Author: Jim Witters

California has several great places to ride dirt bikes, and the Jawbone Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle Area and the Dove Springs Off-Highway Vehicle Area, both near the town of Mojave in southern California, are a couple of them. They are both managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The Jawbone OHV area offers more than 7,000 acres of open-use public land you can ride. The OHV area offers cross-country riding as well as advanced technical routes. Outside the OHV area, riding is restricted to designated routes marked with brown trail markers. Travel maps are available at the Ridgecrest Field Office at 300 S. Richmond Road, Ridgecrest, Calif., (760) 384-5400, or the Jawbone Canyon OHV Station at the entrance to Jawbone Canyon off State Highway 14. The Jawbone open area is off State Highway 14, about 20 miles north of the intersection of State Highway 14 and 58 in the town of Mojave. It’s a left turn from State Highway 14 onto Jawbone Canyon Road when traveling from the south, and a right turn onto Jawbone Canyon Road when traveling from the north. There are three vault toilets located in the area. Food and fuel are available in the town of

Another machine added to the retro stying mix for 2020 is the newly unveiled Indian Motorcycle FTR Rally, featuring scrambler styling with modern performance. The bike was officially launched internationally in Milan at EICMA in November 2019 and is now available in the United States. Indian calls the bike an “urban scrambler” but says it also handles back road adventures. The bike features a 1203cc V-twin engine that pumps out a claimed 123 horsepower and 87 foot-pounds of torque, a black trellis frame and inverted front suspension with dual Brembo brakes. Other features include cruise control, a USB fast charge port, higher ProTaper handlebars an LED headlight and LED turn signals. In the looks department, the FTR Rally features Titanium Smoke paint with the Indian Motorcycle headdress graphic, aluminium wire wheels with stainless steel spokes and a red pinstripe brown aviator seat, a windscreen and Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires. Want more? Indian says: “The 2020 FTR Rally is compatible with the entire range of 40-plus accessories specifically developed for the FTR platform, giving riders the ability to customize combinations and maintain the independence they seek when purchasing an Indian Motorcycle.” MSRP: $13,499. Info: www.IndianMotorcycle.com.

Mecum Auctions is offering a wide variety of desirable motorcycles at its auction March 11-14 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., including a bike once owned by AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers Bud Ekins and Steve McQueen. Also for sale is a 1974 Suzuki 400 TM RN motocrosser reportedly built for AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer John DeSoto to race. Here’s a look at some of the machines being sold. For more information, go to www.mecum.com. One of the oldest bikes on the auction block is a 1926 Excelsior Super X alcohol-burning factory flat tracker/hillclimber (above, photo courtesy Mecums) once owned by Ekin and then McQueen. The rare 750cc, two-cylinder still runs. Ekins was one America’s pioneering off-road motorcyclists. Plus, he was one of the first Americans to compete in the World Championship Motocross Grand Prix circuit in Europe during the 1950s. He also earned gold medals in the International Six Day Trial (now International Six Day Enduro). After his racing career, Ekins went on to become one of Hollywood’s leading stuntmen. His most famous stunt was the climactic motorcycle jump scene in the 1963 movie, “The Great Escape,” starring McQueen. McQueen not only was one of the leading

The Shepherd Ah Nei Recreation Area just north of Billings, Mont., is one of the most popular off-highway vehicle riding areas in the state. With 50 miles of trails on more than 1,000 acres, the off-highway riding portion of the Shepherd Ah Nei Recreation Area offers plenty of thrills. The other part of the recreation area, encompassing about 4,000 acres, is dedicated to hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, picnicking and bird watching. The area is operated by the federal Bureau of Land Management. A day pass is $5 and can be purchased at an on-site kiosk or at the BLM Billings Field office or BLM Montana State office. Both offices are at 5001 Southgate Drive in Billings. Proof of vehicle registration is required. You must buy a special state recreation permit for each vehicle to ride there. Montana State Parks notes that OHVs operating on public land for recreational purposes must be registered and display a decal placed in a conspicuous location on the machine. Residents must register their OHVs at the county treasurer’s office in the county where the owner resides. This is a one-time registration and valid until the current owner sells the OHV. Nonresidents using their OHVs

