Hooters Casino Hotel to Sponsor Las Vegas BikeFest Grand Prize GiveawayThe Las Vegas BikeFest Partnership announced that the new Hooters Casino Hotel will sponsor a Grand Prize Giveaway at Las Vegas BikeFest, scheduled for September 14-17, 2006. Hooters Casino Hotel has contracted with American Motorcycle Co. 1902 to build a custom Hooters “Ol School Bobber” for this Grand Prize Giveaway.

“Hooters has been a long-time supporter of Las Vegas BikeFest, and we’ve been waiting with great anticipation for the opening of the Hooters Casino Hotel so that we could work with them on the promotion of the hotel,” stated Harry Schwartz, president of Full Throttle Events, one of Las Vegas BikeFest’s partners. “The hotel and casino have a great atmosphere, and we are sure that the Las Vegas BikeFest attendees are going find it to be one of the hot spots during the event.”

All Las Vegas BikeFest registrants will have the opportunity to win the Grand Prize Giveaway by dropping off their entry forms at the Hooters Casino Hotel.

The custom Hooters Ol School Bobber will be on tour with the American Motorcycle Co. 1902 exhibit at events and rallys around the country, leading up to Las Vegas BikeFest. “It was a real honor for us when we were selected by Hooters Casino Hotel to build a custom Bobber for them to give away at Las Vegas BikeFest,” stated Robert Page and Branscombe Richmond, partners of American Motorcycle Co. 1902.

The sixth annual Las Vegas BikeFest will be held September 14-17 in the most famous 24-hour city of all, Las Vegas, NV. The event will consist of the Vendor Village at Cashman Center with more than 275 manufacturers and vendors, as well as activities such as Poker Runs, competitions, and nonstop entertainment, including concerts with well-known celebrity bands. The HOT BIKE magazine-sponsored Artistry in Iron Master Builders’ Championship will also take place at Cashman Center. More than 40,000 bikers and enthusiasts are expected to be in attendance.

Hooters Casino Hotel information is available at www.hooterscasinohotel.com, or call (866) 584-6687.

Las Vegas BikeFest information is available at www.lasvegasbikefest.com. You can also call (866) 245-3337 or send an e-mail to [email protected].

World-Famous Leo Payne’s “Turnip Eater” Now on Display at the National Motorcycle MuseumThe National Motorcycle Museum is proud to announce that it now has on display the world-famous Leo Payne “Turnip Eater” Harley-Davidson “Sportster” racing bike. On loan from the AMA Museum and Hall of Fame for 2006, this fantastic motorcycle display is complete with photos, certificates, and other authentic memorabilia from Leo Payne’s racing years.

Leo Payne was born in St. Louis, MO, on March 10, 1931. He was raised in Flora, IL, and attended Boys Town in the ’40s. He bought his first motorcycle when he was 19, but the Korean War cut short his new hobby. After the war, Payne moved to Cedar Rapids, IA, and went to work part-time for a Harley-Davidson dealership. There he began to modify his bikes and quickly earned a reputation as having one of the fastest Sportsters in the Midwest.

Leo Payne soon became one of the United States’ leading drag and top-speed record racers. From the ’50s through the ’70s he was a drag-racing champion and set numerous records on his highly modified Harley-Davidson Sportsters. It was in 1969 that Payne’s Turnip Eater set several records, including hitting a top speed of more than 201 mph, en route to an average of 196.512. His trap speed of 201 mph made Payne the first rider in history to push a non-streamliner to more than 200 mph. His bike was towed up to 70 mph before he fired it up to begin the run. To save weight he used a single-speed transmission, which meant he had to slip the clutch up to about 110 mph. That year he broke the existing class record by a margin of 43 mph.

Payne continued to be involved in racing through the ’80s. He helped many young riders get their start in drag racing until his death from cancer on September 18, 1991.

Don’t miss your chance to see this fantastic machine at the National Motorcycle Museum. The museum is open daily and is located just 20 minutes away from Cedar Rapids, IA, in downtown Anamosa. While you’re there, check out the museum’s extensive collection of more than 190 vintage motorcycles; thousands of photographs, posters, postcards, and pieces of motorcycle memorabilia; and a fabulous collection of antique toys. Come see for yourself why the museum was voted Iowa’s Tourism Attraction of the Year in 2001. The National Motorcycle Museum is a not-for-profit corporation. For more information, contact the National Motorcycle Museum at (319) 462-3925, or go to www.nationalmcmuseum.org.

