Life Member News

For a great time riding in northeastern Tennessee plan a stay at the Ride Royal Blue Resort that caters to ATV and motorcycle riders.

Near the town of Pioneer, Ride Royal Blue offers everything you need from excellent trails and scenery to motorhome and tent camping spots to cabins and more.

The resort connects to the Tennessee Wildlife Management Area called Royal Blue and Sundquist in the Cumberland Mountains in Campbell County, Tenn., offering more than 600 miles of trails covering 200,000 acres.

Oil is the lifeblood of most motorcycles, and AMA Partner Blendzall offers AMA members a discount on oil and more to keep their bikes running in tip-top shape.

The Ohio-based lubricant company gives AMA members a 20 percent discount on all Blendzall racing lubricants and merchandise at blendzall.com.

Since 2020 marks Suzuki’s 100th anniversary as a company, Suzuki reports its newest GSX-Rs will boast 100th Anniversary Edition colors.

The early release 2021 GSX-R1000, GSX-R750 and GSX-R600 will be decked out in a 100th Anniversary Edition color scheme featuring the iconic blue and slate silver that adorned Suzuki’s early Grand Prix machines of the 1960s. The paint scheme is shared by Suzuki’s MotoGP GSX-RRs.

What’s it take to win enduros at the highest levels? What was it like racing motocross during its infancy in America? What were the challenges in running championship-winning racing efforts for Honda and Kawasaki?

Get the answers to those questions and more from the people who actually tackled those challenges, and succeeded. People like eight-time AMA National Enduro Champion Dick Burleson, MX pioneer Gunnar Lindstrom, Honda Racing leader Gary Mathers and Kawasaki Racing guru Rob Muzzy.

If you’re an older rider you may have gotten your off-road riding start on a Honda CT step-through trail bike. Well, Honda is bringing back that machine with its all-new 2021 Honda Trail 125 ABS (CT125).

The bike “resurrects a revered brand by injecting a healthy dose of practical design and hassle-free technology to create a miniMOTO that, much like the Super Cub and Monkey, pays tribute to the past while adapting easily to modern lifestyles,” Honda said.

For a variety of off-highway riding experiences, head off to the Turkey Bay Off-Highway Vehicle Area in Kentucky.

Located in the middle of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, Turkey Bay offers about 100 miles of trails for many different riding experiences.

No matter which season you choose to visit Turkey Bay, the surrounding heavily wooded hills and valleys come alive with color. Redbud and dogwood bloom in early spring, the forest turns a lush green all summer and the changing leaves in the fall provide a variety of blazing colors.

Meet motorcycle artist Rich Lee, learn what AMA member John L. Stein has discovered in 50 years of riding, and get the inside scoop on what is happening in your state motorcycle-wise in the September 2020 issue of American Motorcyclist magazine.

BMW Motorrad is now offering a maintenance-free drive chain for two of its motorcycles, eliminating the need to lubricate and adjust the chain.

The German motorcycle maker has offered maintenance-free shaft drives for more than 90 years. Now, BMW is offering the maintenance-free M Endurance chain in a 525 pitch for its four-cylinder BMW S 1000 RR and S 1000 XR. The M Endurance chain is available as an accessory or directly from the factory as an option.

Now, a new series featuring the two actors/motorcyclists called “Long Way Up” will kick off Sept. 18 on Apple TV+, an on-demand subscription streaming television service launched by Apple in 2019.

The new “Long Way Up” follows best friends McGregor and Boorman on a motorcycle adventure through 13 countries on a track that takes more than 100 days and covers some 13,000 miles.

If you want to take a self-guided tour in Colorado, or a guided tour, then use your AMA discount of 10 percent off motorcycle rentals and tours at Colorado Motorcycle Adventures.

Concerning tours, the company says that its goal for each adventure “is to take you to beautiful places, along amazing roads and trails, which leave you wanting more. Whether it’s a self-guided adventure experienced on your own, or a guided adventure of ours, you are sure to enjoy your time with us and have a premium experience in every sense of the word.”

A trio of “barn fresh” Indian motorcycles with titles will be auctioned Sept. 27 as part of a sale of almost 60 classic vehicles collected by the late Glen Meacham, an Iowa farmer.

The auction, offering onsite and online bidding, begins at 10 a.m. at 19553 Carter St., Carlisle, Iowa. VanDerBrink Auctions is handling the sales. Besides many cars and tractors, the auction features a 1940 Indian Four, a 1947 Indian Chief and a 1948 Indian Chief.

The auctioneer says the 1940 Indian Four was overhauled 25 years ago, has a title, appears to have matching numbers and appears to have had a paint job and some gold accents added.

Haspin Acres in Laurel, Ind., has 750 acres of wooded hills offering lots of fun.

Most of the trails aren’t marked because there are so many of them so not every trail is marked. There are some color-coded arrows with white arrows indicating easy trails, blue indicating moderate trails and orange and red arrows indicating difficult trails.

The facility has a motocross-style track and a 300-foot loose dirt drag strip.

EagleRider Rentals & Tours offers AMA members a deal to get away on a motorcycling adventure with its self-guided and guided tours as well as its motorcycle rentals.

EagleRider motorcycle tours explore parts of the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Australia and other locations. The tours give riders the opportunity to explore without worrying about itinerary and accommodation planning.

Guided and self-guided tours in the United States include Route 66, the American West, Baja and Coast to Coast.

A 1975 Suzuki 750cc race bike that was ridden by two AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers and later won the famed Isle of Man TT sold for $68,352 at a Bonhams auction held at Bicester Heritage, Oxfordshire, in England Aug. 14-16.

Texaco Heron Team Suzuki works rider John Williams rode the 1975 Suzuki XR11 Formula 750 machine (above, Bonhams photo) to victory in the 1976 Isle of Man Classic TT. Before making its way to the UK, future AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers David Aldana and Pat Hennen rode it as part of Suzuki’s American racing effort.

Dubbed “the world’s oldest motorcycle rally,” the 97th Laconia Motorcycle Week is an AMA National Gypsy Tour stop being held Aug. 22-30, 2020 in scenic New Hampshire.

Organizers report that steps will be taken to protect riders because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The American Motorcyclist Association offers its members many money-saving deals while helping to protect their freedom to ride. As an AMA Life Member you know that. But do your friends?

Are your riding buddies AMA members? If not, then pass along some of these reasons why they should be part of the largest motorcyclists’ rights organization on the planet. Then ask them to join the AMA at www.americanmotorcyclist.com or by calling (800) AMA-JOIN (262-5646).

If you don’t have much vacation time left but want to take a week-long motorcycle trip in another part of the country, you can. How? Be creative to make your dream getaway come true.

You could ride your bike one way and then ship the bike home while you take a plane. So consider shipping your bike, even if it’s coast to coast. Compare the shipping cost to the costs of hotels, food and gas, plus the wear and tear on your bike for a week long coast-to-coast trip, and you may well save money.

There are many celebrity motorcyclists, but few who, at one time or another, had strong ties with motorcycle companies, charities, or even their own museum. Here are a few who are serious about the lifestyle.

Some rare and unusual machines are being offered for sale at the Bonhams auction Aug. 14-16, 2020 at the Stafford County Showground at Bicester Heritage in England. They include a 1954 175cc Mondial Bialbero roadracer, 1958 Moto Guzzi 192cc Galletto and a 1909 Minerva 3.5 horsepower with a wicker sidecar.