Its That Tine fo the Year Again......Toys for Tots!!!

Its that time of the year again when we as riders fill our calendars with toy runs for a variety of causes.

In the upstate of South Carolina, this will be the 10th annual Marine Corps Toys for Tots run and if this year is anything like previous events it will be chilly, huge and a great tine.

The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

Toys for Tots began in Los Angeles as a charitable effort in 1947 by reservist Major William L. Hendricks. Major Hendricks was inspired by his wife Diane when she unsuccessfully tried to find an organization to donate a doll to a needy child. At her suggestion, he gathered a group of local Marine reservists, including Lieutenant Colonel John Hampton, who coordinated and collected some 5,000 toys for local children that year from collection bins placed outside of Warner Bros. movie theaters. Their efforts were so successful that in 1948 Toys for Tots was launched as a national campaign. Major Hendricks enlisted celebrity support including Walt Disney Studios, which designed and donated the famous red toy train logo.




The Greenville, South Carolina 2012 campaign is managed by Staff Sergeant Gustavo Villasenor. He is assisted by Staff Sergeant Jerod Mann. Together, these two Marines collaborate with more than one hundred individual collection location volunteers, fifteen event sponsors, and five nonprofit distributors to generate over 40,000 toys for local children. The success of the Greenville, South Carolina campaign is a testament to the dedication and charitable spirit of businesses and residents in the Upstate community.

This clip from the 2011 event will give you a sense of the spirit of hope and giving that is just part of the Toys for Tots Run each year.

Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity is the fund raising, funding and support organization for the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program.

Sales from book celebrating famous motorcycle enthusiasts help victims of Hurricane Sandy

Elvis

Sales from a new book celebrating the rides of famous motorcycle enthusiasts will go to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. The publication, titled “Rockin’ Garages: Collecting, Racing and Riding with Rock’s Great Gearheads,” explores the car and motorcycle collections of famous musicians, including members of iconic bands like AC/DC and Pink Floyd.

Billy Joel

Authors Tom Cotter and Ken Gross profiled a variety of musicians and their cars and motorcycles. They eventually compiled the stories behind how these individuals initially became involved with the auto and motorsports industries and began expanding their personal collection of rides.

Jay Leno

                                                                             
The hardcover book spans 192 pages, with hundreds of photographs detailing the extent of these famous collections. The kickoff will take place at 20th Century Cycles in Oyster Bay, New York,  and a portion of all book sales will be donated to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Proceeds from the sale of various motorcycle accessories and book paraphernalia sold at the event will also go to the efforts.

Motorcycle Sales Are Up....go ahead and smile.

Wandering from dealership to dealership here in the southeast, you get the sense business is good, and maybe better than expected.  Since aftermarket parts, clothing, accessories, etc follow bike sales, if unit sales are up, the rest of the business get healthier.  Recent numbers show a growing positive.

Data from the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) reports motorcycle sales holding steady through the third quarter of 2012. The MIC report, which tracks through the end of September, claims a slight 1.3% gain in year-over-year motorcycle sales with a 3.1% increase in ATV sales.

On-Highway motorcycles registered a 0.8% increase over 2011 data. The MIC reports 271,767 units sold, up 2062 from last year. On-Highway is by far the largest motorcycle market segment tracked of the MIC data and includes most street and sportbikes, as well as cruiser models.

Scooters continue to show the highest percentage gains of any segment, up 7% through the first nine months of 2012. Traditionally more volatile than the standard motorcycle market, Scooter sales often fluctuate with the cost of gasoline.

The ATV market continues to recover in 2012, though its 3.1% improvement through the third quarter has slowed from the more heartening 5.6% increase at the end of Q2.

Suzuki Stays with Motorcycles - Drops Cars in U.S

What to do ....what to do....  after nearly 30 years, Suzuki Motor Corp. will pull out of the U.S. car marke following Saab Automobile and Isuzu Motors Ltd. among automakers making their exits after failing to earn profits in the country.

Suzuki will stop the sale of new automobiles in the U.S., though it will continue offering motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and boat motors. The company’s U.S. distributor filed for bankruptcy protection in Santa Ana, California as part of the reorganization.

The withdrawal marks the end of a business that began in 1985 and never managed to win over U.S. consumers as Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. did. The move allows Suzuki, which has the smallest U.S. market share among Asian automakers, to focus on defending its lead in India, where the company is facing mounting competition from Hyundai Motor Co.

Suzuki’s sales in the U.S. will stop after its current inventory runs out.

American Suzuki Motor, the wholly owned U.S. distribution unit, agreed to begin reorganization proceedings under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code,. The unit had $346 million of debt and $233 million in assets as of Sept. 30, according to bankruptcy filings.

Lead Singer Mitch Lucker Dies from Motorcycle Accident

Fans are in mourning over the death of Mitch Lucker, a vocalist for the heavy metal band Suicide Silence who was killed in a motorcycle accident in Huntington Beach.

The band posted a statement on its Facebook page Thursday morning reading, "There's no easy way to say this. Mitch passed away earlier this morning from injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident. This is completely devastating to all of us and we offer our deepest condolences to his family. He will be forever in our hearts."

Lucker, 28, who lived in Huntington Beach, was riding his black 2013 Harley-Davidson south on Main Street about 8:55 p.m. Wednesday when he hit a light pole near the intersection of 13th Street. According to a release from the department, Lucker apparently lost control of his vehicle and was thrown from it after hitting the pole.

The motorcycle continued moving forward after Lucker was ejected and collided with a pickup truck that was traveling north on Main. The driver of the truck was not injured.

Lucker, who was treated at the scene by paramedics, died shortly after 6 a.m. at UC Irvine Medical Center, according to the Orange County coroner's office.

The band has released three albums — 2007's "The Cleansing," 2009's "No Time to Bleed" and last year's "The Black Crown" — and is described on the website of its record label, Century Media, as "the defining modern death metal band for a new generation."

Winter Riding with the Right Tires

In our last post we looked at the Pitbull bike lift and it occurred to us that one of the winter projects we mentioned, would be replacing tires or at the very least changing tires for better handling during the wet winter months

Revzilla offers some great info on choosing the right tires.

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