AMA Classic Grand Tour winner announced
New Jersey man hits 105 locations in ‘AMA’ signage tour
PICKERINGTON, Ohio — AMA member Kevin Morris of Montville, N.J., won the 2019 AMA Classic Grand Tour, scoring 105 locations where the letters A-M-A appeared in sequence on a sign.
The 2019 AMA Classic Grand Tour celebrated the 95th anniversary of the American Motorcyclist Association, which was founded in 1924. Previous AMA Classic Grand Tours were in 2009 and 2003.
AMA members registered to participate in the tour, which required riders to find signs—including business signs, road signs, street signs and more—with the letters A-M-A in sequence, then photograph their motorcycles and their grand tour flag with the sign. Rules required the signs to be in the United States. The AMA-sanctioned event ran from April 1 through Nov. 1.
“The 2019 AMA Classic Grand Tour gave participants an additional reason to get out and ride,” AMA Recreational Riding Manager Heather Wilson said. “Kevin Morris’ final tally was amazing, and it was neat to see all of the places that A-M-A appeared in signage.”
Morris, who rides a 2008 Kawasaki ZX14, has been riding AMA-sanctioned Grand Tours for at least 10 years.
“I do at least one Grand Tour a year,” he said. “It’s an excuse to go ride somewhere that you really wouldn’t have ridden otherwise. You get the discover something new.”
Morris says that a good Grand Tour has an interesting theme—”a motorcycle theme is always good”—that provides the opportunity to research locations and routes and takes you to new destinations.
“The way I approach these, and probably why I had a lot this year, is I do a lot of prep work first,” he said. “I don’t just get on a bike and ride around randomly. It’s a lot of research. I really don’t think you can participate in a Grand Tour without that part of it—the research. If you ride a Grand Tour, you’ll learn something, see some new places and have some fun riding your bike.”
Morris will receive a plaque for his win.
Finishing second in the 2019 AMA Classic Grand Tour was Dylan Morris of Brookfield, Mass. John Weber of Arnold, Mo., was third.
More information about all of the AMA Grand Tours is available at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/grandtours.