Tickets are now available for the MotoAmerica North American professional road racing series, which is sanctioned by the AMA and is home to the AMA Superbike Championship. As an AMA benefit partner, MotoAmerica provides AMA members with a 15 percent discount on general admission for select 2020 MotoAmerica events. (Ticket discount doesn’t apply to the following events: Circuit of the Americas in Texas, Road America in Wisconsin, Utah Motorsports Campus or WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California.). Simply enter your AMA member discount code when buying tickets on MotoAmerica’s online ticket portal at www.motoamerica.com/tickets. To get your AMA discount code, long in at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/ama-member-deal-and-discounts. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. This year’s schedule includes: April 3-5: MotoAmerica Superbikes at Texas, Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas April 17-19: MotoAmerica Superbikes at Atlanta, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Ga. May 1-3: MotoAmerica Superbikes at Virginia, Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Va. May 29-31: MotoAmerica Superbikes at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. June 26-28:

The Harley-Davidson Motor Company reports it will unleash an all-new street fighter called the Harley-Davidson Bronx in late 2020 as part of its effort to expand its market. The company calls the Bronx a middleweight machine that “rolls with an unapologetic attitude and performance to match.” High-end components include Brembo brakes. The bike is shod with Michelin tires. The heart of the machine is the 975cc Revolution Max powerplant, which is a liquid-cooled, 60-degree V-twin that pumps out more than 115 ponies and boasts more than 70-foot pounds of torque. “The Revolution Max is designed to offer flexible performance with a broad powerband that builds to a surge of high-RPM power,” the Harley-Davidson Motor Company says. “Minimizing weight and maximizing performance, the Revolution Max provides a narrow powertrain profile that is integrated into the motorcycle as a stressed member of the frame to enhance center of gravity and handling. “The fully balanced power train has an internal counter balancer that mitigates primary engine vibration to enhance rider comfort and improve vehicle durability,” the company says. To learn more about Harley-Davidson products, go to www.harley-davidson.com.  

The 2020 AMA Grand Tours are under way so plan now to take part in some of the most interesting and scenic rides on the planet. The riding events allow you to ride to checkpoints at your own pace. Each AMA-chartered organizer sets the tour routes, checkpoints and rules. Jan. 5-Dec. 20: AMA District 2 Polar Bear Grand Tour. If you live in the Northeast and want to get out and ride, join riders starting in the winter season, where they ride to points each Sunday within New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut. Of course, the rides continue year-round, but they start in the winter. (www.polarbeargrandtour.com) Jan. 15-Nov. 30: The SCMA USA Four Corners Tour AMA Grand Tour offers two different USA Four Corner Tours: the “Regular” and the “True X.” The organizer will send a package containing the materials for the ride you choose. The organizer will review your completion of either ride once they receive your finisher’s package. (www.sc-ma.com/rides/usa-four-corners-tour-site) Jan. 15-Nov. 30: The SCMA USA 15 Best Roads Tour. This challenge started in the spring of 2011 after the AMA published a “Best 15 Roads” article in “American Motorcyclist” magazine. Two riders took the challenge that

As an AMA Life Member, you know you get some great AMA benefits. One of the best benefits involves Medjet. Medjet coordinates medical transport back to a home-country hospital of the member’s choice should injury/illness occur during domestic or international travel when more than 150 miles from home. Motorcycle Transfer Protection is an optional benefit for motorcycle return during North American travel. Medjet Horizon membership adds travel security and crisis response protection. Visit www.medjet.com/AMACycle to learn more and enroll in advance of travel, or call (800) 527-7478 and reference the American Motorcyclist Association. Once you sign up you’re ready to enjoy peace of mind.

The personal ride of the late-Indian Larry who died while performing a motorcycle stunt in 2004 was auctioned off for $220,000. The bike, named “Grease Monkey,” was the first custom chopper Ithe popular custom bike builder created that attracted worldwide attention. (Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions) It was just one of the many motorcycles sold at Mecum Auctions’ 29th annual Vintage and Antique Motorcycle Auction Jan. 21-26, 2020 at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Here’s a look at some of the other machines that sold. For more information on the auction results, go to www.mecum.com. Two 1973 Triumph X75 Hurricanes were up for auction. One sold for $26,400 and the other for $22,000. AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Craig Vetter created this design initially for BSA to transform the Rocket III. The Vetter-designed BSA prototype had an American hot rod look to it. Unfortunately, BSA was in its final days and the bike never made it to production. Triumph revived Vetter’s concept a few years later with the release of the limited-edition Triumph X75 Hurricane. Mecum Auctions had several Maico dirtbikes on the auction block. The auction house says a 1972 Maico 501 that was the