Herr’s Snack Foods and Lancaster Harley-Davidson Announce the Fourth Annual Herr’s Bike Night to Benefit MDAHerr’s and Lancaster Harley-Davidson present an evening of motorcycle craftsmanship and great-tasting snacks. Herr’s Bike Night features an impressive lineup of motorcycles, free food, and snack factory tours, and is expected to attract more than 5,000 people and 1,000 motorcycles. Favorites of the popular community event include a motorcycle raffle benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association, awards for bikes in four categories, freshly cooked potato chips on the Herr’s Snack Factory tour, and Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Be sure to keep Thursday night, August 10, 2006, free. The bike night is scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to dusk at Herr’s Snack Foods, which is located on 20 Herr Dr. (Route 272 and Route 1), Nottingham, PA. Enjoy games and door prizes, as well as motorcycle merchandise at discount prices. Participate in the bike raffle, where the winner chooses a Harley-Davidson motorcycle or $5,000 cash, and cast your votes in Best of Show in categories consisting of antique, custom, import, and women’s. Enjoy free admission and parking, as well as Herr’s snack factory tours and complimentary food and drinks.

For more information on Herr’s Snack Factory Tour, call 800-63-SNACK, or visit www.herrs.com.

New Bikes and a New Facility for 2006After several years of building one-off customs, Dean Wilson of BackRoad Choppers announced plans for three new ’06 models: a Bobber, a 200-rear-tire chopper (both old school), and a 300 RSD Pro Street.

Since he comes from a long background of manufacturing, Dean’s goal has always been selling motorcycles through a select dealer network.

“My brother, Evan, has been with me from the very start, helping to design, fabricate, and build each and every bike,” Dean said. “I recently hired Ron Sanchez. Ron brings more than 15 years of experience with him, having worked at both CMC and Indian.”

The recent purchase of a new factory and showroom in Delhi, CA, totaling 3 acres allows plenty of space for the ’06 production (currently scheduled at 100 units), as well as future plans of expansion that are definitely in store down the road. For more information, call (209) 669-3824, or visit BackRoad’s website at www.backroadchoppers.com.

Picture ThisIf you’ve ever been to a motorcycle rally, chances are you’ve been immortalized by the camera of Jack McIntyre, founder of Bikerpics.org, home of thousands of rally picture-perfect moments. In the late ’90s, Jack was just a regular biker fanatic who desperately wanted to be a part of the motorcycle industry any way he could. With a little personal inspiration (and a nudge from Michael Lichter), Jack picked up a camera and began hitting all of the biker conventions and rallies.

As with most other rally attendees, Jack had loads of images of the events by the time he came home. The only difference was that, while others might have had 50 or 60 pictures, he had roughly 3,000. With his massive collection of photographs, Jack launched Bikerpics.org with the help of his friend, Jim McKenna. It was a nice simple web space, nothing fancy, and no advertisers-just a fun space where Jack and his friends could share photos. It wasn’t long before the traffic counter Jack installed started picking up speed, reaching numbers in the thousands.

In 2003, Jack made the decision to turn this into a serious business and purchased the best cameras and equipment he could afford. Together, he and Jim redesigned the website for a clean, professional look. The site has since grown exponentially, now featuring 300,000 hits each month and displaying advertising banners, which help support the cost of attending the events and covers system fees. This year, Jack will not only cover Daytona’s Biketoberfest, which has always been a focus of his, but also the ROT Rally in Texas. He’ll also be going to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Despite all the changes, Jack hasn’t forgotten the reason for all this.”Our goal is the same as when we started, which is to let the public view the biker world from the lens of my camera at almost no charge.”

Be sure to visit Bikerpics.org-because, after all, it was created for you.

Bell Offers Discount Helmet Trade-in ProgramWith Bell’s 2006 trade-in program, that old helmet collecting dust in the corner of your garage is worth money. Bring any brand of helmet in to a participating retailer and get a 20-percent discount off the purchase of any new Bell helmet between March 1 and September 1, 2006. And if you’re sentimentally attached to that old helmet, don’t worry-you won’t have to give it up. Participants just need to bring in the helmet and fill out a log sheet to qualify for the program. On a helmet such as Bell’s Moto-8, a 20-percent discount could equal $80 off the retail price.

Look for trade-in signage featuring Bell Rider Jeremy McGrath at retailers, or go to www.bellpowersports.com for a list of participating dealers and more information on the program.