Best Apparel Product: ICON’S Team Merc Jacket

Best Street Performance Product: Yoshimura’s Chrome Exhaust

Best Engineered Design: Dynojet’s Ignition Module

Todd Lamb, publisher of 2Wheel Tuner, on the awards: “We wanted to do something special at the expo this year to reward aftermarket manufacturers for their hard work and dedication to providing consumers with quality products. The Brappies were the perfect opportunity to showcase new products from companies that are sure to be big sellers this summer at retailers across the continent. From the enthusiastic feedback we’ve received, you can be sure the 2006 BRAP Awards will be a huge hit.”
2Wheel Tuner was launched in July 2004 by RPM Communications, LLC.

Photos and details by Rachel Weidman

Matt Weidman had an awesome year in 2004 racing Dirt Track all over the U.S. and Canada. Matt won two Grand National Championships in the CMRC Canadian series in the 505cc Intermediate and Open AM classes. He also won a Grand National Championship in the 250 DTX class at the AMA Amateur Dirt Track Nationals at Springfield, Illinois.
Weidman is also a top performer off the racetrack as much as he is on. He is an honor student at Greenville High School and loves to play basketball in the winter months. Matthew is 13 years old and lives in Westerlo, NY and is the son of Guy and Rachel Weidman, owners of Matt’s Cycle Center in Coxsackie, NY.
His plans for 2005 include moving up to the Pro classes in Canada aboard a Harley-Davidson 750 in preparation of going pro in the U.S. when he turns 16. His sponsors include Matt’s Cycle Center, Parts Unlimited, Alpinestars, K&N, Arai, Motion Pro, AFAM, Regina and Bates Leathers.

amaha has announced that after six years at Daytona International Speedway, its prestigious Weekend of Champions event will move to Monterey, California for this year’s U.S. MotoGP event at Laguna Seca Raceway on July 8-10th.
Racing fans will be treated to autograph sessions with past Yamaha racing champions such as former World Championship and Laguna Seca winners Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson, as well as many other champions from both road racing and motocross. The autograph sessions will be part of the many activities planned for the Yamaha display area.
“Yamaha marks its 50th anniversary this year and we are proud to celebrate with these racing icons. Plus it is a great opportunity for fans to meet them in person,” said Bob Starr, Yamaha Corporate Communications Manager. “It was only natural to feature these past champions who have been such an integral part of our success over the years.”

he Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum will celebrate the opening of its next major exhibit, “Motocross America,” with a special reunion, bringing together many of the racing and industry legends who helped shape the history of America’s first action sport. Scheduled for July 14, 2005, this gathering of champions, industry icons and Motorcycle Hall of Fame members will include some of the best-known names and faces in the sport, such as David Bailey, Mike Bell, Dick Burleson, Roger DeCoster and Chuck Sun.
In addition to the exhibit dedication ceremony, the July 14 festivities will also feature a special Museum reception honoring the men and women profiled in “Motocross America,” autograph sessions, entertainment and more. Motocross Reunion activities will continue July 15 through 17 at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, just 90 minutes from the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. Throughout the weekend, attendees will be able to see and meet their favorite motocross heroes, from appearances at the Museum’s Motorhead Café to parade laps on Mid-Ohio’s motocross track.

     “Preserving American motorcycling heritage through storytelling is an important part of our mission, and we expect the Motocross Reunion to add entirely new chapters to the history book,” said Mark Mederski, Executive Director, Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. “We’re looking forward to America’s original ‘action heroes’ bringing the legends to life on July 14th.”
     The July 14 Motocross Reunion begins at 6:30 pm with the “Motocross America” exhibit dedication. A by-reservation only reception follows from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Museum. Tickets for the reception, which includes refreshments, are available for $20.00 for AMA members, $25, for non-members. Motocross America will be on display through the end of 2006.
     For more information on “Motocross America,” as well as AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, please visit www.motorcyclemuseum.org
     Every inch of the Motocross America exhibit has been designed to reflect the high energy and excitement of the sport, from innovative design elements like soaring Supercross bikes and challenging whoops to victory podium photo opportunities with a ‘virtual’ James Stewart. The 8,000 square-foot exhibit features over 60 famous motocross machines, hundreds of artifacts and personal treasures, a multitude of photographs spanning eight decades of action, interactive kiosks and displays and special educational sections, such as a Motocross Resource Center designed to help parents and kids get involved in racing.

     Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC has announced that Brian Davenport has been selected as the newest sales consultant in the company’s motorcycle tire group. Davenport has extensive experience in the industry working in various management and sales positions in motorcycle dealerships.
     In his new position with the Bridgestone’s Consumer Tire Sales group, Davenport will be attending shows and race events where Bridgestone motorcycle tires are featured.
     ”Brian is passionate about motorcycles. He has been riding dirt and street bikes for many years and the majority of his career has been spent in the motorcycle industry,” said Bob Graham, motorcycle and kart product manager for BFNAT. “He knows what dealers want and need, he is knowledgeable about the Bridgestone brand and that will certainly be an asset to our company.”

     Pirelli Motorcycle Tire North America has announced the appointment of Robert Henderson as the new Roadracing Coordinator. Henderson, who lives in nearby Woodstock, GA, holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. In the seven years prior to joining Pirelli, he worked in technical sales for the telecommunications industry. He also brings a wealth of hands-on motorcycle experience to his new roadracing coordinator job. Henderson has been an enthusiast and rider for 22 years, beginning at the age of 10 on dirt bikes and ATVs. He began roadracing in 2001.
     In making the announcement, Mark Wilhelm, Pirelli’s North American Country Manager, said that Henderson’s appointment “reiterates Pirelli’s commitment to the North American racing market.” He added that Pirelli’s world-level tire technicians will be at all AMA races this year, and that the development of Pirelli’s next round of racing slicks is being done right here in the USA in conjunction with the company’s signing of Team M4 EMGO Suzuki for 2005, one of the AMA’s factory-quality race teams.
     Henderson can be reached at Pirelli’s North American headquarters in Rome, GA. His phone is (706) 368-5856.


