Yamaha - 2013 title sponsor of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Breakfast

Yamaha, the brand that carried AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scott Russell to two victories in the famed Daytona 200, will be the 2013 title sponsor of the AMA Yamaha Motorcycle Hall of Fame Breakfast at Daytona, presented by Motul, on Friday, March 15, at 7 a.m. in the Daytona 500 Club on the infield at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Russell, who won the Daytona 200 five times, plus numerous AMA roadracing championships and a World Superbike title, will be the featured guest.

Taking place during 2013 Daytona Bike Week, the fundraising breakfast will include a live interview with Russell on stage, an audience Q&A period and an autograph session with the AMA Hall of Famer and Daytona 200 legend. Longtime race announcer Ben Cheatwood will interview Russell.

Russell’s Daytona 200 wins are among the most impressive Daytona 200 finishes ever. His 1995 victory, which came after an opening lap crash that saw him remount in last place and battle for 199 miles to win over Carl Fogarty, is perhaps his best remembered. The photo of Russell jumping over his fallen bike to remount made the cover of Cycle World magazine, and cemented the Georgia native as a bona fide roadracing hero to millions of fans worldwide.

We Older Riders More Likely to Get Hurt

Motorcyclists over the age of 60 are three times more likely to be hospitalized after a crash than younger bikers, at least thats part of a report  in the journal Injury Prevention. They found that serious chest and rib cage fractures were very common.

The reports goes on to suggest that reduced bone strength in older adults and their ability to buy more powerful bikes may play a part.

Motorbike groups in the UK say they have seen similar trends.

The study analysed data between 2001 to 2008 from the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP) which collects information from 100 US hospitals which have an A&E.

During this period about 1.5 million adults over the age of 20 needed emergency treatment due to a motorcycle crash.

Bikers over the age of 60 were three times more likely to be admitted to hospital compared with those in their 20s and 30s - and two-and-a-half times more likely to sustain a serious injury.

One of the conclusions, : "The greater severity of injuries among older adults may be due to the physiological changes that occur as the body ages, bone strength decreases, fat distribution may change and there is a decrease in the elasticity of the chest wall.

"Other factors such as a delayed reaction time, altered balance and worsening vision may also make older adults more prone to crashing."

They point out that underlying illnesses like cardiac disease, hypertension and diabetes may also increase the rise of complications.

'Keep skills up'

Data on motorbike size was not available to the researchers, but they suggested that older adults were more likely to buy bikes with larger engines - leading to more severe injuries.

Upper body fractures were more common in older adults while arm, shoulder and hand fractures were more likely in those that were younger.

This may be due to their faster reaction times - sticking their arms out to protect their fall.

Daytona Bike Week - Look Twice, Save a Life

With the approach of Dayton Bike Week,  bikers waved signs and stood together in the cold at Colonial Drive and Rouse Road, urging people to be watchful for motorcycles and to look twice before changing lanes or turning right at a red light.

Bike Week, the 10-day, rumbling homage to Harleys that is reputed to be the world's largest motorcycle event, filling Central Florida's roadways with hundreds of thousands of visiting bikers.

Cullen Ryan, 28, of Oviedo, was killed a few weeks before Christmas when a 77-year-old man turned his SUV into the path of Ryan's motorcycle. The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash on Alafaya Trail.

Almost all of those braving the chilly air Sunday knew a rider killed or injured by an inattentive motorist. Mike Wilcox, whose brother, Bryan, died in a crash in 2011, held a sign that read, "Da 4 Deadliest Words ... I DIDN'T C Him."

Heidi Weclew, 34, said she has lost three friends in crashes and sometimes mounts a camera on her bike to capture reckless motorists. She said she recently called the inattentive driver of an airport taxi to tell the woman, "You almost killed me today."

Hector Rivera, 51, who has been riding motorcycles since he was a boy, said he rides more carefully than ever on Central Florida's highways as, more and more, he has to share the road with careless and distracted drivers.

"They are texting and doing everything but watching," he said.

Well here we are on the doorstep of a new year and that means, for many of us, the amount of riding will be cut back due to the weather.

Since we will be have more time to do "work" on the bike versus those long rides maintenance needs to be done.

Below, our friends from  J&P Cycles gives us 10 things to be aware of.

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.