Free Republic

BROOKSVILLE — Perched on a stool at Crossroads Bar & Grill, Larry Obonnon stroked his handlebar mustache and looked over several fliers for a state campaign encouraging motorcyclists to wear brighter colors. One flier, titled "Green Eyed Monster,'' featured a man wearing shades, a black leather jacket and, stunningly, neon green chaps. Obonnon shook his head in disgust. "I've been riding since the 1960s," said the gray-haired Obonnon, clutching a Budweiser, "and this stuff here ain't going to change a thing.''

Standing on the main stage at a world famous motorcycle rally in rural South Dakota on Monday, John McCain looked out on a sea of denim-wearing bikers and told them he enjoyed their company much more than that of the 200,000 Germans who turned out to see Barack Obama last month. “As you may know,” he told the tens of thousands gathered at the 68th annual Sturgis Rally at Buffalo Chip campground, “not long ago, a couple of hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I’ll take the roar of fifty thousand Harleys any day.”

OK all you Wild Hogs!So you couldn't make it this year and are moaning about seeing all them wild women, gnarly biker dudes, and all those fabulous Sleds!Well here ya go! Grab your sixpack, or whatever, grab a seat and watch it all unfold before your very eyes! Warning! These five live webcams (from Sturgis, Deadwood, Rapid City) may show outrageous behavior, Nudity, Cop Action, Drunkeness, the whole nine yards! You must sign in that you are over eighteen btw!Enjoy!

<p>STURGIS, S.D. (AP) -- Republican John McCain has gotten an approving roar from the thousands gathered at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.</p> <p>He mentioned how Democrat Barack Obama was cheered by a large crowd recently during his speech in Berlin. McCain told the Sturgis crowd, "I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day."</p>

Bear attacks. You hear about them all the time, but this one in Vermont takes it to the new level. (BERLIN, Vt. — Motorcyclist Neale Gow struck a bear on his way home from work on Sunday and police say he’s lucky to be alive. “At one point, I noticed something appearing in my vision from the left,” Gow said, “It turned out to be a pretty good-sized bear.” Gow said he had little time to react to a large black bear running his way at full speed. He hit the animal in its side.) This makes me wonder whether...

Luckily Truman didn't think twice By Amanda Compton-Ortiz/amanda@dctribune.com Thursday, July 24, 2008 2:16 PM CDT A Sunday afternoon drive on his new 1300 Honda may have ended in disaster for 51-year-old Jim Kelder of Olive Branch, but thanks to the bravery of one young man his riding days aren't over yet. "I'm grateful there are people like him in this world," said Jim of 16-year-old Truman Gullett of Byhalia. "If it wasn't for him I don't think I'd still be standing here." As fate would have it, Jim, an employee at FedEx, and Truman, a freshman football player at Lewisburg...

Daniel Gilyeat sauntered through the back door to the offices of Cycle Connections, an online motorcycle magazine, then paused and scratched his chin. He was more than a little aware that a roomful of mechanics and Hooters employees on a Saturday afternoon meant something was up. “Danny, you need to come here,” said sales manager Dave Miller. “For all the things you do to keep us safe, we wanted to give you an opportunity to get back on the road.” Miller then turned to the mechanics. “Go ahead.” Without a word, they pulled a sheet off a sparkling deep blue...

3 Die In Motorcycle Crashes; 2 Were Brothers UPDATED: 12:50 pm EDT June 20, 2008 BALTIMORE -- Three people were killed in the last week in motorcycle crashes. Two of the victims were brothers, officials said. Maryland State Police said that Frederick Bruce Dolly, 57, of Westminster, was killed at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday when a truck hit the rear of his vehicle on Interstate 795. The crash occurred on the highway north of Owings Mills Boulevard, troopers said. According to state police, a pickup truck hit the rear of the motorcycle and Dolly was ejected. The collision is under...

Anybody want to talk about scooters and mini bikes? Face it, with these gas prices the idea makes sense. I have one that gets 80 MPG and tops out at 45 MPH. It cost less than $1500 and, in the State of Georgia, for less than 50cc, there is no registration, no advalorum tax and no special operator's license. Plus the insurance costs about $120 a year and there are special parking places available. I know these aren't Harley's, alright? But they sure are fun and CHEAP!!

Me and dad, cruising the plains on a trusty motorcycle Friday, June 13, 2008 Our family is from Texas, but I attended college at a small liberal arts school in Kansas. My Dad (Dan), who is an avid motorcycle "cruiser," wanted to make the long trek from our home in Austin to my small Kansas town — a 10-hour drive on his bike! It was my last year of college, and he wanted to take the opportunity to visit and spend time with just me. I was thrilled to be able to share my college life with my Dad, and...