The Parts Unlimited exhibit area is always a very magnetic part of the Dealer Expo. The professionally created displays by Thor, Icon and other Parts house brands are crowded throughout the show. housands of motorcycle retail store owners and employees from across the country convened at the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana the weekend of February 19th to 21st for the annual Dealernews Dealer Expo. There were over 800 exhibitors at this years show with products from every aspect of the Powersports industry. The show is divided up into various “zones’ throughout the Convention Center, the RCA Dome and even in locations across the street in the hotels. Parts Unlimited was well represented at the show this year with its impressive “compound” of race trucks and show displays in the center of the main hall for Parts Unlimited, house brands such as Thor, Moose Off-Road, Drag Specialties, Icon, Z1R and other key vendors such as Ohlins, Alpinestars, Memphis Shades and more. According to various exhibitors at this year’s event, show producer Advanstar has indicated that the ongoing growth and success of the show may force a move to a new location, possibly as soon as 2006. The event, which moved to Indianapolis from Cincinnati back in the late-1990s after outgrowing facilities there, may be heading south to one of the sites currently being looked at. Atlanta and Orlando are reportedly the most likely locations if or when a change is decided upon. Show attendees and exhibitors alike will surely be interested to know what the decision is regarding any location changes and we will report any news as we get it. Be sure to check out the PartsMag.com website (www.partsmag.com) for updates. he Motorcycle Industry Council announced the results of its 2005 Board of Directors election at its annual meeting held at the Indy Show. The three open Director positions, representing the aftermarket/allied trades members, were filled on the first ballot. Re-elected to the board were Fred Fox, Chairman of Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties with Parts Magazine Publisher Don Emde newly elected to the board, replacing the late Tom Cates, former Vice President of the Powersports Division for K&N Engineering. Frank Esposito, President of Global Motorsports won the other board seat. The MIC Board of Directors has six Aftermarket seats in all, plus six other positions for maximum dues paying motorcycle manufacturers. The Icon exhibit featured plenty of great looking gear for both male and female sportbike riders. Icon also had famed stunt rider Jason Britton (second from left) on hand to talk about his world of Extreme motorcycle sportbike riding and how Icon products keep him safe. FMF Founder/President Donnie Emler (left) and Doug Muellner brought one of Scott Summers’ FMF-sponsored 2005 Honda GNCC bikes to the show for display in the Parts Unlimited area. Showing Travis Pastrana’s outfit in the proper setting isn’t always easy, but Thor seemed to have it right this year. On Sunday, Parts Unlimited had the ESPN2 coverage of the previous night’s Supercross races from San Diego running on television sets in the compound. A big cheer went out when Thor-sponsored Chad Reed took the 250cc win over Ricky Carmichael. LeMans Corporation held its second annual “Night of the Stars” awards banquet at the posh Indiana Rooftop Ballroom on the Thursday night of this year’s Indy trade show. The banquet honors the entire Parts Unlimited and Drag Specialties sales force with special awards and recognition to the top performing sales reps. With hundreds of sales reps from coast to coast, the annual banquet is a great opportunity for people within the company to get to know each other. Let’s eat! The staff of the Indiana Rooftop Ballroom really know how to serve up dinner in an impressive manner. Emcee Rob Buydos (right) introduced some special guests, including Moose-sponsored Ryan Hughes, the recent winner of the Endurocross championship in Las Vegas. Steve Dickinson (second from left) was recognized for his outstanding performance in the past year. Parts Unlimited VP of Sales Greg Blackwell (left) with Lou Lopez and Jim Matchette on the right. From left: Matchette, Blackwell and Lopez joined Parts Unlimited President/CEO Jeff Fox on stage with nine members of Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties Elite Sales Force: Steve Dickinson, Mike Ego, Fred McMahan, Tim Crowder, Gene Koch, Chuck Lindsay, Dale Strope, Terry Murphy and Rick Pence. t’s a tradition now for Cobra Engineering to unveil some special custom project bike at each year’s Indy Dealer Expo. This year was no exception and at the designated time, Dustin Boyko, son of VP Ken Boyko, and Denny Berg, creator of the new machine, took the wraps off the 2005 project dubbed the “Knuckster.” The Knuckster is a modern version of a 1950’s-era West Coast “Bobber” style motorcycle. Its genesis lies in the not-so distant past of American West Coast motorcycle and car hot-rodding, and recalls a topless 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster with Lakester pipes. Though the Knuckster looks like a wonderful restoration of a ‘50s Bobber, it’s really all new, including the engine itself. The Knuckster’s engine is an S&S Buell engine using parts that make it look like a Knucklehead top end. It began life as a 51-cubic-inch engine and increased to 91-cubic-inches. To learn more about the Knuckster and see it from virtually every angle, go online to www.cobrausa.com. Dustin Boyko assists Denny Berg with the official unveiling of the Cobra Knuckster. Denny Berg with his latest creation, the Knuckster. Former AMA #1 Mert Lawwill (in light blue shirt near the center) watches his famous opening scene from “On Any Sunday” with the other breakfast attendees. early five hundred powersports industry movers and shakers were treated to breakfast and some of the best bench racing stories ever at the BlueRibbon Coalition’s seventh annual BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS on Sunday morning, February 20, at the Indianapolis Powersports Expo. “Not just On Any Sunday, but this Sunday” was the theme for this year’s event. Every hair on the back of every neck in the room was standing on end as clips from the Bruce Brown movie classic were shown. The opening scene with Mert Lawwill the businessman transitioning to Lawwill the racer, sideways at 100 mph on the flat track, was all the more inspiring with Mert in the audience. It reminded us all of what a life changing event that movie was for many powersports enthusiasts. Motorcycling legends Malcolm Smith, Mert Lawwill, Bob Hannah, Scott Summers, Drew Smith, Dick Burleson, Scot Harden, Jeff Fredette, Jimmy Lewis, Mike Kidd, John Penton, Mike Bell, Dane Leimbach, Don Emde and Guy Cooper participated in the program. Our champions joined attendees at their breakfast tables and stayed after the program to sign autographs and visit. A live auction of motorcycle adventure tours and memorabilia items raised nearly $30,000 for BRC’s advocacy efforts. Additional information on the BlueRibbon Coalition and photos from this event are available online at http://www.sharetrails.org. upertrapp gave members of the media a chance to discuss many different aspects of motorcycle racing, performance and customizing at a press round table at the Indy Show. In addition to attendance by various staff members, the event was hosted by company president Kevin Berger, who moderated a Q & A session with customizer Paul Yaffe, famed Dirt Track race tuner Bill Werner and current Dirt Track racers Jared Mees and Nicole Cheza. From left: Eric Kindle (Supertrapp’s Engineering Manager), Paul Yaffe, Kevin Berger, Bill Werner and Jared Mees. Nicole Cheza is just out of view on the right. n an effort to do their part to keep the spirits up of our troops in Iraq, an autographed Maxxis Tire poster featuring female off-road racer Heather Wilson recently made its way into the war-torn country. his time it was a good thing for Pennsylvania’s Manheim Central Senior Josh Lingle. Being a third generation motorcycle enthusiast, he put his love of the sport to work for him and decided to make a boot out of steel in his sculpting class. Not just any boot, by the way, but an Alpinestars Tech 8. It took him approximately 25 hours to construct the boot, but when it was finished Josh’s teacher Mr. Wanamaker was so impressed that he entered it in the Scholastic Art show in Lancaster County. Josh received the Scholastic Art and Writing Silver Key Award on February 13th. When Josh is not at school he is either working at the family business B&B Sales and Service, Inc. or tinkering on his KTM getting it ready for the next race. Josh has reportedly worn Alpinestars boots ever since he started riding at age 3. Parts Magazine would like to congratulate Icon, Dynojet and Yoshimura on the “Brappies” received at the first annual Best Retail Aftermarket Product (BRAP) Awards presented February 21st at the Indianapolis Dealer Expo. The “Brappies” are awarded to companies displaying groundbreaking aftermarket product at the Dealer Expo, and are selected by the editors of 2Wheel Tuner Magazine. Honored were: Best Apparel Product: ICON’S Team Merc Jacket Best Street Performance Product: Yoshimura’s Chrome Exhaust Best Engineered Design: Dynojet’s Ignition Module Todd Lamb, publisher of 2Wheel Tuner, on the awards: “We wanted to do something special at the expo this year to reward aftermarket manufacturers for their hard work and dedication to providing consumers with quality products. The Brappies were the perfect opportunity to showcase new products from companies that are sure to be big sellers this summer at retailers across the continent. From the enthusiastic feedback we’ve received, you can be sure the 2006 BRAP Awards will be a huge hit.” 2Wheel Tuner was launched in July 2004 by RPM Communications, LLC. Photos and details by Rachel Weidman Matt Weidman had an awesome year in 2004 racing Dirt Track all over the U.S. and Canada. Matt won two Grand National Championships in the CMRC Canadian series in the 505cc Intermediate and Open AM classes. He also won a Grand National Championship in the 250 DTX class at the AMA Amateur Dirt Track Nationals at Springfield, Illinois. Weidman is also a top performer off the racetrack as much as he is on. He is an honor student at Greenville High School and loves to play basketball in the winter months. Matthew is 13 years old and lives in Westerlo, NY and is the son of Guy and Rachel Weidman, owners of Matt’s Cycle Center in Coxsackie, NY. His plans for 2005 include moving up to the Pro classes in Canada aboard a Harley-Davidson 750 in preparation of going pro in the U.S. when he turns 16. His sponsors include Matt’s Cycle Center, Parts Unlimited, Alpinestars, K&N, Arai, Motion Pro, AFAM, Regina and Bates Leathers. amaha has announced that after six years at Daytona International Speedway, its prestigious Weekend of Champions event will move to