Over in Oakland they like it loud - so loud that all 45 of the Police Department's Harley-Davidson motorcycles have been equipped with shiny new tailpipes, at a cost of $500 apiece, to rev up their roar.It seems the cops just didn't feel safe on toned-down bikes."There's an old motorcycle adage that you are heard before you are seen," said Deputy Chief Dave Kozicki, explaining the department's decision to toss the bikes' muted factory-issued mufflers in favor of the more high-volume pipes.Kozicki cited an accident three months ago in which an Oakland officer riding a toned-down cycle was struck by...

Three hundred thousand bikers spent Memorial Day weekend roaring around Washington in tribute to our war dead, and I stood on Constitution Avenue Sunday afternoon watching a river of them go by, waiting for a gap in the procession so I could cross over to the Mall and look at pictures. The street had been closed off for them and they motored on by, some flying the Stars and Stripes and the black MIA-POW flag, honking, revving their engines, an endless celebration of internal combustion. A patriotic bike rally is sort of like a patriotic toilet-papering or patriotic graffiti—the patriotism...

Myrtle Beach officials: No more biker ralliesPosted on Wed, May. 28, 2008 MYRTLE BEACH — Furious and frustrated after the weekend shooting death of a 20-year-old Coastal Carolina University student, Myrtle Beach City Council members said Tuesday that they do not want motorcycle rallies in the city any more. A group of local ministers and a bike-rally event promoter spoke to the council at a morning workshop Tuesday and implored the city to help them "do something" about the behavior they witnessed during the past weekend. Other groups have complained to city officials in previous years after the Atlantic Beach...

Arlington authorities are searching the banks of the Potomac River below the George Washington Parkway for a motorcyclist that may have driven off a cliff. ABC 7/NewsChannel 8's Scott Thuman reports the GW Parkway is closed in both directions. United States Park Police are assisting in the search which is centered near the Spout Run Parkway. A park police spokesperson said they got a report that a motorcycle drove off the GW Parkway around 6:15 p.m. near the first overlook. -snip-

THE PRESIDENT: It's been a pleasure of my presidency to get to know the leaders of Rolling Thunder. For our fellow citizens who don't know Rolling Thunder, Rolling Thunder is the moment in time here in Washington, on Memorial Day Weekend, when thousands of motorcyclers come to the nation's capital to pay tribute to those who have died in service, to those who sacrificed, and those who serve. And it's a magnificent sight. We just choppered in, Artie, and saw your brothers and sisters cranking up their machines and driving through the nation's capital -- many of them have got...

Rolling Thunder, Inc. 21st Anniversary Memorial Day Demonstration in Washington, D.C., May 23-25, 2008, To Include Families of Iraq War POWs/MIAs ROLLING THUNDER MISSION STATEMENT The major functions of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. are to publicize the POW/MIA issue, to educate the public of the fact that many American Prisoners of War were left behind after all past wars, to help correct the past, and to protect future veterans from being left behind should they become Prisoners of War/Missing in Action. Rolling Thunder is committed to helping American Veterans from ALL WARS. • Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit...

Leather jackets will mingle with pin-stripped suits today when motorcycle clubs arrive at the State House to see their driving-safety bill signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley. The bill will impose a six-month suspension, a $1,000 fine or both on drivers who injure or kill somebody by violating road right-of-way laws. Members of American Bikers Aimed Toward Education, or ABATE, of Maryland have fought for the past five years to pass the legislation, but were largely unsuccessful until this year, when the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration supported it. The fight became personal in 2006 after the driver of a...

Forget inflation, the economy, your unpaid bills, that pink slip in your locker. An edgy new Harley-Davidson ad campaign reflects on today's difficult times, finishing with the tag line, "So screw it, let's ride." The campaign, launched this week with a full-page ad in USA Today, also reminds people that the Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker and the nation in general have endured plenty of pain - and not just lately. "Over the last 105 years in the saddle, we've seen wars, conflicts, depression, recession, resistance and revolutions," the ad says. "We've watched a thousand hand-wringing pundits disappear in our rear-view mirror....

Citing safety concerns, Grayslake officials have forced the cancellation of Sunday’s Ironhorse Bike Show at the Lake County Fairgrounds. Grayslake Mayor Tim Perry on Friday released a statement saying the bike show, which was expected to attract up to 20,000 bikers, would not be held as planned. “Based upon the information obtained, the Grayslake Police Department became concerned about circumstances which threaten the health and public safety of those attending the event and the people of Grayslake,” the statement from Perry’s office read. “In light of this new information, Grayslake officials felt that adequate protection could not be maintained and...

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