Monterey, California for this year’s U.S. MotoGP event at Laguna Seca Raceway on July 8-10th. Racing fans will be treated to autograph sessions with past Yamaha racing champions such as former World Championship and Laguna Seca winners Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson, as well as many other champions from both road racing and motocross. The autograph sessions will be part of the many activities planned for the Yamaha display area. “Yamaha marks its 50th anniversary this year and we are proud to celebrate with these racing icons. Plus it is a great opportunity for fans to meet them in person,” said Bob Starr, Yamaha Corporate Communications Manager. “It was only natural to feature these past champions who have been such an integral part of our success over the years.” he Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum will celebrate the opening of its next major exhibit, “Motocross America,” with a special reunion, bringing together many of the racing and industry legends who helped shape the history of America’s first action sport. Scheduled for July 14, 2005, this gathering of champions, industry icons and Motorcycle Hall of Fame members will include some of the best-known names and faces in the sport, such as David Bailey, Mike Bell, Dick Burleson, Roger DeCoster and Chuck Sun. In addition to the exhibit dedication ceremony, the July 14 festivities will also feature a special Museum reception honoring the men and women profiled in “Motocross America,” autograph sessions, entertainment and more. Motocross Reunion activities will continue July 15 through 17 at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, just 90 minutes from the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. Throughout the weekend, attendees will be able to see and meet their favorite motocross heroes, from appearances at the Museum’s Motorhead Café to parade laps on Mid-Ohio’s motocross track. “Preserving American motorcycling heritage through storytelling is an important part of our mission, and we expect the Motocross Reunion to add entirely new chapters to the history book,” said Mark Mederski, Executive Director, Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. “We’re looking forward to America’s original ‘action heroes’ bringing the legends to life on July 14th.” The July 14 Motocross Reunion begins at 6:30 pm with the “Motocross America” exhibit dedication. A by-reservation only reception follows from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Museum. Tickets for the reception, which includes refreshments, are available for $20.00 for AMA members, $25, for non-members. Motocross America will be on display through the end of 2006. For more information on “Motocross America,” as well as AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, please visit www.motorcyclemuseum.org Every inch of the Motocross America exhibit has been designed to reflect the high energy and excitement of the sport, from innovative design elements like soaring Supercross bikes and challenging whoops to victory podium photo opportunities with a ‘virtual’ James Stewart. The 8,000 square-foot exhibit features over 60 famous motocross machines, hundreds of artifacts and personal treasures, a multitude of photographs spanning eight decades of action, interactive kiosks and displays and special educational sections, such as a Motocross Resource Center designed to help parents and kids get involved in racing. Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC has announced that Brian Davenport has been selected as the newest sales consultant in the company’s motorcycle tire group. Davenport has extensive experience in the industry working in various management and sales positions in motorcycle dealerships. In his new position with the Bridgestone’s Consumer Tire Sales group, Davenport will be attending shows and race events where Bridgestone motorcycle tires are featured. ”Brian is passionate about motorcycles. He has been riding dirt and street bikes for many years and the majority of his career has been spent in the motorcycle industry,” said Bob Graham, motorcycle and kart product manager for BFNAT. “He knows what dealers want and need, he is knowledgeable about the Bridgestone brand and that will certainly be an asset to our company.” Pirelli Motorcycle Tire North America has announced the appointment of Robert Henderson as the new Roadracing Coordinator. Henderson, who lives in nearby Woodstock, GA, holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. In the seven years prior to joining Pirelli, he worked in technical sales for the telecommunications industry. He also brings a wealth of hands-on motorcycle experience to his new roadracing coordinator job. Henderson has been an enthusiast and rider for 22 years, beginning at the age of 10 on dirt bikes and ATVs. He began roadracing in 2001. In making the announcement, Mark Wilhelm, Pirelli’s North American Country Manager, said that Henderson’s appointment “reiterates Pirelli’s commitment to the North American racing market.” He added that Pirelli’s world-level tire technicians will be at all AMA races this year, and that the development of Pirelli’s next round of racing slicks is being done right here in the USA in conjunction with the company’s signing of Team M4 EMGO Suzuki for 2005, one of the AMA’s factory-quality race teams. Henderson can be reached at Pirelli’s North American headquarters in Rome, GA. His phone is (706) 368-5856.
Parts Magazine Volume 12 #4